PL / Wcale nie kijowo

(Pył po Euro2012 już dawno opadł, więc na chłodno skleciłem pewne przemyślenia ze zgiełku wydarzeń wokół finału tej imprezy. Poniżej fragmenty – momentami wyrwane z szerszego kontekstu – pochodzą z tekstu opublikowanego w lipcowym numerze FutbolMaga - rb) 

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Do Kijowa przyciągnął mnie futbol. Ale też i potrzeba rzucenia wyzwania tkwiącym we mnie stereotypom o naszych wschodnich sąsiadach. Tak naprawdę w idei Euro, jak i każdej dużej imprezy sportowej, rywalizacja o puchar to tylko pretekst, aby odwiedzić nowe miejsce i czegoś się nauczyć. Także o sobie.

EN / The Leaderless Revolution – review

(Spoiler alert)

Anarchists have a bad name. At best, your first thoughts are the rebellious Iroquois hairdo punks wearing leather jackets and listening to the Clash. An ancient picture, really. At worst, and most likely, they are the masked youth carrying vigorous aggression in their eyes. A suited and booted former British diplomat enjoying highlife and business class airline tickets would not be your first guess, surely. 

Yet, in his latest book Carne Ross fiercely advocates that various forms of anarchy should be the means and end of what we strive to achieve in building local, regional and international communities. Being honest, if I was introduced to The Leaderless Revolution in that way, I would not have bothered ordering it from Amazon. I would have missed out on a very well-argued and thought-provoking read, too. Convincing? Comme ci, comme ça...

EN / A football book against the time

It is every author’s dream to write a book on contemporary affairs that will still have a sensation of freshness in twenty years’ time. This task becomes even more challenging when the story is composed with evasive bits that can change their meaning and importance with one kick of the ball.

Or, perhaps, the role of football does not actually depend on one kick, whether shot into the roof of the net or wide into the row Z, and, instead, it is much deeper than that? Maybe football and its social legacy can defend itself regardless of an outcome of a 90-minutes match?

PL / Azzurri i widmo 1966

Euro zaczyna się na nowo w angielskim obozie. Bramka wypoczętego Rooneya cieszy, ale powracają objawy choroby, która wykończyła poprzedników Hodgsona. Przezwyciężenie jej jest równie istotne co sam bój o półfinał.

EN / Early take on Poland's Euro campaign

I spoke to EuroTwentyTwelve blog ahead of Poland-Russia match last night to discuss the Greece match and what could have been expected in a Tuesday match against arch-rivals. I got it right with some points, eventually... ;) 

Smuda got it 'wrong' against Greece

Poland got off to a blistering start against Greece in the opening match of the tournament but reversed all their good work in the second-half. One Polish journalist believes the coach, Franciszek Smuda, got his tactics wrong and doesn’t believe Poland will be able to beat Russia when they meet them later today.

EN / Colourful nature of world affairs

The world is colourful. It is, at least, a conclusion that can be drawn from enjoying the Mappa series by Alighiero Boetti that until recently were displayed in London’s Tate Modern.

The exhibition, by name – “Game Plan” – with geopolitical connotations, offered an opportunity to experience how international affairs can be presented in arts.

EN / Talking to the Beeb

Kudos to Andy Brassell for making this one to happen. I always enjoy the lightness of his writing, particularly when he produces another interesting piece despite me troubling him with some chit-chats during or after the matches. 

I might have been in the middle of packing for a trip to Munich but when Andy asked me to share some thoughts of Poland's bumpy road to the Euros it was an opportunity that one simply cannot let slip. 

PL / Rozmowy w Monachium

Pasja jest najważniejsza. Są miejsca, sprawy, ludzie, rzeczy, które powodują, że uśmiech natychmiast gości na naszych twarzach i natychmiast inaczej patrzymy na codzienne bolączki. Czasami ma to charakter niesamowicie wysublimowany, choć wyrażony w trywialnych formach. 

PL / Demonizacja Europy Wschodniej

(Artykuł został opublikowany na łamach iGol.pl 17-ego kwietnia.) 

Poranne doniesienia o rasizmie na stadionach Euro 2012 i potencjalnych „wypadkach”, do których może dojść podczas imprezy, to nie pierwsza próba podważenia pozycji Polski ze strony FIFPro. Problemy istnieją, ale rewelacje międzynarodowej federacji piłkarzy to bełkot i próby manipulacji wizerunkiem. 

EN / Race the Casbah!

With the ruling elites and the opposition groups ensuring that the Grand Prix of Bahrain will be safe and good for their country, should the F1 community be concerned?

Personally, I have to admit that every season I tend to watch only one Formula One race from start to finish. It is a narrow city circus of Monte Carlo, the Monaco Grand Prix: glamour, dynamic and with no space for mistakes. It takes place over the last weekend of May this year. This week, however, all eyes will be on the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir and the Bahrain GP – not entirely for all good reasons.

Amid the security concerns, it has been debated for a long time whether this GP should take place at all. The go-ahead decision has been eventually made but on the eve of the practice sessions it has still remained highly controversial. On Wednesday night, members of Force India F1 team were caught out in a clash between the protestors and the police forces. Although no-one was injured, the incident did not escape the attention of international media and sparked further comments over the rationale of the race.

EN / Will this Barça leave a legacy?

With 28% of possession and only 194 passes completed to Barcelona's 782, Chelsea have reached for their tactics at Camp Nou in 2009 and Inter's in 2010 to once again prove that the "best football team ever" can actually be halted.

As argued by an ancient strategist Ibn Khaldūn in his theory of the cycle of civilisations, the sophisticated culture is always inevitably defeated and replaced by the barbarians.

EN / Kim Jong-why?

Despite the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) being probably the last truly Stalinist state around, the launch of their satellite/rocket* (depends on what you believe in) earlier today has received a lot of attention from international media and diplomatic officials. Mostly thanks to North Korea herself. And here is the problem I did not see being addressed in these insightful analyses and broadcasts today.

EN / “Special”, but for whom?

Ever since William Hague emphasised the importance of "our unbreakable alliance with the United States" in his speech in July 2010, the confidence in "the special relationship" was beyond any doubt. But where will it take the UK next?

AirForce One, a NCAA basketball game and an informal interview on the court, Barack Obama and David Cameron made it looks not only crucial but also cool - something that leaves George W. Bush and Tony Blair look jealous.

But British PM and American President will be under the pressure of making some difficult calls in the coming weeks and months.

EN / Masterminding Revolutions

Ever heard of Gene Sharp? Until last week - me neither. And if you met this 84-year-old gent from Ohio, I bet you wouldn’t have thought his ideas may be behind some of the major revolutions against dictatorships in the post-Cold War era.

EN / Feel-good foreign policies at FCO

The UK foreign policies are confusing. On the day when Foreign Secretary William Hague was visiting Brazil hailing the growing importance of the continent in general, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Henry Bellingham MP did not mention Latin America at all when highlighting the areas where the UK wants to play a more active role in 2012.

EN / Day at the Lords’

The House of Lords, not the cricket ground, of course! Somehow, the game still seems to be more mysterious to me than the ceremony of politics between these life peers in the South wing of Westminster Palace.

Unlike the House of Commons, I have often overlooked the events in the House of Lords and, despite being an Anglophile, never really got it beyond: “It’s just like the Polish Senate but people there are not elected but usually appointed for a job for life, don’t represent constituents but review what is going on in the HoC and the Government instead,” to put it simplistically.