Racism - We can't have footballers walking off the pitch!!

Or else where will it end....??

No one wants to see racism in football it's abhorrent.....However I do believe we are living in a too-sensitive age!!

When I went to soccer in the early 90's I often used to see bananas being chucked and derogatory terms aimed at black players (usually wingers)....commendably these players got on with it and didn't let the racists win!!! Why let 0.5% of slime ruin it for everyone else!!

Compared to the 90's Soccer fans are angelic these days!!!!...You can't eradicate racism totally...you can't dock teams points... so do the next best thing...Ignore them on the pitch and then get them chucked out after the game!!!

We've seen rugby coaches giving players false blood tablets to screw other teams over or to gain an edge....If we have players walking off mark my words some Managers will take advantage.......Relegation is a costly thing and it also costs jobs!!!....So it's obvious if we start having walk-offs then it will be abused by unscrupulous types!!!

Did football win when Boateng walked off.....No!!... It lost because it acknowledged racists and gave them power to affect a game..and real fans lost out!!

I think you're missing the point of why Boateng walked off, and why it's so important that decision is not criticised.

Boateng did not walk off to take a stand against racism, he didn't walk off in attempt to change the way racism is tackled in Italy or the rest of football. He walked off because he refused to be mistreat in such a disgusting way.

It is wrong that we think footballers, or anybody else, should just accept the abuse of the fans. For too long, racism and other insults whether this be based on sexuality, looks or anything else, has been considered all "part of the game".

It is totally ridiculous that footballers should be subject to racism or other abuse, nobody would accept it if at their place of work they were abused because of their race or other defining features. Football is no different and we cannot criticise Boateng for refusing to accept it, as a human being he has every right to refuse to accept abuse.

That does not mean 'walk-outs' are the best method to combat racism, and nor should they be encouraged. However, they should not be criticised by anybody because nobody should be subject to such abuse and I fully support any football player who refuses to accept it. Fans need to understand the gravity of racism and how damaging it is, and if that requires the abandonment of matches, player walk outs, players leaving then that is unfortunate, but necessary.

It does mean that the racists will ruin it for everybody else, but they're already doing that now and it will take monumental effort to make sure that racism is kicked out of football.

The onus and responsibility should lie with the clubs. They should be responsible for banning these people for life as well as bring their actions to the attention of the authorities. Those failing to do so should be docked points (it's pointless hitting big clubs with fines as they're a drop in the ocean and discriminates against those clubs who are barely avoiding aministration as it is)

It's long been suggested that to eradicate cheating/diving etc, you should send players off/award penalities for holding in the 18 yard box etc. OK, you'd end up with 9 vs 8 and a scoreline of 16 -12 but you can pretty much guarantee that it will put a stop to it all very quickly.

When the likes of Abramovich and the Mansoor's realise they may be denied lucrative CL football due to having points docked, they'll make the effort to sort the problem out.

As for Boateng, he's right to walk of the pitch however, I would have also drawn the media's attention the offenders (or at least indicated what area of the crowd the abuse was coming from) and then let the cameraman snap away with a view to handing over their photos and aiding the club in identifying the culprits.

Did he not give a big clue when he booted the ball at the fans Dave?

Good points being made.....

I'm not suggesting we should just accept it....I pointed out they should be turfed out afterwards or even better during....

Applauding someone walking off...may lead to similar action when a club is 2-1 down in an important game...

Could open a can of worms..I refer back to the blood tablet in the Rugby game..unfortunately people will take advantage these days..

Appreciate the thoughtful contributions though..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Good points being made.....

I'm not suggesting we should just accept it....I pointed out they should be turfed out afterwards or even better during....

Applauding someone walking off...may lead to similar action when a club is 2-1 down in an important game...

Could open a can of worms..I refer back to the blood tablet in the Rugby game..unfortunately people will take advantage these days..

Appreciate the thoughtful contributions though..

