OT: AC Milan player walks off friendly match due to racist chants, followed by team.

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January 4th, 2013 at 6:10 PM
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strafe
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OT: AC Milan player walks off friendly match due to racist chants, followed by team.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/sportvideo/9778415/AC-Milans-Kevin-Prin...

Some of you guys might recognize Boateng and some of us probably remember him from Ghana's victory over the US team in the 2010 world cup.

 

The former Portsmouth and Tottenham midfielder was so incensed by the chants emanating from one corner of the ground that he picked the ball up and booted it towards the offending supporters in the stands before ripping off his shirt and storming off the pitch.

There was a brief period of confusion as players from both sides tried to talk to Boateng, but Milan’s Italian captain Massimo Ambrosini instructed the rest of the Milan team to walk off in a show of support for Boateng.

 

IME this is could bring long overdue attention to addressing the racism rampant in soccer culture overseas.

EDIT: Oh, just, don't even read the comments on the link. 

Delete if inappropriate, though hopefully this is informative.

i should probably stop posting on mgoblog when I'm drunk.

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January 4th, 2013 at 6:13 PM | I think it's worth posting (Score:5 Normal)
Erik_in_Dayton
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And I applaud his team for leaving with him.   Players shouldn't have to listen to that stuff. 

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. -- Yogi Berra

                         

January 4th, 2013 at 6:15 PM | Absolutely disgusting. Racism (Score:5 Normal)
EricTheActor
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Absolutely disgusting. Racism is all over the place but the chanting and blatant xenophobia at European football matches needs to be addressed in a serious manner.

"Ack ack!"

January 4th, 2013 at 6:37 PM | Good thing there's an honest (Score:5 Normal)
MGoSteelers
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Good thing there's an honest and ethical leader at the top in FIFA President Sepp Blatter.  He'll surely stamp this out.

 

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6861161/corruption-murder-beautiful-...

January 4th, 2013 at 8:14 PM | And recently mr Blatter (Score:5 Normal)
raiderblue
Joined: 01/23/2011
MGoPoints: 584

And recently mr Blatter criticized MLS for not having fans that were passionate enough. Sorry but I don't want MLS to ever have that kind of "passion". American soccer fans are looking to european soccer fans to teach us how to cheer at games, but this makes it hard to want to emulate the "Ultras" and die hards of soccer. I'm glad that Milan did the right thing, and I hope this leads to more aweareness and subsequently action from FIFA. "Say no to racism" signs are not enough.

January 4th, 2013 at 8:19 PM | edit: double post (Score:3 Normal)
raiderblue
Joined: 01/23/2011
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here is a picture of Mr. Blatter as it relates to racism in soccer.

January 4th, 2013 at 6:16 PM | Good for him and great for that team! (Score:1)
elhead
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Good for him and great for that team!

Gasp. Hold breath. Turn Blue!

January 4th, 2013 at 6:16 PM | I am glad he left the pitch (Score:4 Normal)
swan flu
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I am glad he left the pitch and that his team followed him.

But soccer racism isn't rampant across ALL of Europe. It's very bad in Italy and at some places in Germany, but it's not as bad in Spain and England. Even at places where racism is rampant it's usually a very loud minority.

Except Lazio. Seriously, like 80% of their fans are raging neo nazis.

Tenim un nom el sap tothom. Barca, Barca, BAAARCA!

January 4th, 2013 at 6:42 PM | Not as bad in Spain?  Samuel (Score:5 Normal)
snarling wolverine
Joined: 12/14/2011
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Not as bad in Spain?  Samuel Eto'o disagrees. 

Eto'o admits that racism is so widespread in Spain that he no longer dares take his family to matches. "Racism can happen anywhere and I don't want them to see it," he told CNN. "It's a sad situation in football. In my opinion the problem is getting bigger and the people that should come up with a solution are not doing it. So to protect my family, I don't take them to the game."

With black players regularly subjected to monkey chants in Spanish stadiums, Eto'o believes determined action is needed before verbal abuse spills over into physical violence.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/football/06/13/etoo.interview/index.html

From what I've heard, racism is most open in the southern countries (Spain, Italy, Greece) as well as the ex-Communist countries.  England, France and Germany have the occasional asshole at a game but it's less common overall.

