Like to hear about them.
Footballers getting political
- Thread starter duffer
- Start date
This is easy to say when you're not the one that has to manage or bear the cost of the fallout every time someone steps in it with one of their daft, undercooked opinions. Stuff like this could have commercial, sporting and safety implications for a club, so of course they will want to have some measure of influence over how freely players pop off at the mouth.
He stands with Israel purely because Russia has been a supporter of Syria, Iran etc during all the US funded invasions in the faux Arab Spring. So for him anything anti Russia is good.
It's stupid but it's a lack of being informed on the issue more than anything else.
It's stupid but it's a lack of being informed on the issue more than anything else.
They’re grown ups but probably also a lot of them have no education besides football and many of the rich ones live in a bubble from a very young age in the leagues where big money is to be found.
These days the most stupid of their opinions will also be the easiest to put in the headlines and emphasize, so yeah freedom of speech is great but you just know it can also end in a lot of stupid and uneducated opinions getting traction.
These days the most stupid of their opinions will also be the easiest to put in the headlines and emphasize, so yeah freedom of speech is great but you just know it can also end in a lot of stupid and uneducated opinions getting traction.
That's nice. They've already been posted in this thread.
Footballer in being thick as pigshit shocker.
Incredible hypocrisy if Arsenal don’t give him the Ozil treatment.
We’re talking about a club happy to continue playing a player under police investigation. They did what they did to Ozil because they wanted his wages off the books.
I don't understand why people care about famous people's opinions on topics that have absolutely nothing to do with their field of expertise.Then again I don't understand why someone would want to watch celebrities in one field try out ice skating, boxing or ballroom dancing but they do.
As people do care they're best keeping their mouth shut when it comes to certain topics.
I do acknowledge an irony of sorts, as here I am actively seeking out and reading the opinion of random people on an internet forum who may or may not know what they're talking about when it comes to football. Difference here is we can discuss things, sending posts back and forth and there's interaction. I could change my mind on something partially or fully but even if not it's the discussion that makes it fun. There's also guaranteed shared interest on the topic. You don't have any of that with famous people's social media feeds, you're just consuming whatever they decide to spit out.
As people do care they're best keeping their mouth shut when it comes to certain topics.
I do acknowledge an irony of sorts, as here I am actively seeking out and reading the opinion of random people on an internet forum who may or may not know what they're talking about when it comes to football. Difference here is we can discuss things, sending posts back and forth and there's interaction. I could change my mind on something partially or fully but even if not it's the discussion that makes it fun. There's also guaranteed shared interest on the topic. You don't have any of that with famous people's social media feeds, you're just consuming whatever they decide to spit out.
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Have people posting in here actually taken note of what's been happening in Israel the last 24h?
For my money footballers are entitled to every bit as much of an opinion as the rest of us and those who want to deny it to them are either too sensitive or jealous of footballers reach. Footballers are entitled to say stupid things (or smart stuff) just as much as anyone else.
For my money footballers are entitled to every bit as much of an opinion as the rest of us and those who want to deny it to them are either too sensitive or jealous of footballers reach. Footballers are entitled to say stupid things (or smart stuff) just as much as anyone else.
As long as it is going in line with being an acceptable moral opinion it is fine.
where that line draws is hard and will be different for anyone.
anyone who acts like there isn’t unacceptable opinions is also obviously wrong.
where that line draws is hard and will be different for anyone.
anyone who acts like there isn’t unacceptable opinions is also obviously wrong.
It's a business and they don't want an employee affecting their ability to make money or do deals in certain regions by having players take sides in divisive conflicts.
He probably has something in his contract about it.
He probably has something in his contract about it.
What makes someone educated enough to understand world politics?
I think Ozil was mostly frozen out because he was becoming a bit shit and was still on 350k a week. I doubt as big a fuss would have been made over his comments if he was playing well
Normally it depends on what position China takes on these matters as to whether clubs take action against players.
I think it's very wise they don't unless they're directly affected, like Zinchenko and Ukraine. If half the United team posted pro-Russia messages on their social media it would make me dislike them and completely change my view of the team, the club, everything
Would depend on the message. Simply supporting one political side or country is something I’d accept, even if I didn’t agree with the side that supported. But if they started posting things like “flatten Ukraine” then that is essentially calling for the murder of civilians. Likewise for pro Ukraine who might say the same about Russia
Is this not the exact thing the concept of social media is based on? In fact, the exact thing we're doing on here?
I don’t think it’s that. Zelensky, the face of Ukrainian resistance, is Jewish and has said on more than one occasion how Ukraine can learn from Israel in terms of ‘resistance’. It’s obviously nonsensical bullshit from him given Ukraine are akin to Palestine in their respective conflicts, but idiots like Zinchenko won’t be able to understand the difference.
No issue with it, whether it's something I agree with or not. What I don't like is when they won't then stand by their opinions. This applies to footballers and beyond.
If you're unwilling to do that, then it's probably best you say nothing in public.
If you're unwilling to do that, then it's probably best you say nothing in public.
Can we call him an idiot or is he mislead?
