Tag: Euro 2012

  • Euro 2012: UEFA bosses accused of racism after ‘turning blind eye’ to abuse of black footballers

    Euro 2012: UEFA bosses accused of racism after ‘turning blind eye’ to abuse of black footballers

    euro 2012Football chiefs were today accused of “turning a blind eye” to racism after Dutch players were targeted with abuse.

    Uefa finally admitted today there had been a racist incident after Dutch black players were subjected to monkey chants during a training session in Poland two days ago in the build-up to the opening games of the Euro 2012 tournament.

    The racism row and violence against English-speaking fans threatened to overshadow the tournament even before it began this afternoon with the Poland against Greece game. The football authorities vowed to take action if there was a repeat of the abuse. But MPs and campaigners condemned them for not being tougher following the Dutch case which was initially played down.

    Labour MP Diane Abbott said: “They are turning a blind eye. The danger is that by not acting, they leave the door open for further racial abuse of black and Asian players and fans.”

    Piara Powar, the executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe, said: “We’re very clear with Uefa that any incident of this kind needs to be looked at.”

    Conservative MP Mark Field, vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary football group, added: “I fear Uefa are trying to brush this under the carpet.”

    In a statement today, Uefa accepted that there had been racist chants at Wisla’s Krakow ground as reported by the Dutch captain Mark van Bommel.

    “Uefa has now been made aware that there were some isolated incidents of racist chanting,” it said.

    As the England team gathered for a training session in Krakow, former captain Rio Ferdinand — whose brother Anton was allegedly racially abused during a match by England’s John Terry — tweeted: “Tell me I didn’t see this … the Dutch team getting abuse already? Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.”

    Dutch football great Ruud Gullit added: “It’s sad. We don’t need this.”

    Sports minister Hugh Robertson warned that discrimination must not be tolerated as fears grew that the tournament will be marred by racism or anti-Semitism.

    He said: “Racism of any form is unacceptable on the football pitch or elsewhere. If it occurs I would expect the authorities to stamp down on it in the strongest possible terms.”

    The Dutch FA has decided not to make an official complaint. But van Bommel, with the backing of the Dutch squad, insists players were targeted.

    England have several black players including Ashley Young, Ashley Cole, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The families of Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain have declined to travel to watch the matches because of fears over racism, and former player Sol Campbell advised fans to avoid the tournament because of race fears.

    As the racism row grew, there were reports that local thugs attacked English-speaking fans last night — just hours before the start of the event being co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

    About 50 hooligans punched and kicked foreign football supporters speaking English and Russian as they drank in a pub in the central Polish city of Lodz.

    Witnesses said young masked men wearing the club colours of local team LKS Lodz pulled up in cars next to a pub and attacked anyone in sight, throwing punches and kicks.

    “When they started to hit out, we fled inside,” one victim said. “We barricaded the entrance. Some of us remained outside, and they got the brunt of the attack.”

    Two men were injured and a Polish witness said: “They forced two younger men to the ground, with multiple attackers starting to punch and kick them. It was a horrible sight. I fumbled for my phone and called the police. They were lying motionless on the pavement. I thought they were dead.

    “After a couple of minutes, one of them started to get up, and then the second. I was very relieved.”

    British ministers are boycotting England’s group stage matches in protest at “selective justice” in Ukraine and because of the workload for the Olympics. The Government is concerned about the treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

    Ukraine’s ambassador to London, Vladimir Khandogiy, today criticised the British decision. “This reason for not attending is something that I don’t understand since I believe that sport and politics don’t mix,” he said.

    Whitehall insiders stressed the Government was making a political statement through the boycott, backed by other EU nations.

    A 22-year-old football fan in Krakow is in hospital after being attacked by hooligans wielding machetes in what was apparently a fight between fans of local clubs. Police spokesman Renata Kostecka said: “He suffered light cuts and a major wound to his thigh. He is still in hospital.”

