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Stop racism!!

December 3rd, 2008 | By: Tamim | 17 Comments »

Really, this issue became very ugly; this weekend, Mido was a target for racial chants against Islam from Newcastle visiting fans during their match against Middlesbrough calling him a terrorist.

The English FA said that they would start an investigation on the issue using the latest technology to identify those fans who started it and that they will not get away with it.

This is the second time such thing happens from the same group of fans and they also said that they will investigate and identify them but nothing happened!!!

Last time Mido managed to shut them up with a goal but this time the match ended in a 0-0 draw as he came as substitute in the second half.

In an interview with Al Hayat channel Mido said:

“They kept chanting disgusting words, racist words about Islam and unfortunately, this is the 2nd time from the same fans to do this”.

“It happened again since in the first time the English FA did nothing. I considered this as an invitation from the English FA to repeat such shameful acts from the Newcastle supporters”.

“I can assure that nothing is going to happen this time again. The English FA said that they will be investigating the issue and will make use of latest technology to stop such racial abuse for players but I feel that nothing will happen”.

“I am asking the English FA to take a serious action to stop such thing. These chants are not directed at me as a person but it is directed to Islam as religion”.

The same Mido was previously received by shiefelled united fans with the chant, “shew shew bomber, your mother is a terrorist.”

Last year, Tunisian player Yassine El Chikhaoui had his own story of calling him an extremist.

In 2004, a group of North Africans and Iraqi Kurds bought tickets to watch Manchester United; it was assumed they wanted to blow up the stadium. Hundreds of police officers arrested the fans in dawn raids before the misunderstanding was cleared up.

The issue is complicated and it is bigger than football, but the problem with football is that during matches, fans are like a sheep herd; once a small group starts something you may find the whole stadium following them.

Chants like this are always mixed with football action itself, fans may fear a certain player and this player happens to be a Muslim so they start attacking him by using racial chants to get him out of his concentration and shake his confidence or maybe a player scored a crucial goal against their team, made a hard tackle against on of their players so they start their shit.

Anyway we have a problem and it must be dealt with harshly, Newcastle club must have a fan ban for one or two matches and a large fine for these acts; for our part, we need to have intense media campaigns addressed to these countries to support our players and make sure things like this don’t happen again.

Watch Mido and others talking about racism

Tags: FA, mido, newcastle, racism, Team News

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Comments

By Pseudinho | December 3rd, 2008 at 3:03 am

I tend to think it’s more police and authority in England then an English FA problem if you really want it to stop. The FA could ban Newcastle United fans from traveling to away fixtures, but that doesn’t stop the problem it just prevents it. It needs to be stopped completely, not patched up with a little band aid here and there. I also would call it a more religious issue then one of race, but either way it’s wrong. If people would stop being afraid of our differences in this world and embrace them because it makes us all unique we would be a lot better off. I guess that’s my utopian view on it though.

Posted from United States

By Mo | December 3rd, 2008 at 4:34 am

Needs to be stopped but the issue is complicated because of certain governments pushing the agenda of villifying Islam… Im not trying to be controversial but until people understand that Muslims are not terrorists (2 BILLION PEOPLE CANT BE TERRORISTS!) the chanting will continue… The FA/ Police should do more though…

Posted from United States

By Bra | December 3rd, 2008 at 7:07 am

There’s a giant FIFA “Say No to Racism” Campaign that’s kind of ineffectual. Still, this has been going on for a long time against African players and the club is just mildly reprimanded. The same is likely here.

Posted from United States

By Pseudinho | December 3rd, 2008 at 10:55 am

Reason I say it’s less a race issue and more a religion issue is because they weren’t saying stuff about him being Arabic, it was about his religion.

Do we know why these people were chanting these things? Where they anti-Egypt, anti-Islam, or anti-Arab?

People of Islam you are not alone. This form of taunting happens to African players, German players being called Nazi’s even though they had nothing to do with it, or a good percentage of American civilians in England. It’s an England cultural issue that happens in many other countries too. Not changing their old ways of doing things. Or being afraid of that change. England is a country that for the most part it’s like that old guy who tells you the story how he remembers the day when he had to walk 6 miles in snow to get to school and believes that’s the way it should be now. Not taking into account the improvements of technology that now give us the luxury of driving 6 miles in the snow to school. So we can actually concentrate on school when we get there and not the trek it took us to get there. Until the culture and it’s people are willing to change it will always be like this. This happens in about 50% of the world.

Posted from United States

By Tamim | December 3rd, 2008 at 11:04 am

couldn’t agree more with all of you…. thanx for your comments

By Tamim | December 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 am

pseudinho: and football is the most available and easiest way to express this culture!!

By Pseudinho | December 3rd, 2008 at 11:08 am

Tamim: I agree completely. I think in a way sport expresses the culture.

Posted from United States

By j | December 3rd, 2008 at 11:44 am

Tamim – I agree with you completely on this and am hopeful that the people who truly understand the meaning of the beautiful game will band together and stamp out such horrible offenses. I invite your comments and support in voicing your disapproval with my specific post on this manner at the Newcastle blog as well.

Posted from Germany

By Rami | December 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm

Tamim, totally on point man and thanks for linking the Chikhaoui article. The whole thing makes me cringe, sorta like that Busta Rhymes song “Arab Money.”

Posted from United States

By omar | December 6th, 2008 at 10:00 am

wait u do or dont like the song arab money…i think u mean u dont like it…y..i nvr listend to the song but i like(d) Busta Rhymes…whts the song say…good news supposedly two arrests made…good progress!

By Tamim | December 6th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

i listened to the song, obviously they are mocking us but this guy they are using is not speaking a word of arabic…very frustrating thouugh!!

By omar | December 7th, 2008 at 3:00 am

ah whtevr these guys are all uneducated anyways cant really be pissed at em cuz there dum

By A | December 7th, 2008 at 11:43 pm

And Omar, you sound so intelligent!

Posted from United States

By A | December 7th, 2008 at 11:46 pm

Chants will stop when Muslims stop killing others in: India, Bali, Spain, UK, USA, Middle East, Phillpines, Sudan, Nigeria, S. Thailand.

Why can’t you all get along with others? It is something within your culture and religion that is very exclusionary and totalitarian. It is your problem to solve. Newcastle fans are retards, but they chant for a reason whether you wish to face that reason is on you.

Posted from United States

By Tamim | December 8th, 2008 at 2:30 am

this isn’t the right place to discuss this issue!!!! and just don’t throw baseless accusations to start trouble!!!

By omar | December 10th, 2008 at 7:00 am

just becuz hitler kills jews for no reason doesnt mean tht all christians are crazy pyscopaths tht kill jews for no reason…same with ur retarded example jsut be cuz a few parties kill ea other dont mean the rest do…besides in the USA,UK,Spain r all made up examples or independent incidents…and practically eveyone in phillipines and thialand r muslim so if some one is killed it is likely tht the murder is muslim and so is the victim…blk on blk violence is very common in the united states. does tht mean tht all blacks hate one another? “A” ur arguments are very flawed and essentially stupid…oh and btw u sound so intelligent!

By Tamim | December 11th, 2008 at 1:50 am

very disappointing news, the guy only got 250 pounds fine but no ban at all!!!

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