To be honest if this demonstrates our cops were out of line then they are a bunch of ************** ( other name for a cat, etc) and need to be investigated. Sorry but the injuries, etc, that I saw were minor league and amaturish in nature and are a joke if they came from a group of professionals, trained to beat the crap out of bad guys, as certain people are claiming. If that type of beating is the best my high taxes can expect then I want an investigation, an investigation that would be geared to answering, If 5 of you pro's are holding an 18 yr old kid down and whaling away on him is the best you can show for your actions is a small bruise on his shoulder? What a joke. These cops are ************** (other name for a cat, etc) and need to be replaced with pro's who know how to lay down a beating.
Oh come on, don't believe that Liberal rhetoric BS. Those of us that are rational aren't quite taken in by Liberal lies. America and Canada are two great friends, with people who have the same needs and aspirations. Don't believe all that stereotyping
They should just ban Canada from organizing football tournaments. We hosted the Euro in 2004. Not one fan, not one player, not one person was molested by the police. Everyone behaved as they should. The stadiums were full. Beckenbauer (know who that is?) called it the most well organized Euro ever. Maybe you should take a lesson from us instead hoping for our ban (good luck with that, btw )
Get real man. When a bunch of U-20's are squaring off against ANY Police force it's the job of the people in charge to difuse the situation and lead them to safety. It doesn't matter who threw the first punch, things will probably end badly. And they did....
of the 50 or so witnesses involved in the crowd, how many were actually interviewed after the incident? add to this the language barrier, the unpopularity of football among Canadians, and you have outright disrespect for the sport.
Where exactly are you from? Soccer/football is possibly the most popular sport in Canada besides Hockey. Soccer is the sport with the most registered players in Canada, so dont give me any of this "disrespect for the sport" BS.
I attended this match (I was cheering of ARG). I did not see the dust up between the cops and the Chilean team. However, when I woke up the next morning and read about what happened, I was honestly not that shocked. My only shock was reading that the cops were arresting players and not Chilean or Argentinian fans. I FULLY expected that there might have been some kind of altercations between the police and fans. My reasons for this are as follows: - upon leaving the game through Gate 1 (the north east side of the stadium), I stood on the east side of the food building and admired the huge gathering of Chilean and Argentinian fans who had congregated outside this gate and who were chanting their respective chants and trying to one up each other a bit. It was all relatively good natured, even though the Chilean fans were clearly not happy with the result or how the match was refereed. Some Chilean fans were a little but more visibly upset (Especially the ones who looked like they had enjoyed more than their fair share of $12 draft beers) but overall, I would say the mood among the chileans was good considering that they felt they had been robbed. I was a bit concerned by what I perceived was the "combative" mood of security in the stadium and the large number of police officers located outside of gate 1. I repeat, this was just my perception but I distinctly felt that the on duty security guards and police officers had already made up their mind that problems between rival fans was an inevitability after the game because the Chilean fans had been so upset during the game (i.e. charging the field, throwing stuff at the ref, etc..). I hung around for 10 minutes to watch the gathering of competing supporters and when I decided to head for the Go Station, the crowds were still going pretty strong. Although I witnessed no incidents, I just had a feeling that some type of fight would inevitably break out, likely among some drunks, and it might escalate into something newsworthy. As for what happened between the cops and the players, I did not witness it but from the reports I have heard and seen, i would suggest that it is not possible to objectively lay blame at the feet of either party (police or players) at this time. Until all the news gets out, its simply too early to really pin blame on anyone. What I would most like to know is whether stadium security, Police or FIFA officials ever bothered to advise members of both teams prior to leaving their respective locker rooms not to approach the fans before boarding their buses. If the teams were told to just get on the bus and not take any detours but chose to ignore these instructions, then the Chilean player Sanchez is just stupid (but not necessarily looking for trouble). If they were NOT told that police had orders to keep players away from the fence that seperated them from the fans, then the police/security should have been more tactful when trying to stop Sanchez from approaching the fans. I have heard that Sanchez kicked the officer that tried to keep him from the fans and, if true, that was just dumb and he can't be surprised if the police treated him harshly. However, if he did kick an officer, I am shocked that he was not charged with assault because Toronto police tend to have a low tolerance for any kind of violence directed at police officers. As with most things in life, i suspect poor communication between the parties involved was the cause of this incident...not racism, not cowboy cops looking to rough up teenagers, not insolent players who believe they are above the law. Just run of the mill bad communication. The chileans have already issued a half assed apology which will likely be followed in the coming days by an equally half assed, carefully worded apology from Toronto Police. Police officers, like soccer players, are human and can make mistakes but they also feel a need to display and air of infalability because they feel this is what gives them their power.
