Juve fans continue to bait Balotelli
January 17, 2010
Juventus fans continued their campaign of abuse against Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli during Sunday’s match away to Chievo in Verona.
Earlier this week Juve were hit with a partial stadium closure due to chants of a racial nature their fans directed at Balotelli, an Italian of Ghanaian origin, in previous matches.
It was the third time this season that Juve had been punished for racial chants, although previously they were hit only with fines.
This time around their south stand, from where the majority of the chants tend to originate, has been closed for their next Serie A home game against Roma next weekend.
Last season they were forced to play one match behind closed doors due to racist chants against the same player during their home match against Inter Milan.
The chants during Sunday’s game were not racial in nature but the continued targeting of Balotelli, who is black, has ensured racism remains a hot topic in Italian football circles.
Juve were previously punished when fans chanted: “There are no black Italians”, while Sunday’s chorus consisted of: “If you jump up and down, Balotelli will die”.
Teenager Balotelli is a divisive figure in Italian football largely due to his occasionally impetuous on-field behaviour.
However, the forward is also considered one of the country’s brightest young talents and many commentators are clamouring for him to be included in Italy’s World Cup for South Africa in June.
Balotelli’s parents are Ghanaian immigrants and he was born in Palermo on the island of Sicily before being fostered to an Italian family when he was three.
His birth-parents’ surname is Barwuah but he uses the surname of his adoptive parents.
ROME (AFP)
Tags: adoptive parents, birth parents, black italians, chants, closed doors, commentators, home game, home match, immigrants, inter milan, island of sicily, italian family, italian football, Italy, juve fans, juventus fans, Mario Balotelli, Milan, Palermo, play one, Roma, ROME, sicily, South Africa, striker, third time, veronaRelated posts
Girard’s Montpellier look for revival at Nancy
December 19, 2009
If the sparkling display against Bordeaux was marred by a defeat, then Montpellier’s coach Rene Girard would want his team to draw up a response, instantly.
And with a struggling Nancy visiting them, Montpellier would want to make up for the lost ground.
While, the defeat to Bordeaux was Montpellier’s first home defeat of the season, Girard has urged his players to put that disappointment behind them.
“There are two refereeing systems,” he said. “One for the big teams and another for the little ones. I understand that now.
“I detest injustices. The players managed to have a good game but they fell in front of a great team.
“They didn’t deserve to be beaten in this match.
“They have nothing to be ashamed about by this defeat which we have to accept despite everything.
“I am proud of my team. From now on, we want to concentrate on our next match against Nancy.”
Johann Carrasso, Bangali-Fode Koita and Remy Cabella are still sidelined but Girard has an otherwise full squad to choose from.
Montpellier will have to make do without the backing of their fans as the game will be played behind closed doors as punishment for crowd trouble during their match with Nice in August.
Nancy moved up to 13th following a 2-0 win over Nice, a victory which halted their slide down the Ligue 1 table.
Les Chardons had fallen from ninth to 15th following only one win in their previous five games and coach Pablo Correa was delighted to see an improvement.
“It was about more than three points,” he said. “We found a good balance between playing well, attacking well and defending well.
“When you play well without winning sometimes you lose confidence. But we have talked a lot about that the past few days.
“I am happy because the group reacted in a good way.”
Damian Macaluso serves the second game of a three-match ban while Jonathan Brison has joined Reynald Lemaitre in the treatment room.
Tags: bangali, Bordeaux, cabella, chardons, closed doors, correa, crowd trouble, Damian Macaluso, five games, fode, injustices, Johann Carrasso, jonathan brison, lemaitre, Ligue 1, little ones, macaluso, Montpellier, Nancy, Pablo Correa, remy, rene girard, second game, slide downRelated posts
Juve fined again for anti-Balotelli chants
December 8, 2009
Juventus were on Monday fined for the second time this season for chants their fans directed against Inter Milan’s black striker Mario Balotelli.