Winning or losing shouldnt be a factor in the decision to walk off a pitch, just because in the 90's people threw bananas and players got on with it does not make it right. 50 yrs ago black people were not allowed to use a bus and females couldnt vote, again just because this used to happen does not make it correct. No footballing authorities apart from the FA imo are doing anything to tackle racism, so the players need a voice and people famously say ' do the talking on the pitch' for people to take not players have to do 'the walking off the pitch'

Im pretty well travelled when it comes to football so have heard a variety of chants, and in my opinion racism is the flavour of the month at the moment which is why it is getting all the press.

Is calling a black player a monkey any worse than calling Mark Viduka a "fat Aussie bast*rd? Is it worse than singing "Mido is a pedo"? Or that he "has a bomb in his back pack? Neither made the news in the way the recent events have, why is that?

Truss is right, ignore them and get on with it.

"Winning or losing shouldn't be a factor in walking off"

Naive or what..

Lumbering_Jack wrote:Im pretty well travelled when it comes to football so have heard a variety of chants, and in my opinion racism is the flavour of the month at the moment which is why it is getting all the press.

Is calling a black player a monkey any worse than calling Mark Viduka a "fat Aussie bast*rd? Is it worse than singing "Mido is a pedo"? Or that he "has a bomb in his back pack? Neither made the news in the way the recent events have, why is that?

Truss is right, ignore them and get on with it.

The Mido comment did make the news. It was roundly criticised by all concerned if memory serves me right. Personally you can insult me using all manner of words. Water off a duck's back. But when you mention my ethnicity you take it too far. Ask why it is abhorrent to refer to jews as oven dodgers etc.

Walking off the pitch is a great way of showing what needles you. I'm sorry racism goes on. Felt that way even back in the bad old days where a full stadium would do monkey chants to mark Walters.

Like when players and fans needle a volatile player to get him sent off, psyche him out ect. Imagine an inform ballotelli, all it takes is a whisper in his ear or him seeing a chant and he's gone.

1.0 racists

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:"Winning or losing shouldn't be a factor in walking off"

Naive or what..

im sorry Truss, but people's rights, safety and welfare is far more important than the outcome of a match!!!

No one is questioning that sparxz...but relegation and such things cost jobs and money!!

Naive to think If it became accepted practice....people wouldn't pretend to hear racist chanting etc..

I like you...you're not cynical like me..

Ok understood. <3

I would fully support the footballing powers that be if they made it a rule that following ANY racist abuse, the players immediately stopped playing, and the fans that were chanting / abusing automatically lost their team the game, 3-0. The club in the wrong would then be forced to refund all non-offending fans - of both teams - and pay all costs for staging the game.

I can see them doing that to Man Utd.....

Exactly. Nothing will ever get done, unless the players take the fans to court. Then the FA would have to take action instead of handing out 4-8 game bans to players and ignoring the fans who do it.

Azzy Mahmood wrote:I would fully support the footballing powers that be if they made it a rule that following ANY racist abuse, the players immediately stopped playing, and the fans that were chanting / abusing automatically lost their team the game, 3-0. The club in the wrong would then be forced to refund all non-offending fans - of both teams - and pay all costs for staging the game.

Hiw would that even policed. What happens when a Chelsea gan puts on a Spurs top and is racist at White Hart Lane.

Ignore then. If we are going to start arresting people for racism the same needs to be done for people who call someone fat/ginger etc, after all they are all discrimination.

it's against the law to discriminate against someone for their religion / ethnicity / sexuality, but not for their weight or hair colour. So that's easily dealt with.

That Chelsea fan would be found out when interogated by police, and has then stuffed his own team.

Interrogated by police......Just like the good old days...

Mate this Country is cutting Officers all the time.....Me I'd rather see rapists, murderers and paedophiles being caught with my Tax money....

Not spent on some ignorant wally that doesn't know any better...

There isn't the capacity to do what you are saying..Besides what if you are relegated by three points after a deduction....Lawsuits galore!!

