Macedonia and Greece will meet in EuroBasket 2011

[United MKD]

It has been a while since I felt so proud of a Macedonian team and how well they do. I was in tears of pride and joy to see the Macedonian fighting spirit and our name on the table of one of the best. The game against Spain was amazing, well done Macedonia.
Bill my dear, you be happy and supportive and ignore the dickhead Vangelovski who has been given power to threat people who like to be happy and proud of who they are. This is sport, stop making everything political. These boys are fighting to show how good they are and they carry our blood, if you can not support them don't ruin it for everyone else who does and is proud to do. Not everything we ever do is political and not everything should be about the flag, the name, the who said what. No one will ever know about us and our strenght and power if we refuse to show our courage and show the world we exist. Everything will come in time, in the meantime just learn to be a bit happy for the boys who are doing so well. They have made me feel more proud than people like Vangelovski ever can or will so don't give him the pleasure of leaving, he doesn't deserve it. I am sure he will threaten you with bans and stuff but it just shows what sort of person he is, a miserable old man who takes pleasure in making everyone else miserable. I have read him as a person long time ago and made my point and feelings very clear and I am thinking I was right. Bill you rock and I hope you stay, Macedonian needs people like YOU, not Vangelovski. We need positive strong people on here and everywhere,please think about it.
As for the basketball team, well done boys, I am so gonna go watch them on the Olympics in London next year, I just need to decide what flag to carry.

Couldn't of said it better myself about the boys and their spirit, what an effort against world and european champions in Spain. Some people don't care about sport however it makes me one proud Macedonian seeing those boys playing out there the way they are, I'll never forget what they've done in this tournament, for the people back home and around the world, it gives me goosebumps similar to Australia's World Cup run in 2006.

[Daniel the Great]

Did you create that Daniel, good work.

Nah, i found it on facebook, all in vain now lol.

[Phoenix]

Couldn't of said it better myself about the boys and their spirit, what an effort against world and european champions in Spain. Some people don't care about sport however it makes me one proud Macedonian seeing those boys playing out there the way they are, I'll never forget what they've done in this tournament, for the people back home and around the world, it gives me goosebumps similar to Australia's World Cup run in 2006.

You can't ignore or discount the immense boost to national morale and pride through sporting success...Hitler was one of the first to recognise this amazing power and to this day the most powerful countries invest hundreds of millions of dollars annually to achieve sporting success on the world stage to deliver national pride and standing.

Macedonia's 'success' was a pretty good return on nothing more than loose change. My regret is that it was probably a missed opportunity to make a strong political statement.

[makedonche]

This game is back when Macedonia defeated Bosnia & Hercegovina. The Bosnians start singing with the Macedonians at the end, Makedonsko devojce.

Macedonia-Bosnia 75-63 part 1 - YouTube

This one brought a tear to my eyes - particularly the " makedonsko devojce" ! Fantastic, thanks Daniel.

[makedonche]

Bill77
Nemoi da begash ot toulka! Bes tebe ke vrshai Grcite toulka kako kouchinia!
Mora da sedish i da zborvush toa shto mislish i da kazhouvash tvoite misli, bes tebe nema smea, nema silen glas, nema stalno provilno, odzgora ke me do tezhish mnogou na srtseto moi!

[Daniel the Great]

This one brought a tear to my eyes - particularly the " makedonsko devojce" ! Fantastic, thanks Daniel.

No problems mate. It gave me goose bumps. We Macedonians just have this natural friendship with Bosnians and Croats. I suppose it's because of the similar struggles we have faced.

[makedonche]

No problems mate. It gave me goose bumps. We Macedonians just have this natural friendship with Bosnians and Croats. I suppose it's because of the similar struggles we have faced.

Daniel
Very true, and probably because wer'e decent people as well! unlike a few other neighbours!

[Bij]

this thread is a clusterfuck of stupidity.

as it's a thread about basketball, where we are celebrating our national team (+1 token black guy).

I have a question. Does the trainer speak to them in Macedonian or English? Does Bo McCalebb speak Macedonian or does he have translator?

Anyway, when do we play against Russia for the bronze medal?

[Komita]

this thread is a clusterfuck of stupidity.

as it's a thread about basketball, where we are celebrating our national team (+1 token black guy).

I have a question. Does the trainer speak to them in Macedonian or English? Does Bo McCalebb speak Macedonian or does he have translator?

Anyway, when do we play against Russia for the bronze medal?

He speaks to them in macedonian, our player Mirakovski then translate to Mcalebb what he said. He does not speak macedonian only cure words.
Just the fact that he cried when we lost against Spain shows how much heart he has put in our team.
On Sunday.

[DedoAleko]

Balkan basketball: Macedonia honour and no ‘hate thy neighbour’ syndrome

In 1991 SFR Yugoslavia won the ‘Eurobasket’ gold medal and ended its existence as the second most successful country in basketball championships (after the soviet union). Twenty years one, all of Yugoslavia’s ex-republic national teams have met for the first time at the same event. The riveting European basketball championships have reunited a region and ends in Vilnius on 18 September

Together, Yugoslavia and Serbia have claimed 18 medals and won eight times in the European basketball championships both before and after the soviet union’s existence. The dream team that was SFR Yugoslavia (the socialist federal republic of Yugoslavia) mostly consisted of Serbian and Croatian players, and even in the years following the demise of the former Yugoslavia, they have remained the most dominant basketball players.

