Racism in Spanish Football

**finlma** · 27/02/2006, 9:50 AM

The level or racism in Spanish football seems to be getting worse and worse. It was desgraceful to see the abuse that Eto'o got from the Zaragozza fans at the weekend. He nearly walked off the pitch and you can't blame him.
Something really needs to be done about it. Zaragozza should be forced to play behind closed doors for a few games.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ca/4753212.stm

**drinkfeckarse** · 27/02/2006, 1:59 PM

I always find it strange that when it happens in Spain (which it regularly does) they are hit with a pittance of a fine. Deducting points is the only way of combating it in the short term.

No fans in their right minds would even dare to attempt to shout racist abuse if they thought it could have a major impact i.e. relegation/promotion issues. A fine doesn't hurt the fans that have shouted the abuse, a points deduction probably would.

**Dodge** · 27/02/2006, 2:03 PM

Originally Posted by drinkfeckarse

No fans in their right minds would even dare to attempt to shout racist abuse

There's your problem...

**drinkfeckarse** · 27/02/2006, 3:45 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

There's your problem...

I know but the other fans wouldn't be long in rounding on them if they continued and it threatened their teams position.

**NY Hoop** · 27/02/2006, 3:46 PM

Last year we went on a trip to Spain to see Valencia play. Next day I went to see Real Zaragoza cos Rovers played them there in the 60s. (Plan to go to all the grounds Rovers have played in Europe)

They were home to Real Betis and after lifting the Cup Winners Cup in their museum

got a ticket for the stand opposite the main stand in the La Romareda. Betis had a black centre half by the name of Assuncao and he was getting some racial abuse.

Have to say at this point I cannot tar all the home support with this behaviour but it was predominantly coming from the section behind the goal.

Anyway what I'll always remember is he came over to take a throw and there were 2 kids, no more than seven, who started making monkey noises. Their mothers were sitting a few rows away and I thought that they would tell them to stop or sit down but no they kept on chatting! Couldnt believe it.

A few months later I saw Eto do a monkey dance after he scored there but as that link shows the club were only fined $700 when he got abused that day. From what I saw racism is not taken seriously in Spain and wont be until a player does walk off and UEFA take it seriously.

KOH

**hamish** · 27/02/2006, 4:04 PM

They should do what was done in Italy - slap a 4 or more match "behind closed doors" ban on the club with a massive fine.
Sure, the innocent will suffer but, ultimately, clubs are responsible for their fans and the Spanish league has handed out ridiculously low fines for similar occurrences in the past.
In fact, after the England game, World Soccer reported that the Spanish footie authorities poo-pood the idea that this was even a big problem in Spain.
Don't these clubs, like in the UK, have video surveillance on crowds to spot troublemakers???

**feo123** · 27/02/2006, 4:24 PM

last year when eto'o was racially abused by the same fans, Zaragoza got a fine of E600........a bloody disgrace!!

**anto eile** · 28/02/2006, 8:53 PM

Originally Posted by sirhamish

They should do what was done in Italy - slap a 4 or more match "behind closed doors" ban on the club with a massive fine.
Sure, the innocent will suffer but, ultimately, clubs are responsible for their fans and the Spanish league has handed out ridiculously low fines for similar occurrences in the past.
In fact, after the England game, World Soccer reported that the Spanish footie authorities poo-pood the idea that this was even a big problem in Spain.
Don't these clubs, like in the UK, have video surveillance on crowds to spot troublemakers???

probably not seeing as crowd disturbances in spain rarely if ever happen. segregation isnt even used in spain barring derbies.thers virtually no violence in spanish football,the only crowd disruptions seem to be racist abuse
dont agree with fining clubs, fans dont give a sh!t if their club is fined.theyre rich clubs afterall.
point deductions based on the level of racial abuse is the only way to punish clubs properly. one or two scumbags shouldnt see points deducted, but the level of abuse that eto'o got should see a considerable amount of points taken off them

**hamish** · 28/02/2006, 9:56 PM

Originally Posted by anto eile

probably not seeing as crowd disturbances in spain rarely if ever happen. segregation isnt even used in spain barring derbies.thers virtually no violence in spanish football,the only crowd disruptions seem to be racist abuse
dont agree with fining clubs, fans dont give a sh!t if their club is fined.theyre rich clubs afterall.
point deductions based on the level of racial abuse is the only way to punish clubs properly. one or two scumbags shouldnt see points deducted, but the level of abuse that eto'o got should see a considerable amount of points taken off them

Forgot about deducting points - good idea anto eile.

I'd make the fine so massive that clubs would be so short of money they'd have fcuk all to spend on wages or new signings. That'd get the racist bozos attention but points idea is good.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 01/03/2006, 6:50 AM

There is an equation folks which adds up to me.

England, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
They all are defunct former imperial powers so racism is almost inevitable.

