http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18233736

Sol Campbell has told the BBC's Panorama that Euro 2012 should not have been awarded to Poland and Ukraine, due to the racist and violent attitudes of some supporters.

The former England captain advised fans to "stay home, watch it on TV... don't even risk it."

UEFA, European football's governing body, have defended their decision, and said awarding the tournament to the two nations was an opportunity to improve their image and tackle social challenges.

Chris Rogers attended one match in Ukraine where he saw Asian men being kicked and punched, despite supporting the home team.

Panorama: Euro 2012 - Stadiums of Hate is broadcast on BBC One, Monday, 28 May at 20:30 BST and then available online via iPlayer (UK only) at the above link.

more on: Sol Campbell warns fans..

I watched this last night and while it's a bit sensationalized I don't think it gives an unrealistic view of some aspects of football in these two countries. The images shown don't tell the entire picture but that doesn't mean that all of these things do not exist.

There was a lot of criticism of Campbell yesterday as being a fear monger. Far be it from me to defend Sol Campbell but I think that unless you're a black man who knows what it's like to play games in some countries (particularly) in southern & eastern Europe your criticism of Campbell probably doesn't carry a lot of value.

However, the truth is that for both fans and players the time during Euro will probably more pleasant and more safe than usual. During Euro there won't be large groups or organized white power groups in the stadiums and police/security will be doing far more than usual to protect everyone, including visible minorities. The ugliness, violence & hate won't come back out until Euro is over and the visitors are gone.

To say it was a "bit sensationalized" is an understatement.

Full disclosure: I am Polish-Canadian so yes, I have a bias here. At the same time, I've been to many, many Poland NT games, including games away @ England, Finland, USA (twice) as well as 20+ Legia Warszawa games. (Legia supporters would be the ones considered as one of the more hardcore groups in some ways), so I am not just talking from behind a comp screen here. B-)

Some of the quotes are just appalling -- for Sol Campbell to say "you could end up coming back in a coffin." is absolutely ludicrous. Especially when you consider he had the following chants hurled at him by Spurs fans:

"He's big, he's black. He takes it up his crack. Sol Campbell, Sol Campbell."

"Sol, Sol, wherever you may be / You're on the verge of lunacy / And we don't give a f**k if you're hanging from a tree / You Judas c**t with HIV."

It was sad for me to watch that program. I know racism still exists in Poland and Ukraine. It's embarrassing to see some of this footage, no doubt.

But racist/fascist idiots exist everywhere.
a few examples...
- John Terry/Anton Ferdinand and Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra in the EPL not more than a few months ago!!! and then Ferdinand and Evra being booed by the away support for being VICTIMS of racism.
- On the pitch, Mario Balotelli has been subject to abuse while playing for Inter Milan against Juventus, with the Turin-based club forced to play behind closed doors after the incident. Porto were then fined £16,000 as a result of monkey chants directed at Balotelli during a Europa League match against City earlier this year.
- Sol Campbell's abuse @ Spurs: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...ct/06/gayrights
- Samuel Eto'o in both Spain & Italy; it's so bad he has a "racism" section under his Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Eto%27o#Racism (are Spain & Italy considered "backwards countries" like Poland & Ukraine; would Oxade-Chamberlain's and Walcott's and Lescott's families not be travelling to Spain or Italy because of that racist shit?? hah, yeah fucking right)
- i could go on & on.

The worst part is the sensationalist angle taken by the BBC reporter was never questioned. And in this day and age of Twitter and immediate social media reactions, that's where you could read how Poland & Ukraine are countries full of racist/fascist pigs, that we don't deserve the Euro cup, boycott the Euro cup, etc. If you're on twitter, look up #Panorama or #Boycotteuro2012 and read some of the xenophobic comments on there.

I know a few people with ties to the Polish media and here's what was overlooked by the BBC report:
- they were speaking to Jewish player from Polonia Warsaw and he spoke positively of his experience in Poland. It was cut out, sadly.
- Ex-spokesman of Polonia Warsaw said that BBC took part in fans' march and they enjoyed the peaceful experience. Nothing like that was shown.
- Also, the Polish police statement wasn't used because it didn't hit the tune of the programme.

Anyways, I could ramble on & on with regards to this topic. I am saddened to see this footage of course, but I am also more than slightly pissed off @ the deliberate angle this program took.

There are idiots everywhere, not just Poland and Ukraine... #kickitout, end of story.

This post has been edited by legia_tfc on May 29 2012, 08:48 PM

Well that's the first time I've seen racism like that. Hundreds of people doing the Nazi salute and "Sieg Heil"? People being battered in the stands for not being white while the police and security don't do a thing?

And the worst part is the police deny it even exists... infact they say it's never existed. These are the people who are going to be in charge! :facepalm:

I don't care if it's sensationalized and I don't care what Italian fans did or what some people chanted about Sol Campbell.... Those videos were fucked up on a scale I've never seen before. Sure, there are idiots everywhere... but not quite to that extent!

