Racist Chanting

[viennavet]

Saw this on espn

Pratham Guthi · Pune, Maharashtra
I would like to digress from the performance of the team, suffice it to say that we earned it. There's something more important and outstanding than that, and that came from the wrong side of the pitch : Racism directed by fans.
Now, it is one thing to go after a player of the opposing team and trying to rankle him. It is quite an entirely different matter when that person is being drowned in abuse, targeting the COLOUR of his skin. Not least when that player is the captain of the team. A team, and I don't say this lightly, that represents a club of proud tradition, respectability and ambition. And quite plainly, the CSKA Moskov fans (obviously the minority that is guilty) have pissed the City fans off. And not just us, but also of every right thinking fan and sadly, those players that had to endure the garbage.

What next? - Well, it is for the fans to take an initiative. Initiate dialogue with the club. Ask the club to stand strong on this issue and persuade and ensure the powers that be to effect punitive measures that are more painful than a broken toenail. Will it do any good if we wait for the laborious and lethargic response of the institutions that after episodes and episodes of such gormless behaviour, have a net effect of naught.

Manchester City Football Club, due to the new-found financial backing has the unique opportunity to grow as a club, both in stature and respect. There are more ways of achieving greatness than just winning football matches on the pitch. Most of it comes off the pitch; for example, where a staff member of the club is recognised and honoured for his contribution, the team grows in spirit. Where the community is welcomed to be a part of the club and supported in ways that show concern, the team grows in spirit. And, now, if the club stands up for one of their most coveted players, most-loved in the team that we fans love so so much, the team will unite for a noble cause. A cause that has been forgotten, discarded and shrugged off for far too long shall be put to the forefront.

"Could that really happen? Well, the club has many more pressing issues than this distraction surely? Why bother? Since when did City become a team that dictates!!? Ha!!"

Well, all of that is left in the hands and wills of the fans (of both the teams'), the club officials at the top and with a little help from all sections of the football world, including the journalists. For once, though, they could do something that is in the nature of their work. One could call it a distraction, but that's a bad way of viewing this incident. The moment we start calling it a problem, we are capable enough of finding the solution. There are a few that can be considered by inclined minds. Well, we can surely work a way around the fact that it is not important which club has the baton, but whether the baton is in motion.

Sure, I have written quite lengthily and I would like to thank you for your patience. I am just glad to have spoken my mind. It just makes the hurt feel a little less. Because Yaya is such a gentleman (and Fernandinho) and he has played and fought with a deep committment for City, and it hurts that it hurts him. He and many such along with him deserve to be respected, if not for anything, but for the fact that they are human beings, they are our brethren.

 

[mr t]

Staggering comments from Wenga and MoaninHo today which seem to have caused Garth Crooks to spontaneously combust...
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24679885" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24679885</a>

Yeah well Wenger and Mourinho aren't black and can't possibly feel Yaya's pain. Garth Crooks on the other hand is black and can probably not see any significant progress in kicking racism out of football since his own playing days.

 

[MC ID]

Saw this on espn

Pratham Guthi · Pune, Maharashtra
I would like to digress from the performance of the team, suffice it to say that we earned it. There's something more important and outstanding than that, and that came from the wrong side of the pitch : Racism directed by fans.
Now, it is one thing to go after a player of the opposing team and trying to rankle him. It is quite an entirely different matter when that person is being drowned in abuse, targeting the COLOUR of his skin. Not least when that player is the captain of the team. A team, and I don't say this lightly, that represents a club of proud tradition, respectability and ambition. And quite plainly, the CSKA Moskov fans (obviously the minority that is guilty) have pissed the City fans off. And not just us, but also of every right thinking fan and sadly, those players that had to endure the garbage.

What next? - Well, it is for the fans to take an initiative. Initiate dialogue with the club. Ask the club to stand strong on this issue and persuade and ensure the powers that be to effect punitive measures that are more painful than a broken toenail. Will it do any good if we wait for the laborious and lethargic response of the institutions that after episodes and episodes of such gormless behaviour, have a net effect of naught.

Manchester City Football Club, due to the new-found financial backing has the unique opportunity to grow as a club, both in stature and respect. There are more ways of achieving greatness than just winning football matches on the pitch. Most of it comes off the pitch; for example, where a staff member of the club is recognised and honoured for his contribution, the team grows in spirit. Where the community is welcomed to be a part of the club and supported in ways that show concern, the team grows in spirit. And, now, if the club stands up for one of their most coveted players, most-loved in the team that we fans love so so much, the team will unite for a noble cause. A cause that has been forgotten, discarded and shrugged off for far too long shall be put to the forefront.

