No Homeland No hometeam to Cheer for

A

ACANA

New member
I don't want to politicize this topic but sometimes I think how beautiful it would have been to have our own country. I will bring into a sports topic. Wouldn't be amazing to have our own team compete in competitions whatever they are. Looking at what roller coaster the people are going through now with the Euro, I wonder how we would've done . I saw pictures of Turkey and the people there are going nuts.

We have nothing. We get to cheer for other nationalities but we really don't feel the same as they do. Every tournament we watch and live it as an outsider . We cheer Italy, Brazil, Australia, Iraq and so on, but it is an empty feeling.

Why did we get short changed. Our only saviour I guess is Assyriska.
 
I feel the same way ACANA, when i see all the Italian, Portuguese and other people putting up their flags on their cars and getting excited over their teams i feel sad that we don't have that. I want to go out and go crazy when my teams wins, it just not the same cheering for these other teams.

I pray that one day we will have that, maybe not our generation but our children or grandchildren.
 
Excellent topic ACANA and this has always crossed my mind when I see all the celebrations.

But the fact that we have never had one, gives me some comfort. In other words, we don't know what it is like. When I watch Brazil play, it is one of the best joys of life. But Brazil is not my homeland, and can't imagine how much more joy it would be.

Assyriska comes close, but it is only a club not a national team.

I have an idea: the Kurds now have their own team (As if they are an independent state)
Why wouldn't Assyrians do the same too? I know we wouldn't be allowed in turnaments, but it is still nice to have a team like that, even if they only play in friendly turnaments, and not FIFA approved ones.

ASHOOR
 
I had been cheering for the Syrian team, for the sake of Assyrian players Senharib Malke, Louay and Elias only.  I just loved hearing the announcer yell "Senharib!!" it gave me goosebumps.  Of course they're out now, so there goes that.
 
The 'Arameans' have created their own national football team and is going to participitate in the upcoming VIVA World Cup along with Iraqi Kurdistan Natoinal football team;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_VIVA_World_Cup


 
WOW thanks Chaldean, never heard of this. See, this is the type of turnament I am talking about. Assyrians in Iraq have a lot of teams, especially in the North. Why can't they scout them and select one team and send them to this VIVA tuenament like the Kurds and Arameans are doing?

This is a good article for me to write about in our AVN Emagazine section.

ASHOOR
 
I was thinking about this too and seeing how happy it makes all the other nations I would want to experience it too. I want to have the assyrian flag one day on my car window instead of any other country
 
Or maybe gather the best players from all the Assyrian and Chaldean teams at the convention, make one team and send it to this VIVA turnament. Or even sent them to Sweden to play against Assyriska.

ASHOOR
 
when we won asian cup i cried, imagen we were in world cup? i'd be so happy and my car would be full of  the iraqi flags cheering my lungs out, but its all good we still got BRAZIL , if Iraq was in the world cup i'd have the brazil and iraqi flag up :)
 
So far, only North American Assyrians, born in the middle east have replied here.  I must put in my 2 cents worth.

As a kid growing up, I had no team of origin to support at the World Cup (or EURO or ASIA or Copa America, etc).  Like everyone else, I would adopt a team.  Scotland 1982, France1986, Holland 1990, Brazil 1994, anyone but Brazil in 1998 because their fans were booing Bebeto.  2002, I almost did not watch that World Cup because I was still angry with FIFA over how they handled the Australia/Uruguay play offs, but my mates forced me to watch the opening game and then I was addicted once again.

When I was in Sydney and Italy were playing, My friends and I would go to Club Marconi and support Italy's opposition and get things thrown at us if Italy lost (I loved France's penalty shootout against Italy in 1998).  When Brazil played, my mates and I would go down to Rios and watch them among Brazilians, only we would usually support them.

HOWEVER, things have changed.  I now have a team to support.  My country of birth has had a rebirth of sorts in football.  Yes, I support AUSTRALIA.  I had always supported them and watched all their qualifiers, flying all over Australia to watch them live, etc, but they never made the world cup, even after coming so close year after year.  Because I was born in Australia, it is natural that I support them.  It is my team and it is the only country that I have a link to (apart from Japan and Vanuatu where I have lived before).

For immigants to USA or Canada, it may be harder for you guys to follow USA because you don't yet feel a strong enough bond to the USA, or Canada, because like Australia for many years, have done nothing and therefore when it comes to the world cup, everyone supports the country of their origin and Assyrians get left out.  I no longer have this issue.  My country played in Athens2004, Confedrations Cup 2005, Germany2006, Asia2007, Beijing2008, and alive for South Africa2010.  I have a team to support.  Assyrians can't support Assyria like Italians can support Italy who live outsde of Italy, or Croatians living in Sydney supporting Croatia, etc.  But I have a national team which represents me, that I feel a bond with, so I am one of the lucky ones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The idea of an indigenous World Cup, or unrepresented nations World Cup I think would take off.  Assyria, Kurdistan, an Aboriginal team from Australia, the Apaches from the USA, there are several African ethnic groups who have no nation.  Ashoor, Assyrianvoice.net could sponsor such an event.  If "The Other Final" attracted a large TV audience in 2002, then why can't this idea of it is promoted right?
 
Obviously elegibility rules would have to be established.  We used to have an ethnic world cup in Sydney and there were more Peruvians playing for Assyria, than Assyrians themselves.  This was not a club competition, this was an ethnic world cup.  They no longer have this ompetition as it Serbians, Croatians Maedonians and Greeks used to fight all the time.
 
The Lebanon team used to do exactly that, but of course they would claim that these Brazilians were of Lebanese descent.  There are more Lebanese in Brazil than Lebanon so it is probaby true, but one could never tell.
 
