Jozy Altidore - such class!!

This kind of interview should be posted more often....very impressive young man! His parents should be proud!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YV3IzEJZYIg

whattheheck wrote:This kind of interview should be posted more often....very impressive young man! His parents should be proud!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YV3IzEJZYIg

I saw this morning and was going to post it myself. I've a new respect for Jozy after watching this. I'm a Chelsea fan, but it's been disgusting watching how they handled similar issues last year. It's a problem that will probably never go away, but a whole host of world class players could learn a lesson from Jozy on how to handle it.

Well done Altidore!

great for jozy but if they start cancelling game, handing out forfeits, fines, and not allowing fans into home games then it will get stopped. Black players shouldn't have to just put up with it.

go99 wrote:great for jozy but if they start cancelling game, handing out forfeits, fines, and not allowing fans into home games then it will get stopped. Black players shouldn't have to just put up with it.

Most of this i think is wrong for a couple of reasons.

i paid to watch a game, if you cancel the game, i want a refund.

If you forfeit a game , i want a refund.

Fines, ok if it is justified and reasonable.

Not let fans into home games? Nope, we are a society predicated on laws and fairness. Want to kick out fans? Ok, those you actually catch breaking rules, no problem.

Second those fans support the existence of the club, they pay the bills, alienate them at your own risk.

Now what to do.

At the end of the season, the league could penalize a club a game, points,fines, venue for championship game, and things like that. In games, card players, allow a pk, things like that.

I also agree that no player, black or otherwise should put up with it.

yes but it not only takes those committing the offense it takes all those around them to allow it. There had to be hundred of fans to sit by and do nothing while it all happened. When they know the game will get called they will not just sit silently by and watch their team take a loss. by pointing out those responsible they save the game and their team themselves. Not allowing fans to home games punishes the clubs as they loose valuable revenue. They have closed games to fans before so your belief that it legally can't be done is unfounded. You have no legal right to a soccer game. Games have been called and forfieted in fact that game almost was. So while you agree that it shouldn't happen the real question is what would you do to stop it. The answer seems to be not much.

go99 wrote:yes but it not only takes those committing the offense it takes all those around them to allow it. There had to be hundred of fans to sit by and do nothing while it all happened. When they know the game will get called they will not just sit silently by and watch their team take a loss. by pointing out those responsible they save the game and their team themselves. Not allowing fans to home games punishes the clubs as they loose valuable revenue. They have closed games to fans before so your belief that it legally can't be done is unfounded. You have no legal right to a soccer game. Games have been called and forfieted in fact that game almost was. So while you agree that it shouldn't happen the real question is what would you do to stop it. The answer seems to be not much.

i reread my post and it is english so no problem there. i did list quite a few things that can be done. but i guess you skimmed over that. second, you expect me as a fan to do......what? go tell drunken idiots to stop yelling racist abuse? sorry, i came as a fan not a policeman. Third, if the club pulled those stunts and cost me hundreds of dollars, i'd be gone. You want to be a do gooder and call the game? fine, pay me and the tens of thousands of innocent fans our money back. let the club eat the cost of their decisions and inability of their security to control a crowd not me.

no you had plenty of ideas as long as you werent inconvenienced by them. The fact is when they call the game there is no refund or recourse (it has been done before). Nobody expects you to take on the racist yourself game but telling the usher or pointing him out to the police would work. It is the safety and annoymity of the crowd that allows them to do what they do. Take that safety away and they stop. So as angry as you like to be what I suggested has already been done and was about to be done in that game and no they didn't get refunds either. Not surprisingly they can't seem to identify those responsible for the chants. Hmmmm I guess nobody saw it.

But then again being a minority sort of skews your perspective. Kinda makes you think being treated as a human is worth more than the price of your ticket

go99 wrote:no you had plenty of ideas as long as you werent inconvenienced by them. The fact is when they call the game there is no refund or recourse (it has been done before). Nobody expects you to take on the racist yourself game but telling the usher or pointing him out to the police would work. It is the safety and annoymity of the crowd that allows them to do what they do. Take that safety away and they stop. So as angry as you like to be what I suggested has already been done and was about to be done in that game and no they didn't get refunds either. Not surprisingly they can't seem to identify those responsible for the chants. Hmmmm I guess nobody saw it.

