Jobseeker’s Diary

Football is like work, in many ways. It may be entertainment to most of us or a hobby for some but for professional players, coaches, team doctors etc, it is very much a job. So how exactly does football remind me of work? Some of the answers to that lie in the “big” matches we’ve enjoyed these last couple of days. There’s that hardworking guy who gives his all for the team. He gets along with everybody and is generally respected, until he doesn’t deliver as expected. All his achievements are forgotten. He’s called names and openly told he has let the entire team down. If I were Messi, I’d challenge whoever is questioning my performance to put up a show of their own and see if they’d measure up.I remember many years ago in school, there was a girl who had topped my class for three consecutive years. The rest of us had resigned to the fact that Carol was too bright to beat. Then one term, she wasn’t the 1st and didn’t even take the 2nd, 3rd or 4th spots but came fifth. As soon as we found out, we celebrated. A classmate who happened to be Carol’s friend asked who amongst us had topped the class since we were “celebrating”. I’ll never forget her chiding remark. “Rather than celebrate Carol’s downfall, focus on improving your own grades…” Her words not only put us in our place but also changed our perspective. By the way, Carol never missed the top position again. Now, what I’m about to say may sound like a contradiction but it’s not. It’s good to work with gifted people, but not so good when those talented people are arrogant. You know the “I’m too good for this company kind of people.” Usually, they’ll demand special treatment and perks because it’s their ‘right’. Wayne Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo are good footballers but I wish they’d cut back on the attitude. Carlos Tevez makes those two look good however. Like an employee with the right papers and skills for the job, Tevez knows he’s brilliant and is not afraid to shout about it. Poor Mancini must have been gutted on realizing he had no choice but to rehire him. My hope is that he grows up and does what he has been hired to do, play good football. André Villas-Boas has my sympathies too. Since he’s been gone, Chelsea have been doing so well and that can’t be a good feeling. Nobody wants to lose their job and watch their replacement shine. Worse for Boas is that his sacking made news around the world and everyone now knows that was the right decision. In short, no chance he’ll ever get that job back. Enough football for today. The ICC did well not to acquit Charles Taylor. I knew he had some serious crimes to answer but some of the atrocities he’s accused of having orchestrated or aided would give anyone the chills. Accounts of Taylor-sponsored gangs hacking off people’s hands, feet and private parts are almost hard to believe, yet the victims swear by them. If he did commit these crimes indeed, he should get the maximum sentence. And like one Liberian woman said, he shouldn’t serve his term in a fancy European jail but right back in Sierra Leone or Liberia where there’s no hot water, TV or nice food. To be continued…