Racism in football

[Grays_1890]

There was very little outcry when Russian teams were banned. The duplicity is nuts.

It's also become another situation where facts seem to have left the room and people are using it as a to political point score.

Their fans have gone round Europe abusing Arabs

The Midlands is a hot bed for Muslim community

Banning fans for not making locals feel uncomfortable née unsafe in their own city is hardly the scandalous decision people are making out.

Common sense has left the room because again, people are picking sides in some kind of religion battle when it reality we need to stop any kind of this current abuse, islamaphobic, anti semitic and everything else that comes with societies current favourite pastime which seems to be acting like a cnut

 

[Lost Mango]

No, they have been “banned” because the police don’t think they will be safe.

There was some poor behaviour by their fans in Amsterdam, but I believe many more Ajax fans were arrested than Tel Aviv fans.

If the police feel Tel Aviv fans won’t be safe, surely it’s logical that the Villa fans should be banned too, and the game be played behind closed doors at a neutral venue.

If a persons safety on the UK streets is determined by where they were born, that’s a damning indictment on us.

love the way you underplay it to minimise the context (vandalism and shouting "death to all arabs" I believe it was which led to a response from the locals) and could the fact more Ajax fans were arrested be due to the fact, err, there are probably significantly more of them in their home area?

I assume all Maccabi fans are banned even ones born outside of Israel? Isn't this another case of people deliberately conflating issues with Israel and antisemitism rather than the actual situation?

 

[Penwith Pete]

It's also become another situation where facts seem to have left the room and people are using it as a to political point score.

Their fans have gone round Europe abusing Arabs

The Midlands is a hot bed for Muslim community

Banning fans for not making locals feel uncomfortable née unsafe in their own city is hardly the scandalous decision people are making out.

Common sense has left the room because again, people are picking sides in some kind of religion battle when it reality we need to stop any kind of this current abuse, islamaphobic, anti semitic and everything else that comes with societies current favourite pastime which seems to be acting like a cnut

So we just ignore the fact that the MP that started the petition stated that Israeli sports teams should not be allowed to participate in international competitions? Equally, do we ignore the Muslim scholars openly calling for the community to show no mercy to visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv fans? This is antisemitism and the authorities caved in to it. I get why the SAG would recommend the action, I used to sit on one for a Premier League team so I know their approach, but the Police and the Council should have shown some balls and stood firmly against it.

 

[Grays_1890]

So we just ignore the fact that the MP that started the petition stated that Israeli sports teams should not be allowed to participate in international competitions? Equally, do we ignore the Muslim scholars openly calling for the community to show no mercy to visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv fans? This is antisemitism and the authorities caved in to it. I get why the SAG would recommend the action, I used to sit on one for a Premier League team so I know their approach, but the Police and the Council should have shown some balls and stood firmly against it.

No all of that feeds into the right decision being made

You are making the mistake of thinking I'm siding with the MPs and scholars, I'm not.

But there are innocent Jews and Muslims in this country, like me and Lutons whose lives are made harder because of MPs, TR, Football fans and protestors who have no middle ground and want to pick sides that suit their prejudice.

I'm Switzerland mate, I don't want any of it, on either sides. So fck them both, MPs using political and religious point scoring and any football fan that sings "fudge Arabs"

I thought we would be better at this stuff having had Chelsea fans hissing at away games etc.....how wrong am I

 

[Baleforce]

love the way you underplay it to minimise the context (vandalism and shouting "death to all arabs" I believe it was which led to a response from the locals) and could the fact more Ajax fans were arrested be due to the fact, err, there are probably significantly more of them in their home area?

I assume all Maccabi fans are banned even ones born outside of Israel? Isn't this another case of people deliberately conflating issues with Israel and antisemitism rather than the actual situation?

As I read it, the abuse from the Ajax fans/locals came first.

We shouldn't assume them guilty of a crime they have not committed here yet.

 

[Lost Mango]

As I read it, the abuse from the Ajax fans/locals came first.

We shouldn't assume them guilty of a crime they have not committed here yet.

That was the initial media output but it was challenged and then corrected as it was the Tel Aviv fans starting it.

We shouldn't assume guilt but then we do in lots of situations - English football got banned for however long because of assumed guilt going forward.

 

[Gutter Boy]

As I read it, the abuse from the Ajax fans/locals came first.

We shouldn't assume them guilty of a crime they have not committed here yet.

The famously anti-semitic Ajax ultras known as Joden (the Jews, or sometimes Superjews)?

 

[Baleforce]

The famously anti-semitic Ajax ultras known as Joden (the Jews, or sometimes Superjews)?

I didn't say it was anti-semitic.

 

[parklane1]

Anti-semitism has been a massive issue for a long time. That is a fact. So has anti-Indian, anti-Pakistani, and anti-Asian. Also a fact.

You're in your late 60s and never witnessed any great racism outside of name-calling.
My Dad was racially abused at football numerous times; in the end he was forced to deck someone because they threatened him with physical violence. I saw Chelsea and West Ham NF attack black Spurs who were (it has to be said) ready for the fight because they knew it was coming. If you went a lot in the late 70s and early '80s, then you absolutely saw racism in the form of fighting and extreme abuse at football - unless you chose not to for whatever reason. Surely you remember what Chelsea was like when Ken Bates was running it? Christ, he wanted to electrify the fencing around the stands! You remember what Paul Cannoville suffered? Do you remember the abuse Chris Hughton, Garth Crooks, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa got? Some of the times I had to run the fastest was because of NF West Ham attacking. I was a young teenager there for the game not the ruck. But it was always bubbling, especially going away, and the likes of Tyndall and Webster saw their opportunities to infiltrate certain clubs.

There's always the possibility that you think none of what I have outlined (factually - I was there and saw it) is nothing much, but I absolutely won't pass that judgement on you personally as I don't know you and would prefer to believe that like pretty mcuh anyone here, you find (and indeed found) such behavior vile.

Spot on pal and especially the bolded bit, it was a like war zone traveling away in the 70s 80s and it happened just like you say it did. Like you i was there to see and hear it and it was far worse then it is now. I remember one occasion when i was was really worried, It was as midweek game away against Burnley where i travelled up alone with a girl i had just started seeing.

After the game we were walking back to where i had left the car and we were on our own when a group of Burnley fans came around the corner [ there was around a dozen or so] and we both has Spurs scarfs on and as soon as they saw us they started the abuse. Now I was not that concerned but i said to the girl i was with to turn round and run and look for a policeman. She did and they seemed more concerned on me that bothering about chasing her.

They were younger then me [ mostly young teenagers] so thought i would hit the biggest and then run like fudge. I did and knew i was probaby going to get the brick knocked out of but thankfully my girl managed to get a couple of cops and they came around the corner just as i was about to run.

Never been so glad in my life to see coppers.