Zura, the Man behind the mask

Following on from a week where the globalisation of one of our main sporting codes is causing it to start hemorrhaging, the second foreign invader to the Newcastle Jets in a week is causing no such turmoil.

Rather, it’s leading their fans on to more of the laughter and joyous celebration of the world game that is football.

Australian Football has been through its globalisation pains for the last thirty years which has seen various Socceroos campaigns fail and the demise of the old National Soccer League (NSL).

We now have a truly international Socceroos team, with players made up of mainly overseas based stars, and a national football competition that regularly loses its best players to overseas clubs and welcomes overseas players with open arms.

But the A-League is not dying, it is thriving.

Mike Cockerill says: “The late, great Johnny Warren always maintained that when the world caught up with Australia [globalisation and the rugby codes], the world game would be the one best positioned to thrive. Football has been buffeted and almost blown over by the winds of change, but it’s now tougher and stronger than ever.”

The Newcastle Jets A-League football club this week unveiled Ecuador international striker Edmundo Zura as their new marquee signing.

Zura’s arrival follows Newcastle’s recent signing of Danish international midfielder Jesper Hakansson, who agreed to a two-year deal on Wednesday.

Both are world class acts and sure to add tremendous interest to the A-League. The two international stars should become instant favourites with the high-flying Squadron, the Jets fan base.

Jets owner Con Constantine boldly declared yesterday that he had assembled a stronger squad for Newcastle’s A-League title defence than the celebrated line-up who won last season’s grand final.

In a further boost for the Jets, Constantine added that they were poised to announce next week that they had secured a major sponsor for the first time in the club’s history.

Capped seven times by his country, including captaining the team, 24-year-old Zura averages a goal every other game in domestic football and will join the Jets on a one-year loan deal from his Ecuadorian club, Imbabura SC.

Zura also wears a mask.

Zura, 24, dons the mask as a post goal celebration in honour of fellow Ecuadorian striker Otilino Tenorio, who died in May 2005. Tenorio was a flamboyant star of Ecuador soccer, known as the “Spiderman” for pulling on a pro wrestling-style mask after scoring a goal.

After returning from a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in a friendly in New York, Tenorio died when his car collided with a gas truck not far from his home city of Quevedo.

The tragedy struck a chord with the then 22-year-old Zura, who began wearing his super hero mask after scoring goals, in honour of Tenorio.

“He [Tenorio] scored a lot of goals, and I admire him very much as a person and player, so I’m trying to do the same thing as he did,” Zura said at his Jets unveiling through an interpreter.

Zura hopes the fans will get behind him by wearing masks.

“Yes, I hope so. I am looking forward to the fans following me and joining me in dedicating the goals to him [Tenorio],” he said.

The president of The Squadron, Tim Verschelden, said Zura was likely to get his wish.

“I’m sure he’s going to get a cult following.”

If Zura is a success, you’ll see the Jets faithful pulling on super hero masks or even Spiderman outfits, just like they wore those headbands in support of Colombian Milton Rodriguez in season two.

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