Where are you from boy? I dont think you understand the situation of Canada. our population: 32 million is spread out accross the 2nd largest nation in the world, not concentrated at all. whereas Germany has 82 Million people, all concentrated in an area 3X smaller than Ontario. Except for the larger cities, we do not have the population density to support pro leagues, hence why there are three pro teams in Canada, let alone an all-Canadian pro league. That is why most of the football is watched by fans on TV, it is a lot harder to make it to games, I drive 2.5-3 hours each gameday to see TFC play, that's as close as it gets. we have 1% of the American population, but are able to easily hold our own against them, and have comparatively a high number of teams. now, shall we compare the pro Ice Hockey league in Spain with the NHL or are you done being a dolt?
From what you're stating, than the answer would be no, Canada does not have their own league. and there's no need to compare the Ice Hockey league in Spain with the NHL, since the subject involves football, unless you're a dolt.
it is equally comparable, a sport that has burgeoning popularity but poor pro showing. Canada does not have their own league because it is economically unfeasible. Let me put this in context, for me to drive to see TFC when they play (I have season tickets) I drive from Goderich, Ont. to Toronto, Ont. a distance of 450 kms (roundtrip) that is the same distance from Aachen to Magdeburg (most the way accross Germany) or to use a British example, the drive from Glasgow to Hastings (Middle of Scotland to the Channel). You see, distances are a little different here than in Europe. England alone has a population of 50 million people, let alone the area of Scotland you have in there also. There is simply not enough population density for teams to gather the support needed to fill stadia like in Europe. Canada however does have it's own semi-pro league, the CSL.
As for Canada, and according to my understanding, Hockey is considered to be the most popular sport, unlike countries in Europe or South America. In Canada the emphasis is on hockey, while in other countries the emphasis is on football, and everything else second. Canada had a dreadful performance on their own soil, not earning a single point or scoring a single goal. From that observation on how the national under 20 performed indicated a certain lack of something, which could be a number of things, a footballing tradition could be one or lack of infrastructure such as not having a real league two. There looks to be a brighter future, and that's the MLS expanding. Encompassing teams that may center around more populated areas in Canada such as Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, the same places that had seeds throughout the tournament.
In my opinion this is a sick atttitude for Canada to have, at this stage. I say it's sick because early on almost everybody gets thrown into hockey (like I was), a sport that isn't global, when to succeed on a world level in other sports they need an early start. It's my theory that Canada women do better than men in the Olympics because women don't get thrown into hockey early. I woulda said soccer too, except I dunno after the Brazil game. The focus on hockey, I mean, it holds us back. We need to get reasonable about it, and the media too, cuz they are seriously infected, as well. Anyway it's not like I'm saying anything new. It's Canada's psychological illness!
No offence, but you haven't got the slightest clue and I say that with all sincerity. It looks like, once again, I have to remind you about jumping to your own ill informed conclusions until those investigating this (e.g. not some delusional Portuguese fan with little or no insight into anything important) have released the facts to the general public. As for Euro 2004, I give you: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/4189202.stm and http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200406/s1133415.htm Yeah you're right; without incident (sarcasm). This scene actually sounds a little familiar. So please, pretty please, with a ********ing a cherry on top; don't comment on something you know nothing about especially when you manufacture incorrect facts about past events.
And that's the absolute best you could come up with? English hooligans being... well, English hooligans? You're only proving my point. The Portuguese police act, they don't react, and therefore they don't get involved in fights (or beatings rather). If they need to make an arrest, they make an arrest, case closed. And the Portuguese are vigilant of the police; if they abuse their power (and they sometimes do), you bet they are going to get criticized. And, in case you're wondering, the Euro 2004 tournament was indeed the best EURO ever. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/organisation/kind=32768/newsid=468069.html As to my jumping to conclusions, this is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, since it is more than obvious that you already decided who's to blame for the Chile vs police fight.
Hate to say it but chile is not angles.They started all of this by going after the ref.Did the refs go a bit over board there is no doubt.THey are very lucky no one was arrested some of the players should have been.As for why was gas used they did it when ever there is a mob type setting.Now as for the fifa chile and canada will get hit hard.
My last club was the Masters team S'toon Diesel. The Brits ex-pats, there were two teams both nasty and I can't ever recall an enjoyable match with either one. I was happy to get through those matches with both legs intact. I played against several Latino/Chilean clubs, Arauco being the worst more volatile than Colo Colo or Alianza.
This statement is complete false. I urge people to ignore the post. Look at the CFL as evidence to refute the above post.
Did you see any of the games in Edmonton? practically empty stadium. As for a history of football in Canada, try the highest ranking Canada has ever had in FIFA is 2nd place... so much for not having a proud soccer heritage eh? the first soccer game with modern rules in Canada was 1876, so much for not having a history. You are simply making assumptions about Canada, I would suggest you STFU before you get your as$ handed to you again.