Bolivian President kicks opposition in the balls

southsiderosie

A knee to the groin may be more Vinnie Jones than Machiavelli, but it was no less effective for Evo Morales in asserting his presidential authority.

With one deft movement, Bolivia's combative leader felled an opponent in a football match against a team of political rivals. The receiving player crumpled in agony holding, as local media put it, his "testicular zone".

The incident, during a match on Sunday to inaugurate a renovated stadium in the capital La Paz, was captured on video and last night aired on local TV stations and was uploaded to YouTube.

The friendly match started when, wearing a No 10 green jersey, Morales, a football fanatic and Bolivia's first indigenous president, led his team of bodyguards and officials on to the artificial pitch.

The yellow team was led by Luis Revilla, mayor of La Paz and a political ally turned foe of the president. After smiles and handshakes the game began. Within five minutes Daniel Gustavo Cartagena, in the No 2 jersey for the mayor's team, scythed into the president after he passed the ball, gashing his right leg.

Morales, 50, a former Aymara llama herder and coca farmer, is not known for indulging critics, let alone people who foul him. He walked up to Cartagena, indicated his wound, then kneed him in the groin. The player collapsed, prompting audible whistles from spectators.

The match swiftly deteriorated into a bad-tempered, foul-filled contest which arguably mirrored the Andean country's combative politics. By the end, the match drawn at 4-4, two players from each side had been sent off, including Cartagena and one of the president's bodyguards.

One bodyguard tried to arrest Cartagena after the final whistle, the newspaper La Razón reported, but he was released after Revilla intervened.

Morales denied ordering the arrest but was unrepentant about his response to Cartagena's foul. "I passed the ball and suddenly I received a hammering. It's not the first time it happened," the president told reporters hours later...

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Well, that's one way to deal with your political opponents.

CorkMan

If only Brian Lenihan would do the same to Brian Cowen.

MagicMarker

Brian Cowan in shorts.......... shudder

.E_C_K_S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHoL86SPKVk Here ya go!

Pete M.

What a guy! Fair play to him.....

(not by him)

Unlike our shower of airheads and gombeens, he seems to be in touch with his fellow man.

Would have done the same myself after a tackle like that.

Einhard

Pete M. wrote: »

Unlike our shower of airheads and gombeens, he seems to be in touch with his fellow man.

I think that was the problem!!

ascanbe

Was he playing as a left-winger?

Biggins

Great, lets get a FF team against a public team!
Should be a very peaceful game.

southsiderosie

Biggins wrote: »

Great, lets get a FF team against a public team!
Should be a very peaceful game.

Hm, the Irish public vs. FF; sounds like buzkashi rather than soccer...And at this point, I'm not sure which one is the goat.

stepbar

CorkMan wrote: »

If only Brian Lenihan would do the same to Brian Cowen.

Problem is Brian Cowan has no balls....

southsiderosie

stepbar wrote: »

Problem is Brian Cowan has no balls....

What if he kicked out the barstool?

Guy:Incognito

hehehehe "testicular zone"

kowloon

I liked the bit where he kicked him in the balls.

stepbar

southsiderosie wrote: »

What if he kicked out the barstool?

He'd still have no balls but a sore arse....

bonerm

In fairness that foul is tame by South American standards.

pickarooney

southsiderosie wrote: »

Hm, the Irish public vs. FF; sounds like buzkashi rather than soccer...And at this point, I'm not sure which one is the goat.

Wikipedia wrote:

The Turkic name of the game is Kökbörü; Kök = "blue", börü = "wolf"

Heh, heh.

pickarooney

pickarooney wrote: »

Heh, heh.

:eek:

kowloon

southsiderosie wrote: »

Hm, the Irish public vs. FF; sounds like buzkashi rather than soccer...And at this point, I'm not sure which one is the goat.

However, polo is played with a ball, while Buzkashi is played with a dead animal.

El Horseboxo

Fair play to him. Got to shake his hand in La Paz just after he had come off hunger strike. Does great things for the poor and the people love him for it. Well all the indigenas do.

Liam Byrne

CorkMan wrote: »

If only Brian Lenihan would do the same to Brian Cowen.

Two people on the same team fouling each other ?

There's no chance that could happen; sure one of that team could knife an opponent and they'd argue that it never happened, or look for the legal definition of a knife!

Now if Shane Ross could do it to both Lenihan and Cowen, that would represent the country.