Why Arsenal and now the Dutch? Who is the jinx?

I am not the jinx! I am not the jinx! I think if I say it enough times I will begin to believe it. But I do need to ask; why Arsenal? Why Netherlands? Arsenal’s case is obvious because Arsene Wenger doesn’t buy experience and won’t spend more than 2 bob on salaries but the Dutch are one of the most talented teams in the world. That said, the Dutch are not yet out of Euro 2012 and can still qualify for the next round. I was praying for a draw between Portugal and Denmark and now I’m happy that that didn’t happen because then we would officially be out of the tournament, but we’re not. Germany will definitely beat Denmark. The Netherlands have a minus two goal difference from Portugal and play them on Sunday. All the Dutch need to do is beat Christiano Ronaldo’s side 3 – 0 to qualify for the next round. The Dutch have struggled but they have also been unlucky given the scoring opportunities that they have created. Aluta continua! However I did ask on twitter how long would be a respectable period of time to support a team before defecting. There were varied replies including a true fan never defects! Well then in that case going back to France’s Les Bleus would be like going back home after visiting Holland for a while. My husband said four years is a respectable time because you need to give your team a chance to play in different tournaments and fix any issues they may have. I was a Les Bleus supporter for about 14 years and I have only supported the Netherlands for two. Anyway I am thoroughly enjoying the Euros, whether my team is winning or losing, and I intend to enjoy myself until the final on July the 1st.

Now onto Harambee Stars who are lucky to be doing so badly during a European tournament because the fans are not focusing on the national team but on what’s happening in Poland and Ukraine. However, it’s not lost on us that something very wrong is going on with Francis Kimanzi’s side. A loss to a team that is ranked more than 20 positions lower than us is shameful. Kenya have become the whipping boys of Africa and yet we don’t lack talent. I believe Kimanzi is not selecting the best players to represent the country; and that “best” must be tied in with a good attitude. Harambee Stars do not belong to any group of players and yet it appears as if they do! Even players who failed to impress against Malawi were carried to Namibia and now to Togo; and yet the country is brimming with talent eager to don the national team jersey. I will talk more about this on The Score on Kiss 100, Classic 105 and XFM tomorrow from 3pm. I also recommend that a commission of inquiry made up of football stakeholders including fans and players be set up to sort out our football issues before we are completely dead and burried. I see so many great views and suggestions on social media; and they need to be heard. Talk to me on @CarolRadull on twitter and Carol Radull on facebook.