"Could that really happen? Well, the club has many more pressing issues than this distraction surely? Why bother? Since when did City become a team that dictates!!? Ha!!"

Well, all of that is left in the hands and wills of the fans (of both the teams'), the club officials at the top and with a little help from all sections of the football world, including the journalists. For once, though, they could do something that is in the nature of their work. One could call it a distraction, but that's a bad way of viewing this incident. The moment we start calling it a problem, we are capable enough of finding the solution. There are a few that can be considered by inclined minds. Well, we can surely work a way around the fact that it is not important which club has the baton, but whether the baton is in motion.

Sure, I have written quite lengthily and I would like to thank you for your patience. I am just glad to have spoken my mind. It just makes the hurt feel a little less. Because Yaya is such a gentleman (and Fernandinho) and he has played and fought with a deep committment for City, and it hurts that it hurts him. He and many such along with him deserve to be respected, if not for anything, but for the fact that they are human beings, they are our brethren.

I would love for us to get a giant flag/banner for the return leg saying how we welcome all. I can't think of anything more inspiring for our players to see. Send a statement to the world showing what we are about.

 

[Mr. Aguia]

Having read Mourinho's comments, I take the same stance as him. Fight the thousands.

I don't take that stance at all.

Boycotting it would diminish the essence of the World Cup and leave it like an empty shell.

It's the only way to get through to money grabbing likes of Blatter and co.

It's been played their way too long.

yep. Fifa and uefa have had their chances to do something as have the countless fa's across the world. Just the other day a stadium ban for Lazio (who have priors with racism of course) was was reduced to a ban on the main ultras stand. I seem to remember there was something about zenit not having any black players until last year and that was because black players who had been linked were getting death threats.

I agree. When Yaya went to the ref he was supposed to stop the match. He didn't do shit. I would be in complete support of any team that walked off the pitch and refused to play until the group of fans was thrown out. I find it repulsive that UEFA/FIFA still haven't done anything. These goons are an embarrassment and that nothing has been done about it is an embarrassment to the sport.

 

[manchester blue]

To be fair Wenger said that racist chanting should not be tolerated in any form but it's not proven. Which is true. Like anything innocent until guilty. If you watch his interview and not just pick out one comment you would perhaps see it differently.

The thing that staggers me is why CSKAs two African players put up with it.

 

[Johnsonontheleft]

Staggering comments from Wenga and MoaninHo today which seem to have caused Garth Crooks to spontaneously combust...
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24679885" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24679885</a>

Having read Mourinho's comments, I take the same stance as him. Fight the thousands.

I don't take that stance at all.

Boycotting it would diminish the essence of the World Cup and leave it like an empty shell.

It's the only way to get through to money grabbing likes of Blatter and co.

It's been played their way too long.

If the black players don't turn up then the racists get what they want. Plus what if some black players don't want to miss the World Cup, maybe because it could be their last or they're just not offended in the same way (everyone takes a different level of offence to things) - do those black players then get persecuted and ostracised by those organising the boycott? Like workers who wanted to work through strikes were persecuted by the Unions.

Should the Jewish players also pull out due to Eastern European anti-semitism? Should some countries pull out due to all the xenophobic chanting at international football matches?

It's a ridiculous idea devoid of all common sense and blown stupidly out of proportion.

 

[urban genie]

To be fair Wenger said that racist chanting should not be tolerated in any form but it's not proven. Which is true. Like anything innocent until guilty. If you watch his interview and not just pick out one comment you would perhaps see it differently.

The thing that staggers me is why CSKAs two African players put up with it.

the thing is it was proven to be the case immediately, firstly by Yaya's and a couple of other players reaction at the time clearly seen on telly, the sky pitch side reporter then confirmed it minutes later when they asked what went on stating that there was racial chanting from the corner, and then by the telly when Dzeko was offside, city have also produced other witnesses to uefa in their complaint, so wengers comments seems a little churlish, but the british press attitude to this incident seems odd to me nearly every report throws the word allegedly into the accusation, rather than taking Toures word for it, and the obvious evidence that was available.