What I don't understand is it cropping up in countries in Europe which were themselves colonized... I am thinking here in terms of most Eastern European countries and here where it is not so prevalent in football but in general society it seems to be.

**FarBeag** · 01/03/2006, 9:10 AM

Real Zaragoza announced they must pay a 9,000-euro fine for racism aimed at Barcelona's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o...

Not much of an incentive to stop.They need to start deducting points as this is unacceptable.

**finlma** · 01/03/2006, 9:29 AM

Originally Posted by FarBeag

Real Zaragoza announced they must pay a 9,000-euro fine for racism aimed at Barcelona's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o...

What a joke. €9k is hardly going to do much to stop racism. The football authorities in Spain should hang their heads in shame.

**Redtop** · 02/03/2006, 8:49 PM

absolute sick..they should have to play behind closed doors for a year

**Dodge** · 03/03/2006, 12:04 AM

Thats what eto'o thought

**hamish** · 03/03/2006, 2:03 AM

Originally Posted by CollegeTillIDie

There is an equation folks which adds up to me.

England, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
They all are defunct former imperial powers so racism is almost inevitable.

What I don't understand is it cropping up in countries in Europe which were themselves colonized... I am thinking here in terms of most Eastern European countries and here where it is not so prevalent in football but in general society it seems to be.

That has always intrigued me CTID.

Remember all the old pro and anti Commie bull about the Bosksheviks were left Jews?? Racist of course.
Then, in those countries the Commies (ie Poland) dsicriminated against the Jews as well -and not only Jewish intellectual disidents??

There was a great deal of anti Semitism in those countries even before the Nazis controlled them.

As for the horrible insults to the Black Community? Has the brutality of life under Communist rule desensited those peoples and they think that those even lower on the social ladder are inferior ie incoming black labour?

Would it have even longer historical-religious sources? Luther made quite a few anti-Semitic statements. You had the Inquision in Catholic countries under Spanish rule.

In Slovakia etc you also have right wingers and Nazi type groups flogging the usual anti-Semetic line.

Remember, Ireland also has it's history - the terrible treatment of the Jews in Limerick not too many decades ago - much of it rabbled roused by the priests there to their poverty stricken parishoners. Nothing personal against that fine city BTW -just an historical fact.

That's the result of being former colonial countries - years of torment, cruelty and debasement by their colonial masters can drive people to such extremes of poverty and desperation that, with a few ugly mainulators, they turn on the usual minorities - Blacks, Jews, Travellers, Muslims etc.

I suppose the above is me just trying to figure this out.

**superfrank** · 03/03/2006, 9:27 AM

The thing about racism in Spain is that it's accepted as much as it disgusts alot of people over here and there's not much that can be done. My spanish was telling me this, and he used to live in Spain so I think he jas a pretty good idea about it.

**Over the post** · 03/03/2006, 10:10 AM

I was at the Spain-England friendly in the Bernabeu and the abuse that Wright-Phillips got was scandalous. I'd gone to support Spain but in the end all I wanted was for Wright-Phillips to score. This was not too long after Aragonés had made his "negro de mierda" jibe but the Spanish football authorities played it down and let the fuss blow over.

The Spanish have only had to get used to mass immigration in the last few years and I'd say it'll be a generation before Spanish society can be termed multicultural. Educational deficiencies over the last few decades mean that knowledge of the outside world is rudimentary in many cases (Irish, Scots, Welsh and English lumped together as "ingleses") so I think ignorance is genuinely at the root of the problem. Not bloody-minded ignorance, just the fact that a lot of people haven't realised that racist chants have no place in football or in modern society as whole.

**feo123** · 03/03/2006, 8:03 PM

is there no cctv cameras that can zoom in on these thugs to see who they are and get them banned for life? it showed them clearly on sky sports the other day! E9000 is absolutely nothing to a football club. they may as well have got nothing!!

**stevieontour** · 07/03/2006, 1:44 AM

Originally Posted by anto eile

probably not seeing as crowd disturbances in spain rarely if ever happen. segregation isnt even used in spain barring derbies.thers virtually no violence in spanish football,the only crowd disruptions seem to be racist abuse
dont agree with fining clubs, fans dont give a sh!t if their club is fined.theyre rich clubs afterall.
point deductions based on the level of racial abuse is the only way to punish clubs properly. one or two scumbags shouldnt see points deducted, but the level of abuse that eto'o got should see a considerable amount of points taken off them

The reason that there is little or segregation in Spanish games is because so few away fans bother to go to matches, when they do they are heavily policed. You don't notice it because their numbers are so low.

**NY Hoop** · 07/03/2006, 3:16 PM

Originally Posted by stevieontour

The reason that there is little or segregation in Spanish games is because so few away fans bother to go to matches, when they do they are heavily policed. You don't notice it because their numbers are so low.

Game I was at there was a healthy following from Betis which I was surprised at. Wandered down to there section at half time and there were no police just a few stewards. They had no hassle in amongst the locals.

KOH