Kick Racism Out Of Football

[Fulham Broadway 16,845]

We here a lot about racism in Spain and Italy but by far the worst year on year is found in Israel.

FOOTBALL IN ISRAEL RIDDLE WITH RACISM -From Kick It Out

Chanting “Death to the Arabs,” hundreds of young Jewish soccer fans raced up a dusty Israeli side street to catch a bus carrying fans of the Arab team that had just beat theirs in a tense game.

The supporters jeered even after the bus pulled away. Moments earlier, an Arab fan had been hit in the head with a rock, bloodying his forehead.

Welcome to professional football in Israel, where racism and violence have become part of the country’s most popular sport.

Before Monday’s match, the home team, Bnei Yehuda of Tel Aviv’s working-class Hatikva neighbourhood, was awarded a plaque for being Israel’s most tolerant and sportsmanlike team by the New Israel Fund, which has been tracking football fan behaviour in a new racism index.

“Today they received a prize, but then because they lose a game this happens,” said Nur Ghentos, manager of the victorious Arab team, Bnei Sakhnin, as he watched medics bandage the head of the fan hit by a rock. “It looks like when you are winning you can be tolerant, but when you lose this is the result. This is the story of soccer in Israel.”

Before this season, Bnei Yehuda fans had a reputation for being rowdy and racist.

The team had been leading Israel’s top league until Monday’s loss - and for some Jewish fans, losing to an Arab team is the ultimate insult.

Immediately after the game, fans for the most part were restrained, even applauding briefly for the rival team. New Israel Fund officials noted that the problems began, as they often do, outside the stadium.

Soccer hooliganism in Israel has not reached European levels, but it is very much part of the culture of the game here - something civil society organizations and team officials are trying to change.

Beginning last season, the New Israel Fund racism index has been giving supporters of each team a weekly grade. Volunteers are planted as monitors in the crowds and record the number of racist songs, slogans and incidents they observe.

The results, ranking the most and least tolerant teams, are published weekly in the media and have caused a stir among soccer fans.

Beitar Jerusalem are cited as the worst of the worst with racism a fabric of their supporters.

The tolerance lacking in the stands can be found on the field, however, where Jews and Arabs often play on the same team.

“On the soccer field is one of the only jobs where you see Arabs and Jews working together,” said Eliezer Yaari, executive director of the New Israel Fund in Israel, an organisation that promotes equality, democracy and social justice.

Lior Asulin, a Jewish player, scored the winning goal for the Arab team, Bnei Sakhnin. He was cheered and hoisted on his teammates’ shoulders as fans roared and whooped.

Racism in Israeli soccer stems mostly from Jewish fans, who feel they can shout slogans such as “Death to the Arabs” without fear of repercussion, experts say.

The same cannot be said for their Arab counterparts. Jews playing on Arab teams say they feel at home on their teams.

The Arab fans “give us lots of respect; there is no racism. They treat us well and we enjoy every minute,” Asulin said, smiling as he was slapped on the back after the game by a steady stream of fans.

The cellular phone company Cellcom dropped its sponsorship of Beitar Jerusalem, which is considered to have the most racist fans in the country.

The fans are known to have shouted “Death to the Arabs” for the duration of entire games, and the team is the only one in the premier league that never has hired an Arab player.

Team officials denied any link between Cellcom’s decision to drop its sponsorship and fan behavior.

It was revealed that at Beitar Jerusalem games, song sheets have been passed out with racist lyrics put to the tune of a popular song. The song was directed at one of Israel’s top Arab players, Salim Toameh, who plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv.

“This is the Land of Israel, Toameh. This is the Jewish state. I hate you Salim Toameh, I hate all the Arabs,” the fans sang.

The song now is commonly heard at games across the country and is directed at Arab players, whether or not Toameh is playing.

According to the New Israel Fund racism index, Beitar Jerusalem fans ranked as the most racist.

Beitar Jerusalem spokesman Lior Mai took issue with the index, saying it provoked fans to want to win first place - even as first-place racists.

Racism on the soccer field is not limited to the Arab-Jewish arena. Black players - both Ethiopian Jews and foreign players from Africa - have been taunted with shouts of “Dirty black” and “Go back to the jungle.”

Baruch Dago, a Jewish Ethiopian player for Maccabi Tel Aviv, reportedly is considering leaving the team because he is so disheartened by racist slurs hurled at him by his own team’s fans.

[bombayblue™ 55]

why can't everyone just live in harmony and peace..

[Fulham Broadway 16,845]

Fight ?

[bombayblue™ 55]

everyone should adopt a single religion race and crown me as king... we'll see about the fight later...

[Fulham Broadway 16,845]

Aroop, supreme leader.

[bombayblue™ 55]

well knowing your experience of this brutal world, i shall make you my personal advisor, just don't plan a mutiny and throw me out...

All this race, religion, etc is propaganda of a power hungry few who brainwash the minds of the weak or helpless..

have you seen American History X, greg?

