I don't like the vibe of this thread at all. This all smacks of sour grapes and snobbishness to me. It feels to me that some people have been waiting with bated breath for the first sniff of a problem at these finals so they can pounce with righteous indignation at the sheer incompetence and inferiority of any other Nation's attempts at holding a major tournament. The World Cup bid failed. Its history. We've got to move on. I for one hope that our brothers in Poland and Ukraine host a great tournament despite these initial teething difficulties.
I also hope for a great tournament Swords but should we not be free to have an opinion on racism? If you do think we're too unbiased to comment then consider the following quote from Van Bommel:
Give a rest Swords you've been on the wind up on this topic for weeks. Of course I want the tournament to be trouble free, with nobody abused because of the color of their skin ( even if it is pasty white/grey/pink Irish) or beaten up because they support a particular country. Great start isn't it!
I'm not on the wind up and its obviously not a great start. But I think, no I'm convinced there's a hidden agenda here. If England had of got the World Cup I don't think this thread would even have been started. Ask yourself this: Is it really Poland and Ukraine you'd like to have a go at or is it so you can have a back-handed slap at FIFA / UEFA? Be totally honest.
You couldn't be more wrong there Swords me 'ald mucker. We had the Euros in '96 so IMHO more than fair for somone else to have a go. And as for the World Cup bid failing, again give someone else a chance to put on a spectacular BUT anyone with even half brain (from a footballing point of view) can see Eastern Europe still has a far right/Hooligan problem. I'm willing to stake my life on the fact there WILL be trouble and innocent people somewhere WILL get hurt. Would you take your family over to Krakow, known as the 'City Of Knives', to support Ireland ?? I certainly wouldn't (even if my wife wasn't mixed race). Should these countries be rewarded with show piece finals like this for these scumbags to show to the world how big and tough they are ?? The argument might be that these places will never change until they have the finals, my argument is that they need to change BEFORE they get the finals.
It's impossible to separate the two when you talk about this tournament. It's a tournament awarded to Polkraine by EUFA. You can't criticise the terrace culture in either country without also asking why they were given the gig.
I don't give a flying crap about England hosting a tournament - 1996 is recent enough that others deserve a go (in fact we tend to be put to shame by the likes of Portugal springing up grounds in months rather than our bumbled attempts at Wembley). The Euros should be about a celebration of football and the diversity of the competing nations. It should not be a regression into the dark ages. If you took one of your finger paintings into an under-10s art competition but your family couldn't go due to fears for their safety and then it kicked off would you say people that criticised the whole thing (before and during) were snobbish and full of sour grapes? I think the "racism isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be" bus has just pulled out of the station and you're the only one aboard Swords.
OK Not having a go at Poland or Ukraine, but am genuinely fearful that the racist/hooligan elements in both can make this a miserable experience for some players and fans. This was well known when these countries were awarded the tournament. The fans in particular, who are paying a fortune to attend, deserve to do so with some peace of mind. If your theory was correct we would be moaning whenever a country other than England gets a tournament - not so. UEFA and especially FIFA are well known corrupt organizations. I have no faith in their ability to manage serious issues effectively. The fact that UEFA fined the Portuguese club €10k LESS for racist chanting than City were fined for being 1 minute late onto the pitch at half time may give you an indication of their attitude. The award of the World Cup to Qatar was ridiculous regardless of England competing for it. It has been proven that large amounts of money changed hands during the lobbying process, and various FIFA officials banned for life partly as a result and partly for daring to confirm this. Anyway, don't think this country could afford another major sporting event after the Olympics (aside - had an email from the Olympic ticketing organization yesterday - offering tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies - cheapest seats £925). What you are actually accusing us of Swords is some kind of reverse racism where we long for other countries to fail to prove us right. It's bollocks mate.
Why are you replying to the troll, I dont even think hes a fan of QPR, just some moron from another team who likes to wind up our fans.
He's a proper fan of QPR, posting an opinion to which we are responding. This is how an Internet forum works.
Sorry mate but i disagree, Swords is a QPR fan and while i might not agree with a lot he says he still has the right to his views, as do you, me and all of us
Hes the only person ever to have made it on my ignore list and that includes fans of all the other teams. Hes probably sat there pissing himself and how wound up people are getting.
I agree with Pork ... England didn't win and its about time we realised we are not the best at anything really ... that attitude has made us the laughing stock of Europe if not the world on footballing matters
Sure he's delighted to have you on his side, shape-shifter........Why did you have to mention Santa Cruz! Ruined my day....
