From: zeyhilel@aol.com
Date: Thu Dec 17 2009 - 12:43:20 EST
Selam Michael Seium,
It is obvious that this defection in such a scale was orchestrated
by agents of one or more powerful countries. I wouldn't be surprised
to see the 12 whisked to North America within a few months . And
this is OK by me. In fact it might also be good for Eritrea eventually.
You see these 12 Eritreans will in due time end up assisting their 12
Eritrean families back home. Remember that more than 1.1 million Eritreans (you
and I being among them) left Eritrea between 1961 and 1991 and still
Eritrea managed to defeat an enemy and secure its
independence.
The only concern I have (and this is because poor Eritrea is expending
enormous resources on this project) is on the fate of the medical doctors
that Eritrea is painfully training. The moment that these doctors would
be sent overseas for specialization, I would wager that they wouldn't
want to go back to Eritrea. And there isn't anything that Eritrea can
do to stop this brain flight. You see, the attraction of the way of life
in
the highly developed countries for the trained professionals from the
third world is simply overwhelming and almost impossible to emulate in the
third world home countries. Countries like the Philippines, India, Nigeria and
a host of other countries have tried and have long given up.
Simply put, this is one of the ironies of current earthly living. Now,
what could be more ironic than "the brain drain from the poor countries to
the wealthiest ones"?
Zeyhilel
“Stubborn and ardent clinging to one's
opinion is the best proof of stupidity.”...
.............. Michel de Montaigne
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Y6IJspzYcjk/SyohrV3C69I/AAAAAAAAAZE/fvMTYMphjRo/s1600-h/worldcup-world+cup+2010-world+cup__28537144_125x125.jpg)
Immediately following the news of the 12 soccer players that decided to stay in
Kenya, my e-mails were flooded with questions as to what happened and my answer
is “I don’t know” because I am not in Kenya. What I know however is that
those genuine Eritreans who asked the question out of concern for their
safety and the well-being of Eritreans did so because it is indeed a legitimate
concern. Then came those “VULTURES” as I like to call them. Hungry like a
wolf, they started to share their joy adding more misery to their lives,
by seeing the negative aspect and the idea of 12 players defecting to a
place where the standard of living is no better than Eritrea.
Let’s be real, there is no doubt that these players are looking for a key
to the western world and like everyone who thinks the grass is greener in
the west, they will find out soon the harsh reality of life as we know it in
the west. So, Kenya is being used as a tool because the corruption level
there is high and the MULTI BILLION human trafficking industry can easily
afford to buy and sell people in a corrupt country. Add to that the support
of those who thrive on seeing the strong “NATION OF ERITREA” go down to
satisfy their agendas, then it is clear that these 12 players are leaving for
purely economic reasons which is not guaranteed anywhere during these
economic hardship.
I have on many occasions spoken to other Eritrean players who have
defected and they all have said to me that if they had to do it over again they
would have stayed and pursued their soccer playing careers in Eritrea. Many
of them did not know that once they get to their final destination, their
lives would be miserable. Some even admitted to being coerced by
organizations working to destabilize the people of Eritrea.
Amazing Media Coverage a clear indication of attacks against ERITREA.
A consorted effort by the media to shape up the psyche of the innocent
minds of the outside world clearly indicates that as Eritrea progresses with it
’s nation building endeavors, the attacks will continue to the highest and
the defection of these players only gives ammunition to those wolves who
are ready to see failure. Meanwhile in Eritrea the TOUR OF ERITREA an
internationally approved Cycling event is going well showcasing the beauty of
Eritrea and it’s people. Where are the TV networks and the newspapers? How
come they are not doing a story about an African nation with the unique
Cycling tradition and hosting a regional event that combines participants from
the Middle East and East Africa?
It is amazing to see the amount of coverage that this negative story got
which clearly shows it is motivated by an agenda. A few years ago three
Eritrean cyclists defected during another event and today the biggest Cycling
event is being held in Eritrea and Eritreans are becoming top-notch cyclists
that will one day compete in an international event. Life goes on and
more athletes will be born and developed.
Because 12 players defected it does not mean the soccer program will come
to a halt but many new players will get a chance to prove their ability to
compete and perform for the ERITREAN National team.
As a matter of fact I personally have spoken with players from the
Diaspora who may be good enough to represent Eritrea. They all admitted that if
given a chance it would be an honor to play for their nation. There is no
doubt that Eritrea will one day make the African nations cup and even the
world cup. And when it does many of these players that defected will look back
and reflect. The highest form of recognition as an individual and as
athletes is to represent your country. By winning the game against Tanzania the
Eritrean national side would have advanced to the semi-finals and possibly
to the finals of the CECAFA. Reports were clearly showing that the Eritrean
side was one of the more talented squads. When a similar situation happened
during another qualifying game in Angola the Red Sea boys struck right
back in Asmara after suffering a huge loss, as they tied a world cup
contending team to a goalless draw in Asmara.
Don’t let human traffickers fool you, as they don’t have the power to
change a sporting nation. If we look back into history we can see that
athletic defection is not a new phenomena but something that has been used for
propaganda to weaken the moral of nation. Eritreans certainly will not bow
down to these types of attacks.
Everyone and their mother know that. The funny part about this story was
as reported by some of those “Scooby doo” news papers and internet
articles, “When the plane got to Asmara, only the two coaches were present which
ended up being a huge lie. To all the returning players I say keep your heads
up and come back with a stronger squad and make Eritrea proud. You made a
very smart choice.
Mike Seium
For Eri-International sports blog
