Football – Strokes of My Pen

Creative Non-Fiction

CURRENT OBSESSION: MO SALAH!!

By Lubnah Abdulhalim March 20, 2018

(Insert a bass voice)

Hear me join the chant:

“Mo Sa la la la lah

Mo sa la la la lah

If he’s good enough for you

He’s good enough for me

If he scores another few

Then i’ll be Muslim too!!

He’s sitting in the mosque

That’s where I wanna be!

Mo sa la la la lah…”

It’s actually more fun hearing the fan chant. Check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GsQ1XzTGFI

So, Mo Salah you people!! I mean, where do I start?! I’m just totally amused, amazed, obsessed, inspired by this guy.

Wait a minute, could I be leaving behind someone in this ‘virtual conversation?’ For those who don’t know, Mohammed Salah is a 25 year old Egyptian football player currently playing for Liverpool and he’s swept the entire world with his character, his talent and passion. They call him ‘The Egyptian Messi’ as well as ‘The shining light of Arabic football’.

He is the first Egyptian player to score a PL hat-trick, first Liverpool player to score four goals in a single PL game since Suarez, He is the top goal scorer in Premier League and the top goal scorer in Europe. Not my words, but as stated from one of the tweets by the account: @blamefootball.

I am honestly learning a lot from Mo Salah, well not playing football (I’m yet to learn 😀 ) but from how his character and humbleness has touched the whole world. Before I even go into what I have picked from him, I want to share some of the best tweets talking about this phenomenal player.

“Mohamed Salah teaches us how to be a true hardworking successful professional while also being an extremely humble human being, what a man.” @lfc_family

“Mo Salah doing more to end the clash of civilisations than anyone in the world.” @karlreMarks

“Looool mo salah is doing more for tackling islamaphobia in Britain than Theresa May and all her cabinet.” @BigHComedy

“Not sure if my fandom of Mo Salah is going over the top but I keep kissing the floor every time I finish a job around the house.” @stehoare

“I present to you the eighth wonder of the world. Mohamed Salah *insert fire emojis* @kollinswitha_K

“Just realised Salah’s goal for Liverpool equated Lingard’s 14 career goals for United. He’s done it in 16 matches. Lingard’s on 100k while Salah is on 90k a week. Pass me some bleach.” @UtdOliver (This tweet was by a MAN-U fan and it got over 2400 retweets and 3300 likes. Even other football club fans can’t resist admiring him.)

“I’m not a Liverpool fan but you must believe football builds bridges with this red chant for Mo Salah.” @GreatObiesesan.

“Should they replace these pyramids by Mohamad Salah?” @touficzayni (If you get the joke 😀 )

In an image showing Messi holding a jersey with M. Salah’s name, @footyhumour says: “Messi naming his successor- Salah is the new GOAT’

“That’s the secret to his greatness right there. Humility. He won’t let it get to his head. Messi’s exactly the same.” @stevenelson45

And one of the most trending tweets was this one by @CarsonCoffield who tweeted: “HE GONNA TURN ME MUSLIM” The tweet got so much attention; retweets and responses. One of the responses was by @ShahdHany who said: “If you wanna know why this tweet got this much of attention is bcuz Salah represents a role model to muslims all over the world.”

The tweets are so juicy I need to stop or I wouldn’t finish today 😀

The beauty of this all is how the Mo Salah chant above was received well in the entire world. You know normally we’d expect rude comments from some of the very negative people who would question the intention of the chant, like why do we necessarily have to celebrate Mo Salah in terms of his religion or just post ridiculous comments insulting the fans for what may seem to others as ‘naivety’. Yet I wouldn’t call it naivety, I call it purity. I mean, in this age and era, Islam has been portrayed in great extents as mostly a negative religion, violent and BAD. But here are the fans, from very diverse background, diverse religions, homes, race and all that, yet they decide to keep that all aside for the love of this man’s character and zeal. They want to identify themselves by what Mo Salah has shown matters a lot to him; his religion. I mean, I.AM.AWED!!

Here are some few things i’ve learnt from him:

