Italian club Cagliari fined over racist chants at Eto'o

[progressive_lefty]

I was a little bit shocked to see this on the weekend football review TV show the other day -> here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/9106599.stm).

I'm pretty disgusted. They only do it because he's one of the best players in the world. I don't know what the nature of the taunts were (monkey chants?) but I'm so glad Eto'o scored.

I'm sure many Italians feel humiliated by this.

[timbaly]

Why are you shocked? It has happened many times before in Europe. It even occasionally makes the news in the US and Canada. Eto'o has been a victim in the past. I think the most famous event was in Spain while he played for Barcelona. Some of the Real Zaragoza fans taunted him back in 2006.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4751876.stm

[progressive_lefty]

I may have had the expectation that racism from the stands was more a problem in Eastern Europe as opposed to Italy? The taunts were obviously quite widespread, and that's why that game was stopped? Obviously this was a big incident.

[Sasha]

italian tifosi have an horific trackrecord when it comes to racism.
esp at lazio-rome where the tifosi basicly forced an all out ban on collored players being bought. lazio's most populair player is an all out fascist reguarly getting into troubles with the FIFA for bringing the fascist sallute to his fans (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1506262/Im-a-fascist-not-a-racist-says-Paolo-di-Canio.html)

[Manic Impressive]

OMFG I had no idea Di Canio was a fascist!!!

The incident I remember most vividly was the England - Spain game where the abuse was mainly directed towards Shaun Wright-Phillips. I was really shocked and angry that people in a western European country would act like that. This stuff actually makes me feel physically sick.

The only way to stamp this shit out is fines and bans with absolutely no mercy. What really killed the hooligan element in England was the 5 year ban from European competition. I know it's a slightly different problem but I feel ban's like that or for domestic matters like this latest Cagliari incident then relegation should be considered if it continues $35,000 is a complete joke.

[hatzel]

Ah...not to kick up a storm or anything, but what does fining the club really...achieve? Particularly such a piddling amount. Surely the intention should be to punish the people chanting? I mean, I know the intention is for this punishment to encourage Cagliari to prevent such people being allowed into the stadium at all, but...do we really expect that to happen? I know I don't, because group mentality is group mentality, and it's pretty much impossible to identify who exactly in a crowd of a few thousand people is chanting whatever, and then effectively preventing them from returning to games...

[Manic Impressive]

I agree they should be forced to play in an empty stadium for a few games and have their away fans banned as well if it continues then dock some points if they still don't get the message relegate them. That's a real punishment and that is the sort of thing that will really hurt the fans.

[timbaly]

I may have had the expectation that racism from the stands was more a problem in Eastern Europe as opposed to Italy? The taunts were obviously quite widespread, and that's why that game was stopped? Obviously this was a big incident.


It's happened somewhat frequently this decade. I have a list of racist incidents in European Soccer from 2004 to early 2009. You can look at it here- http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29059824/. It's far from comprehensive or detailed. You can just search each listed event separately to get more info. The vast majority of the listed events too place in Western Europe.

[progressive_lefty]

The incident I remember most vividly was the England - Spain game where the abuse was mainly directed towards Shaun Wright-Phillips. I was really shocked and angry that people in a western European country would act like that. This stuff actually makes me feel physically sick.


Yes was this was something that shook me also. I cannot imagine how it would have been for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole on that night. I remember watching highlights of the game on youtube, and you could hear the entire stadium making monkey chants. It would make anyone sick, to think of all the errors I may have made in a moment with someone of another race, or said something inappropriate, I can't imagine ever engaging in such an act like that one.

I was hoping that after the major incidents in Italy and Spain - in league matches 3 to 4 years ago, that this kind of behavior was starting to decrease. But like I heard a commentator say, the referee handled the situation well, apparently he stopped the game and all the players, and went to the organisers, and asked them to put a message over the ground that racist chants will not be tolerated. I know in Australia we don't have this problem in the AFL or Rugby League, not from the fans anyway..

[Tifosi]

The incident I remember most vividly was the England - Spain game where the abuse was mainly directed towards Shaun Wright-Phillips. I was really shocked and angry that people in a western European country would act like that. This stuff actually makes me feel physically sick.

Many Spanish clubs have problems with organized fascist supporters groups. Real Madrid (Ultras Sur), Atletico Madrid (Frente), Barcelona (Boixos Nois), Espanyol (Brigadas Blanquiazules), Real Zaragoza (LZN), Valencia (Yomus) to name a few.


I was hoping that after the major incidents in Italy and Spain - in league matches 3 to 4 years ago, that this kind of behavior was starting to decrease.

These types of incidents are starting decrease, you won't see black manikins hanging from fascist controlled curva's anymore. Thing is that the authorities ain't going for the fascist's, they are going after the Ultras. They don't have any real interest in combating racism. They just want to make the game more commercially friendly so they make more cash.

The powers that be in Italian football introduced the 'Tessera del Tifoso' supporters card this year. It gives the police the power to stop anyone they want from getting away tickets to games, and everyone has to get the card if they want tickets. It's just a way of keeping hostile supporters away from games and there by stopping protests against them. It's just the next step after all seated stadia.

So when you watch Seria A now you will see row after row of empty seats.

no al calcio moderno

[Wanted Man]

Yeah, whenever I see footage from the Serie A, it looks like there are lots of empty seats. I always wondered why that was. Are all the Italian stadiums all-seater?

[Tifosi]

Yeah, whenever I see footage from the Serie A, it looks like there are lots of empty seats. I always wondered why that was. Are all the Italian stadiums all-seater?

All stadiums in Seria A are all seater. Although that doesn't mean there any good. Italy really needs to fix their stadia problem. I'm sure it was one of the main reason's why Poland and Ukraine beat them and won the right to host Euro 2012.

Back in 1990 when Italy had the World Cup they made a rubbish job of building new stadia and fixing old ones. The Stadio delle Alpi in Turin was one was of the big projects. Now both Juventus and Torino have moved out because supporters where sick of it, only 15 years later. It was a long drive out of town to get there, the stands where to far away from the pitch, crap views of the pitch etc. So now Juventus and Torino play in some stadium from the 1920's built by Mussolini.

Napoli's Stadio San Paolo when renovated in 1989 was supposed to hold 75,000 but because it was built in a lack luster manner it can only hold 60,000 today for safety reason's.

Then others reason's are harsh laws against supporters. More football on TV. Higher ticket prices keeping people away. Then another major reason is that football in Italy has lost it's edge to England and Spain where the football is far better today.