Article on Craig Bellamy

[ascender 352]

Interesting article on Bellamy in the Guardian online today, just saying that regardless of your opinion of him and the way he does it, he stands up for what he believes in and says what he thinks which is refreshing in this day and age. It also mentions the work he's been doing in Sierra Leone where he's got a football academy project going and isn't afraid to spend time or money on the thing to make sure it runs properly.

 

As the interview drew to a close and the tape recorder was turned off, the Premier League "enforcer" sitting on the other side of a canteen table reiterated an important point. "You'll make it clear I don't aim to hurt people," he said. "Except Craig Bellamy ââ?¬â?? of course." The coldness in his eyes suggested it was not even a half-joke.

 

In these boringly discreet days such candour is extremely unusual but pantomime villains are rarely painted in more stereotypical colours than Cardiff City's latest signing. With the possible exception of David Beckham, few British footballers arouse more powerful emotions. Were CS Lewis still around to redraft the Chronicles of Narnia as a 21st‑century football fantasy, Becks and Bellers would surely serve as evocative symbols of good and evil.

 

Or perhaps not. Beckham may have Princes William and Harry as well as politicians of all persuasions crowding in his corner, he may have helped win us the Olympics and look like helping secure the 2018 World Cup, yet Bellamy is a wonderful role model too.

 

True he has a few more character blemishes ââ?¬â?? if not tattoos ââ?¬â?? than Beckham but throwing a chair at the former Newcastle United coach John Carver, attacking John Arne Riise with a golf club, giving Roberto Mancini persistent headaches and sending Alan Shearer abusive text messages do not necessarily make the Wales striker a wrong 'un.

 

Instead they reflect admittedly immature manifestations of an intense hatred of hypocrisy, passionate, if sometimes brutal, honesty and an essentially healthy willingness to question authority.

 

On planet football such traits serve as shorthand for subversion but in Sierra Leone they are regarded as heroic. Amid the shanty towns of one of the world's poorest countries idols do not come bigger than the striker Sir Bobby Robson dubbed "the gobbiest footballer I've ever met".

 

It all started when Bellamy blithely ignored Liverpool's warning that a summer holiday in Freetown was really not a good idea and, out of glorious curiosity, boarded a west Africa-bound flight. Since then scores of children have seen their lives transformed beyond all measure by the hundreds of thousands of pounds the Welshman keeps pouring into his self‑founded Freetown football foundation. Much more than a mere glory factory, it makes stringent academic and social demands of those it rescues from poverty with standards maintained by annual fortnight-long visits from Bellamy.

 

"Sierra Leone's infra-structure is so weak everyone said Craig was crazy," recalls Tom Vernon, the inspirational founder of Ghana's famous Right to Dream academy and the man Bellamy chose to kick-start his project. "Fortunately he didn't listen ââ?¬â?? and I have to say Craig is one of the most businesslike people I've ever met."

 

Such rigour extends to an insistence that potential new African employees are flown to the UK for personal interview by Bellamy. Such diligence does not surprise Eddie Niedzwiecki. "Craig's a perfectionist ââ?¬â?? and he gets frustrated when others don't meet his standards," the former Manchester City coach says. "But the thing people often don't understand is that he's a team player. It's not all about him."

 

England's former captain is also a perfectionist, but the difference is that, all too often, "Mr Posh" revels in seeing assorted worlds revolve around Brand Beckham.

 

I'll never forget being in Beijing's Workers' Stadium ââ?¬â?? supposedly a citadel to communism ââ?¬â?? alongside thousands of adoring Chinese wearing identical Beckham T-shirts as he made his Real Madrid debut on a pre-season tour. Or, a few days later, standing in the lobby of Tokyo's Four Seasons Hotel as security guards strained to prevent hundreds of hysterical women from literally getting their hands on him. One girl had even brought her tiny baby along, in the hope Beckham might perform a "blessing".

 

Later that evening Lu�­s Figo and company looked on askance as their new team-mate permitted a Japanese flunkey to protect his head from teeming rain by dashing on to the pitch with an umbrella at the final whistle.

 

Bellamy would have told "umbrella man" where to go ââ?¬â?? which probably explains why he lives in south Wales rather than southern California. Joining Cardiff may waste a very real, very precious, talent in much the same way that representing LA Galaxy has hardly enhanced Beckham's twilight years. Yet at least it is a loan move informed by the romantic idealism implicit in fulfilling a lifelong desire to play for his hometown club.

 

There are far worse role models.

[Bluedell 5,679]

Interesting article on Bellamy in the Guardian online today, just saying that regardless of your opinion of him and the way he does it, he stands up for what he believes in and says what he thinks which is refreshing in this day and age. It also mentions the work he's been doing in Sierra Leone where he's got a football academy project going and isn't afraid to spend time or money on the thing to make sure it runs properly.

 

 

He deserves a lot of credit for his work in Africa. I hadn't heard about it before, and kudos to him for it.

[Frankie 8,652]

He sure does - read about it the other day elsewhere and other footballers could do with taking a leaf out of his book.

[Bluedell 5,679]

He sure does - read about it the other day elsewhere and other footballers could do with taking a leaf out of his book.

 

 

Contacts is on the phone to him as we speak.

[Frankie 8,652]

Is he still alive?

[Super_Ally 0]

He sure does - read about it the other day elsewhere and other footballers could do with taking a leaf out of his book.

 

Was an article on the BBC a while back about ex-Villa player Ulysses (sp) de La Cruz, will have a look for it later on but from what I remember he was pretty much rebuilding his families home town with his wages. Schools etc.

[stewarty 2,060]

Was an article on the BBC a while back about ex-Villa player Ulysses (sp) de La Cruz, will have a look for it later on but from what I remember he was pretty much rebuilding his families home town with his wages. Schools etc.

 

De La Cruz, was he not playing in Scotland for a bit?

[stewarty 2,060]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulises_de_la_Cruz

 

32 appearances for Hibs in 2001/02

 

Born in Piquiucho, a small village in the Valle del Chota, one of Ecuador’s poorest regions, De la Cruz set up the charity Friends of FundeCruz to fund a number of projects serving the local community, to which he donates about 10% of his salary.[14] Friends of FundeCruz is also a British registered charity.[15] At one of the Reading matches, fans were asked to donate money to his fund and he raised a few thousand pounds. Money will also be raised at the Ruta del Sol in February 2008.[16] The foundation funds amongst other things a water treatment plant, a health centre and a sports ground. He has been named a UNICEF ambassador.

[Super_Ally 0]

Through Stewarty's wiki link:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6302665.stm

 

A while back? Try 3 and a half years ago.

[Danny 0]

Big fan of Bellamy me, always have been - except when he was at timmy.