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Soccer-Mad Church Worships Diego Maradona as a God

 

By Yolanda Yebra

 

Published June 22, 2011

 

For many in Argentina, soccer is almost a religion. For a few, it is exactly that.

 

Argentina is home to a religious movement called the Maradonian Church which venerates former soccer player Diego Armando Maradona as a god.

 

Founded by three men, Hernán Amez, Alejandro Verón and Héctor Campomar, in 2001 in the city of Rosario,186 miles  from Buenos Aires, the Maradonian Church now claims 200,000 followers, enrolled online on the official Church website,  from countries around the world like the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Afghanistan, Philippines, and Australia.

 

This unusual personality cult “was created to express and preach throughout the world our love to ‘El Diego’, who has given us so much and has worked miracles”, says Amez, one of the church's three founding spiritual leaders.

 

Maradona, popularly known as ‘El Diego’ and ‘El Pelusa’ (The Fuzz, due to his frizzy hair) to millions of sports fans, is reverently referred to within the church as D10S, a tetragrammaton resulting from mixing his playing number (10) with the Spanish word for God (Dios).

 

In church ceremonies, the Bible has been replaced by Maradona's autobiography, and special rites like Maradonian baptisms, weddings and masses are celebrated on special dates of special Maradonian significance. "October 30 is the date of birth of the greatest soccer player ever," explains Amez."And for ten years now, we have been celebrating the Maradonian Nativity”. (Maradona’s next birthday will mark the start of the year 51 AD --Anno  Diego).

 

Another special date is June 22, when the Maradonians celebrate Easter to honor the match between Argentina and  England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in which Diego Maradona led his side to victory. On such high occasions, Amez, Verón and Campomar dress in white robes while holding up a soccer ball with a crown of hawthorns. Their prayer -- “Our Maradona who art in soccer field, hallowed by Thy left hand, Thy magic come, Thy goals will be remembered on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day your daily magical playing style, and forgive the British as we forgive the Neapolitan Mafia. And lead us not into off-side but deliver us from João Havellange and Pelé” -- is, of course, based on the Lord's Prayer.

 

In response to criticisms that the Maradonians are either making light of religion or are engaging in pagan worship, or both, Amez responds: “we neither try to interfere with religion nor to spark of controversial issues of any kind. Most of us are practicing Catholics. The Maradonian Church is about soccer. We thought up a unique movement that brought some fresh air to popular worship for soccer. If one calculates how many people attend mass, they are fewer than those who go to a soccer match. Perhaps the soccer players have become pagan gods. Why not?”

 

Those who were baptized into the church promise to obey ten Maradonian commandments, including: to let their middle name be Diego; to give their sons the name Diego; to love good soccer above all else; to honor Diego and preach about the miracles he has performed.

 

According to church faithful, Maradona's most transcendental miracle was to bring together all Argentineans to celebrate the “Hand of God” goal and “The Goal of the Century,” remembers Amez, pointing that at that time Argentina was just recovering from a brutal dictatorship and had just been defeated by the United Kingdom in the Falklands War.

 

"We all took to the streets and hugged each other leaving aside political, religious or gender issues. Nobody else had accomplished that before or since that day.”

 

While Maradona is their god, current Argentine soccer super-star Lionel Messi is “El Messias” (The Messiah).

 

“Messi is an upstanding person," says Amaz. "He was one of the first to take the Maradonian Church T-shirt to Barcelona (Spain) for distributing it among Maradona fans."

 

Besides Messi,‘Manu’ Ginóbili, member of the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, also has a church membership card.

 

But famous or not, all are welcome, Amaz insists. “Any Maradona fan is welcome to this Church. We invite them to our facebook page (Iglesia Maradonian). And in the name of the Tota (Maradona’s mother’s name), and of Mr. Diego (his father’s name) and the fruit of their love (Maradona), the soccer god blesses you all”.

