The manifest isn’t a surprise though, in the past racism has been common place among football fans in Russia. Sint Petersburg’s team is the only Russian high level team that didn’t have any black players yet. But change is about to come.
But there is more at stake. Zenit didn’t perform well since the 2 black players are part of the team. Racism plays its part. Not only the fans hate black players, some of the Russian players hate them too. However, it’s not only a racial thing. Money plays a big role too. Axel Witsel and Hulk both signed very lucrative contracts, salaries most local Russian players could only dream of. This mix of envy and racism doesn’t contribute to a good team spirit which means that even with the best players in their midst, the team keeps on losing matches.
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THIS IS INSANITY! So THIS is what we in the United States and the countries of Western Europe fought so hard to rip up "The Iron Curtain" for? To exclude Black and openly Gay players from being on the football (soccer) teams? Even at the height of the Soviet Union's existence Black students from sub-Saharan Africa attended Moscow University and universities throughout the U.S.S.R. and, by all accounts I have heard, felt at ease. And now, with the collapse of Communism Russia has become reactionary. For shame!
ReplyDeleteThis is also a bad financial move, in addition to being racist. The top football (soccer) teams not only have Black players, they actively seek them out---even Spain. The name of the game is money, wins, and hopefully the World Cup, so why would St. Petersburg run the risk of banning some of the potentially-best players, who happen to be Black and Gay? Bad, bad move. This is NOT how to "make Capitalism work for you!"
And now that I think about it, Moscow and St. Petersburg have banned Gay pride celebrations in their cities until further notice. Yet ANOTHER bad financial move. The countries in the West and even the formerly-Communist Czech Republic recognize that Gay tourism = big monies coming into their locales. I am not speaking of "sex tourism" and the abusive violation of children in any way, shape or fashion. I am speaking of the piles and piles of Euros that the annual week-long Gay pride parades and celebrations generate for the cities in Europe that offer them, and as a parallel the almost month-long Gay pride carnival in down under Australia, for example.
I don't know what to make of post-Communist Russia. It has become reactionary---and racist---to degrees that will most certainly be to its detriment in the long run. If they want their team(s) to potentially take the World Cup they're going to have to nix their anti-Black nonsense; it's in THEIR own financial best interest!
I totally agree with you. How Russia are having a World Cup I don't know, You can wear all the kcik racism out of football T-shirts you want, but with FIFA actions speak louder than words.
DeleteFootball-soccer is the world's most popular organized sport. Even the U.S. has a fledgling team. (We're getting there). LOL! To me, this is the sport that bands together diverse races, nationalities and ethnic groups across the globe. We don't need to understand the languages the players speak, we just watch and enjoy their athletic abilities.
ReplyDeleteRemember the World Cup a few years ago when Colombian superstar sang the Cup's theme song, "Esta Vez Africa?!" ("This Time It's Africa!"?) That song became a worldwide multi-million copy seller. People who didn't even speak Spanish were humming and dancing along to the music and her video that went with it, as they followed all the teams that were playing.
For that period, many of the world was actually "united". This is the power of global football-soccer! This is the potential of football-soccer. People who don't speak another language other than their own can say and know the names "Pele," the football-soccer Black god from Brazil, or "Maradona" from Argentina. These are living legends!
OK. I'll try and stop. (Smile). But I AM PASSIONATE when it comes to football-soccer and the possibility of it uniting the world on a positive vibe like no other force except music.
And to Spanish fans: Stop throwing those da..n banana peels on the field and making monkey sounds whenever Black players make a move! (What makes it so embarrassing is that, these Black guys are on the SPANISH TEAMS, not the opposing teams!) They act worse than the hooligans in the stands at U.K. games!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! GOOOOOOOOOOAL! :-)
Goooooaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllll. :-) :-) :-)
ReplyDeleteHere we go again. Racism on the fields. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThis past Thursday, January 3, 2012, German-born, half-black Ghanaian, half-white German, football-soccer star, Kevin Price Boateng, who plays for the AC Milan team (Italy) was subjected to racist monkey calls by spectators.
The star athlete, who plays the position of forward, became so upset that he walked off the field---and threatens to continue doing so if this type of racism continues. He ALSO has the support of his teammates.
What surprises me, sort of, is that, Boateng, who is light skinned, would be subjected to that type of treatment usually reserved for darker, stereotypical West African-appearing players. But I guess the targets of anti-Blackness also include lighter complexioned bi-racials.
FOUL! PENALTYYYYYYYY!