SFR Yugoslavia let it hang looseSFR Yugoslavia let it hang loose | Eurobasket classicsAt the 2011 Eurobasket championships in Lithuania the only team left standing is Macedonia – much to everyone’s surprise. On 16 September, Macedonian ‘falanga’ will meet Spanish ‘furia‘ for the place in finals (as France and Russia play the other semi-finals). Tens of thousands will watch the game on a big screen next to the statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje. Whatever the result, one thing’s for sure – basketball players will come back to Macedonia on 20 September as heroes since they’ve outdone themselves.
Macedonia the (basketballing) great

The competition is held every other year, and so the team would at least have been hoping to come further than the ninth place that they came in Poland (the final saw Spain winning over Serbia). From a political point of view, this kind of accomplishment couldn’t have come at a better time. In the midst of a national identity rebuilding process, the historical success of Macedonia’s basketball will be another of its major key points. All of the team members have already been honoured by Macedonian president Gorgje Ivanov for ‘making an outstanding contribution to the development and popularisation of this sport and to the affirmation of the Republic of Macedonia in the world.’

Macedonian fans in PolandMacedonian fans in Poland | Playing Germany in 2009But, let’s get back to sports in Vilnius! Macedonia started this championship with a loss from Montenegro. They then stunned Croatians and kept their dream run by winning over Greece, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Slovenia. Their second loss came from Russia, which put them in the unpleasant position of playing quarter-finals against the host nation, Lithuania. Although Lithuanians were in the lead throughout most of the match, everything changed in the last eleven seconds. Thanks to the 31-year-old point guard Vlado Ilievski‘s three-point shot and free-throw, Macedonia got through to the semi-final.

Tough opponent for Macedonians in Eurobasket quarter finals – the host Lithuania | Match highlights
All eyes on McCalebbovski

However, the key player of Macedonia’s national team is Lester ‘Bo’ McCalebb. Doesn’t sound very Macedonian? Don’t let his name, place of his birth (Los Angeles), the fact that he grew up in New Orleans or that English is his mother tongue fool you. The 26-year old obtained Macedonian citizenship in 2010, therby earning a place in national team. Or was it the other way around? In any case, the benefits were mutual. Macedonia got a star player, possibly to be MVP (most valuable player) in 2011. On the other hand, McCalebb officially became a European player which gives him no restrictions when it comes to choosing and playing for European clubs. In the conservative Balkans, the whole bargain was derided, but Macedonians have accepted Bo as one of their own. They’ve ‘macedonised’ his name into Borche McCalebbovski. In return, he has learned to curse in Macedonian, which is a fair starting point in learning any of Balkan languages.

Lastly, a look at the other national teams coming from a former basketball super-force? Montenegrins are at shared 21st position and Croatians rank higher at a shared 17th, whilst the Bosnia and Herzegovina team made it to an even higher shared 13th spot. Serbia and Slovenia have dropped out in the quarter-finals as they came respective seventh and eighth in the rankings (only six teams can qualify), so the Macedonian basketball team is the only one that still has a chance to participate in 2012 Olympics. Basketball fans from the former Yugoslavia stand united in supporting the red-and-yellows. In these countries, Macedonians are generally percieved as fun-loving, kind and non-conflict people. Since Macedonia was the only one that didn’t participate in the wars of the nineties, there is no ‘hate thy neighbour’ syndrome. And from a girly point of view, the Macedonian flag with the yellow sun adorning a red background is the prettiest and the brightest one to be holding.

izvor: http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/article/3...kan-unity.html

[United MKD]

He speaks to them in macedonian, our player Mirakovski then translate to Mcalebb what he said. He does not speak macedonian only cure words.
Just the fact that he cried when we lost against Spain shows how much heart he has put in our team.
On Sunday.

All the players speak good English however so communication is no problem.

[Jankovska]

I have an idea, since Vangelovski thinks it's ok to make everything political and yet he stays and carries on paying taxes and contributing towards a country that doesn't recognise us, maybe he can start fighting there. Stop working, stop contributing and tell them where to stick it or even better, move to the so much loved country and contribute there, the patriotic way.
His job is in OZ and through taxes he follows and helps a country that has not recognized us as a country, and our basketball boys's job is to play ball. Maybe they should stop as soon as he does.
He is so good at double standards it's unfucking believable.

[Risto the Great]

I find if we amplify a problem to ridiculously large proportions, we can see the logical outcome of taking a position on an issue. In this issue, if we in the Diaspora are to 100% embrace the ventilator and also celebrate fyrom's achievements the following seems a likely end result:

- Macedonia would have changed its name permanently years ago.

What is wrong with setting an ideological benchmark? Are we suggesting Macedonia will somehow luckily escape all of the attacks on its identity? Or is Macedonia still working through its "master plan"?

How did the Irish get any rights without the IRA? What would they have said to any Irish players wearing Great Britain's flag?

[Phoenix]

How did the Irish get any rights without the IRA? What would they have said to any Irish players wearing Great Britain's flag?

Where would the IRA have been without the large Irish diaspora in the USA and particularly in New York?

I think this thread shouldn't be disregarded as simply one about 'sport' and that 'politics' should be kept out of 'sport'...that's just naive bullshit.

If people are serious about issues like the flag and that fuckin' acronym there is no better arena than the sporting one to protest this absurdity.
If Macedonians are going to put the 'success' of a basketball match, ahead of our pathetic reality as a sold out nation they really need to have their heads examined.

[Daniel the Great]

I find if we amplify a problem to ridiculously large proportions, we can see the logical outcome of taking a position on an issue.

If we become ridiculous, we will be ridiculed. Just change this word "Ridiculously" to "sensibly", and we would achieve greater heights.