UNTOLD ARSENAL » Blog Archive » Strange stories of Adebayor, the FA and international week.

According to the BBC Adebayor has taken an extraordinary step to help reduce the chance of getting injured while on international “duty”.   He’s refused to play.

This is an approach to be applauded, and before anyone accuses me of racism again, I would refer you to my marginally amusing pieces on internationals in general.  I dislike them all, on the grounds that through attending Arsenal matches I pay the guy’s wages (well 3 seconds a week) and I don’t want him to play for anyone else.

But this story is odd even by international standards.   Why does it matter if someone gets on the plane or not.  Most officials of international football teams are twirps of the first order and it is generally a good idea if they stay at home.  Look at the people running the English FA.  (I always thought Trevor Brooking was all right despite the fact he scored against us in a final, but otherwise they seem rather dimwitted to me).

So why did this matter?  Why did all the rest of the team agree to travel, except Adebayor? Apparently Eboue got on the plane (stop cheering in the north stand).

The French Togo coach Henri Stambouli resigned last week but I think that was on a different matter, although like most international football issues it is quite beyond me.

Meanwhile the vice-president of Togo Gabriel Ameyi said he would travel instead of the president and the rest of the team flew out of Lome on Tuesday for a game that should have taken place on Saturday but didn’t because of the death of the president of Zambia.

Meanwhile Theo is playing again for England.  I think he and  the rest of them should follow Ade’s example.  If the Queen doesn’t get on the plane, then neither should they (nb this only applies to international matches).

Or, here’s another way of doing it.  In order to reduce global warming, all away teams for international fixtures between countries should travel by horse and cart.  Or, alternatively, all internationals should be played in Yeovil, on the grounds that its quite a nice part of the country and we thought of the game anyway.

Incidentally do you know who the President of the FA is?

Yes, well done. It’s Prince William, who maybe supports the Arsenal (or is that his brother?  I am sure I saw one of them sitting near me at Highbury.)  Before that it was His Royal Highness the Duke of York.  Here’s another one: the founding members of the FA were Barnes, the Civil Service, Crusaders, the Forest of Leytonstone, The No Names Club of Kilburn, Crystal Palace, Blackheath, Kensington School, Percival House Blackheath, Surbiton and Blackheath Proprietary School.

Here’s another.  The island of Guernsey is an independent state, with its own tax laws, but a shared foreign policy and currency with the UK, which is not a part of the European Union, but for the purposes of football is counted as a county within the FA.   Included within The States of Guernsey is Sark, the last feudal society in western Europe.

Anyway everyone else got through the weekend’s matches unhurt, particularly those who didn’t play.  Arsenal ladies are top of the league.  Jack Wilshere is a total genius.  “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom” (William Blake) and I think I deserve a pint.

International breaks are boring, don’t you think?