 

 

January 4th, 2013 at 9:12 PM | Samuel Eto'o disagrees. (Score:4 Normal)
Don
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So do my daughter and her husband, who have spent a sizeable portion of the last 7 years in Spain, much of it in Madrid. In their experience, racial and ethnic bias against black Africans and Arabs is widespread and virulent.


January 5th, 2013 at 1:24 AM | Interesting observation that racism is worse in the South (Score:1 Overrated)
StephenRKass
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Interesting observation that racism is worse in the South part of Europe. Could be correlation to the USA (racism worse in southern states.)

"It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up." Vince Lombardi

 

January 5th, 2013 at 2:15 AM | That's a really dumb (Score:5 Normal)
Horace Prettyman
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That's a really dumb observation. I doubt there is a really any correlation to there being more racism just because someplace is considered to be in the south. But then again the first counter example that popped into my head was South Africa...

January 4th, 2013 at 6:33 PM | Hmm... (Score:5 Normal)
ypsituckyboy
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That's odd. I've never known Germany to be a racist country.

January 4th, 2013 at 6:41 PM | I said some places. It's (Score:3 Normal)
swan flu
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I said some places. It's always a vocal minority but in the past 10 years there has been a lot of neo nazi demonstrations at soccer games.

Again, I'm not saying any country itself is racist, but there have been more problems in Germany and especially Italy compared to England. But even in England there have been problems.

Tenim un nom el sap tothom. Barca, Barca, BAAARCA!

January 4th, 2013 at 6:44 PM | Well if we're going to be (Score:4 Normal)
MGoSteelers
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Well if we're going to be technical (which apparently I am), bigoted would be a better description since Jews, gays, gypsies, et al. are not races.

January 4th, 2013 at 11:57 PM | Fergod (Score:2 Normal)
MGlobules
Joined: 11/17/2008
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sakes!

January 5th, 2013 at 1:10 AM | Germany's fans have a (Score:2)
stephenrjking
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Germany's fans have a different vibe than most other places. Hooliganism has always been unknown there, for instance. I would be surprised if they had racial issues on the scale of Italy's.

Servant. Pastor. Husband. Michigan fan in Duluth. 

January 4th, 2013 at 6:28 PM | I'll be that guy and say that (Score:0 Normal)
January 4th, 2013 at 6:33 PM | I kept telling myself, "First (Score:5 Normal)
strafe
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I kept telling myself, "First board topic, don't forget the OT, DON'T FORGET THE OT"

Then I forgot the OT. But I swear I meant to put it the first time!

i should probably stop posting on mgoblog when I'm drunk.

January 4th, 2013 at 6:29 PM | It baffles me that this type (Score:4 Normal)
LongLiveBo
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It baffles me that this type of thing still goes on. Glad to see this guy and his team make a statement.

The Team, The Team, The Team.

January 4th, 2013 at 6:42 PM | NBA Expansion? (Score:3 Normal)
DH16
Joined: 11/19/2012
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And despite this occuring multiple times within the last few months if I remember the news, Stern commented again today about expanding the NBA to Europe. If this is what the fans do during soccer, a sport they love, I can't imagine the reception for many NBA players to be much nicer.

January 4th, 2013 at 6:53 PM | I would have used it as (Score:1)
LightTheLamp
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I would have used it as motivation to score as many goals as possible to shut those fans up and throw it in their faces.

January 4th, 2013 at 7:15 PM | I could see channeling that (Score:3 Normal)
strafe
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I could see channeling that rage or whatever, but I'm sure this isn't the first time he's had to deal with this.

i should probably stop posting on mgoblog when I'm drunk.

January 4th, 2013 at 7:30 PM | C'mon now, this is soccer, (Score:2 Normal)
Jonesy
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C'mon now, this is soccer, he'd be lucky to get one.

January 4th, 2013 at 8:40 PM | on the other hand... (Score:2 Normal)
jdon
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At first I thought the same thing about it as you, but then as I thought about it more I came to believe that the issue is big enough that taking a stand to end the game is adequate and much more powerful in the grand scheme. 

I would love to see players and teams walk off of the fields consistently until the situation resolves.

jdon

 

We are the dead.

