World Cup
I went to some World Cup games back in '94. I was at one of the biggest U.S. wins ever, the one over Colombia. I was also at the Colombia win over Switzerland, a few days later.
These happened to be the last two games Andres Escobar ever played, as he was killed a few days later, in what most people think was some sort of retribution for knocking in the winning goal for the U.S.
I just saw a story on ESPN about rampant racism in European soccer, where fans openly ridicule black players, call them monkeys, tell them to go back to Africa, and throw bananas and peanuts on the field. (FIFA is finally promising to crack down on it, having previously relied on national organizations to solve the problem, though it remains to be seen if this will be effective.)
(It was noted that this is primarily a Spanish problem, not a continent-wide problem ... I did not mean to imply it was a problem all over Europe, only that in Europe, there is a problem. It is isolated to certain areas, but where it is a problem, it is a significant one, with hundreds or even thousands of fans participating.)
The World Cup begins this week! Get your game on!
These happened to be the last two games Andres Escobar ever played, as he was killed a few days later, in what most people think was some sort of retribution for knocking in the winning goal for the U.S.
I just saw a story on ESPN about rampant racism in European soccer, where fans openly ridicule black players, call them monkeys, tell them to go back to Africa, and throw bananas and peanuts on the field. (FIFA is finally promising to crack down on it, having previously relied on national organizations to solve the problem, though it remains to be seen if this will be effective.)
(It was noted that this is primarily a Spanish problem, not a continent-wide problem ... I did not mean to imply it was a problem all over Europe, only that in Europe, there is a problem. It is isolated to certain areas, but where it is a problem, it is a significant one, with hundreds or even thousands of fans participating.)
The World Cup begins this week! Get your game on!
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
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