[Fulham Broadway 16,845]

Top film -forget the actors name, but sees the error of his ways.

[EskWeston 696]

Top film -forget the actors name, but sees the error of his ways.

Edward Norten.... Class film

At the end of the day people just fear what they don't understand or perceive as "different" to themselves. Which is why there is so much hate and prejudice in the world....

[bombayblue™ 55]

the actor is edward norton

[Fulham Broadway 16,845]

Edward Norten.... Class film

At the end of the day people just fear what they don't understand or perceive as "different" to themselves. Which is why there is so much hate and prejudice in the world....

Thats the fella. When he stamps on that blokes head after telling him to bite the kerb.? Fucken 'ell that was grim.

You're not wrong there Esk -nearly all racism is borne out of ''fear of the other'' ie the unknowin difference between people. Its taught, and never inate.

[Cracker 0]

How interesting but really hardly surprising when coming from you..

Just unbelievable!.. a whole thread here only about Israeli fans Chanting & hooliganism..

& what about all of these(in the link)? has your incredible bios tendencies made you forget about all of these countries that have/had Football related Hooliganism problems?-(& yes also in a few Arab countries to..now who would believe that it is possible to?)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_hooliganism

& all that also in a country that has been in a state of war for decaides,..so you wouldn't expect that relations between the two communities would always be a bed of roses would you?

Hooliganism is bad EVERYWHERE it happens & should be tried as much as possible to be rooted out ANYWHERE it exists..

But still just imagine that the situation-(G-forbid) was the other way around, I'm quite sure that if the Arabs actually would have left any of the Jews still alive( and that really is a big "if"..) they surely wouldn't have even let them to carry on & play football, not talking at all about precipitating in any National team they would have had,

Yes there are still many unsolved problems in Israel between the two communities, but still with all the problems, teams from both sectors play in the same league & countries national team for years together now with success & lots of mutual respect,

Just read what the "Hamas" writes about the Jews & decide by yourselves what you think would have happened to the Jews(Israelis) if the whole thing were the opposite way around?

here from Wikipedia-"On 30 March 2007, Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan ended his "prayers to Allah" in a sermon broadcast on the Palestinian Authority’s TV quoting the hadith "The Hour [of Resurrection] will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them, and the rock and the tree will say: 'Oh, Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, kill him!'" Al Aqsa mosque would be "liberated" "through the rifle", since the Israeli occupation knew no other language. He asked "Jihad-fighting worshippers" in "Palestine and everywhere" and Allah to take away the oppressor Jews and Americans and their supporters!"

or this-"Like other Islamists, the Hamas uses antisemitic language, full of hatred towards Jews, ever since its foundation in 1987. In its Sacred Covenant [18 August 1988], there are frequent references to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which would have gladdened the hearts of Hitler and Goebbels. It is difficult to see what any of this has to do with spirituality, works of charity, dialogue or the search for peace."

Think & decide for yourselves..who here sound more violent & vicious the Hamas sayings & actions? or some stupid ignorant football hooligans saying & actions?

& who should be feared more?

[Elliott 7]

Hook line and sinker

[Aesthetic Relic 301]

Just out of curiosity.

Out of Crackers posts.......How many have actually got a football related content ?

[Cracker 0]

Its a shame that if your already writing only about Israeli football troubles(for your own private bios reasons), you cant be credible & honest enough to show & talk about racist chants & Hooliganism also from the mostly Arab teams side to..

http://www.kickitout.org/index.php?id=9&StoryID=140-& by chance I actually DID see that game myself at the time, & it was very clear who started the violence in this incident, & it wasn't the Jerusalem fans..(& the Beitar's goal keeper was almost injured very severely when some firecracker or something similar was thrown straight at him from the "Sakhnin" fans stands area & he fell to the ground for quite a long time after the impact).

or another case-

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-105047216.html

& another punishment in this case given to mainly "Jewish" teams for various different incidents & verbal abuse of players ext'...

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-5283221.html

I'm not sure if any of them are connected to hooliganism in this case, but similar punishments have been given many times after misbehavior of fans no matter what their religion is or what language they speak..

they are all stupid ignorant hooligans & it really doesn't matter where they came from what they look like or which language they speak..

But actually! there was no real logical reason to expect from you to show both sides of the coin was there?..

[Elliott 7]

Of course he's not going to write about Arab racism, that was your job Cracker, and you've probably done well, I dunno I didn't read the rest of it.

[Fulham Broadway 16,845]

Cracker, this thread was about racism in football, not hooliganism or arab fightbacks against Israeli genocide.

It was about various respectable organisations citing Israeli teams as being the most racist. Looking at arab hooliganism is like looking at a child rebelling at being abused, and if you want to talk about Israeli atrocities and the holocaust against the Palestinians -open a thread in the So Bar.

Yeah going to lock this thread as well, before Rain Man takes another hit of crystal meth.