January 4th, 2013 at 6:56 PM | The thing I always wonder (Score:3 Normal)
MichiganManOf1961
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The thing I always wonder about... aren't there players of other ethnicities on the chanters' teams as well?  I mean, half of most European national teams are now composed of immigrants/children of immigrants/players of dubiously convenient citizenship.   It just seems strange to be yelling racist chants at that Arab/African/Asian guy, but cheering for the Arab/African/Asian guy on your team. 

~Herm 

Stop the uniform changes! Contact Dave Brandon 734-764-9416.

January 4th, 2013 at 7:40 PM | As Jerry Seinfeld notes, you (Score:5 Normal)
snarling wolverine
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As Jerry Seinfeld notes, you don't really cheer for the players, you cheer for "clothes".

 

January 4th, 2013 at 6:58 PM | Soccer.....the greatest sport (Score:-1 Normal)
January 4th, 2013 at 7:01 PM | Trolololo (Score:3 Normal)
swan flu
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Trolololo

Tenim un nom el sap tothom. Barca, Barca, BAAARCA!

January 4th, 2013 at 7:15 PM | Uefa Policies... (Score:4 Normal)
LSAClassOf2000
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The Telegraph actually ran an article about how racism is treated by Uefa compared to other violations of policy - (LINK)

I applaud the actions of Boetang and AC Milan because no one should have to endure this sort of dehumanization and abuse at their job (or anywhere, ever), which this is for these players, and for the governing body of the sport on the continent to treat relatively lightly in comparison to other problems (as evidenced by the linked article) is an ethical failure, in my opinion. 

"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."

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January 4th, 2013 at 7:21 PM | European soccer fans... (Score:3 Normal)
4godkingandwolv...
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... make the jackasses that go to NFL games and have ruined it for me and my family look like saints.  

Blanket statement and all.  most fans are great.  It's the underclass, youth driven groups that are terrifying.  After all, Europe, for all its liberalism, is still the birth place of facism and nazism.  Those concepts still resonate with poor youth who see their problems as perpetrated by minorities or those of cultures different from their own.

Do Something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn't, do something else.

January 4th, 2013 at 7:33 PM | Doing this at a friendly is (Score:5 Normal)
ChopBlock
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Doing this at a friendly is the first step. When an incident like this occurs in an actual game with championship ramifications, it will be interesting to see how the soccer community reacts

"The straightest line from A to B is straight: From A to B"

"When you have Denard Robinson, you can have everything"

~George Walden

January 4th, 2013 at 7:51 PM |   Italy is the worst , says (Score:3 Normal)
AVPBCI
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Italy is the worst , says the barcelona fan, LMAO

January 4th, 2013 at 8:22 PM | Usc (Score:-1 Overrated)
January 4th, 2013 at 10:17 PM | Danger... (Score:2 Normal)
Tater
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If something isn't done about this, the chants will get worse.  What happens if the game counts and a racist crowd starts a racist chant trying to get the away team to leave, and thus forfiet the game?  If this happened in the US, the offenders would be out of the stadium about as fast as security could get them out.  It's time for Europe to enter the 21st century.

I have a simple solution: any racist chant should be immediately followed by emptying the stadium and letting the players play in an empty house.  That way, the racists would be subject to peer pressure by those who don't want to get kicked out of the stadium for someone else's ignorance.

 

 

 

 

January 4th, 2013 at 11:51 PM | I think emptying the whole (Score:2 Normal)
hoota122
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I think emptying the whole stadium is a bit much. Maybe extra security to find the ones specifically doing to chant and to kick them out. Shouldn't punish the whole stadium. And if people want to get really extreme, just give penalty kicks to the opposing team until the crowd shuts up.

January 5th, 2013 at 12:59 AM | There is a great BBC (Score:2 Normal)
Jacoby
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There is a great BBC documentary on racist tendencies among many European soccer supporters. I've lived in four European countries and attended soccer games in all. It's tough to comment here without crossing the political rules of mgoblog, but I will say that black American basketball players in Europe will explain the differences. When I lived in Scotland there was a team whose fans threw bananas on the field when their team's own black players performed badly. Their own team! If you really want to know more, Google the BBC documentary and brace yourself to watch something revolting. That being said, I love to see the players in the OP's story respond in support. It should give us all hope.

New Orleans-based Wolverine fan.

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