The 'Ugly Face' of Racism Bedevils Soccer
Rob Hughes International Herald Tribune
Wednesday, February 28, 2001
The soccer stadiums of Europe have become cauldrons of racial hatred, and soccer authorities seem unable to agree on what to do about the problem - or even if there is a problem at all.
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Racism forms part of the weekly sporting action across Europe. But soccer's tribal culture has become a catalyst to increasing xenophobic hatred spread by extremists who infiltrate the crowds, with sinister implications for society at large.
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When pressed by the International Herald Tribune to comment for this special report, FIFA and UEFA, the governing bodies of world and European soccer, agreed that racism posed a threat but seemed unsure what action to take. The attitudes of the national soccer federations are less consistent. Some are trying to address the problem. Others accept that it exists but say it is society's responsibility, not theirs. Others pretend the danger does not exist at all.
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Soccer, nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize by a Swedish lawmaker because it fosters understanding, may now be doing the opposite in Europe. A billion-dollar business whose statutes in theory ban all prejudice, soccer is threatened by assaults from neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists. As the number of African, Arab and Asian players increases, so do the racial taunts and attacks.
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"Racism is showing its ugly face all over the place," said Lennart Johansson, the president of UEFA. "We all tend to do what is expected and no more. We don't do enough to hinder it, and governments don't do enough. We know what happened in Nazi history; we must now analyze all these signs and do what is necessary."
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In Oslo last month, Benjamin Hermansen, a budding 15-year-old player of mixed African and Norwegian parentage, was hunted down and stabbed to death in the street, for no apparent reason other than his skin color - and perhaps because he dared to speak out against racism.
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In England, two acclaimed soccer players are currently on trial, accused of taking part in the mob beating of an Asian student outside a nightclub. In Italy, overt discrimination, on and off the pitch, persists like the jarring noise of a broken CD.
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The rise of xenophobia is everywhere in modern society - in politics, in pop music, and inevitably in sports. This week's example: A rightist rally is planned at a prison in Nottingham, England, on Saturday, even as anti-racist groups are calling for "mobilization" against it.
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With sport imitating life, European soccer is fertile ground for extremists. In too many stadiums, excitable crowds can be roused quickly to a nationalist fever. The authorities know it; but they do not know how to combat it, other than through seminars and threats to close stadiums.
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The signs of racism in soccer are visible across Europe. Here is a disturbing summary:
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iht.com
Now, tell me Ron, do American baseball/basketball fans throw bananas at black players? Do they shout "Hoo-hoo-hoo!" --like chimps-- when a black guy hits the ball?
Come to think of it, too many intellectuals keep talking about the so-called common set of values that binds America and Europe together... They say that, apart from the death penalty, MacDonald's fast-foods and Hollywood ("junk") movies, Europeans and Americans share a common democratic, liberal culture. Wrong, wrong, and wrong!
If anything, the death penalty, MacDonald's and Hollywood movies are likely the only cultural traits Europeans and Americans have in common! No kidding: Hollywood blockbuster Hannibal is due out today (in France and Belgium) and all the media and the press have already bet the farm on the silence of the lambs' sequel.... same is true with MacDonalds: except for a lunatic fringe of ecoterrorists (José Bové et alii), everybody in Europe occasionally patronizes fastfood restaurants.... And as regards the death penalty, well, just ask for an opinion poll on the subject in France, Belgium (Flanders), or Austria and you might be surprised by the outcome.... It's likely that over 50% of Europeans are in favor of the death penalty.
Yet, Europe's political leaders and pundits claim that Europe rests upon an alternative "democratic model", a model that purports to be superior to the US's. But let's face it, Ron: besides multiculturalism and the way the US tackle the race issue --or its "lawyer culture" that unleashes ambulance chasers in litigation after litigation-- Europe has no other divide with the US. Somehow, Europe dreams of becoming a United States of Europe, that is, a minority-free European Union --just ask the Turks....
Regards,
Gus. |
