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Post by Jon Doeman on May 24, 2012 12:19:04 GMT
I see the Qatari Olympic bid has been chucked out. The IOC did a good job getting rid of their corruption , didn't they! ;D
[Macmoish Edited the subject title to add Poland/Ukraine]
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Post by Jon Doeman on May 24, 2012 13:27:21 GMT
The IOC's message to Qatar: Too small, too hot and too risky to stage the Olympics – Telegraph Blogs by paulkelso May 24, 2012 By rejecting Olympic bids from Doha and Baku to host the 2020 Games the International Olympic Committee has sent a strong message about its priorities. It is a message that will resonate particularly loudly at Fifa headquarters in Zurich. The IOC was faced with its toughest hosting decision in many years when it met in Quebec on Wednesday. On the table were five bids, all of them problematic. On one side were Doha and Baku, flush with mineral wealth and ambition, but with major questions over their capacity and, in Doha’s case, carrying reputational baggage. On the other were three problematic bids from more established cities. Madrid wants to host the Games despite facing economic crisis. Japan wants to use 2020 as a catalyst for recovery from earthquake and tsunami. Istanbul brings infrastructure challenges, and is currently proposing the unrealistic double of staging the European Championships and the Olympics within three months. But faced with a choice between economic uncertainty and the unknown impact of Doha and Baku flooding the bidding race with unlimited marketing budgets, the IOC went for the former. Only three cities will go forward into the weakest summer Games field in some time. The IOC insist that the decision was not political, and published a 90-page technical report to prove it. The reasons given for avoiding Doha and Baku are sound. But there is no question that politics, and a desire to protect the IOC’s credibility, played a major part. The decision of the executive board was emphatic. The Associated Press reports that while all 12 board members voted for Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo to proceed, and all 12 opposed Baku, Doha was ejected by nine votes for three. We can assume that IOC President Jacques Rogge’s will has been done. Baku was always unrealistic. The city will stage Eurovision next week, but providing a rider for Englebert Humpedink and friends is a long way from staging an Olympics. Doha was always the more sensitive issue. The tiny Gulf state faces legitimate questions about its ability to stage the Games, but with its capture of the 2022 World Cup its claims could not be entirely ignored.
So the IOC entered into a technical process designed to flush out weaknesses. It found plenty, with the primary reasons for concern the climate and the impact on athlete health and television scheduling.
Doha proposed to stage the Games in October, avoiding the summer heat that, according to the IOC’s report “would not allow the Games to be held” in its traditional July-August window. (FIFA’s technical inspectors raised similar questions you may recall, but were ignored by their executive committee.)
This only half satisfied the IOC. They note that the air-conditioning systems promised by Doha are unproven, and that athletes would require weeks of expensive acclimatisation to prepare.The report also found that Doha’s budget would be “significantly higher than any recent host city”. Given estimates of Beijing’s spending, we have to assume whatever number Qatar had in mind is eye-watering. Most damaging of was the impact on broadcasters. The technical report states that staging in October would mean the Games would pass up their guaranteed primacy in the summer holiday schedules. With established team sports playing in Europe and the US, the Games could become a “weekend Olympics”. Less exposure means smaller audiences and lower commercial income. The need to stage 16 outdoor sports early in the morning to avoid soaring temperatures would also mean fewer spectators and lower audiences. This ultimately was all the excuse the IOC needed. It seems that for all Qatar’s wealth, the commercial impact on broadcasters and the IOC weighed heavily against it. The decision might seem clear cut but it was sensitive enough for the technical inspectors to pass on a final call. While it recommended Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo be accepted as candidates and Baku be rejected, it left the Doha decision to the IOC board. It did not hesitate, though Doha will view its three votes of support as a core of support that it will seek to build on when, inevitably, they return with a bid for 2024. The IOC has watched the fallout from Fifa’s decision to step into the unknown with Qatar and learned the lesson. The reputational impact for football’s world governing body of that decision still resonates 18 months after it was made. (Just this week Sepp Blatter further delayed the reforms he was forced to introduce to deal with the crisis of credibility following the World Cup vote.) The official message from Quebec yesterday was concise. Doha is too small, too hot, and too expensive to bid for the Olympics. The unspoken word was equally clear: it is also too rich to risk letting them to try.blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/paulkelso/100024992/the-iocs-message-to-qatar-too-small-too-hot-and-too-risky-to-stage-the-olympics/
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Post by RoryTheRanger on May 24, 2012 13:40:23 GMT
Should never have won that World Cup bid, made a compete mockery of FIFA. Corruption at that highest level of football.
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Post by Jon Doeman on May 24, 2012 16:46:12 GMT
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Post by saphilip on May 24, 2012 17:45:46 GMT
Look you need to go back to the late 90's and when the IOC controversially awarded Salt Lake City to host one of the winter olympic games - either in the late 90's or early 2000's. The decision, and the fallout from it, came as such a shock that the IOC - who at that stage nowhere near a paragon of clean governance - to take a long hard serious look at itself and what it found was not very pretty.
