Letter to the FAI (re Saturday)

[redgav]

Have sent the following letter to the FAI via mail and email :-


I'm writing this letter to register my utmost disgust at the events on saturday evening,both inside and outside Landsdowne Road.
I was seated in the North Terrace as I am for each home game and what I witnessed and heard was shocking and shameful and to all effects,made me ashamed to be a Irish Football Supporter.
On Saturday, before the game I was standing outside Murrays pub , on the footpath ,less than 50 yards from the barrier entrances and was standing with 10 or 12 fellow fans and I witnessed the following

1. Two people wearing the Official Ireland Supporters Club polo shirts throw pints of beer (at least I hope it was beer) at passing Isreal fans
2. A level of abuse I have never ever seen at a Irish Football match was being directed at the Isreal fans as they went past.

Inside the ground was even worse where the level of abuse being rained on the away fans was unbelievable.And this was all still pre-game so the inevitable

1.People singing songs about Hitler
2.People openly making racist (anti Jewish ) comments in full earshot of both the Gardai and Stewards
3.People openly making Nazi salutes at the away fans.Again this was being done in full few of the stewards and Gardai as we (some decent supporters who were there for the football match) brought this to their attention
4.Bottles of softdrinks being thrown on the pitch in the direction of the Isreal goalkeeper

These actions ,coupled with what happened outside the ground ,has disgusted me and has made me ashamed to call myself a supporter of the same team as these cowards
Some months ago,the world watched in shock by the scenes we witnessed in the Bernabao stadium when Madrid fans openly saluted in Nazi fashion.Ohhh how we condemned them , and now we have the exact same situation in our own back yard and theres not been a murmur from the media

Last November,a anti FAI protest organised by football fans,where placards and flyers ,which were to be distributed outside the ground and were planned to be held up as Milo Corcoran took to the field,had their cards confiscated after The FAI instructed stewards to remove the cards or anyone using them.Why then, was the same thing not done to people distributing Palestinian placards ,which were there for one reason only which was to incite trouble?
Why were fans that were making these Gestures inside the stadium not ejected,despite both Gardai and stewards being made aware of this ?
After the events in City Centre Dublin earlier in the Afternoon, why was there not more stewards or Gardai positioned outside the ground where fans were congregating?

Last saturday night ,apart from the two points we dropped ,we also lost the title of the best supporters in the world

I have also sent this letter to the Irish Independant,The Irish Times,The Daily Star and Newstalk 106.I have promised each that I will also supply them with any reply's you send back,should you deem my letter worthy of such a action


Yours

Redgav

[redgav]

sorry - put this in the wrong forum ,meant to put it in the Ireland one

[Cosmo]

A bit OTT imo - FAI can't control what a very small minority of supporters chant or do at a match.

Though I do like the point about the red cards been confiscated and not the palestinain flags - if you had've based your letter solely on that I'd be 100% behind it

[Robinski]

Also, the red card thing was in protest of John Delaney more so than Milo, as Milo doesn't really have any power behind the green door. He's just a figure head.

I did like your comment about the FAI stewards removing (forcibly) the red cards yet it was all ok for the Palestinian flags. The difference here is that John Man Utd Delaney wasn't being booed or red carded.

[Troy.McClure]

Red card protest for the stewards so? I actually didnt see any trouble, but then again, I was too busy flogging the Genesis Reorter

[Cosmo]

I don't agree with giving ourselves a bad name by publicing minor stuff that a handful of people do

But as I said, spot on with the red cards protest comparison

[Junior]

OTT.

I was outside Murrays before the game and didn't see or hear too much going on.
I sat in the East stand and didn't see or hear one Zieg Heil nor did I hear any anti Jewish songs or slurs. There were a few Palestinian flags which fans are entitled to carry if they wish.

I don't dispute you saw what you saw - but your comparison to the Bernabeau where 75%+ where acting in this manner is rediculous.

