Racism at the World Cup

I like football (soccer), and I don't mean to give a buzz kill at the world's number 1 sport, but this news report is disturbing and disappointing.

In Germany and several other European nations, crowds shower minority players with racial insults at times. Several of the U.S. team's African-American players who compete professionally in European leagues say they have been targets of discrimination and verbal and even physical abuse because of their race — on and off the field. There are concerns about how racial incidents might affect the World Cup in Germany, where the 32-team tournament begins June 9 and will be held in 12 cities.[...]

Players lining up before each game will hold banners condemning racism, and, beginning with the quarterfinals, team captains will read anti-racism messages before games. There will also be two anti-discrimination days during the event. The World Cup's slogan: "A Time to Make Friends."

German officials are concerned that neo-Nazis and other racist groups could try to disrupt the event, citing what they call a recent increase in violence against dark-skinned people. Two weeks ago, Uwe-Karsten Heye, formerly German chancellor Gerhard Schreder's spokesman and now head of an anti-racism group, warned World Cup visitors "with a different skin color" to avoid towns and villages outside Berlin and other rural parts of the former East Germany.

Of course, this is not grounds-breaking news because Europe (and everywhere else) has experienced problems with racism through the ages. I don't see any wrongs in cheering for your country team, but displaying racial pride towards the home team and opposing teams is out of line. African football players sometimes are pelted with bananas and monkey noises during the game. Even certain sections of the stadium are organized between neo-Nazi, Aryan Nation and other disgusting groups all chanting pro nazi slogans flashing nazi salutes and waving the swastikas flags (photo above). Unbelieveable. And this is 2006. I'm ashamed to say that some (mostly of older generation) Vietnamese I know (even family members) have a narrow-minded set against African descent. Though the level of hatred is often subtle, I still can not convince them the alternative. I don't mean to bring this up, but my former bf used to be involved (probably still is) in fights, yes organized gangster fights with other members of another race, be it dark skin or Hispanics descent. I swear, this "hidden" behavior of his is a disease, a mental disease that's really hard to stabilize.

At any rate, I don't know what my point is. It's just disappointing that even "my" team, Portugal is conforming to the racist acts. C. Ronaldo is way too arrogant, not my type, (but thank god for those fine abs, haha). As far as why these bigotry and racial angst occur, some say that it's due to the influx of African immigration and European Union ragged economies. Still not a very good excuse. Haven't they heard, the best Olympians are from African descent.

In the meantime, keep on enjoying the FIFA world cup. To my fellow Vietnamese cohorts: don't gamble, just enjoy the game. You might develop another mental disease...compulsive gambling, ekk!