Middlesbrough Police have confirmed the arrest of two away “supporters” following the Tees - Tyne derby between Middlesbrough and Newcastle last weekend after Egyptian striker Mido was subjected to Islamic / Racist chants while warming up for the second year in a row.
Werder Bremen fans became even more unified during Saturday’s 0 - 0 draw against Bochum after forcing the removal of a section so - called supporters that displayed a Nazi “explicit flag”.
On Sunday, Bremen General Manager Klaus Allofs acknowledged and congratulated the club’s die - hards saying, “Some of our so-called supporters are Nazis and have quickly been rejected by our supporters. It is a good action from their part, as they did not want to be related to such behaviour.”
image via Football-Wallpapers
Olympique Marseille President Pape Diouf has expressed his anger and disappointment following UEFA’s original 3 match European home ground ban against La Liga and Champions League side Atletico Madrid being reduced to just one game, the November 26th match against PSV and another deferred for two years.
“If there is a sanction remaining, that is the proof there were breaches and mistakes from Atletico,” said Diouf. “I am against the fact that Uefa has not considered the whole situation.
“Because you can’t forget the unbelievable violence our fans were victims of. Uefa won’t get rid of violence and racism from stadiums with sanctions that look like fly bite.”
image via Ww2
UEFA ruled on Friday that Atletico Madrid will be forced to play their next UEFA Champions League match November 26th against PSV in an empty Vicente Calderon Stadium after investigating claims of fan racism and violence during the October 1st match against Ligue1 side Marseille.
Mexican born head coach Javier Aguirre was also banned for the next two Champions League matches at Liverpool and home against PSV after UEFA’s disciplinarians found him accused of insulting a Marseille player, while the second match ban that was to be played behind doors will be deferred for two years as of now.
And while Atletico has said that they will challenge the verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, they were also ordered to pay a 130 Thousand Euro fine.
“UEFA policy is clear - zero tolerance of violence, racism or discrimination,” Platini said in a letter to delegates who represent UEFA at Champions League matches.
“It is vital that your post-match reports … demonstrate no leniency whatsoever in the face of violent, racist or discriminatory behavior on the part of players, club officials, technical staff or fans.
image via Portugoal
From our boy Kyle Sheldon over at Behind The Badge
“I’m grateful for all of the support shown by the Houston Dynamo organization, their supporters and concerned fans from all over the country. I’ve received hundreds of encouraging e-mails over the past several days for which I’m very thankful. I know that one person does not represent everyone in Houston and I appreciate the manner in which the Dynamo and their fans have approached the incident that occurred Sunday night.
I have also received a heartfelt letter from the man that confronted me after the game and said some very hurtful things. I accept his apology and hope that this incident helps us all move forward together in the future.”
image via CacheDaily
The Croatian Football Federation has been fined a second time for Racial Crowd Abuse, just months after FIFA disciplined and fined them over fans action during the 2008 Euro Quarterfinal match with Turkey for the same.
With Emile Heskey being subjected to Monkey Chants after being booked during Englands 4 - 1 romp at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, FIFA slapped a whopping 14,920k Pound fine on the CFF.
While FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has warned Croatia that another issue will lead to “more severe actions”, you have to wonder when is enough enough. Wouldn’t a more suitable action be to force Croatia to play Qualifiers in an empty stadium or at a neutral ground rather than a small slap on the wrist for a second offense just months after their first?
A FIFA statement read: “The FIFA disciplinary committee has fined the Croatia Football Federation CHF 30,000 (£14,920) for the racist behavior of some of their supporters at the 10 September 2008 Croatia v England preliminary competition match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“The Croatian Football Federation was found guilty of a violation of article 58, paragraph 2 of the FIFA disciplinary code, and received a warning regarding its future conduct according to article 13.
“Further infringements of article 58 would lead to more severe sanctions by the FIFA disciplinary committee.”
image via TheSun
UEFA has officially fined the Croatian Football Federation after it’s supporters we found guilty of “displaying a racist banner and showing racist conduct.”
Croatia has three days to appeal the $19,680 (12,500 Euros) fine.
I wish everyone could take a second out of their day and watch this.
UPDATE - Even Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos takes exception to what Aragones has to say after having to be pulled away by teammate Carlos Marchena after going nose to nose with the Spanish boss before the start of their training session this morning.