Yesterday I read all over the news, and myself believed it, that the attacks were out of the blue, completely unexpected, and unprovoked.
This of course painted a picture of peace, not necessarily equality, that was ruined by Hamas. However a bit of research and I found out that the IDF have killed over 200 Palestinian civilians in 2023, often doing what Hamas did yesterday and going into camps and shooting people and kidnapping:taking people prisoner.
That obviously paints a different narrative. While it doesn’t justify the deaths of civilians. I do think if more people like Zinchenco were aware what happened throughout 2023 before yesterday they at the very least won’t see yesterday as some random attack that came out of the blue and ruined a nonviolent coexistence.
Also, don't think anyone can really be surprised a Ukrainian would be in support of Israel.
Just as much of a right to voice his opinion as anyone else.
Even that, tragic as it is makes the past 24 hours events a major escalation and will damage the Palestinian cause immensely.
From 200 people in 10 months to over 1000 in 24 hours. Yesterday wasn't random or a breach of some sort of long standing peace but it was undoubtedly the single biggest action by either side in a significant period of time.
I too stand with Israel today. On another day I might stand with Palestine, but not today. And if you think that's stupid you either haven't been paying attention to the news over the last 24 hours or you need to take a long hard look in the mirror.
It's too complicated of a reason, I'd imagine. Generally Ukraine has much closer ties with Israel (including a massive Ukrainian diaspora there) than it has with Palestine (virtually none). Plus many Ukrainians have been comparing themselves to Israel since 2014, seeing them as a small country with great military that fights against a superior foe (counting all of the anti-Israeli Arab countries as one*), even though the comparison to Palestina would've been much more appropriate (but then they're losing and who wants to be compared to a losing side?).
* just to reiterate — I'm retelling a popular trope from the Ukrainian media, not my own views on the conflict.
I have and no, I wouldn't stand with Israel. Innocent people being killed? Yes, but not Israel.
My tolerance for this type of thing is extremely low, so I think he's an idiot personally.
The situation in Palestine shouldn't be new to anyone this day in age. They live under military occupation, they're a brutalised and subjugated people, they're routinely harassed, murdered, and brutalised and the West (or Western media) is blind to it.
Despite having very strong emotional opinions. Many people do not have the strong intellectual interest to research these things. If people see on CNN, Sky etc “Hamas attack kills xxxx amount in unprovoked attack” and that’s the first that they process about Israel / Palestine in months then it’s normal that with all the imaginary and videos of the carnage that they see they form a certain emotional response and opinion.
I read a quote once that made me research everything regarding wars and politics. “The truth is so easy to find that it takes a very good education not to see it”
People who think they have already been properly diagnosed by their doctor won’t see the need to get a second opinion.
Well if they’re telling us what their political opinions are, then it’s fair enough that people will have opinions about those opinions.
It's not really that complicated when you factor in the wider picture and the players involved.
This is exactly how it should work though. Discussion is healthy and creates the potential for people to expand their knowledge on a subject to the extent opinions can evolve.
Shutting down someone's opinion does nothing but reinforce their view.
I guess - perhaps I overlook the power of the MSM from time to time.
They are footballers. Nobody should give a rat's arse what these nuggets think.
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Presumably he stands with Israel because he (incorrectly) sees what happens as an unprovoked attack on civilians by external aggressors. Which he can relate to as a Ukrainian. Reading about or seeing hundreds of rockets fired into any country is bound to trigger him. Footballers can have political opinions. Doesn’t mean the opinions have to be fully thought through. Same as most people with political opinions.
'Standing with Israel' is not the way to voice what I think it is you're trying to say.
It's one of the things it's based on, and like every tool, it can be used for the good and the plain destructive. Using the platform to promote a cause or raise awareness to an issue cane be a good thing. Using the tool to engage in discussions about recreational activities like football, films, music or whatever is relatively harmless fun. Even engaging in debates with well constructed arguments can be educational and a good way to evolve and understand other's points of view. But to just take a side in an extremely complex and very emotive issue, then no, I don't think having access to an internet connection qualifies one to do so. What's the point? Expressing an opinion regarding issues one has no deep knowledge on apart from their emotions and feelings should a careful exercise. If it doesn't add value to the debate, it can just spread hate and provoke which as we know full well now, can lead to nothing but unnecessary tension and hatred. Who a footballer or any commoner sides with in an issue that's been raging for thousands of years falls into that category. I simply don't understand why or how every citizen's feelings about every single subject contribute anything of value to society.
True. I remember reading an explanation as to why LeBron James got away with being so political while Colin Kapernik didn't and after some stats about the different demographics of basketball and the NFL, the writer admitted one was just worth more financially.
Stand against Hamas is probably the only thing you can say. Both sides have leaders that are making things worse for the civilians in both countries.
He is just a stupid person. Remember when he said that he wants to fight Russians, kill Putin by himself and shit but..... he can't because he has wife and kids.
Amazing, what a bellend.
What did he say that stirred controversy, besides supporting Israel as a general statement?
This time? Only that. He put Israel flag on Instagram and text that "he stands with Israel".