Posted on 11/18/2004 6:20:57 PM PST by freakboy
Spanish back down By MARK IRWIN
SPANISH football chiefs finally caved in under international pressure last night to condemn the sickening racist taunts hurled at England’s black players in Madrid.
After at first refusing to even admit England’s players were subjected to a brutal tirade of abuse, Spain’s top brass were forced into a climbdown when FIFA launched an investigation.
Spain coach Luis Aragones, who clashed with Ashley Cole, refused to comment on the incidents.
Several of Spain’s newspapers had accused English journalists of fuelling the storm before the match by asking Aragones to explain his ‘black s**t’ attack on Arsenal striker Thierry Henry last month.
And, after the game, the Spanish Federation’s press officer Fernando Garrido refused to permit questions about the incidents, saying that some of the blame lay with English reporters.
He said: “Were there racist chants against some players? This hasn’t happened in the Spanish League and Spain for many years.
“So the English reporters should ask themselves what they have done to contribute to all this.”
Hardly any attention was drawn to the behaviour of Spanish fans during the game by their national papers.
Sick monkey chants reverberated around the Bernabeu whenever one of England’s black players touched the ball.
And several times during the game frenzied home fans rose to their feet with another ugly insult. They chanted: “If you are not f****** black jump up and down.”
Spanish daily ABC accused the English media of preparing a deliberate campaign to wind up Aragones in the post-match Press conference.
It said: “The reporters took advantage of the post-match Press conference to deepen the wound that had been opened before the game. The darts were coated with poison. Perhaps it was because their team had played so poorly and the English wanted to divert attention.”
But later in the afternoon, following condemnation from the British Government and demands for action from anti-racist groups, the tune changed.
Spain’s minister for sport, Maria Jesus San Segundo, said: “I condemn without doubt the racist displays that may have happened.
“These kind of comments are deplorable and we do not want them to be made at all, either in sporting events or in society in general.”
The Royal Spanish Football Federation said it agreed with the government’s statement and added: “We condemn the racist attitude of a small group of Spanish fans.”
And a spokesman for Spain’s Foreign Ministry said: “If there were racist chants then that is deplorable. Spain strongly rejects such behaviour.”
Gee.....if they are in a mob they will terrorize players. But they back down from terrorist.
The more I read about these sick, arrogant, America-hating and apparently racist jerks in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, the more disgusted I get with the Euros.
GEEZ?
Is this the Europe that the Libs want to emulate?
This is Europe being allowed to express their fascist/nazi feelings!
Ah yes such treatment is very consistent with the Spanish footballing trash. I've witnessed it myself!
The world will repeat history and deny history at the same time. OVER and OVER,and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER.
Wait until the Spanish team goes to England. They have EEnglish peegs there:)
I guess you have never lived amongst them for any length of time.
Trust me, they are not what they crack themselves up to be.
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