Sol Campbell warns fans to stay away

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18192375

Let's hope his words of warning aren't prophetic.

 

I'm hoping the tournament passes without incident but deep down I don't think this will happen.

 

Where is the moralising Platini now? Its funny you hear nothing from him in relation to this?

Also the match fixing scandal in Italy, why aren't Italian clubs banned from Europe?

Why did Blatter not talk about an alternative to the heartache of penalties all those times an English team went out to German opposition?

There is clear bias against the Anglo Saxon/English....they just can't stand the fact that the world game was born in England.

 

I've been to the Ukraine and frankly it was fine.

I didnt see any 'racist hooligan gangs'. It's a poor country and they have their issues but overall your chances of being attacked in Kiev are probably lower than in say Glasgow. They're will be extra policing and fans from all over the world there.


The way people and the british media go on you would think all ex Soviet countries are just filled with gangsters and racist - which in itself is kind of racist.

 

I think it will be fine for fans to go to the Euros. There will be loads of extra policing and possibly the army and also take into consideration that the whole of europe wil be watching. I doubt that they would want there country to be shown in a bad light.

 

Sol has turned into quite the media whore since retiring. Maybe he's looking for a punditry job?

Also, I wouldn't be so sure about no problems. There's been some uproar in the Ukraine recently because their president is proposing a homosexuality gag law, in effect making it illegal to enact homosexual behaviour in public. At a counter peace protest, some of the gay activists were beaten by nationalist groups.
Imagine what they could do if their own footballing nation are knocked out by a team of black players....

 

You think the BBC doctored this video?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18233736

This isn't about all ex soviet countries. It is about football hooliganism & racism for which there is plenty of evidence. That you choose to deny it or down play it is a shame.

 

It's not racist, it's a blend of ignorant stereotyping and xenophobia. There are problems in football in Europe though.

I don't often defend England but I think we're light years ahead of some countries in regards to tackling racism in football. We've still a way to go but it's not until you see some of the shenenigans in Europe that we appreciate the difference.

 

Jeez, that's awful!

It's like these Ultras have something to prove, football hooliganism is totally different now in the UK and the Ukrainian hooligans don't seem to have grasped that and want to prove themselves to be better and harder than English hooligans.

Sky Sports did a special report which I'm sure most of you saw, it was a massive eye opener.

 

I think he went too far with the line about coming back in a coffin. Yes, those countries have problems but you got to put Euro 2012 into a different context. This is a massive event, so policing will be stepped up to a very high level and even the Army could be deployed.

 

The decision to host the European Championship there was made by politicians when there was a "pro-European" government in Ukraine and European politicians wanted to link Ukraine and Poland to show that Ukraine is part of Europe now and not Former Soviet Union, not a Russian ally any more. Now old Ukrainian commies - oops - are back in power, the former "liberal" prime minister is in prison under dubious accusations, the country is as far away from Europe as it was 15 years ago. But show must go on. I was in Kiev as a kid and the only thing I remember was when I was sitting on a bus and two guys approached me - they were in their 20s and looked like spending most of the time pumping metal in the gym. One said - give your sit to a disabled man, boy. He pointed at his friend and grinned. I was 12 y.o. and seriously scared. This is pretty all I remember about Ukraine.

 

I love when people think they know somewhere just because they didn't see any problems when they were there.

There are MASSIVE problems of racism in Eastern Europe still.

A few years ago I was in Poland and a Polish friend of mine told me the part of Warsaw I was in was safe but don't dare go to East Warsaw !

In 2008 I went to Serbia, Novi Sad, for a music festival. I was at the river - which is styled like a beach, minding my own business with my white friend when this "meat head", frothing at the mouth started shouting in my direction. It wasn't difficult to work out who is abuse was aimed at, the adrenaline in me kicked in, he was restrained by a friend of his at which point he spat in my direction.

Want something recent - Saturday just gone, I was in Riga and was walking past a bar and heard someone shout "Kunta Kinte".

Last year I was in Ukraine and although I didn't witness any racism directly you could feel the edge out there. A girl threw a drink over my cousin, we don't know why but she did. Also last year, in Belgrade, a gay march was taking place and there were van loads of riot police all over the route for the march because they "expected" hooligans from the Belgrade football clubs to descend on the march.

Its no joke in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. I have friends from Eastern Europe with mixed race kids who get abused ... and they are white !

 

You get around a bit HotHead . . . Poland, Serbia, Latvia and Ukraine

and there's me thinking you didn't know the world outside of Holloway

 

My manor is HUUUUUUGE

 

If there are any attacks or murders the Ukrainian government and media along with UEFA will do their best to sweep it under the carpet and we will probably never know. So you will probably not come back in a coffin, but instead be buried somewhere that no one can find you.

 

Look on the bright side, you could save some money on your flights if you only bought one way tickets

 

I think people are just overplaying it, yes, Ukraine and Poland has problems, racism, hooliganism, but people aren't going be dying there, people make it out like the place is a war zone. South Africa has huge problems too, huge crime rates, rape rates etc, yet were there major incidents with fans?

People just like to fear monger a lot, saying you could end up coming home in a body bag is just plain ****ing stupid if you ask me, if you hype it so much, something will probably happen.

Heck you want to talk about dying, last I checked, a fan was killed outside WEMBLEY before a game.

 

I thought he was killed in Camden ?!

 

Anyone still think Sol Campbell was exaggerating ?

 

Yes. As I said, because of the nature and importance of this event, policing will be stepped up.