Juve were hit with a 25,000-euro penalty just a couple of weeks after they were fined 20,000 euros following a match against Udinese.
Both times it was the Italian under-21 striker of Ghanaian origin who bore the brunt of the fans’ wrath.
Italy’s sporting judge deemed the chants to have constituted “racial discrimination” and said they had been directed against two Inter players, presumably meaning the other one was either Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o or Muntari Sulley of Ghana.
AFP’s reporter at the game was not aware, however, of any chants of a racial nature or of anyone other than Balotelli being targeted.
Some sections of Juve fans sang: ‘if you jump up and down Balotelli will die’ and ‘you’re nothing but a piece of shit’.
However, many more fans tried to drown out those chants with boos and jeers, although at times it was difficult to fathom whether Balotelli himself was being jeered or if it was those chanting.
The sporting judge said the level of fine had been reduced “because the club took concrete measures to help the forces of order and to prevent such deplorable behaviour”.
He added that other fans had “demonstrated their disaproval of that behaviour”.
Last year Juventus were forced to play a match behind closed doors after chants of “a black man can’t be Italian” were heard during the corresponding fixture against Inter.
Juve midfielder Felipe Melo, who was sent off on Saturday after a clash with Balotelli, and Inter coach Jose Mourinho, dismissed for protesting Juve’s first goal, both received one-match suspensions.
Meanwhile, Roma and Lazio were both hit with 40,000-euro fines after their fans set off flares and bangers during Sunday’s Rome derby, forcing the match at the Stadio Olimpico to be suspended for several minutes just after the start.
ROME (AFP)
Tags: bangers, cameroon, chants, closed doors, concrete measures, felipe melo, flares, ghana, inter milan, jeers, jose mourinho, juve fans, juventus, lazio, Mario Balotelli, midfielder, Milan, muntari sulley, racial discrimination, Roma, ROME, samuel eto, samuel eto o, stadio olimpico, strikerRelated posts
Panathinaikos goalie says he was hit by air gun pellets in derby
December 2, 2009
Panathinaikos Athens goalie Alexandros Tzorvas Tuesday told a Piraeus prosecutor that he was the target of air gun pellets during Sunday’s derby match at Olympiakos Piraeus.
Tzorvas, who is also the Greek national team goalkeeper, told the prosecutor that he was hit several times and showed marks on his body and presented medical reports.
He said he had informed referee Anastasios Kakos about the attacks but that the official did not record the incidents in his match report.
The prosecutor has requested Olympiakos to provide security camera footage in order to find the culprit.
Panathinaikos on Tuesday sent a detailed letter of protest to the Greek league about the incident which also included a penknife being thrown on the pitch as well as numerous flares.
The start of the match was delayed for more than an hour as unruly Olympiakos fans kept the Panathinaikos team bus from arriving on time as about 300 of them clashed with riot-trained police outside the Karaiskakis Stadium where the derby was held.
The league is expected to punish Olympiakos for the incidents with a heavy fine and possibly forcing the team to play their next home match behind closed doors.
Olympiakos won the match 2-0 and moved ahead of Panathinaikos by one point at the top of the standings.
ATHENS (AFP)
Tags: air gun pellets, alexandros, athens, camera footage, closed doors, culprit, flares, greek league, greek national team, home match, kakos, Karaiskakis Stadium, match 2, medical reports, olympiakos fans, olympiakos piraeus, panathinaikos athens, penknife, prosecutor, security camera, target, team busRelated posts
Italian players’ union chief: Stop game if chanting is racist
December 1, 2009
The chief of Italian players’ union has stated that next Saturday’s Serie A game between Juventus and Inter Milan must be stopped if racist chanting is heard,
Juventus were forced to play a game behind closed doors last season after fans racially abused Inter’s Mario Balotelli but their supporters have again chanted against the black striker in recent matches ahead of the clash in Turin.