 

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2011/06/22/soccer-mad-church-worhips-diego-maradona-as-god/#ixzz1Q2ApMrKF

 

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Quite amused that Mark Hughes is still looking for work after walking out of the cottage, does this mean he's gonna be lurking around waiting for a club to blink and get rid of their manager?

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Quite amused that Mark Hughes is still looking for work after walking out of the cottage, does this mean he's gonna be lurking around waiting for a club to blink and get rid of their manager?

 

Thing is I could see him being our manager one day, maybe even this season if Fat Mike and Derek want a new casino buddy. I've always disliked Mark Hughes, even when he was Welsh manager I disliked him.

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He's a decent manager but a poor personality.

 

Yeah that quote now looks even funnier about him leaving Fulham because he's a young ambitious manager, makes you wonder if he left in hope of being offered Villa/Chelski or if he was offered something but it then fell through.

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http://www.offthepost.info/2011/06/video-footballer-sent-off-over-penis-piercing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+offthepost/TLAa+%28Off+The+Post%29

 

Footballer sent-off over penis piercing

 

(See youtube video via the link)

 

We have covered some weird and wonderful stories on Off The Post over the years, but this might just be the weirdest yet.

 

Macclesfield-born Aaron Eccleston, of Melbourne side Old Hill Wanderers reserves, was red-carded at the weekend for having his penis pierced.

 

Little Aaron’s bling was deemed so offensive that the referee decided to send him off.

 

The video starts with Aaron being marched to the dressing room by the referee for a penis inspection. That has got to be a footballing first straight away.

 

A disgruntled chap, presumably the team’s manager, said: “He’s got it in. He’s going to send him off. He said he’d taken it out.”

 

Eccleston emerges and is shown a red card by the referee, who presumably found the offending piece of jewellery.

 

The player can be heard to comment: “I’m making a complaint, ref. It’s not right looking at my c*ck.”

 

We’re inclined to agree with you, Aaron. And yet you went to dressing room of your own accord and got your tackle out for him!

 

If you are anything like OTP you are probably thinking ‘how did the ref know about it in the first place?’. The answer, it seems, is that Eccleston took a blow to his privates as he jumped for a header and pulled his shorts down to check he hadn’t lost anything, anatomically or piercing-wise.

 

He’s no doubt now thinking that check could have waiting until half-time, in which case he would have saved himself from YouTube humiliation.

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Guest Antec

 

hanby84 Richard Hanby

@

@lee_ryder is that how many times you have slept with your sister you inbread mag cunt

3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

in reply to ↑

Lee Ryder

@lee_ryder Lee Ryder

@hanby84 Haha you should get a job on stage

2 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

 

:lol:

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3654324/Santos-and-Penarol-in-huge-brawl-after-Copa-Libertadores-final.html

 

SOUTH AMERICA'S two top clubs were involved in a shocking mass brawl — after their version of the Champions League final.

 

Brazilian giants Santos beat Uruguayans Penarol 2-1 in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores showpiece last night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEY-MARRED ... Brazil star kicks Penarol player who is on the floor

 

 

But there were some sore losers — and winners — when a huge fight broke out after the final whistle.

 

Chelsea target Neymar was involved in the scrap, which saw around 30 players and coaches square-up.

 

 

The £40million-rated Brazil superstar, who is also wanted by Real Madrid, could be seen kicking a floored rival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUST LIKE WATCHING BRAWL-ZIL ...both sides clash after Estoyanoff's crazy kick

The initial punch-up looked to have calmed down until Penarol's Fabian Estoyanoff launched a flying kick at Santos players.

 

The first leg had finished goalless in Uruguay but Neymar and Danilo scored for Santos before Durval's own goal gave Penarol a consolation.

 

You can watch the shameful scenes on our video player below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video: South American finalists brawl

 

 

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3654324/Santos-and-Penarol-in-huge-brawl-after-Copa-Libertadores-final.html#ixzz1Q8IHTAYe

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