As for Jose he ain't gonna bite the hand that feeds and call for Russia to humiliated at their world cup

 

[EricBrooksGhost]

I reckon UEFAs next move shall be

 

[itsnevereasy]

Jose isn't going to slag of Russia is he when his pay master is Russian. Be interesting if any if the black Chelsea players have an opinion of this issue!

As for Russia and most of Eastern Europe - I have met a lot of them and whilst a fair few are decent people a lot are knuckle dragging racist thugs...... But the same can be said for a fair few English people.

 

[SrilankanBlue]

shameless bastards, lets absolutely batter them at hone

CSKA Moscow say a ‘British smear campaign’ against Russian football is behind Yaya Touré furore

CSKA Moscow general director Roman Babayev has claimed a ‘British smear campaign’ against Russian football is driving attempts to punish the club following accusations by Yaya Touré that he was racially abused during Manchester City’s Champions League victory this week.
In a remarkable outburst, echoed by dismissive comments from the Russian Football Union, Babayev claimed Touré “exaggerated” any racial abuse suffered during Wednesday’s fixture at the Khimki Arena.
Touré has reiterated his claims, telling BBC Afrique that “I am not deaf”, but with Uefa president Michel Platini demanding an investigation into referee Ovidiu Hategan’s failure to take the players off the pitch following Touré’s complaints, Babayev has delivered a robust defence of his club by attacking the response in Britain.
“The British do constantly try to find any reason to smear Russian football,” Babayev said. “It is totally possible that in this case we’re running into this same intention.
“I read the main English publications and they are raising a real hysteria. They are writing that the fans wanted to almost lynch the dark-skinned players on the field. And most journalists probably didn’t even watch the match.”

Babayev’s incendiary comments will increase tensions between the two clubs, who meet again at the Etihad Stadium on Nov 5.
But Touré insists that his allegations are genuine and called for Uefa and Fifa to act. “I am not deaf,” Touré said. “We are all humans. It is not a nice feeling to go and play a football match, to bring joy to the people and to be called a monkey or to hear monkey noises. I don’t look like a monkey. Other people must have seen it. We know there are very large stakes for the country [Russia] around the World Cup, but let’s leave Fifa and Uefa to do their work. Uefa has decided to apply the rules – that’s all we want.”
Alexei Morozov, of the Russian Football Union, dismissed Touré’s claims, saying: “I was at the match and I didn’t hear anything of the kind. CSKA hasn’t had such incidents in the past, and it has a good reputation. It’s a small stadium holding 16,000 people. If there would have been anything like that, it would have been obvious.”
Seydou Doumbia, an Ivory Coast team-mate of Touré, proved more conciliatory towards the midfielder, however, by issuing a statement on his Facebook page to deny quotes attributed to him suggesting Touré had “over-reacted a little bit”.
In a statement, CSKA forward Doumbia said: “I want to insist that I did not talk to any journalist about these facts so none of the quotes you read in the press came from me.”
In defending Doumbia, Touré alluded to the player being pressurised by CSKA to speak out against him.
“Doumbia is a young brother, someone I admire who I have known a long time,” Touré said. “I don’t want to say things that will put him in trouble, but you can see a little bit the manipulation around all this.”
But Babayev insisted that Touré’s claims were overblown and that CSKA had found little evidence to support them. “We are preparing a legal argument,” Babayev said. “We’re not denying the problem of racism on the whole, including at Russian stadiums, but in this case it seems that the situation is exaggerated. The match delegate didn’t hear any outburst of racism toward Yaya Touré and so, of course, didn’t document any during the course of the match.
“It seems that what is being talked about is the roar of the crowd when Touré asked for a penalty during the 55th minute and a card for our player. But an absolutely analogous situation arose during incidents with [Alvaro] Negredo and [Edin] Dzeko. That is to say, pressure was essentially being put on any of the opposing players that were attacking, not on any of the dark-skinned players in particular. We have a few legal defence approaches, videos [to highlight this], but I’d stress that we’re not thinking about the possible punishments.”

Having submitted a written complaint to Uefa on Thursday, City are now preparing witness statements from players and officials, as well as supplying video evidence, to support Touré’s claims. Uefa will announce its findings on Wednesday, but with referee Hategan failing to take the players off the pitch following the player’s complaints, Uefa president Michel Platini has called on the official’s actions to be reviewed.
Referees are empowered to stop matches and ask for a public-address announcement to be made urging spectators to stop such racist behaviour, and warn that the game will be suspended and subsequently abandoned if that behaviour continues.