“It’s always difficult to suspend a match but if we want to beat this evil we shouldn’t fear doing it,” Sergio Campana told reporters.
“We have to give the captains the right to ask for the suspension of the game.”
Italian football federation chief Giancarlo Abete has said the referee, with the help of the police, will be able to stop the match for 10 minutes if there is racist chanting.
However, it is unclear what role the captains can play.
But Inter skipper Javier Zanetti has said he would not hesitate to approach the referee following racist abuse with his coach Jose Mourinho being wary of unilaterally pulling off his players in case his side is penalized.
Balotelli, born in Palermo, might not even be in Turin after being left out of Inter’s squad for Sunday’s 1-0 win over Fiorentina which sent the champions seven points clear.
Third-placed Juve, fined last week for the latest chants, are trying to control their fans but Italian football is rife with racism and reports says Juve’s own midfielder Mohamed Sissoko was abused by Cagliari supporters in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat.
Tags: cagliari, closed doors, fiorentina, giancarlo abete, inter milan, italian football federation, italian players, juventus, midfielder, mohamed sissoko, Palermo, referee, seven points, skipper, striker, turin, zanettiRelated posts
Balotelli chants raise temperature ahead of Juve-Inter
November 24, 2009
Just two weeks away from the eagerly-anticipated top-of-the-table ‘derby of Italy’ between Inter Milan and Juventus a new racism row is brewing.
The corresponding fixture last season at Turin’s Olympic stadium saw sections of Juve fans racially abusing Inter’s Italian striker of Ghanaian origin Mario Balotelli.
The teenager had annoyed the crowd with some typically impetuous actions on the pitch but Juventus’s failure to take active measures to put a halt to the chants saw them penalised and forced to play their next home match behind closed doors.
Balotelli has since become Juve fans’ favourite villain and is often the target of abuse.
On Sunday night during the 1-0 home win against Udinese, some sections chanted: “se saltelli muore Balotelli”.
Roughly that translates as: if you jump up and down Balotelli will die.
While not actually racist in its content it was certainly distasteful and dredged up unpleasant memories from last season.
Juventus, possibly worried by the implications of the chant, responded by announcing over the loudspeaker: “no to racism”, and will be keen to point out that they are eager supporters of Unesco’s ‘kick racism out of football’ campaign.
And while they will almost certainly escape punishment for this episode it will leave a sour taste in the mouth and cannot but stoke the fires of an already bitter rivalry.
All parties were quick to condemn the chants with Juve’s Malian midfielder Momo Sissoko saying after the game: “It’s absurd chanting against a player who isn’t even on the pitch.
“I hope certain things won’t happen again,” he said referring to the racist chants of last year.
Juve boss Ciro Ferrara was more reserved in his response, making an allusion to chants directed against him and his team-mates during his time at Napoli, relating to the fact that Naples is close to the Vesuvius volcano.
“I am against any kinds of insults and racial discrimination but if you go to football matches it shouldn’t shock you, these are chants that you hear in all stadiums,” he said.
“I was a player and I remember the chant: Vesuvius burnt everyone. I remember it and it hurt.
“It’s true the fans pay to come in but that doesn’t give them the right to offend.”
Two reasons suggest that Juventus will not face a penalty for these latest chants, firstly that they did try to do something about it and secondly the chants were very different in nature from those of last year: “a black man can’t be Italian.”
ROME (AFP)
Tags: active measures, bitter rivalry, closed doors, eager supporters, football campaign, home match, inter milan, Italy, juventus, kick racism, malian, Mario Balotelli, Milan, naples, napoli, olympic stadium, racial discrimination, racism row, ROME, sour taste, target, team mates, turin, unpleasant memories, vesuvius, vesuvius volcanoRelated posts
Maradona in Zurich for FIFA hearing
November 15, 2009
Argentina coach Diego Maradona arrived Sunday at the headquarters of world football’s governing body FIFA for a disciplinary hearing over his sexually-explicit rant after his team’s World Cup qualification.