Yes i don't want to be inconvenienced. I bought a ticket to watch a game not save the world. Angry? no. just speaking up for the person who makes the game happen, the fan. There should be recourse for the fan, it is unconscionable to take people's money and then screw them out of what they bought. alienating your fans is bad business. may make some people feel good and make a headline or two but still bad business.

go99 wrote:But then again being a minority sort of skews your perspective. Kinda makes you think being treated as a human is worth more than the price of your ticket

it must skew YOUR thinking since you seem perfectly willing to affect innocent people and make them pay for the actions of a few.....

I would argue that it is unconscionable to sit in the stands silently and be a part of that.

silentparent wrote:

go99 wrote:But then again being a minority sort of skews your perspective. Kinda makes you think being treated as a human is worth more than the price of your ticket

it must skew YOUR thinking since you seem perfectly willing to affect innocent people and make them pay for the actions of a few.....

Thats usually the excuse. It was just the actions of a few. It has always been the actions of a few. It doesn't change until the many refuse tolerated it. Now I doubt it would have happened here because we are at a point that the many would have refused to sit back and let it happen.

go99 wrote:

silentparent wrote:

go99 wrote:But then again being a minority sort of skews your perspective. Kinda makes you think being treated as a human is worth more than the price of your ticket

it must skew YOUR thinking since you seem perfectly willing to affect innocent people and make them pay for the actions of a few.....

Thats usually the excuse. It was just the actions of a few. It has always been the actions of a few. It doesn't change until the many refuse tolerated it. Now I doubt it would have happened here because we are at a point that the many would have refused to sit back and let it happen.

Your sense of justice is wayyyy out there. If people want to to watch a game and let security take care of troublemakers, that's somehow racist? Wow . Who said tolerate anything? Seems you are willing to screw innocent people as long as it fits your purposes. That's ridiculous...

I never said they were racist. I said they allowed it to take place. And it seems like you are willing to let innocent people be screwed as long as it fits yours. It really comes down to you are really only concerned about yourself. This doesn't affect you so it's all good. Now lets say the out of control person is yelling profanity next to your kid or maybe he exposes himself next to you and your kid so he can do the famous pee in a cup. Would you sit silently by and say nothing? At what point should the ref call the game? Oviously racist chants are all good. How about throwing things at officials and players? Maybe we just let it go until it is completely out of control. I mean its not like they have had riots or anything at soccer matches.


Oh and its not a sense of justice. Would they do racist chants with others in the crowd pointing them out? Would they do the chants worrying about it costing their club 3 points? It's not about justice it's about making it stop and what fifa is doing is closer to what I said than to you. But fortunately I don't think it will be a problem here because the crowd wouldn't allow it. and there are more of those who would speak up than those who wouldn't

I agree 100% no player SHOULD have to deal with it, but the fact is if they play long enough they WILL in one form or another.

Pay close attention to silentparent's attitude and reasoning. Then look carefully at what Sepp Blatter has actually DONE, not said he would do. The head of FIFA's position is essentially no different than silentparent and the like.

Jozy is still very young. He's younger than other big time stars of African descent that have dealt with this (except Balotelli), yet he's handled it beautifully. Keep your composure on the pitch, use it as motivation to elevate your play, respond with grace and dignity in public, fight your battles behind the scenes. It's the Jackie Robinson playbook and requires tremendous strength and maturity.

Eto'o is one of my all-time favorite players, but he let racist fans in La Liga and Serie A affect his career. The lesson Jozy is teaching young players is you can't control idiots, but you CAN control how you react to them.

go99 wrote:I never said they were racist. I said they allowed it to take place. And it seems like you are willing to let innocent people be screwed as long as it fits yours. It really comes down to you are really only concerned about yourself. This doesn't affect you so it's all good. Now lets say the out of control person is yelling profanity next to your kid or maybe he exposes himself next to you and your kid so he can do the famous pee in a cup. Would you sit silently by and say nothing? At what point should the ref call the game? Oviously racist chants are all good. How about throwing things at officials and players? Maybe we just let it go until it is completely out of control. I mean its not like they have had riots or anything at soccer matches.


