Ali Yassine interviewing mascots - photo Jon Candy
On the eve of Cardiff City's first match of the season v. Fulham, Stadium announcer of many years Ali Yassine was sacked from his job, for both Bluebirds and Wales games.
Ali has been a Bluebirds' institution : a Grangetown man of Somalian and Egyptian heritage who speaks Welsh and wrote a book in Welsh about his time at the club he adores. He's as much part of CCFC as blue shirts and the Bluebird crest ( well, until Tan imposed that crazy red on us).
What had he done?
Made an effigy of Tan and stuck pins in it in front of the directors?
Dared mock the tiny Chinese worm-dragon on our new badge?
Questioned manager Slade's adherence to 4-4-2 whatever the circumstances?
The club has never explained why he was fired, nor has Ali offered an explanation yet.
The one thing I do know is that since Ali's appalling treatment our announcers have been a complete embarrassment.
First there was Richard Shepherd, once a programme editor and still a fine commentator, who was barely audible and sadly sounded as if he was having an afternoon nap during the game.
Last Saturday's match v. Huddersfield was even worse, as there seemed to be three announcers during the course of it, each one a different definition of atrocious.
The first was garbled, the second ( a woman with shrill voice) sounded like a Year 11 pupil on Work Experience who'd been handed the mic and told to get on with it.
The third ( who might have been the first as well, I couldn't make out) was shambolic! He got the name of our first goalscorer wrong and then seemed to have given up when Hudds did a double substitution and resorted to using numbers not names!
Many signed a petition in the last few weeks demanding Ali's reinstatement; but on Saturday the entire Canton stand led the loudest chant of the afternoon with 'We want Ali back!'
Because Ali Yassine is part of our memories, part of our important rituals.
At a time when there has been so much success in building a new sense of unified purpose, based around the return to blue , a Bluebirds badge and even a mascot ; unity also based on a successful team playing much better football than last season......Ali's inexplicable dismissal is the one note of disharmony.
He is part of our memories because the songs he would play when he was in charge of their selection were full of power and humour.
He dared play the Super Furry Animals tribute to errant star Robin Friday 'The Man Don't Give A Fuck' and often Dafydd Iwan's stirring 'Yma o Hyd' would add passion to the build up.
Above all, he pointedly mocked other teams , such as Brizzle City with The Wurzels and West Ham with the theme tune from 'Steptoe & Son'.
Amazingly he got away with mocking former manager Dave Jones after defeats, by playing Bob Dylan's 'Ballad of a Thin Man' , with the lines - ' Cause something's happening and you don't know what it is / Do you, Mr Jones?'
Even when he no longer chose the play-list and it generally became techno-drab, Ali's catchphrase of 'Support the boyz and make some NOIIIIIIIIIZE!' was as integral to our pre-match ritual as a pint or two of real ale and a route to the ground which mustn't be altered.
His use of Cymraeg was vital to our games and those of Cymru.
Message-board bigots may've celebrated its demise, but a substantial number of our fans are Welsh-speaking.
We have become less of a Welsh club now that Ali has gone.
He had been sacked one time before for criticizing the 'prawn sandwich' brigade, yet later re-appointed.
This time there seems no way back and our directors obviously weren't listening to the fans who made their opinions clear.
Ali didn't want to leave and bought his own ticket for that first game. The man from Cardiff was understandably 'Gobsmacked!'.
Apparently the club has consulted some fans ( who, I don't know) and now appointed two announcers, who will alternate.
One is ice-hockey announcer Mark Johncock and the other Huw Day, who has worked for some while at the club.
Our fans' views, once again, have been treated with disdain. Ali Yassine should be honoured , not humiliated.
'WE WANT ALI BACK!'
'We want Ali back!
Said we want Ali back!'
Loudest chant of the afternoon
as announcers fumble,mumble and cock-up
like goalies letting the ball slip
through their gloves into the net.
We miss the Man on the Mic,
catchphrase 'Support the Boyz!'
A jester, town-crier , DJ
and totally one of us.
' Boneddigesau a boneddigion!'
language fascists might mock
but this was Ali Yassine
Cymro Cymraeg Kaaairdiff man.
Cut him, he'll bleed blue blood;
from Ninian to the new stadium
through the dark days of Tan's red
when he'd welcome 'Adar Gleision!'
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