Thr original thread was closed but I think it’s vitally important this is noted and doesn’t become the equivalent of a newspaper apology on page 20.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12040/11902565/antonio-rudiger-alleged-racist-abuse-investigation-ended-by-metropolitan-policeFor me this clarifies a couple of things:
1. Players should not be afforded the power to stop/postpone games alone as this just proves that they can either lie or get it wrong.
2. In the original thread there were some scathing views directed at people who suggested it was not proven yet. I’d like to think they regret those comments and appreciate its not always back and white (excuse the pun)
If he has made it up then he’s caused more harm than good for the fight against racism and I would like to think he would be quizzed on this.
Comments
With the amount of publicity this got, the resources employed and the technology in the ground I’m convinced they’d have identified any culprit.
Do you not think that incidents like this are not a concern?
Do you not think it could set a worrying precedent and enable both mistake and/or more sinister motives to influence the game?
Spurs as a club and fan base were assumed guilty without evidence and the original story sticks with fans and the general public but the follow up article goes unnoticed. The club and football get bad press when in reality no racism has occurred after investigation. It could easily be Charlton next time or yourself...
Mainstream media wet themselves at this story when they got it, making it headline news. There'll be no consequences for those news editors. And nor should there be for the player concerned, assuming he acted in good faith.
This I think deserved sharing after the controversy surrounding the original story.
And my thread on the politics was in response to earlier discussions around the general election, where my opinions were dismissed.
Click on my username and look down the recent threads I have started. Hardly a recurring theme is it.
But I’ll try to reduce alternative opinions on these issues going forward.
That very much happened. It was against us. A journalist from New Nation, who came with an obvious agenda (Raymond Enisuoh), turned up looking for racism and so sat in the CBL end. He first complained that nobody sat next to him (he was, after all, in the lower terrace where only about 50 people were sitting....none of whom were sat next to each other....until a photo emerged of someone sitting next to him) before going on to witness first hand the chants of the Nazi Millwall fans at the other end of the ground. 'Sieg Heil' was being chanted indiscriminately by what turned out to be the away end full of Brighton fans.
Still, his intentions were, as some on here would always argue, well intentioned and had absolutely no motive behind them. Oh no. That would NEVER happen and should never, ever, be insinuated. Racism would not be, and never is, used as a vehicle for untruths and leverage of some kind. All allegations are either 100% truthful or are merely a case of a genuine mistake having been made. Any deviation from this line will have you in trouble with the angry face brigade.
https://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/104-Race/1709-wrong-end-of-the-stick
Cue the tumultuous din that usually follows a voice that dares to speak with what accusers would call a forked tongue.
At the Spurs game there were chants of cheat cheat cheat because of his rolling around holding his face antics.
I said to him at the time did he hear anything personally and he said no and when he'd calmed down, he was clear he didnt hear anything in the ground but assumed there must have been.
As I said to him at the time, Spurs have done so much for anti-semitism and anti-racism over the years, I just couldnt imagine WHL having any idiots as they would get a hiding from those around them if they had tried it.
He gets Son sent off and the crowd were quite rightly aggrieved and he was rightly getting some stick. Cheat cheat cheat of course, may have been a who who who who let the yids out when everyone was blowing their beans at him but I doubt VERY much a single racist taunt was thrown at him. In the context of a player involved in a game and not properly listening to words in a chant, an easy mistake to make.
Spurs have said for a long while that from the security gantry, they can see every face in the ground. We've got the best facilities bar none. If Spurs and the Met say they've exhausted all lines of enquiry then thats good enough for me. If a racist taunt was thrown, another supporter would have shopped them by now. Supporters tend to police their own, as you would do at the Valley.
https://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/87899/ally-ally-ally-oh-chant#latest
Should he apologise? Well only he knows what he really heard and it’s the second time he’s made an unproven claim.
I persinally don't think it should get to get to the point where games are stopped and potentially postponed on one players claims. The incident in Bulgaria was different as everyone could see and hear it.
I think the player in question should report it either at half time or full time and then an investigation should occur and if it’s proven, they come down on the accused with a tonne of bricks, prosecutors them and then make it national news.
Like it or not, when this happens we are all tarred with the same brush by joe bloggs - “did you hear those racist football fans again” etc etc and that really don’t sit well with me.
Does it not warrant discussion then, considering the original story made national news for several days?
Or or do we just accept another slur on football/football fans, because to not do so goes against your narrative?
Bring it down to an individual level, if someone in the street accused you of racist abuse, as they misheard or made up a claim, would you be happy to end up on the news for a few days and then when it’s confirmed there is no evidence, hardly anyone wants to hear it or discuss it? Would you be aggrieved, being known by many as ‘that racist man’?
Considering it’s one of the worst things someone can be accused of, I’d expect you’d be a bit miffed?
I just think it’s a bit more than ‘nothing to discuss’ and ‘move on’, as 1. a huge precedent was set on the protocol etc which has lasting ramifications. It’s not just a bit of standard unproven hearsay and 2. The accusation sticks for most people and I don’t think that’s right.
If there has been proven racist abuse, use all the powers you can to punish and re-educate, but if it’s not proven, I think more should be made of it and it will be used against fans in future and to support players future actions which is a dangerous direction in my opinion, but I’m obviously in the minority so i’ll leave it be.
Going on to say how people should remain vigilant and report to Stewards if they see or hear something as we don’t want to move backwards on the issue”
Fantasy land maybe but the outpouring of news/slurs surrounding the original claim and relative silence around the result of the investigation just doesn't sit right. And I said exactly the same about the Millwall v Brighton incident years ago and I don’t exactly enjoy defending them.