The former star player was facing a possible fine and suspension from international matches after he rounded on critics during a press conference after Argentina qualified for next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.
Maradona flew into the Swiss city from Madrid where Argentina lost 2-1 against Spain in a friendly late Saturday.
Wearing sunglasses and tracksuit, a demonstrably impassive looking Maradona kept silent as he was escorted through Zurich airport into a nearby hotel complex by an Argentine football official and bodyguards.
He later arrived in a convoy of limousines at FIFA headquarters about 50 minutes after the originally scheduled time for the hearing.
He was to face a disciplinary hearing here scheduled to start at 2.00 pm (1300 GMT) behind closed doors. FIFA have declined to give details although they said they would release a statement afterwards.
Maradona’s public outburst came after Argentina’s 1-0 win over Uruguay in October, which allowed the two-time world champions to squeeze narrowly into next year’s finals in South Africa after a lowly and tense qualifying round.
At the time, the 48-year-old, a sporting icon in Argentina after skippering the 1986 World Cup winning team, lashed out at journalists.
FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has said Maradona may have flouted regulations which could result in a fine of up to 29,400 dollars and/or suspension.
“According to article 58.a anyone who harms the dignity of a person through acts or words can be punished,” he added.
Maradona later sought to make amends and admitted that if Argentina had failed to qualify he “would have taken myself off to Haiti.”
ZURICH (AFP)
Tags: argentine football, body fifa, closed doors, diego maradona, disciplinary hearing, football official, hotel complex, nearby hotel, outburst, public outburst, Sepp Blatter, swiss city, time world champions, winning team, world cup finals, world cup qualification, world football, zurich airportRelated posts
Maradona tells Messi to take charge of WC dream
November 14, 2009
Argentina coach Diego Maradona has told superstar Lionel Messi to take charge of his country’s World Cup dream, starting by masterminding victory over European champions Spain on Saturday.
The two soccer super-heavyweights clash in a friendly at Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon stadium with both nations safely qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
But whereas Spain cruised into the finals, winning all 10 qualifiers, two-time champions Argentina lurched from one crisis to another and just squeezed through as the fourth and last South American qualifier.
Now Maradona, under whom Messi has failed to hit peaks on a consistent basis, wants the Barcelona star to stamp his undoubted authority on his mis-firing team.
“He must be the owner of the team. He knows it. We have the best player in the world in our team,” said Maradona.
“We will give him lots of responsibility. He is doing the work that I have asked of him. I am very happy with Messi.”
Argentina trained behind closed doors on Thursday with Maradona refusing to indicate who will start in Saturday’s high-profile clash.
“Everyone says Spain will be the favourites, but if I thought this then my players wouldn’t thank me,” he said. “Spain are a great side.”
After Saturday’s clash, Maradona will face a FIFA disciplinary committee to explain his sexually-explicit rant after his team’s World Cup qualification was secured thanks to a 1-0 win over Uruguay in October.
The 48-year-old, a sporting icon in Argentina after skippering the 1986 World Cup winning team, told journalists to “suck it and keep sucking it”.
Meanwhile, Sevilla winger Jesus Navas is in line to make his international debut against Argentina.
Liverpool duo Fernando Torres and Albert Riera, as well as Villarreal’s Santi Cazorla and Marcos Senna, all miss the game through injury.
Spain will also face Austria in Vienna on Wednesday in another friendly.
MADRID (AFP)
Tags: atletico madrid, best player, cazorla, closed doors, consistent basis, diego maradona, disciplinary committee, european champions, Fernando Torres, heavyweights, international debut, jesus navas, lionel messi, marcos senna, messi argentina, time champions, Vicente Calderon, winning team, world cup dream, world cup qualificationRelated posts
Bullard closes in on return
September 29, 2009
Hull midfielder Jimmy Bullard has been pencilled in to make his long-awaited return from injury next week.
