Rangers slam ‘disgusting’ abuse

October 21, 2009

Rangers have condemned the “moronic behaviour” of supporters alleged to have racially abused Maurice Edu after Tuesday night’s Champions League thrashing by Unirea Urziceni.

United States midfielder Edu, 23, played no part in the 4-1 Group G defeat but watched the match at Ibrox and says he was targeted by his own club’s supporters as he left the stadium.

A statement released by the Ibrox club read: “Rangers Football Club condemns out of hand this moronic behaviour.

“The action of this individual is disgusting and completely unacceptable.

“It is extremely disappointing that people such as this attach themselves to the wider Rangers support and tarnish the image of the club and its fans.

“The club will now undertake a full investigation to identify the individual in question and take appropriate action.

“We would urge anyone who has information on the identity of the individual responsible to contact the club immediately.

“Everyone associated with Rangers will once again demonstrate their on-going commitment to Show Racism the Red Card as we support the Weekend of Action at the Hibernian game at Ibrox Stadium on Saturday.”

Edu wrote a message on his Twitter feed which read: “Not sure what hurt more: result last nite or being racially abused by couple of r own fans as I’m getting in my car.”

The Rangers Supporters Trust condemned anyone who might have abused Edu, who has been out all season with a knee injury.

RST spokesman David Edgar said: “We would absolutely condemn that if that’s the case.

“These are not Rangers fans and they should be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Billy Singh, Campaign Manager for Show Racism the Red Card, said: “The racial abuse suffered by Maurice Edu last night was totally unacceptable.

“Would the same fans have reacted in the same way if he had scored the winning goal last night?

“It proves that as a society we have a long way to go to eradicate this type of behaviour.

“Official statistics show that on average there are 14 reported incidents a day.

“Anecdotal evidence suggests that 80% goes unreported.

“Football is leading the way in trying to change peoples attitudes and behaviour within football grounds.

“I call upon fans of all Scottish clubs to challenge this type of behaviour not only within football but in society in general. Show Racism the Red Card will continue to spread the anti-racist message in football but also in communities throughout Scotland.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: Billy Singh, campaign manager, champions league, david edgar, full extent of the law, game, Ibrox Stadium, knee injury, last nite, match, Maurice, midfielder, official statistics, racial abuse, racism, rangers football club, scotland, spokesman, tuesday night, unirea urziceni, United States

Muslim side spurns gay football challenge

October 6, 2009

A gay football club in a Paris suburb have protested to local league chiefs after being snubbed for a scheduled match by a fellow league side.

Paris Foot Gay (PFG) were set to play fellow Creteil side Bebel, who are composed of mainly Muslim players, but the evening before the match Bebel cried off.

PFG said they received an e-mail from Bebel which said they could not honour the match because it was “against their principles”.

“Sorry, but because of the name of your team and in keeping with the principles of the team, which is a team of practising Muslims, we cannot play against you,” said the e-mail, according to PFG’s co-founder and current president Pascal Brethes.

It added: “Our convictions are stronger than a game of football. Sorry to have informed you so late.”

PFG believe the decision was “homophobic”, and have threatened to press charges “if Bebel continue to carry on like this”, according to Brethes.

He said his team was a haven for all kinds of races and also welcomed non-gay players, and he believes Bebel’s decision contravenes laws governing racism and homophobia.

“We (PFG) are first and foremost an association which is against homophobia in football,” he said, adding the the club had “heterosexuals, blacks, whites, north Africans, and several different religions.”

But an unnamed representative from Creteil Bebel said in a local radio interview they would not back down.

“We’re sorry if anyone feels insulted. (But) as a Muslim I still have the right to decide not to play because I don’t agree with their philosophy,” said.

CRETEIL, France (AFP)

Tags: bebel, chiefs, co founder, creteil france, e mail, football challenge, football club, France, game of football, Gay, gay players, honour, local league, muslim side, muslims, north africans, PARIS, paris suburb, Pascal Brethes, pfg, racism, radio interview

UEFA approves new anti-racism guidelines

July 2, 2009

UEFA’s Executive Committee has approved new guidelines that are meant for match officials to properly deal with racist incidents in stadiums.

