Before I set foot in Australia, I was told by many that this country is one of the most racist nations on the planet.
But, having spent over two years here, I can say that Australians are some of the most friendly and sociable beings in the world.
If anyone wants to know where racist violence is rife, look towards Poland and Ukraine, sadly, the wrong choice of venues for the Euro 2012 tournament.
The BBC documentary ‘Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate’, which can also be viewed on YouTube, clearly illustrates the extent of racism in the sport in the host nations and it is appalling, shameful and a complete embarrassment, to say the least.
Racism in football and racist violence among the fans are like the opposite ends of a pole.
Politically motivated, racist and anti-Semitic (discrimination against Jews) attitudes are ridiculously common in the stadiums coupled with united displays of Nazi salutes and monkey chants towards players from African backgrounds.
The Ultras, renowned for their fanaticism, vocally (abusedly) show their support and display massive banners designed to intimidate opposing players and fans.
Moreover, innocent spectators from diverse backgrounds are targeted by these hooligans and clobbered for no rhyme or reason despite the presence of security personnel.
For instance, a group of Indians were bashed up by thugs for no fault of theirs at the Metalist stadium in Ukraine, as is shown in the documentary.
England international, Theo Walcott has said that his family wouldn’t be travelling to Euro 2012 for fear of racist violence in the stands.
Former England captain, Sol Campbell, believes that Poland and Ukraine should not have been awarded the privilege of hosting such a prestigious competition in the first place. He advised families to not even risk travelling to the stadiums and to watch the action on television.
When players themselves come out and make such statements, you can’t help but accept the fact that it must really be horrifying.
BBC is one of the leading broadcasters in the world that sets high standards but they seem to have gone wrong with the timing of this documentary with the tournament set to begin soon.
Some of the teams such as Sweden and France, to name a few, have players of African origin in their ranks and it’s way too late to shield them from racist abuse.
Both FIFA and UEFA have done absolutely nothing over the years to tackle racist violence in football apart from launching measly campaigns.
This is what UEFA President, Michel Platini, said in 2008, “We will call for play to be stopped when these things (racial abuse) happen and for announcements to be made in the stadium. If it continues, the match will be stopped.”
This implies that he doesn’t want to be involved with solving the conundrum of racism and that the referee happens to be the most powerful individual who decides the outcome of this problem in the sport.
Sepp Blatter encompasses an entirely different discussion as he comes from a different planet altogether.
Poland and Ukraine might be beautiful places to visit; however, spectators in these regions are inhuman, abhorrent and are a blotch to global fandom.
Euro 2012 will go on successfully with extensive coverage and focus on the field and sadly, most of the violence that’s bound to occur in the stands will expectedly go unreported.
It’s a pity that the honest and passionate fan who toils hard to save up money for match-day tickets ends up suffering. Football might be the beautiful game but it’s anything but beautiful in the stadiums of Poland and Ukraine.
k77sujith
Guest
It sure is good Hannah. Thanks and enjoy the grand finale!
hannah
Guest
So far the troublemakers at Euro 2012 have been the soccer fans from other countries...also glad to see that even English fans think that Campbell was wrong: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4381057/England-fans-coffin-protest-at-Sol-Campbell.html
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Screening on ABC2 at 930 p.m. tonight will be a show: "Dumb, Drunk & Racist", a 6-part series, where journalist Joe Hildebrand takes four Indians on a road trip around Australia to examine our worst stereotypes – are we really beer-swilling, racist bogans, or are we simply misunderstood? I hope Ukrainian & Polish TV stations broadcast this show to show their viewers there are ignorant people in Australia, too. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/dumbdrunkracist/
k77sujith
Guest
Hi Hannah. I agree that the media does go over the top with such concerns and also, such incidents happen in all football-mad nations. It was great to see English fans support their team in huge numbers despite the warnings. Honestly, am glad there haven't been major incidents thus far and hope it stays that way. Moving on, the tournament is reaching its boiling point with some huge match-ups fast approaching in the quarters. Enjoy it and thank you.