    Three men were arrested.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    London Evening Standard

  • Özil wants to sit out Turkey football clash

    Özil wants to sit out Turkey football clash

    One of Germany’s high-profile ethnic Turkish footballers, Mesut Özil, has asked to sit out Friday’s match against Turkey to avoid angry Turkish fans – but has been told he has to play.

    38049

    “I love Turkey as much as I do Germany,” he told Turkish daily newspaper Radikal.

    “Even though we have already qualified, for me this will be the most difficult match of the competition.”

    But the German Football Association (DFB) rejected his request to sit out the match, saying it could encourage bad habits, Radikal reported.

    German-born Özil is often held up as a brilliant example of integration, yet when he first played for Germany against Turkey last year in Berlin he was booed by Turkish supporters, one of whom held up a placard reading, “We could’ve been cheering for you, Özil!”

    The 23-year-old midfielder told Radikal on Wednesday that the booing last year had scuppered him, and that he had asked the DFB to sit out Friday’s match at Istanbul’s Türk Telekom Arena.

    Although Germany has already qualified for the Euro 2012 finals, Turkey needs to do well in order to go through and Özil could face a sea of angry Turkish fans if things do not go their way.

    Most of the player’s extended family still live in Turkey, so he explained to Radikal that he was aware of the prejudices many Turks still hold against him and that he would expect to be jeered at again.

    His father Mustafa also spoke with Radikal.

    “Özil is no different from [German born, Turkish players] Nuri, Hamit or Mehmet, but circumstances took them to the Turkish team and him the German. I wish people would accept his decision,” he said.

    “In Germany today there are Turkish politicians in the Bundestag and Turkish professors in the universities. We Turks came here 50 years ago as guest workers and brought skills to contribute to the country. My son is a part of this and Turkey should be proud of him.”

    Yet Özil sat out training on Wednesday, citing Achilles tendon pain, and has yet to train with the squad. Coach Joachim Löw has said a decision would be made about his fitness on Thursday; just 24 hours before the match.

    Undefeated so far, Guus Hiddink’s team qualified following a 6 – 2 victory against Austria, and will be heading to the finals in Poland and Ukraine next year. Riding on a wave of nine consecutive victories, Hiddink said “I can see very few weaknesses [in the German team].”

    However Löw admitted, “We have in fact a few question marks over our players,” as key strikers Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose are suffering from injuries. Their potential absence from the field could benefit Turkey, whose ticket to the finals still hangs in the balance despite two home wins in their string of six undefeated matches.

    Turkey needs a better result against Germany than Belgium gets against Kazakhstan.

    Turkish Left-back Gokhan Gonul said, “We know the power of Germany; they come with an unbeaten record in the group. We know it will be difficult, but not impossible.”

    Özil told Radikal that he hoped, “Turkey reaches the next round in the Euro 2012 competition.”

    The Local/AFP/jcw

    via Özil wants to sit out Turkey football clash – The Local.

  • Thirty hurt in Belgium vs Turkey clashes

    Thirty hurt in Belgium vs Turkey clashes

    Romania’s supporters cheer for their team during their Euro 2012 Group D qualifying soccer match against Bosnia at Giulesti stadium in Bucharest June 3, 2011.

    20110604.191947 euroqualifier

    BRUSSELS – THIRTY people including three police officers suffered light injuries after fans clashed while watching the Belgium and Turkey Euro 2012 qualifier on a big screen, city officials in Ghent announced on Saturday.

    One police officer was struck in the head with a bottle thrown from the crowd, while around 30 other people were reported to have been treated for light injuries at hospitals around the city.

    The clashes occurred during and after the transmission of the game on a big screen in the centre of Ghent, where up to 7,000 Belgian and Turkish supporters had gathered.

    Some fans clashed after the end of the match, which finished in a 1-1 draw, with police reporting sporadic acts of vandalism.

    City officials said only one arrest was made. — AFP

    via Thirty hurt in Belgium vs Turkey clashes.