there are already more than 5 threads alone, calling Stoichkov everything from a hacker to a thug. so many people on these boards are so easy to jump to conclusions and cast judgement, i feel like i'm watching a Fox news broadcast. slap a flag on your forehead, shut-up, and watch tv, why don't you? please consider the following things: 1) it's unfair to act as if any of know Hristo intentions, whether he was acting from malice intent or he had a brain fart, which is quite normal when we are talking about sports. regardless, the fact remains, none of us knows. 2) it's not like Hristo has a history of such incidents. just as he reported to DC United's website, he has never done anything like this before. yet some of us are treating him like he's some crazy arse hack like so many who roam the fields of MLS. 3) and this is the most important. there has never been a foreign international, who came to MLS with such a litany of accolades, that has been more devoted to the this league than Stoichkov. THAT is undeniable. the same cannot be said for the dozens of "superstars" who have graced our league. Stoichkov deserves more respect and maybe even the benefit of the doubt in this case. flame if you must, but nobody has ever questioned his devotion, influence, and spirit to MLS. as a passionate and loyal fan of MLS, Bigsoccer, and the sport, i have the greatest sympathy for Freddy. but c'mon, some of you are acting like teething babies. settle down, please.
Namecalling. Just the right note for beginning a constructive discussion, eh? Look, to say that Hristo "never did anything like this before" is really stretching the truth. Apparently you've never seen him play. The guy was given a lifetime ban in Bulgaria and received an unbelieveable 11 red cards with Barca. But that's not really the point: A two-footed tackle from behind like that is specifically proscribed by the LOTR. A red card is mandatory, and a fine and suspension is often tacked on. Not just when some kid is mutilated, but every time. Why? Because everyone who knows a damn thing about the game, which would presumably include Hristo himself, recognizes that it is a dangerous thing to do that can easily result in serious injury. So he knew, or certainly SHOULD have known, that what he was doing was a) illegal and b) potentially very dangerous. What'sore, he didn't do this to another professional, with teammates who could and would kick crap out of him. He did it in a scrimmage with a college team, and did it to a 19 year old freshman. VERY courageous. On so many levels, this is simply not right. This was not a run-of-play injury, or even an aggressive tackle that he lost control of. It was a payback assault on a kid. If I go out and kick the neighbor kid in the head because he's screaming up and down the street on that damned moped again, do I get a pass because it's the first time I've ever sent a 10 year old to the hospital? Or should I just have bloody well known better, and really have no excuse whatsoever?
well, it depends, did you both have an agreement that if the kid comes down your street, there is a possibility that he might get the shite kicked out of him? and (2) can they prove that you did it out of revenge? you get the point. btw, thanks for the clarification with the lifetime ban in bulgaria and the red cards at barca. i didn't know about that, but it still does not defeat my argument.
Man, i don't know how can some people defend stoichkov. Just wait til you meet him in person and see how cocky he is. He's very arrogant and doesn't show any love and respect for the fans. So please don't defend him just because he's a great player. I admired his style of play when i was younger but now i can't stand him because of his cocky attitude. I heard from eye witness fans that he was trying to hurt some Fire players in the scrimmage game in south flrorida druing the spring training. Stoichkov need to get the F out of here and go back to his country. I just hope DC fans will take a close look at him when the season start and see how cocky he is.But of course alot of fans are A$$ kissers and they don't care if you spit in their faces...they still going to love the Pro soccer player just because they're pro players.
Jesus Christ. I really need to lay off the gin at lunch. LOTG, dammit, LOTG. Excuse me; I have to go punish my fingers.
i'll place that in the posters-who-completely-missed-the-point pile. hey NFZ, i don't know Stoichkov AT ALL, never talked to the guy, probably never will. what i am saying is completely outside of how he is a person. (and i think somebody who is voted as the best player in the world is entitled to some amount of arrogance.) all i care about is the Fire and MLS, and to both, Stoichkov has been great. i don't cosider myself an "A$$ kisser," i just love MLS.
When was this?? Just wondering because i have never heard anything about it and i used to actually live in the country......