Bullard has played just 37 minutes for the Tigers since signing in January due to a serious knee injury.
The 30-year-old is back in full training and boss Phil Brown is hoping he can get a run-out in next week’s reserve clash with Bolton – and then make his first-team return against former club Fulham on October 19.
“The plan of attack with Jimmy will mean his comeback game will probably be against Bolton in the reserves next Tuesday at North Ferriby,” Brown told the Hull Daily Mail.
“Hopefully, one or two supporters will get the chance to see him in a Hull City strip and fingers crossed, we’ll see where that takes us.
“We’ll have the game against Bolton and then a game against opposition behind closed doors the following week before he can then play some part in the Fulham game.
“We’ll have to be patient with him and understand that it might take three, four or five games before we see his best.
“But I’m hopeful of the fact Jimmy can come in and play a big part in a big season for us.”
The return of Bullard will provide a boost for Brown as pressure grows on him following their poor start to the season
Abhimanyu Rajput
Tags: Bolton, boss, clash, closed doors, fingers, five games, fulham, game, HULL, hull city, hull daily mail, Jimmy, Jimmy Bullard, knee injury, long awaited return, midfielder, North Ferriby, october 19, opposition, phil brown, plan of attack, tigersRelated posts
FA charges West Ham and Millwall over violence
September 28, 2009
West Ham and Millwall face punishment by the English Football Association after being charged with several offences following the crowd violence that marred their League Cup clash in August.
The FA have issued four charges against West Ham and three against Millwall following an investigation into the serious disturbances in and around Upton Park on August 25.
A 44-year-old man was taken to hospital with stab wounds and several others were injured, while West Ham striker Carlton Cole and Millwall’s Jason Price both suffered racist abuse during the match, which the Hammers won 3-1 after extra time.
A full range of sanctions are available including the clubs being made to play matches behind closed doors.
An FA statement said each club faces charges of; failure to ensure their supporters refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour; failure to ensure their supporters refrained from racist behaviour and failure to ensure their supporters did not throw missiles, harmful or dangerous objects onto the pitch.
West Ham have also been charged with failure to ensure their supporters did not enter the field of play after fans invaded the pitch after each of their team’s goals in the victory over their London rivals.
The FA’s statement added: “The FA has liaised closely with all relevant authorities including the Metropolitan Police during the course of its investigations and has been in constant dialogue with both clubs during this time.
“Both clubs now have a period of 14 days to respond to the charges.”
LONDON (AFP)
Tags: Carlton Cole, closed doors, cup clash, dangerous objects, english football association, extra time, face punishment, hammers, Jason Price, london, metropolitan police, millwall, missiles, racist abuse, racist behaviour, relevant authorities, rivals, sanctions, stab wounds, striker, upton park, west hamRelated posts
Calendar
Related Sites
- AFP
- e-soccertips
- Free Themes All - Blogger, Wordpress, Joomla themes
- Soccer Results
- soccerway
- WAGS
- WAGS Blog
Categories
- 1 League
- A PFG
- A-League
- African
- Argentina
- Belgium
- Brasil
- Bundesliga
- CAF Champions League
- Club Friendlies
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Cup
- English Championship
- English Premier League
- Eredivisie
- European Championships
- FA Cup
- FIFA
- Franch
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Jupiler League
- LA Liga
- LigaBwin
- Ligue 1
- MLS
- netherlands
- Olympics
- Olympics Women
- Photo
- portugal
- premier league
- Primera Division
- Rusia Premier League
- scotland
- Scottish Premier League
- Serie A
- Super Copa
- Super League
- Sweden
- Turkcell Süper Lig
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Cup
- Umaglesi Liga
- Uncategorized
- United States
- Video
- Vietnam
- Wag Watch
- WAGS
- WC Qualifying Asia
- WC Qualifying Concacaf
- WC Qualifying Europe
- WC Qualifying South-Africa
- WC Qualifying South-America
- World Cup