Be proud of who you are: Mo Salah is your typical Arab guy who speaks English with mother-tongue influence. He keeps his beard despite the negative notion of what the combination of ‘Being Muslim + Being Arab + Having a beard’ might spark especially in the Western world. He didn’t force himself to speak with a British accent or cut off his beard to fit in. In fact he openly portrays himself as Muslim inside the pitch by making dua and doing sujood (prostration) openly when he scores or wins a game. This guy is not just a Muslim. HE IS LIVING ISLAM. Are you still ashamed of being Muslim? This man is just an inspiration!
Being humble: Mo Salah, who was previously a Chelsea player, at one of the games didn’t celebrate a goal he scored while playing against this former team. Some say this was in respect of his former team mates while others say, Salah’s lack of celebration could have been due to terror attack in Egypt where 305 people were killed on Friday after heavily-armed militants bombed a mosque and opened fire. Either way, we like him for that. He also once apologized to the Watford goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis after scoring four times at the 5-0 win at Anfield. You’d say its not even necessary! Its just a game but this man goes ahead and apologizes. Perhaps just to show his empathy and humbleness? Humanity at its finest! He also teaches us to remember where we came from and never forget people who once were in the same task force as us.
Go after your dreams! In one of the interviews, Mo Salah is asked about his favourite subject at school and he answers something close to: Subject? It was always football. Parents, ARE YOU LISTENING?! Let your children go after their dreams. You reading this, go after your dreams however impossible they may seem at the moment. I am sure Mo Salah never quite imagined that they’d be a day he’d be compared to Messi, right?!
Let your actions speak for you: Brand ambassadors, PR managers, marketing staff, borrow a leaf from Mo Salah! At no precise point are we shown Mo Salah preaching or talking about Islam. It is all in how he naturally talks, interacts, behaves with the people around him. He is the brand ambassador of Islam right now. Not because of what he says, but by the positive energy he keeps sending to the people around him. Even his name reveals this already 😀 Mohamed- The name of one of the greatest influencers in the world history, the beloved prophet peace be upon him and Salah? The Arabic term for our prayers. He is representing our deen well. Maybe remember him in your duas that he keeps doing the great job?
Do not give up! Mo Salah didn’t quite live to his expectations while playing for Chelsea. When he was asked whether he felt the pressure of making just 19 appearances for Chelsea he said, “I don’t think it’s like this.” Klopp, manager of Liverpool football club said on this: “Maybe it was one reason he came back, but he’s not like ‘Now I will show you the real Mo Salah.’ ‘He was a kid when he came to Chelsea, and we have heard a few times that’s quite difficult and in that time they were really successful. It was quite tough to come through…he’s a man now, he was a kid at Chelsea, now he’s a man. That’s good.” He wasn’t given enough time at Chelsea to showcase his talent and some even thought he was a premier league flop. We see the growth here. From what he was before, his struggles and him not reaching his full potential, yet still he went on to work towards his goals. Like literally 😀

Photo credit: theconversation.com

In one of the many articles about him, “Liverpool FC’s Mohamed Salah’s goal celebrations: a guide to British Muslimness” the writer says: “The double-edged sword of Salah’s sujood is that it is tied to his excellence on the field. If he stops scoring, he will stop performing sujood. As a result, the fans will love him-and Islam-a little less.” Which is quite possible but then it reminds me of Usain Bolt when he became runner’s up on his very last race before his retirement. We were a little bit disappointed but it didn’t make us love him or his skills any less, did it? Let’s just hope Mo Salah keeps scoring though. Positive vibes aaalll the way!

P.S I don’t really watch football. I’m just good at what I do *sips tea* 😀 😉

Talking of what I am good at, I will be holding the second creative writing training during the Easter Weekend (Friday-30th March and Sunday 1st April). Two full days at a reasonable fee. If interested, do registered prior to via this no: 0704 731 560.

Venue: Abad Institute, Makadara Old Town

Time: 8 am – 4 pm

Sessions include: Basic writing skills
Introduction to blogging
Finding your voice
Islamic writing (For Muslims)
Therapeutic writing (Dealing with stress)
Writing about the Coast and other fun activities.

Kindly do share the information and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog if you haven’t! (At the bottom of this page on the right side of the screen is the subscribe button) Thank you 🙂

Creative Non-Fiction

THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

By Lubnah Abdulhalim August 7, 2014

Photo Courtesy: http://www.suffolkfa.com/

When the whistle is blown and the game goes on, we are attracted to the screen. The game is so thrilling, exciting, it’s all about the enchantment of football. Once someone told me football is bewitching and that is surely a true say. The game can be so overwhelming especially when we see the players dribbling the ball to the goal or when they hurl the ball around, seeing a powerful kick or an entertaining shoot from the exultant players. How exciting it can be seeing them majestically enter the field, full of confidence and how they conquer the field and win the cup. How enchanting!

But there is quite a big difference between us and these teams. They live in a world of their own…they conquered their fears and fulfilled their goals. They earn millions of cash per week while we sit watching them for hours but what do we gain from them? Do we learn anything after more than one hour of deep concentration? They have a secured future but do we? Have we ever wondered why they earn all that money for just pushing a thing made of skin? Isn’t it a worldly affair that’s driving out people from what is more important to them? Haven’t we seen people committing suicide just because their team has lost? That’s a good reason for us to think well.

Well, there is a positive side of this whole issue. There are some things we could learn from the players. Not once nor twice have the fans seen some few players raise their hands to the sky and thank God for their success. They make time for their God, while we rarely do. Remember, they have done their part while we haven’t.

On the social basis, it’s so interesting seeing the winners and the losers hug, exchange shirts and pat each other’s back after the game. Actually this is the most entertaining part of the entire game.

They do realize that after all it’s just a game while we haven’t yet realized that life is a mere game too. We are too malicious and selfish, we never want to scratch each others’ back and we don’t even have good will to the closest people to us.

When the game is on, we see the collaboration, the unity and association among the team members. How they work together with no selfishness to get to their goals and how good the results of it can be. It is something worth following.