Redgav, you've obviously got your bee in a bonnet about this, either that or a very unhealthy knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time

[stojkovic]

Redgav -

Good letter and well worded.

I too was in the East Upper and I heard NO racist chants, admittedly one or two of us muttered under our breaths, jewish fcuker at the keeper but no more than you normally would if he were German, Dutch or whatever and certainky not in a racist way.

Correct me if im wrong but is the North Terrace not where all the eircom League fans are ?

If so, was it them who were chanting this stuff. Some of them do not have great reputations. If so they should not get tickets in future.

I was in Ringsend drinking for a good two hours before the game and witnessed NOTHING. Likewise after the game as both sets of fans walked out, I heard nothing.

Dont write to the FAI maybe you should write to the Gardai. Racism is against the law and why didnt they do anything.

PS I am not saying it didnt happen, but that I didnt see it or hear it.

[Malby]

OTT.

I was outside Murrays before the game and didn't see or hear too much going on.
I sat in the East stand and didn't see or hear one Zieg Heil nor did I hear any anti Jewish songs or slurs. There were a few Palestinian flags which fans are entitled to carry if they wish.

I don't dispute you saw what you saw - but your comparison to the Bernabeau where 75%+ where acting in this manner is rediculous.

Redgav, you've obviously got your bee in a bonnet about this, either that or a very unhealthy knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time

Totally agree with you Junior. I was outside the Lansdowne and I didn't see anything at all.

Way OTT!!

At best I'd say about 20 fans were acting like this (though I saw none). Silvio and 19 of his mates. Sending that letter off to the media is sooo wrong.

[tiktok]

I was outside Murray's before the game and I saw the incident Gav refers to.
A bunch of Israeli fans we're walking towards the Havelock square entrance singing (bizarrely) "we love you Ireland, we do" when someone threw a plastic cup of beer at them.

I heard/saw at least two people shout "murderers" at them. The Israeli's walked away but there was a bit of a scuffle as some Irish fans took offence to this and the incident was brought to a Garda's attention.

In the ground I heard that people were giving Nazi salutes, though I only saw one person, wearing a Bray wanderers jersey doing this.

I think the intelligence level of the people involved can be summed up in these two observations:

• The idiot behind me who called the Israeli's "Nazi Scum"

• The idiot at the end, so drunk he started chanting 'Pakistan' instead of 'Palestine'

RedGav's comments aren't OTT, from the booing of Ranger's players, through some of the scuffles many of us witnessed in Paris to the antics of last saturday, we are quickly heading down a route that makes a joke of the self-proclaimed "best fans in the World".

[Eire06]

Correct me if im wrong but is the North Terrace not where all the eircom League fans are ?

If so, was it them who were chanting this stuff. Some of them do not have great reputations. If so they should not get tickets in future.
.

I was in the North stand and didn't hear any rasist chanting at all.. Saw a bit of abuse before the match on the way to the ground but no more than would be expected to be given to any opposition by a few low life scum, who insist in causing trouble..
By a few I mean 3 or 4 no more..
Maybe I just missed it all but from what I saw on the day it has been blown out of proportion now!!

[pete]

Correct me if im wrong but is the North Terrace not where all the eircom League fans are ?

If so, was it them who were chanting this stuff. Some of them do not have great reputations. If so they should not get tickets in future.

Yes North Terrace is partially (maybe 1/3 to 1/4) made up of eL fans. I heard was some nazi salutes but didn't see any myself. Stewards & Gardai seemed to be watching with interest but didn't see them cart anyone out.

If 2 guys in Official Ireland Supporters Club polo shirts are abusing away supporters I don't see how can blame eL fans. If was eL fans doing this i'm sure redgav would have recognised...

[magic moments]

I was outside Murray's before the game and I saw the incident Gav refers to.
A bunch of Israeli fans we're walking towards the Havelock square entrance singing (bizarrely) "we love you Ireland, we do" when someone threw a plastic cup of beer at them.

