Racist chants at Football games.

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inlove19

New member
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18363736

This was one of the fears of Fifa/Uefa granting the EURO cup to Poland/Ukraine, it's quite accepted in games over there to call out "monkey chants" in games. Towards black players, during a training session their were monkey chants in the game.

Van Bommel captain of the Netherlands has said, if this happens in the game, he will make a judgement call on whether to have the team walk off the pitch or not.

There seems to be debate as to whether it is right for players to walk off the pitch or not, whether they should just take it on the chin and carry on playing.

Where do you stand on the following.

Should Poland-Ukraine have been given the Euros or any international sporting event, based on their history of racism, the UK government have opted out of the games as a protest against the decision to let them have the EUROS.

Should players have the right to walk off the pitch?

Should they carry on playing?

How should this matter be dealt with and with racism in sports in general?

Thoughts?

Players getting booked for walking off the pitch I believe is completely wrong.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/18356391
 
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RlT

New member
This is not purely a football problem. Football matches are highly public events, and if racist chants are accepted at them, it indicates a wider social problem. But what can be done? The encouraging thing is that racism here is not widely acceptable in a way that it certainly was a few decades ago. So whatever we did, it seems to work. Perhaps it's just a function of education improving.
 
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DALEF

Member
I don't know if players should be allowed to do that. It is hard to accurately capture such things in a set of rules, in a way that is not open to abuse or unintentional consequences.

However, I think that if a player sees such things unfold, he has to make the judgement call for himself. Personally, I think I would walk away if I noticed that MY supporters were doing that to players from the other side. Whether the rules would allow it or not would not be the primary motivation for me to make that decision.
 
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feathz

New member
It just changes over time. Throughout history there have always been people getting discriminated against and insulted. Jews, blacks, gays, atheists, muslims, christians, women, republicans, democrats, liberals, communists ...

Any time that large groups of people organize themselves and draw lines to differentiate between 'us' and 'them', you get large portions of the crowd with who let themselves be taken over by mob mentality.

Actual racism is less accepted these days in the West. Still, muslims get their fair share of it in the US even today. But even ignoring that, there will always be groups of people being discriminated against by other groups. the roles change over time but the behavior does not.
 
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FireTiger

New member
I don't know if I agree- if we examine our values as a society today, I think we find that discrimination of any kind is becoming less and less acceptable. I put this down to improved education- rightwing thought such as discrimination is not, after all, a philosophy in its own right. More a poverty of aspiration and a constriction of mental horizons.
 
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Kittygirl

Member
I think they have every right to walk off the pitch. It is a job, would you be expected to continue working while taking racist abuse at work?

I agree with the supporters thing, the thing is, this is common practice and not frowned upon over there like it is here. It's dismissable or laughable, I heard on the radio today, a presenter went to Greece, and and kid at a private school in Athens was laughing and telling him about a story where they had African exchange students visiting the school and the kids thought it was funny to throw bananas and laugh at them, he didn't realise he was doing anything wrong, he wasn't reprimanded. If this is the sort of mentality that supporters have in Ukraine-Poland then was Uefa right in giving them the Euro in the first place?

Some people have said it's banter against opposition but their are even stories of local Ukranian games, where supporters attacked players on their own side based on race. So it is a racist thing.
 
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josiahk

New member
I don't think it's an issue of judging a country, I have a lot of Polish friends, who feel it isn't the right thing. They tell me about places like Krakow, and the things that happen in football games over there, it's what is quite common in their normal games, Ukraine too, extremely racist in their own football games. I'm not judging the country, I'm judging whether it was the right decision to host a European sporting event over there knowing there will be issues in regards to how some players will be treated, as demonstrated by the open training session with the Dutch team.