Oh and its not a sense of justice. Would they do racist chants with others in the crowd pointing them out? Would they do the chants worrying about it costing their club 3 points? It's not about justice it's about making it stop and what fifa is doing is closer to what I said than to you. But fortunately I don't think it will be a problem here because the crowd wouldn't allow it. and there are more of those who would speak up than those who wouldn't

Your logic and grasp of what I have said is tenous at best. I said let security handle it. The club HAS to be the one to handle it. I would point out to a security officer a group of drunken idiots, i would let an usher know. I would call security for a pee in the cup person. the difference is you want EVERYONE thrown out. I didn't say racist chants were all good, you did. I want the perpetrators punished, not other fans. you don't seem to care as long as someone, anyone is made to pay.Sorry, i doubt people who chant racist chants much care a whit if their clubs lose three points, people like that are idiots to begin with.

and all they needed was for someone to point them out and it could have been stopped but nobody did. Now under the risk of losing points they have a little more "skin in the game" to not just sit silently by.

As far as what Blatter goes, this is the same guy that said womens soccer should be played in bikinis. So if you believe anything useful from him get you dd a bikini now. Not exactly a point of elightenment.

go99 wrote:and all they needed was for someone to point them out and it could have been stopped but nobody did. Now under the risk of losing points they have a little more "skin in the game" to not just sit silently by.

As far as what Blatter goes, this is the same guy that said womens soccer should be played in bikinis. So if you believe anything useful from him get you dd a bikini now. Not exactly a point of elightenment.

i don't have your faith in the pointing people out scenario but we can disagree. I was at the womens national team last feb and guess what, idiots there were calling the women, bitches, the c word, show us your t ts, etc here at fc dallas. we did call security and they settled them down,Idiots are world wide. should all of us been kicked out of that game?me?, our girls team?, their friends? is that the way to handle it? i say no.....

ah so looks like sexism is alive and well in the crowds here. Now I would say if the crowd start a C word chant then yes suspend the game.

go99 wrote:and all they needed was for someone to point them out and it could have been stopped but nobody did. Now under the risk of losing points they have a little more "skin in the game" to not just sit silently by.

As far as what Blatter goes, this is the same guy that said womens soccer should be played in bikinis. So if you believe anything useful from him get you dd a bikini now. Not exactly a point of elightenment.

Didn't mention Blatter as a point of enlightenment. He's an idiot unworthy of the office. Point is if FIFA president is on record saying racism is not a problem in football, good luck expecting meaningful top down change. Players who've prepared to deal with it effectively are much better off relying on self - as is apparently the case with Altidore.

no but what he does see is bad press, loss of revenue. The fact is the game was about to be called because of the chants and that is supported under fifa. Nobody wants soccer to be seen as the bastion of racism. The club doesn't want the bad press. Not long before this incident players just walked off the field during a friendly. More bad press. I don't think the racism has gotten worse I think it has just become more public. As more people decide that you can't be in the stadium with us with that behavior thats when it will stop. Blatter did come out and back away from his position after he said that (because he got bad press). No idea how that guy is still in office.

Interesting quote today from Dani Alvez.....( I edited out the result from today's match so no spoiler there...)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- The fight to eliminate racism from soccer stadiums is "a lost war,'' Barcelona defender Dani Alves said Thursday, a day after he was the target of racist chants at Real Madrid.

"I know that things are being done to fight against this, but it still takes place,'' Alves said. "For me it is a lost war. I have been in Spain for 10 years and it has happened since the first day.''

Segments of Madrid fans abused Alves with monkey chants during the match today in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

"I didn't consider leaving the pitch, but it did bother me,'' Alves said. "It hasn't only happened in the (Santiago) Bernabeu, but rather in all the stadiums we visit.

"You can be liked more or less by fans, but the people who go to the stadium should be there to support their team.''

Alves called for "drastic measures,'' including penalties against clubs. He said Spain should look to English soccer for an example to follow.

"The club or team should be fined,'' he said, but not with small fines. "It has to go beyond that.''

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130131/dani-alves-racism-barcelona-real-madrid.ap/#ixzz2Jb4K9u7z