This post has been edited by CmonYouPotters on May 30 2012, 12:27 AM

Rasism is when you are muslim and all they serve is bacon

Poland & Ukraine are not the only countries where you're going to sell racial hatred at a football match or on the streets. They are however the only countries hosting Euro next month. That makes it topical right now. As I said in my earlier post I don't think that this stuff is necessarily directly relevant to Euro but Euro is casting a light on problems that exist.

Everywhere was racism but that doesn't mean that it's the same everywhere. The levels within organized groups in eastern Europe is worse than in most of the continent. It's not whole stadiums and it's not whole supporters sections but it exists on a level that it doesn't elsewhere. The levels of abuse that players receive from the fans is worse in southern Europe than it is in northern & western Europe. That's not to say that nothing ever happens in those countries. The difference is in how much and what is the reaction.

That every example I've heard over the last few days of problems in other countries has been a situation that is documented, that actions were taken, fans/players punished, etc. It's the lack of response and action that's more important than the existence of hateful or idiot fans.

This post has been edited by Soldeed on May 30 2012, 11:05 AM

well sadly, full balkan is filled with pretentious uneducated fools who think its amazing to beat on fans etc...

we always had problems with the games between different cities, let's not even bring diff states into conversation.

Ive seen footage of that happening at White Hart Lane about 10 odd years ago, might of just been some banter that got carried away but it did happen, whole away section got in on it...

I got in some shit for tweeting on this issue. I think Sol was an idiot for bringing this up.

As someone who covered the event in Germany where all the English media were trying to sensationalize the Wars and all that crap this is just more fear-mongering. People completely changed their minds about Germany after that event (which is also kind of sad considering how developed and structured of a nation they were were before they hosted.

The same thing when I went to South Africa. "Don't ride the trains", "don't talk to the black people" Stupid idiots people are. I didn't stay in any hotel throughout both my stays and enjoyed the cultures right to the core and I wouldn't trade those memories and experiences for a million bucks.

If you can experience Ukraine/Poland DO IT. Regardless of colour people are there for the football and love to meet foreigners and learn about the sport and ways of life from them.

THE LAST ARGUMENT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eAlTVT_cM8
Excellent documentary by Dynamo Ultras about euro2012

Very well said.

I think Sol must be being paid off by the TV networks. These kind of quotes do nothing but ramp up PR and make sure lots of people watch on TV.

Well done Sol, enjoy that paycheque.

Here is one story I had from Euro 2004 in Portugal about how the British media work.

We were in Rossio Square in Lisbon (think Dundas Square x 10) where all the fans visiting the city congregated en masse before heading to one of the two stadiums used for the tournament.

Well when France played England, there was a bit of a "yellow card" England had gotten from UEFA after the issues the team had when they played Turkey in a playoff round to qualify for the event. So all media from England were licking their chops for something to report on.

So I'm having some drinks with some others from the Channel Islands in the street (24 cents at the supermarket a bottle). St George Crosses were strewn about everywhere and everyone was having a good time. In one little street around the middle of the square were two really drunk England supporters who received some cash from a guy who was with a camera guy. I thought nothing of it.

Then a little later on I see the same two guys climbing a statue on one end of the Square trying to light a French flag on fire with minimal success. The cool thing was to see England supporters, you know the ones who actually support the team without doing stupid shit, pulling them down from the statue. Again, thought nothing of it.

Then, me and my new found mates are drinking beside a new, transparent bus shelter on the street that goes around the Square when one of them points on top of the shelter where we find the two drunk Englishmen from before trying to ignite the crowd along with the French flag yet again.

The guys get it going a little bit, but not like what you see in those CNN clips of Iraqi's with an American cloth. All I heard was a collective "1! 2!"... and then one of the guys I was with, grabs me and we all collectively dive behind the shelter when the "3!" is belted out.

I looked back through the shelter to see what the hell was happening and why I was dragged to the ground. My first thought seeing the air was that there were a lot of birds flying over us but within seconds it became apparent that although they were swiftly flying through the air, they weren't birds; but beer bottles.

My first thought was what the fuuuuuuuuuck?

Then I looked away and heard the crashes of the bottles - which sounded almost like the collective crashing of symbols at a classical music concert - some hitting the shelter, most spraying the cobblestone and concrete. The crashes all sounded the same except for one large thump.

When I opened up my eyes one of the guys burning the flag had gotten smacked with a bottle and was writhing on the ground in obvious pain. My next thought was again, "what the fuuuuuuuck?"

Then all I hear behind me from the middle of the square is "Yeahhhhhh! Ingerland, Ingerland, Ingerland, INGERLAND!" The fans were singing and dancing to celebrate their successful self-policing!

First people I see near the strucken-drunk was, surprise, surprise, the camera man and the the guy who had dished out some Euros to them earlier. It was obvious that they had paid the guys to burn the flag so they could have something to record.

I had not, and still haven't, seen anything like that in my life galvinating the globe.

All the camera time he can get these days, Mr. waited a year to "announce" his retirement.

He's working for City these days, and I don't mean the club in Manchester.

Quite the elaborate way to say times are tough and we can't afford to travel.

When do the 80s Action Movie Stars Can't Go To Russia and Women Can't Go To Qatar narratives hit full swing? Do we have to wait until the month before the tournament?

Well, I will certainly be watching this Euro on TV. Fucking Ukrainians.