One of the most loved AND hated men in Spanish football, Luis Aragones is running his mouth again going after Genarro Gattuso while trying to comliment Andrea Pirlo.
With both Italian players suspended for the knock-out contest between Spain and Italy, the Spanish head coach couldn’t resist opening his mouth again.
“I admit that Pirlo is a great player. But to say that Gattuso is also, I would not agree,” said Aragones.
“Italy have several Gattusos but only one Pirlo. If Gattuso is a great player, then I’m a priest.”
I’m still in shock that this guy is in charge of Spain after what he was caught on camera telling Jose Antonio Reyes about former Arsenal teammate Thierry Henry.
Guess a 3,000 Euro fine made up for it.
image via Cadenaser
Everyone knew that the Poland/Germany match up at the 2008 Euros was going to ignite tension between supporter groups of the two nations. And it didn’t help when the Polish Tabloid Super Express had a front page picture of Polish head coach Leo Beenhakker holding the severed heads of Michael Ballack and German head coach Joachim Low.
But the true ugliness lied with an official 157 arrests (detainments) in the city of Klagenfurt, where the Poland vs Germany game was held.
Nazi slogan chants were ringing not only inside the stadium, but outside in the city center as police had to separate Polish and German fans from clashing throughout the day.
With just over 2,500 police on site, the Austrian police had their hands full with over 80,000 fans on site.
Of the 157 detained, 144 came from Germany, 10 from Poland, two from Austria and one from Slovenia.
image via RforP
Before I begin, I must say that I was NOT at the game and my comments are solely based on what I have heard. But, based on all accounts, the video in Columbus was pretty self-explanatory.
The events have left me disappointed, angry, and a bit confused. From the streamers to the taunt, it’s not a terribly bright time in Columbus. While I’m on the streamers, I think it’s becoming bad for the game. It’s disrupting play and slowing the game down. As for the taunt, on so many fronts, it’s difficult to speak on. First and foremost, I am a human being and all the other descriptives (Black, soccer player, athlete, etc.) follow after that. So, since we’re talking about footie, I will speak from the footie perspective.
There have been many times that people have heckled me. It started in college and escalated at the professional and international level. 99% of the time it was the usual “You suck”, “That’s why we traded you”,”I hate America”, blah, blah, blah. That’s the normal banter you hear from the fans. Does it get to you? Sure. Those words cut, but they’re things you can shrug off easier than others. I had to deal with racist taunts on the field once…in Dallas. In fact, I can only remember this happening to me once in my entire career from high school to the pros, but I can’t say the same for many of my fellow Black teammates during my career. Now, I’m not saying Dallas is a bad place, but it wasn’t generally a fan of the tan man, but that’s a whole different story. And the idiot making the taunt was clearly for the other team. I went to a small university in the mountains of southwest Virginia and got better treatment.
As an athlete, we are often held to lofty positions and are, by some, considered superhuman in some ways. However, we all have our faults and limits which sometimes are on display for the world to see. What happens within the arenas and stadiums falls under a different jurisdiction in society. What happens there usually is only addressed there. It’s like an athlete is expected to ignore or not retaliate against comments or actions. I think it is a bit unfair and unrealistic to expect these things. For many people, there would be a fight if you said something about their Mom (of course not their Dad!) or cut them off in traffic. Take this same situation and put it in a bar, and that’s the main ingredient for a brawl. Remember that guy that Charles Barkley threw through a window just for talking trash to him? As soon as we realize that athletes have feelings (not being sentimental) and are prone to mistakes like everyone else, the better we will be. We’ve all seen instances of players going after fans. In fact, I don’t know if we can call them “fans” at that point. Some may say that I’m paying my hard-earned money so I can say what I want. Good point! But, just remember that there are lines that should not be crossed.
As I said, I’ve only dealt with taunts once. I didn’t react to the moron and was able to keep my cool. But, I have given the old “You’re #1” salute in a separate incident. It was a big mistake, and I regretted it. You can never take away what’s done in the heat of the moment, especially when the stakes are high as a professional athlete.
We are fortunate that racism is not an issue in soccer in the U.S. There have been numerous instances in other countries, and some players have not dealt well with it. If you act ugly, expect ugly back. If you say something wrong, don’t be surprised at a reaction on the field or on the street.
You know that saying “Sticks and Stones”?
A friend of mine once said, “Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but Names could get yours broken off too”.
Now, let’s get back to some good old-fashioned footie and put this to rest!
Dante Washington
