According to paragraph one of the Olympic principles contained in the Olympic Charter, “Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”
The question must be asked, what example, good or otherwise, are Austalia’s star footballers setting in regard to the “joy of effort” in representing Australia and achieving Olympic glory?
Growing up, as a naïve and rather dim child, I had always thought that the Olympics was the be-all and end-all of sports – the pinnacle of elite sporting achievement and prowess.
Perhaps these days the Olympics are better understood as the elite pinnacle of a huge amateur pyramid.
Still, reaching the Olympics is the ultimate goal for many sportspeople, but to represent their country in an Olympic event is a privilege given to very, very few. Most sportspeople would doubtless agree that standing on the Olympic winner’s podium is their ultimate dream.
Seemingly in harmony with this ethos, Australian football legend Harry Kewell recently said of playing in the Olympics football squad: “That’s always been a dream of mine, I have been injured the last two times (Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000).”
However, in virtually the same breath, he qualified the actual priority he gave to this ‘dream’ by saying, “The Olympics are only for two weeks and I’ve got to sort my future out first and if everything goes well then maybe.”
A strange scenario, surely, when Kewell’s lifelong ‘dream’ is easier for him to grasp and take hold of than the remote control for the TV is for most of us, and yet is discarded by him as not actually really too high on the priority list after all compared with the grandiose vision he has of the week-to-week slog of club football in the autumn years of his career. the
Later, after Kewell signed for Galatasaray, his priorities became crystal clear: “The Olympics Games depended on whether I had a club or not,” he explained. “Now I do and it’s down to Galatasaray (whether I play). If they want me to go then fair enough, but my first priority is to play for Galatasaray.”
Kewell quickly went on to rule himself out of selection for the Olyroos squad altogether, and even though in the press we were told it was for “the good of the team,” and despite Kewell’s recent huge contribution for Australia in the World Cup Qualification campaign – while out of contract – one can’t help but think that the real reason behind his decision was for the good of the man, rather than his country.
But is playing for a Turkish club, in that most prestigious of world football leagues, the Turkcell Super League, really worth discarding a place in the Australian Olympics squad?
Kewell surely has no fierce loyalty to his brand new club, and how many Aussie kids really go to sleep dreaming of having a Turkcell Super League winners medal around our neck?
Kewell is not the only footballer to raise the ‘Club versus Country’ debate.
Liverpool sparked the debate off again back in August when the club announced in advance that Steven Gerrard would play for Liverpool against Chelsea with an injury, but would be pulled out of the England match against Germany a few days later.
Sam Allardyce, Viduka’s manager at Newcastle United, had stated in no uncertain terms that he wanted Viduka to rest during last September’s international break.
Nick Carle obviously didn’t get enough rest sitting on the sidelines for the recent World Cup qualifiers, recently taking the option of being left out of the Socceroos latest game against China in Sydney so that he could get back nice and early to his new club for some sack time after a long season.
“I really thought it was probably best to make sure I had my week or two rest,” explained Carle, “I wanted to make sure that I’m ready for next season…so rather than missing some of the pre-season I’d rather miss that [China] game so that I can have my rest time, which is important after such a long season.”
Rest time? Mor
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