The new ‘zero tolerance’ policy consists of several steps, the first being that a referee may stop a game and ask for a public announcement to be made asking the public to stop this racist behaviour.

If the racism continues after the match has restarted, the referee will suspend the match once more for a period of up to ten minutes. At this moment, players will be asked to return to their dressing rooms.

The third and most drastic measure will be that a referee may actually abandon the game, if all other possibilities have been tried and proven insufficient.

UEFA Chairman Michel Platini commented on the new guidelines: “It was necessary to give the pitch people the means to do something, and we have determined the parameters and lines of conduct, whereby in important cases of racist behaviour in a stadium, a referee must stop the match.”

By: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: Chairman Michel Platini, drastic measure, dressing rooms, executive committee, game, maQtch, michel platini, parameters, pitch, possibilities, public announcement, racism, racist behaviour, racist incidents, referee, roorda, several steps, stadiums, tolerance, uefa, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, zero tolerance policy

Racism means Juve must play behind closed

May 15, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Juventus must play Sunday’s Serie A match against Atalanta behind closed doors as punishment for a recent outbreak of racist chanting, the Italian league authorities said Friday.

The decision backed up Thursday’s legal ruling by the Italian Olympic Committee which rejected a Juve appeal against punishment to an outbreak of racist chanting against Inter Milan’s star of Ghanaian origin, Mario Balotelli, during an April 18 match.

Tags: atalanta, authorities, balotelli, closed doors, inter milan, italian league, italian olympic committee, juventus, mario, Mario Balotelli, match, Milan, Olympic, origin, outbreak, racism, racist, ROME, Serie A

Juve fans´ chanting was not racist: Seedorf

April 24, 2009

ROME (AFP) – The chanting by Juventus fans at Inter Milan’s Ghana-born Mario Balotelli was not of a racist nature, AC Milan’s Clarence Seedorf insisted on Friday.

Seedorf, the Dutch-Surinamese midfielder, said: “You have to stop saying it was racism, because it wasn’t.”

In comments reported by the ANSA news agency Seedorf added: “There are some people who provoke and then there are reactions. The two types of behaviour are unjustifiable.”

Seedorf was making reference there to Balotelli who irked the Juventus faithful with his controversial on-field behaviour during last Saturday’s 1-1 drawn with Inter with Balotelli scoring Juve’s goal.

For Seedorf the chants directed at the 18-year-old were “identical” to those directed at two other provocative players, Inter’s Marco Materazzi and AC Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso, both of whom are white.

“When I hear things said about mothers (of the players), it’s just as bad,” he claimed.

Juve have been hit with a supporters ban for their next home match against Lecce after Italian football authorities acted swiftly to the chants at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico.

The club are appealing that decision.

Tags: 18 year old, ac milan, ansa news agency, chants, clarence seedorf, gennaro gattuso, ghana, home match, inter milan, italian football, juve, juventus fans, last saturday, marco materazzi, midfielder, Milan, racism, racist nature, ROME, Serie A, stadio olimpico, surinamese, turin

Football barometer of ´serious´ racism: UN expert

April 22, 2009

GENEVA (AFP) – Football is proving to be a valuable barometer of the serious impact of racism and xenophobia in society, the UN’s expert on racism has told AFP after a rash of incidents at stadiums.

Githu Muigai, the United Nations Special Rapporteur against racism, highlighted racist chanting during last weekend’s match between Juventus and Inter Milan in Italy, directed at Inter’s Mario Balotelli.

The teenage Italian under-21 international forward is of Ghanaian origin.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Muigai observed.

“We know that repeatedly, this year alone football governing bodies must have fined or reprimanded more than a dozen teams on the basis of the racism of spectators.”

“This to me is a good barometer about what’s happening at the heart of society and I think it means there is a lot of work to be done,” Muigai said on the sidelines of a UN conference against racism.

On Tuesday, that conference adopted a declaration against racism and xenophobia in the world.

