Footballers aren’t always the ones you expect to become leading commentators on politics, but Christian Abbiati, the reserve keeper over in Milan, has hit the headlines for choosing to share his political views with the world. “I am not ashamed of showing my political beliefs,” honked the shot stopper having already dropped this bombshell on the planet: “I agree with some aspects of fascism like patriotism and the values of the Catholic religion.”
In fairness to the woefully misinformed footballer, he did go on to explain how he wasn’t a racist and wasn’t really feeling the whole Hitler thing either - he just liked the general vibe. A bit like one of those people who go to car parks to watch doggers but not actually join in, we suppose. Is that such a crime?
Word has it that he likes his defence organised. Very organised.
There was so much wrong about Hitler - the indie kid haircut, the Chaplin moustache, the ill fitting suits. Not to mention his massive racism issues and war waging. What was with that, Adolf? Seriously. Anyway, no matter, we killed him in the end, and all of his mean Nazi cohorts ended up looking like idiots. That all happened in about 1945, but it was a whole nine years earlier, in 1936, that a brilliant young black athlete called Jesse Owens kicked off the humiliation by beating a load of Aryans at running and jumping. He won four gold medals in Berlin.
With the exception of the odd gauche racial slur, this video is a fine representation of the anguish C-Ron’s imminent transfer is causing. Click here for an Arsenal version.
Tearing a leaf from Prince Harry’s book of 100 Great Laughs, German-born Andre Gumprecht turned up at the post-season thrash for his football team, Australia’s Central Coast Mariners, in a Hitler costume, complete with “distinctive Hitler-style moustache.”
As news of Mr Gumprecht’s costume leaked out, the area suddenly decided it didn’t care much for either German. Ben Buckley, head of the Australian FA, even went so far as to call the outfit “stupid”.
Mr Gumprecht, while contrite, blamed his decision on the lack of options available to a German trying to operate in Australian cultural space, especially when it comes to fancy dress. “Being a German it’s very sad,” he said, “but when you talk about Germans in Australia or anywhere then straight away people call you a Nazi or Hitler, because that’s the only thing they know about Germany.”
