Myanmar wins too! Say what?

The Wall Street Journal today carried a story that warmed my heart. It seems that Myanmar, that dark and gloomy part of the world governed by a secretive and dictatorial military junta, has given their citizens a little freedom and happiness in the form of a national soccer (football) league. Who would have guessed... right? Myanmar???
Soccer has had a political edge in Myanmar(formerly known as Burma)in the past. In the days when George Orwell worked there, as a colonial police officer before World War II, residents cheered against English teams to show disrespect for the colonial power. In more recent years, fans booed teams that had members of Myanmar's despised but powerful military.
Intellectuals dismiss the new league as a ploy by the junta to distract people from Myanmar's deepening economic and political problems, including the ongoing trial of Ms. Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate. The U.S. suspects Myanmar is about to receive a weapons shipment from a North Korean ship now being monitored by the U.S. Navy. Foreign diplomats and others say teams are controlled by oligarchs with ties to the military. But for now, at least the Burmese can enjoy professional football and have a great weekend watching their favourite team play. Maybe something they did not expect from their political masters.