Best thing is to increase CCTV IMO. That way you can catch these guys on film and deal with it after. Also handy for the more dangerous crime of missile throwing.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Interrogated by police......Just like the good old days...

Mate this Country is cutting Officers all the time.....Me I'd rather see rapists, murderers and paedophiles being caught with my Tax money....

Not spent on some ignorant wally that doesn't know any better...

There isn't the capacity to do what you are saying..Besides what if you are relegated by three points after a deduction....Lawsuits galore!!

Of course part of an investigation is the interrogation of suspects, it doesn't mean anything sinister.

It doesn't have to be a choice between the two, I find it ridiculous that you assume that if the police are at a football match that it means rapists, murderers and paedophiles will get away.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Mate this Country is cutting Officers all the time.....Me I'd rather see rapists, murderers and paedophiles being caught with my Tax money....

There isn't the capacity to do what you are saying..Besides what if you are relegated by three points after a deduction....Lawsuits galore!!

I saw two police cars yesterday. They'd pulled over a dominoes pizza delivery bike. Four coppers for one biker.

When I walked back in that direction 30mins later, they were still there, STILL booking the biker! All he'd done was sit in a box junction.

So if you think that cutting back on coppers is letting worse offenders go, then it is entirely the police's fault. They are NOT doing their jobs properly, and I have absolutely no sympathy that they'll have to work 'harder' with fewer bobbies on the beat. They've had a cushty ride for far too long, it's about time they pulled their socks up.

Not to say that some coppers don't do a great job - there are a great many that do - but when I see my taxpayers money being frittered away on four police salaries for over 30mins on one extremely minor driving offence, it makes me angry.

The paradigm shift to this tale is that the police had been waiting over 20 minutes for their pizza and this numbnuts was faffing around on his moped so they went looking for him.

Totally acceptable behaviour by those officers and I hope they throw the book at him....scumbag!!!!!!!

DAVE667 wrote:The paradigm shift to this tale is that the police had been waiting over 20 minutes for their pizza and this numbnuts was faffing around on his moped so they went looking for him.

Totally acceptable behaviour by those officers and I hope they throw the book at him....scumbag!!!!!!!

I hadn't looked at it that way, consider me told

Crimey..you ar taking me out of context....You don't honestly think they arrest everybody at the game do you???...Do we want police officers spending time conducting investigations trying to find a wally...when their numbers are being cut..

Forget you just don't get it..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Crimey..you ar taking me out of context....You don't honestly think they arrest everybody at the game do you???...Do we want police officers spending time conducting investigations trying to find a wally...when their numbers are being cut..

Forget you just don't get it..

I DO want them conducting investigations, instead of 4 coppers pulling over someone for a seriously minor driving offence. If they're so hard up on numbers, they wouldn't be wasting our tax payers' money like they did yesterday. And that was on one street in London, imagine what's happening all over the country.

You don't want to face up to the fact that the police have had a very cushty ride for the last 20 years, and need sorting out. They don't deserve respect automatically, they have to earn it. Instead of selling confidential data to papers, beating innocent people to death, shooting innocent people because someone nodded off, and wasting our money left right and centre, get out on those streets and sort our country out.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Interrogated by police......Just like the good old days...

Mate this Country is cutting Officers all the time.....Me I'd rather see rapists, murderers and paedophiles being caught with my Tax money....

Not spent on some ignorant wally that doesn't know any better...

There isn't the capacity to do what you are saying..Besides what if you are relegated by three points after a deduction....Lawsuits galore!!

Water-boarding is illegal.

You've got a high opinion of the police Azzy haven't you..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:You've got a high opinion of the police Azzy haven't you..

Actually most of them do a fantastic job. Like in every place of employment, a few bad apples spoil it for the rest.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:You've got a high opinion of the police Azzy haven't you..

When I was 5 I did. When I was 15 I did. At 25 I was wavering, and now at 31 I see right through them.

Good job of answering my points though

We went majorly off-topic, let's get back on track. Will be interesting to see what happens the next time players are racially abused.