How about that loser a$$ brazillian that changed his name, so that he can play for Turkey.  Mehmet Aurellio...  I guess they said you have to have an Islamic name to get citizenship.  What a joke.
 
Brazil is full of Turks as well.  Most of them are non-practicing muslims.

anyway, lets not hijack this topic.
Let us continue with the original discussion.
 
Bani, that post of yours was so interesting (not to mention very funny in many parts haha)

I think Assyrians should think about this. And it would be great if they can do it now, while Ammo Baba is still alive. Ammo will never leave Iraq, but we can convince him, since the team will surely be based in the North.

You would be amazed at how many teams Assyrians have in the North, playing in various local and annual turnaments and leagues. You can easily make a good team from these players, and bring a well-recognized coach to coach them. Even if he has to travel from overseas, and to be with them for a few weeks. Other than Ammo Baba, we have a wealth of coaching talents including legend Douglas Aziz (living in Holland) , Shedrak Yousif (still living in Baghdad) , Ayoub Odisho (coaching in Jordan) Sadi Toma (deserted to Australia), WC 86 Iraqi team midfield Basil Georgis (living in Toronto) and many others.

It is more about the buzz such a team would create than to win the turnaments they will play in. You guys have no idea how much this would bring Assyrians together.  And like you mentioned Bani, even if we won't sponsor it, you can bet AVN will cover such a team in details.

ASHOOR
 
Crocodile Bani said:
So far, only North American Assyrians, born in the middle east have replied here.  I must put in my 2 cents worth.

As a kid growing up, I had no team of origin to support at the World Cup (or EURO or ASIA or Copa America, etc).  Like everyone else, I would adopt a team.  Scotland 1982, France1986, Holland 1990, Brazil 1994, anyone but Brazil in 1998 because their fans were booing Bebeto.  2002, I almost did not watch that World Cup because I was still angry with FIFA over how they handled the Australia/Uruguay play offs, but my mates forced me to watch the opening game and then I was addicted once again.

When I was in Sydney and Italy were playing, My friends and I would go to Club Marconi and support Italy's opposition and get things thrown at us if Italy lost (I loved France's penalty shootout against Italy in 1998).  When Brazil played, my mates and I would go down to Rios and watch them among Brazilians, only we would usually support them.

HOWEVER, things have changed.  I now have a team to support.  My country of birth has had a rebirth of sorts in football.  Yes, I support AUSTRALIA.  I had always supported them and watched all their qualifiers, flying all over Australia to watch them live, etc, but they never made the world cup, even after coming so close year after year.  Because I was born in Australia, it is natural that I support them.  It is my team and it is the only country that I have a link to (apart from Japan and Vanuatu where I have lived before).

For immigants to USA or Canada, it may be harder for you guys to follow USA because you don't yet feel a strong enough bond to the USA, or Canada, because like Australia for many years, have done nothing and therefore when it comes to the world cup, everyone supports the country of their origin and Assyrians get left out.  I no longer have this issue.  My country played in Athens2004, Confedrations Cup 2005, Germany2006, Asia2007, Beijing2008, and alive for South Africa2010.  I have a team to support.  Assyrians can't support Assyria like Italians can support Italy who live outsde of Italy, or Croatians living in Sydney supporting Croatia, etc.  But I have a national team which represents me, that I feel a bond with, so I am one of the lucky ones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The idea of an indigenous World Cup, or unrepresented nations World Cup I think would take off.  Assyria, Kurdistan, an Aboriginal team from Australia, the Apaches from the USA, there are several African ethnic groups who have no nation.  Ashoor, Assyrianvoice.net could sponsor such an event.  If "The Other Final" attracted a large TV audience in 2002, then why can't this idea of it is promoted right?
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Great post but bro have you seen Canada play football ? Toronto FC is even better lol

It will take years for Canada to be where Australia is just because they don't have support from the government to buy players or at least spend money to make the team better 
 
R O B I N said:
Great post but bro have you seen Canada play football ? Toronto FC is even better lol

It will take years for Canada to be where Australia is just because they don't have support from the government to buy players or at least spend money to make the team better 
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Well this is the point Robin.  Australia just a few years ago was no different to Canada.  We even needed a penalty shootout in a world cup qualifier to beat Canada in 1993 because we are so similar.  Soccer in Australia was called Wogball for many years (WOG is similar to what north Americans call FOB).  And if you look at the names of the Australian players over the years, Yankos, Farina, Bresciano, Lazaridis, Schwarzer, Arambasic, Blagojavic.  It was not seen as a mainstream sport but hard core fans such as myself would still follow the team.  Suddenly in 2005, we finally made the World Cup and the flow on effect has carried on because of the Asian Cup involvement and now the world cup qualifiers.  If Toronto FC has great support, it means that Canada can also have great support if Canadians had something to cheer.  You guys hosted a great Under 20s championship.  Up until then, the best Under 20s was the one that Australia hosted in 1993.  Our team reached the semi final of that.  From that team, only Craig Moore played in germany2006 but that youth team set the foundation.  Canada ad Australia are the two most similar countries you will find.  If Australia can do it, Canada can do it easily.

Ashoor, I have fallen in love with this Unrepresentated Nations world cup.  I just remembered some of the Balinese people that live in Darwin that say that it is ok to call them gay, but not ok to call them Indonesian.  The Balinese and some of the other ethnic minorities of Indonesia would also be able to participate in such a competition.  The Timorese would have participated for sure but they are now an independant nation.  Catalunya and Basque could also be a part of it.  The peopleof Barcelona do not support Spain but they will support Catalunya.  In fact, I think Barcelona would be the perfect host city for these championships.
 
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