Undocumented futbolistas and sports "racism"

Fri24Feb2006

Undocumented futbolistas and sports "racism"

14:17 H | Topics: Immigration - Race - Spain - Sports

I was talking to a journalist this morning who was bringing me up to speed on a story that's been buzzing about New York media in the last few weeks: that Mets coach Omar Minaya is being called a racist for saying that he feels more at home with Latino players. And apparently Minaya is a racist just for the mere fact that he has brought so many Latin American players to the club. I know nothing about baseball, but if they are playing well, who cares? And what's wrong with "helping a brutha out"? People do it all the time. It's called cultural affinity and it's sometimes the only thing that keeps immigrant populations united in places where they should feel isolated.

Sports and immigration aren't really topics that tend to cross much, but my eyebrows raised at a headline in today's 20 Minutos newspaper from Spain: Futbolistas "sin papeles" debutan en la División Regional Preferente de Melilla

Undocumented soccer players welcomed? Am I reading right?

Apparently the sub-saharan Africans were taken from an immigrant detention center and somewhere along the way someone shaped them into a soccer team that's debuting in a "preferential" regional division. Not to overuse the expression, but WTF?

In some sort of formal event to honor them, a local government official is quoted:

Fernández Chacón told journalists "This is a day in which I can feel happy in my political career", and mentioned that the government wants to continue to exploring integration and dialogue in this "model" immigrant center.
"Hopefully one will turn out to be a first-class player", he said, and added that today's event is "the best bond that can be established between cultures."

Baloney. These guys just play really well. If only all illegal immigrants had such talents.

Via / 20 Minutos

Photo credit: 20 Minutos