It included a paragraph calling on world football’s governing body FIFA to introduce a “visible theme on non-racism” at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Muigai said talks were underway with FIFA.

He underlined the symbolism that an educational campaign would carry internationally if it was kicked off in South Africa, the former home of the “Whites-only” apartheid regime.

But the Kenyan lawyer also warned against dismissing racism among some fans as a political problem linked to right-wing groups that were out of tune with the rest of society.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “If you take what people say and see how people react in football stadiums, then you know that at the heart of society we still have serious problems we have to address.”

European football’s governing body UEFA has been trying to get footballing nations to clamp down on racist incidents that have marred matches in several countries in recent years.

On Tuesday, UEFA chief Michel Platini revealed that European football bosses were considering introducing an immediate sanction for the first time, by suspending matches for 10 minutes if fans take part in racist chanting.

“It would take courage but the decision of UEFA would be to stop the match for 10 minutes if there is racist chanting and to call it off altogether if it continued,” Platini said.

Juventus has apologised for the chanting by a section of the crowd, and the club was ordered to play a match behind closed doors as punishment for the incident in Turin on Saturday.

Tags: apartheid regime, barometer, body fifa, body uefa, dozen teams, educational campaign, FIFA, football stadiums, geneva, governing bodies, governing body, inter milan, juventus, Mario Balotelli, michel platini, Milan, racism, racist incidents, sidelines, South Africa, tip of the iceberg, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, wing groups, world football, xenophobia

Juventus punished for racist abuse

April 21, 2009

ROME, April 20, 2009 (AFP) – Juventus will have to play a match behind closed doors as punishment for the racist chanting a section of their fans directed at Inter Milan’s Mario Balotelli.

The teenage Italian under-21 international forward, whose parents are Ghanaian immigrants, was subjected to racist chanting during Saturday’s 1-1 draw between the two clubs in Juve’s Stadio Olimpico, a game in which Balotelli scored.

However, he incurred the wrath of the Juve faithful for his part in the sending off of Portuguese midfielder Tiago, who kicked out at Balotelli and Ghana midfielder Muntari Sulley after they played keep-ball on the touchline during the match.

Fans will be barred for the visit of Lecce to Turin on May 3.

Juventus were quick to condemn the fans who abused Balotelli but sports judge Gianpaolo Tosel said the club should have done more to prevent the chants.

“There was an absence of any protests from other fans to disassociate themselves (from the racism) or of any dissuasive intervention on the part of the club,” he said.

Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli had previously condemned the chants.

“On behalf of Juventus and the great majority of our fans I want to strongly condemn the racist chanting against Inter Milan’s Mario Balotelli,” he said in a statement.

“There are no excuses or justification for this type of behaviour. Football fans can get hot up but episodes such as this are inexcusable.

“Together we must all try to promote a sporting culture that puts respect for the adversary at its core and fights against racism.”

Tags: adversary, balotelli, chants, closed doors, ghana, gianpaolo, gigli, Giovanni Cobolli, immigrants, justification, juventus, lecce, Mario Balotelli, midfielder, Milan, racism, racist abuse, ROME, Serie A, stadio olimpico, tosel, touchline, turin, wrath

Kosovo to join UEFA only after recognition in UN: Platini

March 4, 2009

BELGRADE (AFP) – UEFA president Michel Platini said on Tuesday that Kosovo could not join the organisation until it was recognised by the United Nations.

"The situation is very simple, UEFA, FIFA do not go in for politics… the only thing UEFA can do at the present is to respect the statutes of UEFA and the statutes clearly say that to be affiliated with UEFA it is necessary to be recognised by the United Nations," Platini told reporters in Belgrade.

Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia a year ago, has been recognised by more than 50 countries, including the United States and most of the European Union countries.

However, Serbia and its traditional ally Russia, a permanent member of UN Security Council, have rejected the move and consider it illegal.

During his visit to Belgrade Platini met Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic to discuss the fight against hooliganism at stadia.

"We discussed what measures should be taken to fight against hooligans, racism and xenophobia," Platini said.

Written by: AFP