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    Political football(ers)

    With the news that Shevchenko plans to run for the Ukrainian Parliament, it's time to consider his illustrious predecessors. Weah famously ran for Liberian President, while Romario was elected to the Brazilian Congress, but it seems Gianni Rivera, Arshavin and Pavyluchenko have also had political careers. Still, in terms of sportsmen-turned-leaders, few can match Jack Lynch, seven-times All-Ireland champion before becoming Taoiseach.

    #2
    Political football(ers)

    Thomas Bodström (born 9 April 1962) Swedish politician and member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He was the Swedish Minister for Justice in two succeeding governments of the Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, from 2000 to 2006. Since October 2006 until October 2010 he was the chairman of the Riksdags committee for juridical issues.

    He played professionally for AIK (Stockholm) in the Swedish first division 1987-1989, as defender, while finnishing law school.

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      #3
      Political football(ers)

      Justin Madden; 278 VFL/AFL games for Carlton, now a Labor MLA in the Victorian Parliament. Was Minister for Sport at one time but is now on the back-benches.

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        #4
        Political football(ers)

        Being of a left persuasion myself, I've always been interested in footballers that have held or hold similar political views as I think they are as rare as hens teeth.

        Excluding (obviously) Eastern Bloc cold war footballers, the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Paul Breitner (who was a self proclaimed Maoist in the 70’s although he has subsequently renounced these views), Dominique Rocheteau of the great 70’s St Etienne side (who was an outspoken supporter of the Trotskyist Ligue communiste révolutionnaire) and Cristiano Lucarelli of Livorno.

        Does anyone know of any more?

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          #5
          Political football(ers)

          Depends on your definition of 'Left', obviously but given the rareness of leftie footballers at all, we should certainly include Cloughie, Pat Crerand (stuck by the Anti-Nazi League even when Michael Foot wrote in the Mirror: "It's the red fascists who scare me"), Fergie.

          Newsline, the Workers' Revolutionary Party's Libyan-funded daily newspaper had football columnists including the Steins (Brian and Mark, rather than Jock and Colin!), Luther Blissett and Chris Hughton.

          As a former trainspotter of the revolutionary left, I was intrigued to see Newsline on sale at the Durham Miners' Gala (STILL a daily paper. Wonder whose funds now? Equity's...?)

          Their footie coverage has declined sharply however, as, on a day when even The Guardian etc were featuring Terry and racism, the revolutionary take on football on its back page was 'Spurs sign Adebayor'!

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            #6
            Political football(ers)

            Yordan Letchkov is Mayor of Sliven.

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              #7
              Political football(ers)

              Didn't News Line (two words, comrade) also have Pat Nevin for a while?

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                #8
                Political football(ers)

                I seem to recall from one of those "Where are they now?" magazine features that one of the members of the 1970 Brazil team had a career in politics.

                Of course I could be utterly wrong.

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                  #9
                  Political football(ers)

                  Cannock-raised Stan Collymore threatened to unseat Tory MP Aidan Burley, of anti-Olympic Opening Ceremony fame on Friday night.

                  He's deleted that threat (screencapped in link), but there's plenty of anti-Burley stuff on his Twitter feed.

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                    #10
                    Political football(ers)

                    Vic Halom failed in a bid to become the Lid-Dem MP for South Shields back in the 90s. He was centre forward in Sunderlands 1973 FA Cup winning team and the greatest footballer to ever set foot on this planet.

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                      #11
                      Political football(ers)

                      El Tel wrote: I seem to recall from one of those "Where are they now?" magazine features that one of the members of the 1970 Brazil team had a career in politics.

                      Of course I could be utterly wrong.
                      Yes, centre forward chap...

                      Pe-something.

                      No, it's gone.

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                        #12
                        Political football(ers)

                        You're overlooking former Hereford goalkeeper and Green Party bigwig David Icke...

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                          #13
                          Political football(ers)

                          Marc Wilmots was briefly a senator in Belgium.

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                            #14
                            Political football(ers)

                            Ex-Linfield and Derry City striker Clifford Forsythe became Ulster Unionist MP for South Antrim. Combining it with his day job as a plumbing and heating contractor.

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                              #15
                              Political football(ers)

                              Roman Kosecki is in the parliament where he was caught drunk couple of times.

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                                #16
                                Political football(ers)

                                In Portugal, Marco Caneira was president of his local ward when he was playing for Sporting. He plays for Videoton now, so not sure how that works out. He hopes to devote more time to politics once his playing career has officially ended (I haven't seen him play a decent game of football for over 5 years). He is a member of the right-of-centre middle-class Social Democratic Party (PSD).

                                Bruno Alves was also active for the same party in getting his local mayor elected, but didn't take a position as a councilor. Again, Alves is supposedly interested in dedicating more time to politics when he retires.

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                                  #17
                                  Political football(ers)

                                  Talking of David Icke, I was surprised to read that he is headlining Wembley in a couple of weeks. Didn't realise he was that popular.

                                  http://www.davidicke.com/headlines/54813-david-icke-live-at-wembley-2012-tickets-on-sale-now

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                                    #18
                                    Political football(ers)

                                    Socrates was quite political, wasn't he?

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                                      #19
                                      Political football(ers)

                                      The Galatasaray player featured in the latest WSC, would seem to fit the definition of political and left wing (and a bit of a hero). That was a great article, actually.

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                                        #20
                                        Political football(ers)

                                        Alex Ferguson was an active trade unionist in his younger days whilst still in Govan, or so he claims.

                                        Gordon Smith's father was a Labour councillor in North Ayrshire.

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                                          #21
                                          Political football(ers)

                                          Jozsef Boszik - gifted wing-half with the 'Marvellous Magyars' and foil to the legend that was Ferenc Puskas - became an MP in Hungary a decade or so after his footballing heyday.

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                                            #22
                                            Political football(ers)

                                            axel wrote: Talking of David Icke, I was surprised to read that he is headlining Wembley in a couple of weeks. Didn't realise he was that popular.

                                            http://www.davidicke.com/headlines/54813-david-icke-live-at-wembley-2012-tickets-on-sale-now
                                            David's nine-hour presentation! Oh, the humanity!

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                                              #23
                                              Political football(ers)

                                              Newsline, the Workers' Revolutionary Party's Libyan-funded daily newspaper had football columnists including the Steins (Brian and Mark, rather than Jock and Colin!), Luther Blissett and Chris Hughton.

                                              The Stein brothers father, Isiah Stein, was an exiled ANC activist. Luther Blissett became an Italian Anarchist group.

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                                                #24
                                                Political football(ers)

                                                Mark McGhee's brother, John, was/is a high-up in the Fire Brigades Union

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                                                  #25
                                                  Political football(ers)

                                                  Ex- Linfield and Derry City stalwart Clifford Forsythe combined his plumbing/ heating business with service as MP for Antrim South from 1983 to 2000.

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