hannah
Guest
yes Sujith, some incidents of violence were reported, contrary to some that argued that any incidents would go unreported by the host countries..however it is now becoming apparent to everyone that BBC Panorama program Stadiums of Hate was an exaggeration and too harsh. There is no justification for telling people not to go to the host countries to see Euro because people will return to their home country in coffins.. Also, some of the current racist chants and violence came from fans from other countries. Anyone from Europe would know that this sort of things happen everywhere unfortunately. In a recent survey over 90% people declared Euro as a success and people from different countries and different races are having lots of fun. It's only BBC who is not having much fun apparently. They are desperately trying to find a Skinhead in Poland to prove their point but so far without any success... Also it is known that violence, including racial occurred during the last 2 Euro (and others of course), but the Bullshit Broadcasting Corporation didn't care to report that! I also find it hypocritical for the British who killed hundreds of thousands of people on racial basis in their colonies to preach to others about racism...
k77sujith
Guest
Hi Hannah...read the link you sent and it does make sense. However, one can't deny the fact that there are a few clashes still happening which I'm sure you've heard of. I agree that the media does have a habit of sensationalizing stories but you can't rule out the violence that happens in the stands outrightly. Thanks.
Hannah
Guest
Perhaps BBC won't mention this: http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/06/poland-and-bbc
k77sujith
Guest
Just for those who feel all this is a farce: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/06/201261219153670680.html
Hannah
Guest
http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/06/poland-and-bbc
hannah
Guest
British tabloids..like they haven't already caused enough harm !...clearly another propaganda from BBC, don't forget that Poland never tolerated racial segregation unlike many other countries ...
k77sujith
Guest
Yes Ben...saw this on TV last night....let's just hope the tournament goes on without any hassles...
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Not a promising start.... http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/european-championship/news/1108933/Racist-abuse-at-Dutch-training
hannah
Guest
Euro 2012 official song ...yes, not African http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/video/2241184976/EURO-2012-official-song
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I was following Mario Balotelli on Twitter (it was his official account) & he was super-excited about going to the Euro. He wanted to use Euro12 to prove he was one of - if not THE - best players in Europe That account not been active for the past week ... around the time that the Italian match-fixing allegations were being made public (pure coincidence, I'm sure).
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Balotelli already under some sort of injury cloud. It wouldn't surprise me if he takes the opportunity to pull out entirely - why would he want to make the trip? He clearly isn't that keen to go.
k77sujith
Roar Guru
Yes Aleks, you're right. As for FIFA and UEFA, as long as these organizations are run by people keen on piling on the cash in their pockets, there's no hope for change. Thanks.
k77sujith
Roar Guru
Yes, all eyes would be on Balotelli for sure. He's a huge target and being a volatile character, there might be some intense drama when he takes to the field. Thanks for the links and thoughts.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
The ultra problems in Eastern europe are well documented, not sure why anyone would try and downplay it, and yes, almost as bad in places like Italy, Spain and Greece (and let's not forget that it's only some 20 years ago when England was the worst of all). It's a bad enough situation for Mario Balotelli to declare that he would "leave the pitch and go home” if fears of racist chanting are realised during the tournament in Poland and Ukraine. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/european-championships-2012/9304021/Euro-2012-Mario-Balotelli-wins-full-support-of-Italy-team-over-threat-to-walk-off-pitch-if-he-is-racially-abused.html My bet is that he will have a big decision to make at some point during the tournament. But just to show that these problems are universal, check out some of the comments to this other Tele article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/european-championships-2012/9298467/Euro-2012-Governments-of-Poland-and-Ukraine-must-act-now-on-racism-or-their-tournament-will-never-recover.html
Aleks Duric
Roar Guru
The real issue isn't eastern Europe and racism in football. It's just racism in football period. Italy and Spain have as much a culture of racism amongst their ultras as do the eastern European leagues. Unfortunately the hooligan element still features very prominently in football, and other than the existence of john terry, is the only real blight on the beautiful game. Until FIFA, UEFA etc. really crack down, it will continue...
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
Yeah well obviously the term "difficulties" was putting it lightly