I completely agree. When I read things like "go back to your country" I feel sick. When I learned of the incident the first thing I thought was thank God it wasn't Grimandi that made the tackle. People these days are so caught up in the melodrama that is brought to them in the news every night, that they really think there is good and evil in this world, and are so quick to judge who is on what side. I do not defend Stoichkov, nor do I think there is room for this type of action in soccer. But it is part of the game, just like diving and uncalled hand balls on the goal-line. To make a villian out of him is just wrong. Its not like he cleated some old lady at the bus stop. Everyone who steps on the field (especially at that level) knows of the risks involved. I feel sorry for the kid, and I hope that Stoichkov is suitably disciplined. But it is not going to change my feelings toward him as a player. For 10 years I have enjoyed his play on the soccer field. Not once did I want him to be my friend.
Re: Re: i don't get it (Stoichkov vs BS) who the hell are you? you talk like you know him. you also talk like someone on the oscar award show. what stoichkov did was wrong , i can't believe one of the kids teammates didn't pummel him. soccer like any game has rules and cannot exist without their enforcement. you don't take the risk of being viciously taken out when you step on the field as when you get in your car. just because you are on teh road doesn't mean someone can run you off it. stoichkov is a cheap shot artist and someone should level him permanently. this isn't liek the warren sapp hit that was arguably within the rules, or LT, or whoever. from what i have read, if it is accurate, this was pure criminal ala marty mcsorley. when that happens, rules go out the window and someone better wreck this bastard. all you who think that wouldn't be right can sit and complain, because according to you hristo should "know whats coming when he steps on the pitch" anyway. dog eat dog if you want to play that way
soccertimes.com has a very good article about the incident that also talks about other problems Stoichkov has had in the past. Of course, like everyone else on here, I have not seen the incident but the article paints the picture that it wasn't an accident or something that just happened in the run of play. Sure he was in tears after doing it but that doesn't make up for what he did.
i correct myself. i do remember this incident but the ban was lifted shortly afertwards. as for somebody giving hristo a cheap shot...it has happened in his day in barcelona....and last year as a memeber of the Fire coming back from an early injury hristo was sent right back to the bench by shot from carlos ruiz. this guy has taken and given punishment on the field. should he be fined? sure. suspended? maybe for a game or two, but those calling for lawsuits and lifetime bans are not within reason. no one knows what was said on that field or what exactly was done to cause this so no one except the two players can set this straight. perhaps mike amman should have sued diallo after their collision?
Pardon me sir, but exactly what do you think this college freshman, participating in a scrimmage against a professional team, "said" to a 38 year old International star that could possibly have justified assault of this nature? Have you read any of the descriptions of the incident? Any of the quotes from people who were there? Look, I know you are a Fire fan, and a Bulgaria fan and all that. You like the guy, you're a big fan. Fair enough. But him getting fouled while playing with Barca years ago does not somehow validate what he did IN THIS CASE. And repeating it does not make it so. He lost his temper. He lost control. He went after this kid out of anger over a call. The facts are not in dispute here. As for the tackle itself, look: as I said before, the Laws stipulate an automatic sending off when a player does what he did, and the reason is the potential for serious injury. It's no secret. And when, knowing all this, you go ahead and do it anyway, you don't get to say "Oh gee, I didn't mean to hurt anybody". Because it's just hogwash. This is a little like those baseball Spring training games against college teams. If Pedro Martinez doesn't like an umpire's call, is it then OK to throw at some college kid's head because it's "common" in baseball? Or is he expected to keep some sense of time and circumstance?
No, but if you are a Fire player, or a Fire fan, expect double the threads on the topic. If the kid you sent to the ER was a Fire fan, expect congratulatory threads in the Crew forum. What Hristo did was absolutely atrotious, but I agree that this topic has reached Adu proportions. Minnman is usually spot on with his posts, but this has absolutely nothing to do with the Cantona incident. Eric went into the CROWD and kicked the shlt out of a supporter (studs up) who was in the front row at Selhurst park. Stupid, sure, but completely unrelated to an atrocious and malicious tackle. I guess you were saying you were as shocked when you heard about Hristo as you were when you heard about Canto-blah? Unfortunately for Hristo, this will cloud his entire time with MLS, which has been mostly terrific. Very Clinton-esque.