Life is all about your decision; either you learn from football or just merely watch the game. Have fun watching football or even other games but make sure you have your priorities first; your family, your studies, your future and most importantly, your hereafter. Well, it’s up to you now.

Creative Non-Fiction

THE WORLD CUP ENCHANTMENT

By Lubnah Abdulhalim June 20, 2014

Photo Courtesy: http://assets.nydailynews.com/

While Vera Sidika has become the new sensation among’st many ladies after having done the fifty million worth bleach to remove ‘her tint’ as they call it nowadays, men have a better thing to talk about. Yes, world cup it is! All eyes have been focused to Brazil who considers this as the end of their 64-year wait for the World Cup to return to the country of Pele. The excitement is all over the world and the enchantment can be felt with the million of posts on social media about and even in the team jerseys that can be seen all over the streets.
Despite the protests in five host cities and chants against President Dilma Rousseff, the anxiety and joy could never be tampered with. After a funky opening ceremony featuring J-Lo in low-cut sparkling green and dancers dressed as trees, all eyes were on the opening match between Brazil and Croatia. The pressure from the Brazilian fans at their own home ground to the players and referee was so vivid and it eventually brought up the heated debate on whether Brazil team really deserved a penalty or not. Whether they deserved it or not, whether the referee was biased or not, we just have to understand that Brazil was never going to accept defeat in an opening game of world cup in their own ground!

World cup would never miss to have those interesting non football stories to strike in the media like how Leo Messi was captured in the cameras when he left a little kid’s hand hanging, who had come to give a handshake to the big world football star. Messi was clearly so preoccupied as it was just before the Argentina game. What is even more hilarious is how the media explains the situation of this poor kid and I quote ‘If you go to the Maracana right now, that poor little kid is still standing in the same spot in the dark, with his hand outstretched and a single tear rolling down his face.’ Well, no one could blame him for his busy mind for he was and still is the biggest hope of the Argentina team.

No one could ignore the awful defeat of the Spain team by the Dutch and all Spain fans have been chanting ‘itSpainful’ for many had big expectations from Casillas and players like Ramos and Iniesta. And for the haters of Spain couldn’t get a better way to enjoy Spain’s defeat than to ask the fans ‘how many letters does the word Spain have’ to refer to the incredible five goals beaten by the Netherlands team. Without ignoring, Van Persie’s flying hit that has become viral in the media and everyone is amazed by the awesome shoot. A shot to be told in ages!World cup would never miss to have those interesting non football stories to strike in the media like how Leo Messi was captured in the cameras when he left a little kid’s hand hanging, who had come to give a handshake to the big world football star. Messi was clearly so preoccupied as it was just before the Argentina game. What is even more hilarious is how the media explains the situation of this poor kid and I quote ‘If you go to the Maracana right now, that poor little kid is still standing in the same spot in the dark, with his hand outstretched and a single tear rolling down his face.’ Well, no one could blame him for his busy mind for he was and still is the biggest hope of the Argentina team.

Now this is very interesting! After the tough loss of the Japan team to Ivory Coast by 2-1, the Japanese fans in attendance at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil still made time after the final whistle to clean up after themselves. As the stadium emptied, some Blue Samurai supporters walked up and down the aisles filling trash bags. Though this is a customary practice at Japanese sporting events that has been carried over to previous World Cups, it’s still something most fans from other parts of the world wouldn’t even consider doing. Before the clean-up began, the Japanese players lined up and bowed to their loyal supporters. These are noble customs worth being practiced by more countries and I just can’t help but admire the Japanese especially after their loss! Fact is, majority of us, even if it were our custom, we wouldn’t bother do it after a defeat!

After losing their opening match of the 2014 World Cup to Brazil, all Croatia’s players decided to relax at their hotel pool while nude. However, their relaxation party was interrupted their privacy after two Croatian photographers took pictures of them in nude and published them online. Coach Niko Kovac was furious about the press intrusion on his players’ personal naked reflection time, and has announced that none of them will be available to comment to the press for the foreseeable future.

Yet still, we always never miss the sad or heartbreaking moments in such an event. I was able to come across a picture whereby a large crowd of Brazilian fans head to watch the world cup opening and in that same path is a young small girl searching in trash bins for food. Rape cases have also been reported while land lords hosting visitors are enjoying the double and triple rents payments. Well, what can we do than pray for all those unfortunate people suffering in Brazil?

As the awesome season of world cup goes on, let’s come back to our country and we are all wondering when Harambee stars would finally qualify to play in the world cup or even, when it will be economically and politically stable to host the world cup. Well this just seems like a very long dream yet to come true; probably five generations from the present one! While some citizens criticize the action of our honourable president of taking the Harambee stars team to Brazil to watch the world cup live for being wastage of money in the present crisis we are in, the players would definitely have something different to say! They consider this action as a great way of motivation and inspire them to work harder to get there as players and not just viewers.

To the ladies…please…however clueless you are (just as it goes in the Coca Cola funny advert) don’t start screaming ‘yeeey! Huurraah! We wooon!’ while it’s just half time! And to all the fans of football and world cup in general, enjoy while it lasts!