I heard/saw at least two people shout "murderers" at them. The Israeli's walked away but there was a bit of a scuffle as some Irish fans took offence to this and the incident was brought to a Garda's attention.

In the ground I heard that people were giving Nazi salutes, though I only saw one person, wearing a Bray wanderers jersey doing this.

I think the intelligence level of the people involved can be summed up in these two observations:

• The idiot behind me who called the Israeli's "Nazi Scum"

• The idiot at the end, so drunk he started chanting 'Pakistan' instead of 'Palestine'

RedGav's comments aren't OTT, from the booing of Ranger's players, through some of the scuffles many of us witnessed in Paris to the antics of last saturday, we are quickly heading down a route that makes a joke of the self-proclaimed "best fans in the World".

I didn't see any scuffles in paris, where did this happen and for what reason????

[drinkfeckarse]

The idiot at the end, so drunk he started chanting 'Pakistan' instead of 'Palestine'

Only a drunken Irishman

[Eire06]

I didn't see any scuffles in paris, where did this happen and for what reason????

Outside O'sullivans very late into the night\morning..
There were bottles thrown into the crowd by french boys after being harassed and one of them beaten up by a group of young Irish so called 'fans'...

[Cosmo]

Tiktok, it is over the top.

Sending that letter to media gives us all a bad name and ye know how the media like putting a twist on things.

I saw the incident outside murrays too, some people booed the israelis, most cheered them, 2 drunkan chaps in Ireland supporters club polo shirts gave them grief, 1 beer thrown at them, a couple comments directed to them.

In fairness lads its not anywhere near some of the stuff i have seen abroad. Get a grip ffs.

I was sitting in the upper west stand, people around me were waving palestinian flags, a couple made gestures to the israelis, some shouted comments towards them. My mates were in the north terrce, told me of all the going on's there, seemed to be no different to the west upper ie nothing to write home about and they actually had a laugh about it (and they also had a few pints with israelis after the match who were spot on).

Get a grip lads, you were at a football match where there will always be slagging between supporters.

Don't blow it out of proportion ffs - sometimes i wonder .

[Conor H]

Tiktok, it is over the top.

Sending that letter to media gives us all a bad name and ye know how the media like putting a twist on things.

I saw the incident outside murrays too, some people booed the israelis, most cheered them, 2 drunkan chaps in Ireland supporters club polo shirts gave them grief, 1 beer thrown at them, a couple comments directed to them.

In fairness lads its not anywhere near some of the stuff i have seen abroad. Get a grip ffs.

I was sitting in the upper west stand, people around me were waving palestinian flags, a couple made gestures to the israelis, some shouted comments towards them. My mates were in the north terrce, told me of all the going on's there, seemed to be no different to the west upper ie nothing to write home about and they actually had a laugh about it (and they also had a few pints with israelis after the match who were spot on).

Get a grip lads, you were at a football match where there will always be slagging between supporters.

Don't blow it out of proportion ffs - sometimes i wonder .

Agree with you 100% i was at the match and it wasn't that bad

[stojkovic]

I think people are blowing it up because it was Israel.

If it were Dutch fans we were slagging, you know oranje fcukers, havin a laugh etc it would not be a problem. Or calling the Germans - Huns.

PS I said oranje and not orange as its meant as light hearted banter. You have to be careful what you say around here

[magic moments]

Outside O'sullivans very late into the night\morning..
There were bottles thrown into the crowd by french boys after being harassed and one of them beaten up by a group of young Irish so called 'fans'...

Ok thanks for that info, i was drinking in kiity o sheas after the game never did make it to OSullivans!!!

[tiktok]

Tiktok, it is over the top.

Sending that letter to media gives us all a bad name and ye know how the media like putting a twist on things..

That's where we'll have to disagree Cosmo.

To my mind, it's not the letter, but the actions of those described in the letter that gives us a bad name.

I won't gloss over people in the crowd giving Nazi salutes, IMO that goes well beyond 'banter' e.g. the 'Where's your foreskin gone?' chants were banter and lighthearted