I have to say that I was surprised to read that he only has received one red card in his MLS career. I was at that game. It was his second MLS game. Chicago was coming off the heels of a 4-2 loss to start the 2000 season in Dallas, and they were playing at Arrowhead in KC's opener. Chicago went down 4-1 early in the second half. Hristo, already agitated at the refs, blew his top at an offside call and this is the quote from the league's match writeup: Eerie. This foul was the first thing I thought of when I read about the incident in DC.
Bill Archer...Hristo was clearly justified because the AU player might have injured him later in the game. At least, that's how you'd put it if Hristo was Bush and the kid was Hussein. Carry on.
"Bulgarian legend Hristo Stoitchkov received a red card for tackling Wizard midfielder Mo Johnston from behind and then hovered over the fallen Johnston for several seconds after the tackle." I was there as well, and remember this. Thats why I'm not surprised at what he did in a scrimmage. Stoichkov is so competitive that he sometimes seems to forget what hes doing. Its not that hes a bad guy, competition just puts something in his blood that he cant control. I understand, I was often like that when I played as I'm sure many people are. What I see in Stoichkov's actions are that he feels that he is above the game. Imagine winning the Golden Boot, FIFA player of the year, and playing on the biggest stages of Europe. If he got bans over there, he's not going to magically change when he comes to MLS. But regardless of the reasoning for how and why this happened, he must be punished. Not by MLS, but by DCU. The team must show that even a super star will be punished for terrible action. It doesn't matter how sorry he is, or how many tears he sheds after the fact. He did it, and should reap what he's sewn.
* The fact that HS was tearfully sorry after the fact does not matter to me. People who do not manage their anger often express remorse after the fact, when they are in a more rational frame of mind. However, this often does not keep them from acting out their anger again later. (This from someone whose family member was once in an abusive relationship and received this in counseling.) Not trying to put HS in the category of domestic abuser, just addressing the issue of remorse expressed by someone with a history of at least a few violent play incidents. * A studs up tackle is not the same as a goalline handball or diving, even if they are cardable. I've never seen anyone carried off the field as a result of a blatant handball. * You have to wonder how this will affect MLS pre-season in the future. MLS values these matches because it helps players play--gain game fitness, get used to teammates on the field, etc. The MLS players likely will be playing hard to show they belong on the squad, deserve playing time, etc. However, the college season is in the fall, so these friendlies do not carry the same weight for them. If I were a college coach being asked to field a team against MLS, I would be hesitant to subject my kids to the potential, perhaps career-threatening, injuries. Have to say I'd turn down the offer. * MLS teams should like these opportunities to expand fan bases. The HS incident will limit (or even reverse) that benefit. All of this from someone who has never met HS, thinks HS ranks among the great players, didn't see the incident, etc., etc.
If I were Hudson, Stoichkov's action would preclude him from ever being a coach or an assistant coach. It would also prevent him from participating in any future non-MLS games. I believe that Stoichkov comes from the Roy Keane school of mental illness, and should probably be fined and banned from several games. HS obviously has anger management issues. His remorse after the incident tells me he's not a bad guy, just a little too psycho to be around sharp instruments. Let the chips fall where they may.
Punish the guy and move on. The reason these tackles are supposed to be red carded is because they are dangerous. Just ask Mike Duhaney who twice landed Peter Nowak on the DL and BRAGGED about it. Ask the Tampa Bay hack (whose name mercifully escapes me because he has faded into oblivion) that took out Wolff for several months leading up to the WC hurting both the Fire and US chances with an ugly tackle from behind. Ask Dema who broke Brandon "Pillsbury" Pollard's leg with a bad tackle. I feel like I can talk about these because I actually saw them. I did not see the Hristo tackle, but plenty of people did. So, get the story from eye witnesses, punish him and lets move on. Every infraction has a penalty. Cantana was out eight months for his sin, and then I never saw him lose his cool again. In fact, he came back immediately after his suspension to have one of the best seasons I have ever seen. I would imagine that HS foul is in the category listed above. Fine him, suspend him for a game or two and move on. One red card in 50 MLS games is not that bad of a disciplinary record, and I recall several of his yellows being for dissent -- which is stupid but hardly violent. All those talking about a lifetime ban, or barring him from being a coach can feel free to become cricket fans. Hard fouls resulting in injury are certainly unfortunate, but part of the game. I think most teams have at least one incident.