Definitely a very lenient punishment.As well as a hefty fine, they should order Spain to play the rest of their World Cup Qualifiers behind closed doors.I think deducting points could come into affect only if they repeat the offence.
FIFA's fine was a bit too lenient for my liking. I rememeber when some England fans had made some racist and offensive comments towards the turkish national side. Fifa fined the FA a larger sum than it has done with the Spanish FA, the fans who were chanting were dealt with and FIFA threatened to kick England out of the qualifying stages of Euro 2004. I think the Spanish FA should have been fined much more than they have and I think they should have had all of their preceding home qualifiers behind closed doors. Perhaps their points in qualifying could've been deducted. Also the Ultras, who from my understanding were the instigators of this whole mess, should be punished as well. I think that they should install cameras so when events like this occur in the future, FIFA can know for sure who did it and have them fined and arrested. And I think Aragones should've been fired. Not only did he make a racist and offensive comment but when the time came for him to redeem himself, he went on some tirade about England's colonial past.
There is racist chanting in England and in France. One doesn't even need to look that far back to find examples of racism in these two countries. I think the way in which England or a France may differ from Spain in racism is that racism in football is dealt with more stringently than it has been in Spain. I also don't think you would have the English media or French trying to hide the fact that there is or was racist chanting like the Spanish media has been doing with this incident.
This is horrible. FIFA can fine all they want, but real penalties come when clubs like Real Madrid must forfeit their spot in CL play and League play because they can't control their fans. You take actions like that, and you've got the problem solver. I don't really care if Real Madrid is the best club in Europe, if they can't control racist behaviour, they shouldn't be playing. Believe me, the club will take action if they're club is not allowed to play. The majority of fans who do not participate in this racist behaviour will FORCE the club to take action and settle this problem. FIFA fining Real Madrid isn't going to solve **********. When fans don't get to see their club play, when the players can't play, when everybody gets shafted, Real Madrid and Spain will clean up their act. FIFA must use an iron fist and crush this problem. Even playing before an empty stadium is being too nice. Ban Real Madrid and Spain for one year from all play and you're problem will be solved, guarantee it. These organizations will lose so much money and will receive so many complaints that they will be forced to crack down.
Do i smell fear???? I mean what the hell does the clubs performance have to do with the national team????? why should a club be sanction over that? not to mention that they can't control the crowd. The ones being racist is Fifa cause they dont allow people to express themselves. And all those people that want the spanish NT banned is cause they know they'll get their ass kicked and that's a way to prevent that.
This link is a good read that I would recommend to many of the critics on this thread. IMHO FIFA took the right action in this case, considering the lack of similiar incidents in Spanish football history. FIFA is trying to get the Spanish FA´s attention to ensure corrective action. This will probably do it.
Mr. Potter, you have taken my post completely out of proportion. I did not make this post because I'm afraid that Spain is "too good" or anything of the sort. I'm apalled that you would imply something like that. However, your statement about FIFA being racist is very interesting. Being a very liberal individual I do sympathize with your "freedom of expression" statement. At the same time, there is a time and place for such behaviour. A football match is not one of those places. Keep your political and racial agendas out of stadiums. These stadiums are sacred and should be treated that way. I don't go to football matches to hear monkey chants because someone is black. I go because I love the game.
I think, from a player's perspective you acknowledge that there are ignorant people in the world. There are cowards. You, are human and not a monkey and you take you $30 Million and keep playing, there are "nazis" in the crowd which is completely rediculous, do they throw bananas and make money sounds at Black players for their clubs? I don't think so. I think there must be reprucussions, this really should not be tolerated. I doubt that these will have too much of a lasting effect but something should be done. I also think that it is completely rediculous to bring America into comparison. America has made so much progress over 40 years and such a thing would never occur at an American sporting event. I think that this is very unfortunate and that soccer can be such a great sport but is very soiled by events like this, it curbs my enthusiasim for European soccer considering what it would be like to attend a game, listening to these ignorant fans. I think that this puts alot of things in America into perspective for me and makes me appreciate America and our non-racist sports.
Look i answered that cause that's the way it sounds. I do not thing this sanctions should exists. Is true that racists comments make everyone uncomfortable, but like i said before Spain cannot control what the crowd does. It is unfair what Fifa has done, and is even worse to suggestion to punish Spain by suspending them at this stage of the qualifiers, you might as well banned them from the world cup as they did to mexico in '90.
hopefully they will. they should have guards in the stadium like at st. andrews that catch them in the act like with the dwight york incident in england a little over two weeks ago. then punish them individually. thats a small way of punishing the individual, but if you have to punish 1,000-10000 ppl, it is best that they play games behind closed doors or make the team give thier world cup spot to another deserbing team. sounds stupid i guess
Tell me, how exactly is one to "live" with racism and not lose one's dignity? Should one address racism only when it affects one directly and personally only? Should one just ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist and "move on"?
I doubt all the 40+ million people in spain are racists, and if some of them are, is their god given right to not like other races. As long as they dont do anything like hitler, everything is fine, but we cant force people to think the way we want.
Right - so in your view it's ok for thousands of people to chant monkey noises at someone for no other reason than the colour of their skin.....
No. it isn't. is very disrespectfull and they should know better. But that was a few people not the whole spanish population, in fact i have several friends in Spain and they like black people. Like said every one has the god given right to not like other races, but the other people also has to right to not be humiliated.
OK - so when you said that it was ok as long as racists didn't do anything like Hitler then you were, in fact, talking out of your arse?
Dude, if you become intolerant of racist behavior only when it's manifested through mass genocide (a la Hitler), then you have some issues. I'm sure that's not what you meant to say, but that's what your words seem to mean.
Aragones puts his foot in his mouth again. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=320597&cc=5901
be a better manager than him and play this game be a better manager than him and play this game hereplay this
Ok, there is no need to get personal here. I just think that if some people are racist (I'm sure there are racists in every country including england) is there right to be. It was wrong to make those monkey comments, but if you make this comments against racists, then you yourself are a racists to a certain extend. It is very complicated to explain. Like i said before, they shouldnt' have made those comments, because they do not have the right to insult people, they have the right to be racists and not like them or want to be close to them, but that's all.
No it's not complicated at all - racism is unacceptable in any way, shape or form in modern society. Tolerating racism is unacceptable - as soon as you tolerate something you infer it is acceptable. As to being personal? Coming from you that is somewhat of a joke considering your history of posts on this website.
who are you to judge racism? people have to right to be racist, i bet you are also racists in some way. Like i said before, it is unacceptable that they insult other people, but you cannot impose your beliefs in some one else. If some people dont like a race, you can't change that, as long as they dont cross the line, but i believe in liberty for all, even those that dont share the same beliefs as me.