Racism in... Soccer?

Sadly, yes. You have no idea.

Like some kind of holocaust of people you don't like!

Why are you surprised that racism can exist in soccer?

Racist slurs are pretty weak for organized footbal fans over here.

A little story so you will know the type of people I'm talking about. There was this series on Discovery with Danny Dyer where he went around the world interviewing members of organized footbal fan clubs. When in Belgrade they told him what they did to a fan of another team. You couldn't hear the story but from his shocked expression and hasty retreat I figured it out. They probably raped the guy. I know that because growing up where I did I knew plenty of the type. It's regarded as the worst you can do to a captured fan of an opponent and it doesn't happen except in certain circumstances but it happens. So you see, you're talking about people that would gang-rape someone over a football game. They're not the kind of people that would balk at racism.

A little cursory background about the rise (and fall) of racism in football:

Nowadays the situation has been definitely turned to the better, at least in the higher leagues, as compared to the eighties. During that time the football pitches have been a common breeding and recruiting ground for organized racistic groups over here. There has been a nearly symbiotic relationship between ultra-groups, organized hooligans and racistic groups. Since football tends to strengthen a certain mob mentality for a special breed of people this is understandable as well. If you got young people that look for appreciation and herd mentality football is a great way to lure them into racism as well. Easy to influence and with the nearness to hooliganism it is clear that this is an welcomed aim for these groups. Especially since the officials of the league tended to ignore the problem since it damaged their product this structures could grow without any real resistance.

Nowadays this problem has been mostly fought back in professional football over here. Since the product of football is too big to be associated with racism it was tackled about a decade ago to sell a clean product. Better stadiums, more security and cops and last but not least a real awareness did their part as well.

But the problem is on the rise in the lower leagues though. And it is frightening as hell.

This makes me proud to be an american. Seriously, Philadelphia fans are considered (unfairly) to be the biggest assholes in America. However, no drunk eagles fan would even CONSIDER thowing a bananna at a black player at the Linc.

He would get his ass beat by white and black fans alike the second he would throw it onto the field

Philly fans: Assholes, but not racists.

Thread should be more about European racism in sports than about soccer in particular. There was a bit of scandal over the Spanish basketball team making slit eye gestures in a photograph related to their team going to the Beijing Olympics.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008...picsbasketball

Of course the Spaniards denied this was racial, and there was an overall kind of shocking reaction from many in Spain basically not getting "what the big deal" this was.

The problem in Europe is that they never had a civil rights movement because there is a relatively small minority population in those countries.

Yeah, it's like they all disappeared 60 years ago in some huge incident...

I think also their more socialist democracies are a tad more embracing of diversity. Either that or there's even more white guilt going on.

Thats a bit simplistic. It´s like saying that we never needed one in our precious egalitarian societies because we never had segregation.

I think it may also have to do with immigration. Although Europe is contending with that now more than ever.

I think Spain is still pissed over the occupation of the Moors for hundreds of years and having dominion over their precious land.

Soccer has had a reputation for kind of shit for a long time, I'm just surprised you're now aware of it. It used to be british hooligans were the face of this kind of assholery now it's all over Europe, or maybe it's always been there, just now more prominent.

It's not really soccer, it's mostly Europe ... or you can even say some countries in Europe (more than others).

Spain struggles to tackle sport racism
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7229551.stm

Lewis Hamilton incident
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49MY_V_SapY

Note that the Spaniards think the British are overly PC and unfairly picking on them over these issues, but anybody can see the pattern here.

BTW, there was a similar incident as the one I mentioned before over the Beijin Olympics in Argentina;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...d-gesture.html

Racism has been a factor in european football for a long time now, it's really quite sad.

Moratti accuses Juve fans of racism

http://www.setanta.com/uk/Articles/F...ns/gnid-49384/

So what were they signing?

http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2009...lotelli-abuse/

Lot easier to promote social programs in a homogeneous society.

My thoughts exactly.

Go read Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World. And there is plenty of racism in other sports. Go attend a football game in the SEC. I love my Miss State Bulldogs and going to games in the SEC; but there is plenty of racism there in the stands.

Is it to the same level as these incidents? Are there people wearing blackface and carrying bananas making fun of the players?

Unfortunately this kind of thing goes on a lot. Less so in England nowadays, football's kind of become "family day out" rather than just the men so the hooliganism aspect isn't there as much, but it's still there.

Also, almost every international tournament brings England closer and closer to an international ban because the idiotic Brits Abroad can't resist throwing garden furniture around if they hear there's a water cannon in town.