MUST READ! Inside This Soccer Mad Church In Argentina Where They Worship Football Star Diego Amando Maradona, And Call Lionel Messi Their Messiah
Diego Armando Maradona is widely regarded as the best soccer player of all time, but for many people, he’s a god. Not a prophet or the reincarnation of some ancient soccer deity, but D10S (a play on the Spanish word dios for “God” that incorporates Maradona’s jersey number). The amazing thing about Maradona—the thing that no other soccer player has—is the passion shared among his fans. The emotional dedication is as beautiful as it is crazed.
Founded by Alejandro Verón and Hernan Amez, two journalists who host a radio talk show about soccer, the Church of Maradona operates primarily through the internet and uses religious language to express deep devotion to the Argentinian sportsman. 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.
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According to Yolanda Yabra, a journalist in Argentina, in church ceremonies, the Bible has been replaced by Maradona's autobiography, and special rites like Maradonian baptisms, weddings, and masses are celebrated on special dates of special Maradonian significance.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”.
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 the 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 Macedonians 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 superstar 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."
This was culled from Fox News
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