Racism at the Euros

[Tangled up in Blue]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/07/euro-2012-holland-racist-abuse

It seems to me that this year's tournament in Poland/Ukraine is just an accident waiting to happen.I wonder which country will be the first to withraw their players from the pitch and perhaps the tournament? :unsure:

 

[OldBlueLady]

This has already been touched on in various threads following the Panorama expose last week. The Dutch team are already claiming that they were victims of racist chanting during training yesterday according to SSN this morning.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

This has already been touched on in various threads following the Panorama expose last week. The Dutch team are already claiming that they were victims of racist chanting during training yesterday according to SSN this morning.

That's what the article's about inter alia.:winking:
(I finally caught up with the Panorama programme the other night and thought it was shocking.Btw,I also looked here for a dedicated thread on the Panorama programme or racism in the Euros and couldn't find one).

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Should never have given them the tournament. Always problems when England play in Eastern Europe. The punishments should have been more severe- paltry fines dont work, points deductions would have been more suitable. The idea that a ref can call a match off or players just walk off is unworkable and the tournament is so tightly scheduled the whole thing will fall apart. When Balotelli talks about 'killing' someone who racially abuses him you wonder if there could be a Cantona-esque confrontation at some point. Platini as usual utterly clueless, about as effective a football head as Blatter.

 

[Pubey]

The Panorama programme was very shocking, however it was also pretty one-sided.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/06/ugly-spectre

http://www.economist.com/blogs/east...tatement?fsrc=gn_ep&google_editors_picks=true

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

The Panorama programme was very shocking, however it was also pretty one-sided.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/06/ugly-spectre

http://www.economist.com/blogs/east...tatement?fsrc=gn_ep&google_editors_picks=true

That old canard,bias at the BBC again.Quack.:winking:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/08/ukraine-ambassador-euro-2012-racism

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Am I the only one uncomfortable with this apparent racism?

The BBC really should know better. If it was someone like Spain or Italy hosting the tournament would there still be suggestions that they weren't fit to host it? This sneering "we're morally better than those backwards Eastern Europeans" is surely in itself racist. I've been feeling uneasy about the tone of the coverage for a while now, with all these stories about how it's unsafe for players' families to go and watch.

 

[londonblue]

Personally I find it incredible that UEFA would give these countries the Euros. Over the years plenty of black players have been racially abused during Champions League games when they have played in Eastern Europe, teams have been fined and games played behind closed doors. So what do UEFA do? They reward these countries with the Euros! You couldn't make it up.

 

[londonblue]

Am I the only one uncomfortable with this apparent racism?

The BBC really should know better. If it was someone like Spain or Italy hosting the tournament would there still be suggestions that they weren't fit to host it? This sneering "we're morally better than those backwards Eastern Europeans" is surely in itself racist. I've been feeling uneasy about the tone of the coverage for a while now, with all these stories about how it's unsafe for players' families to go and watch.

I seem to remember there being a big hooha a few years back regarding the Spanish manager also being a racist. I think we're actually being pretty consistent.

Moreover, so far we're the only country (AFAIK) that has had its clubs banned from European competitions for any reason. Personally I feel we are therefore justified in pointing out that we have cleaned up our act, and maybe UEFA should start being consistent in their dealings with other clubs/countries. Hooliganism is one thing, but in my opinion racism is 10 times worse, and needs to be treated as such.

 

[Napster]

Hooliganism is one thing, but in my opinion racism is 10 times worse, and needs to be treated as such.

I'm sorry, what?

:unsure:

(I'm sure the two are intertwined, but to say racism is worse than physical violence is a bit much)

 

[Napster]

Am I the only one uncomfortable with this apparent racism?

The BBC really should know better. If it was someone like Spain or Italy hosting the tournament would there still be suggestions that they weren't fit to host it? This sneering "we're morally better than those backwards Eastern Europeans" is surely in itself racist. I've been feeling uneasy about the tone of the coverage for a while now, with all these stories about how it's unsafe for players' families to go and watch.

Goes back to the Commonwealth dear boy.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I seem to remember there being a big hooha a few years back regarding the Spanish manager also being a racist. I think we're actually being pretty consistent.

Moreover, so far we're the only country (AFAIK) that has had its clubs banned from European competitions for any reason. Personally I feel we are therefore justified in pointing out that we have cleaned up our act, and maybe UEFA should start being consistent in their dealings with other clubs/countries. Hooliganism is one thing, but in my opinion racism is 10 times worse, and needs to be treated as such.

There was a big hooha, but no-one suggested it meant Spain couldn't be awarded a major competition.

It's also ridiculous to suggest it's 10 times as bad as the hooliganism which left a number dead.

I'm all for tackling racism, and that includes the racism which leaves people looking down at the Eastern Europeans as inferior and unsuited to host such a competition.

 

[united we stand]

If giving the Euro's's to Poland and the Ukraine the end result is a drop in racism at football matches won't UEFA have actually been usefull ?

Some of the reporting on the issues has been pathetic and designed just to sell newspapers , with Plataini not exactly helping the matter with his comments . The point on players being booked if they wlak off for being abused is a great example in my opinion.

It is against the rules of the game to elave the pitch without the refs consent - this is not a new rule.
Refs have been told that they should grant players permission to leave the field if they say they have been abused
Players have been advised of the above
So if a player tells the reg he is being abused and walks off he will not get a yellow card as the ref will give permission

Not exactly in line with what has been reported in huge headlines in papers

 

[londonblue]

If giving the Euro's's to Poland and the Ukraine the end result is a drop in racism at football matches won't UEFA have actually been usefull ?

Depends which way you look at it. Personally I think it should be the other way round; clean up your act and the reward will be the Euros. Why give the reward before the act?

 

[londonblue]

Moreover, so far we're the only country (AFAIK) that has had its clubs banned from European competitions for any reason. Personally I feel we are therefore justified in pointing out that we have cleaned up our act, and maybe UEFA should start being consistent in their dealings with other clubs/countries. Hooliganism is one thing, but in my opinion racism is 10 times worse, and needs to be treated as such.

There was a big hooha, but no-one suggested it meant Spain couldn't be awarded a major competition.

That's because they hadn't been awarded one. We simply don't know what would have been said if they had already been awarded the Euros. However, we are also talking about one man, not a whole swathe of supporters...we don't really know the extent of the issue in Spain...

It's also ridiculous to suggest it's 10 times as bad as the hooliganism which left a number dead.

No it's not. As I said, it's my opinion. I'm not suggesting violence for it's own sake is good, of course it's not. However, to combine violence with a racist element is, in my opinion, 10 times worse.

I'm all for tackling racism, and that includes the racism which leaves people looking down at the Eastern Europeans as inferior and unsuited to host such a competition.

I look down on anyone that is racist, but I don't see this as a "we're better than Eastern Europe" issue. I see this a racist issue full stop.

 

[OldBlueLady]

No it's not. As I said, it's my opinion. I'm not suggesting violence for it's own sake is good, of course it's not. However, to combine violence with a racist element is, in my opinion, 10 times worse.

Which is what was shown on the Panorama programme.