Edit: This article speaks wonders.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/davidbond/2012/06/uk_government_snub_is_major_bl.html
 
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atotheizzo

Member
I'm surrounded by big footie fans, so I cant escape the football talk. However the most common at the moment is the heavy racism that's occuring in Polish football. To the point where someone (cant remember who...dunno football) mentioned that if you're a England supporter and if you're not white, don't go to the Euro for your safety.

And some bloke called Michel Platini said- Any player who walks of the pitch at Euro 2012 due to racial abuse will be booked.

I dont know enough about football to comment on the sport, however players (no matter how much you get paid) as well as anyone else, do not need to put up with this abuse. Everyone should walk out.
England was judged pretty harshly for the "hooliganism" few years ago, so its a difficult one.
Punish the whole for the actions of a few? (albeit its the few that has a very loud voice)
 
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Leesh

New member
Footballers are highly paid sportsmen and should accept that things will not always be pleasant in certain countries.Far better to get on with the game and ignore these racist taunts.



They haven't got the right at all.They are paid to play and the decision should be made by the people who employ them.
 
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BelieverinChrist

New member
They are barely paid anything for international matches, and that what they do earn goes to charity.

But I don't think that's the issue at hand. The same way where we don't allow Turkey into the EU because of their human rights, how can we reward countries like Poland and Ukraine with the EU when their stance on racism is so different to what we expect in most European countries? Yes they are professionals and they get paid to play a game, but nowhere does it say they are supposed to just "accept" and "take it". I find that stance on it absurd. It's humiliating to hear "monkey chants" while playing a game. I don't think it would be accepted in the Olympics, Basketball, Rugby or any other sporting event, why is this acceptable in your eyes in football?
 
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UtopianFriend

New member
Platini has said that referees have the power to abandon the game as a result of racist abuse being thrown at the players. Of course, I expect referees have been told that if they use that power, they'll never referee a game for UEFA again. He's just trying to cover his ass, so if players like Balotelli do take a walk, he can say that Balotelli should have let the referee make the judgment.

Personally I think the FA should have paid for a load of Bushwackers and Zulus to attend the tournament with the mandate to kindly explain to our Eastern European friends that we, the English, invented football hooliganism by demonstrating some of the finer aspects of the art.

Unfortunately, the FA has no balls - no pun intended.
 
Memphis

Memphis

Member
Lewis Hamilton was subject to monkey chants and masks during F1 testing in Spain.It unpleasant and clearly wrong but I am afraid its part and parcel of being a professional sportsman.Getting in a huff about it and walking off the pitch would be a victory for the racists.
 
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charm

Member
Accepting racism as part and parcel of being a professional sportsman would be a victory for racists.

The ability to walk off and be supported by the fans for doing so, allows players to send the message that racism is not accepted in football. Saying the players have no option but to continue despite racist chants hands the power over to the racists by telling them that they can say what they like, and the players will have to take it.
 
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Rav

Member
It's really not though. If I went to work and somebody hurled racial abuse at me, no matter what my job, or how much I was paid, it would not be acceptable, and it would never be a part and parcel of the job. It only seems to be acceptable in football, because apparently the game draws in the least sensible and least respectful fans than any other popular sport.
 
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NikkiK

Member
As I am polish, I probably have a better opinion on this.
I can tell you all that anyone who calls out 'monkey chants' in poland is thought to be an idiot and usually mentally handicapped. It is just as unacceptable to us as it is to you. I have never personally heard any such chants, and I doubt any of you have either. Not exactly fair to be making assumptions when have no first hand knowledge on the subject.
 
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joy_seb

New member
Uhh.... 'better' opinion is probably not what you were trying to say.

You seem to have your shirt up because your Polish and Polands come up as one of the countries with racist chant issues. Relax... you can be Polish without being lumped in with the racists. I'm sure there are plenty of racists in Poland... just like every other spot on the planet.

In fact if were are to believe the news... then yes... there was a problem with racist chants at an open training session in Krakow. Check the news... I'm sure the news wire service doesn't just pull this stuff out off their rear.
 
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