It found that there was a network of "you do me favour I will do you one in return", special favours, gifts, special invitations, mysterious envelopes and all the other good stuff that makes sponsors very wary and internal revenue services all around the world very interested. In short the IOC was corrupt to the core and had to be cleaned up - and to the IOC's credit that is what thery have done.
And that Ladies and Gentlemen is the simple reason why the IOC was able to turn down Qatar's bid without a moments hesitation - while FIFA were more than willing to award the WC to them, despite the fact that both the Summer Olympics and the FWC would have hit the same problems & issues.
Maybe sponsors, consumers and revenue services should take a more keen look at FIFA again - because any cleanup is sure as hell isn't going to come from within.
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Post by Jon Doeman on May 24, 2012 17:51:14 GMT
Yeah, I think this will be the decision that leads to reform in FIFA. As soon as they announce it will be a winter world cup, the sh1t will hit the fan. A foul & ludicrously bent decision.
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Post by Jon Doeman on May 27, 2012 10:26:32 GMT
And UEFA are as bad, awarding a tournament to a country , where players relatives don't feel able to go. ======================== Lord Ouseley urges instant action if England players suffer racist abuse in Ukraine as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's family boycott finals in racism fear Lord Ouseley, Britain’s leading anti-racism campaigner and FA Council member, wants the referee to take England’s players off the field if they are racially abused by Ukraine fans in Donetsk on June 19. Recent reports have highlighted the stain of racism in Ukraine. by Henry Winter May 24, 2012 Lord Ouseley urges instant action to be taken if England's players suffer racist abuse during Ukraine game Tough stance: Lord Ouseley wants strong action against racism when england play Ukraine Photo: PA “If it really got so offensive and violent I would hope the referee would take the players off,’’ said Ouseley, the chair of Kick It Out. “That’s the expectation if the situation got that bad. "Officials have a responsibility to be alert to these things and point it out to administrators that if it is happening on the pitch and players are affected, action needs to be taken by those responsible for security and crowd control. “Clearly if Ukraine fans behave badly there are a whole range of sanctions. It depends on the extent of the abuse. Have the stadium authorities and the national association taken all reasonable steps to have avoided it? "Is it happening all around the ground? Or just a handful of people, who although they were abusive, were dealt with? “If you’re talking about ultimate sanctions, you are talking about kicking people out of tournaments. One extreme would require another extreme to deal with it.” Ouseley’s concern runs deep for supporters, though, particularly those travelling across the country. “People would be pretty mad to go. I certainly wouldn’t risk my life going there. "I wouldn’t go to the Ukraine for this tournament. In the case of football it’s a pretty violent place and it’s very racist.” He did understand why Uefa had granted Ukraine (and Poland) the Euros. “Fifa have taken the World Cup to South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Qatar. Fifa wants to spread the vision that a World Cup is for the world, as opposed to the same countries. The same theme applies to Europe. "Should safe countries always get it like France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, England? You have to spread it. “I suppose Uefa will have been given assurances by the Ukrainian football association that it would be a safe place to hold the tournament. That remains to be seen.” The family of England's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be staying away because of the fear of racist abuse, the same reason for the non-attendance of Theo Walcott's family. Centre-half Joleon Lescott will also be without family support, although that decision had been taken before racism fears were raised. Ouseley was disappointed that one of England's most passionate campaigners on diversity issues, Rio Ferdinand, has been left behind for “footballing reasons”, according to Roy Hodgson. The suspicion in many eyes is that Ferdinand was omitted because of potential for tension with John Terry, who has been charged with racially abusing Rio’s brother Anton. Terry denies the charge. “It is unfortunate that incidents that have still to be resolved have led to a decision which hopefully we won’t have regrets over,’’ said Ouseley. “It’s a shame because Rio is such an experienced character. If England progress they may need that experience. “Rio’s a big figure in football. There are many important parts to recognise as admirable about him. Firstly, he’s done things outside football, stood up on campaigns against gun crime, knife crime. "He comes from a (estate) background in Peckham and has not turned his back on young people as he’s become famous and wealthy. “Secondly, he has gone through some difficulties in his own time as a player. Thirdly, I don’t think his record in the last six months in footballing terms is that bad.” Ouseley was impressed by the FA’s decision to organise a visit to Auschwitz for the players on arrival in Poland. “I think that’s great. A lot of players will be moved by such an experience. It is always humbling for people to go through that experience of going to somewhere like Auschwitz, to understand the suffering, the incarceration and the unimaginable things that went on.’’ www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/9288790/Lord-Ouseley-urges-instant-action-if-England-players-suffer-racist-abuse-in-Ukraine-as-Alex-Oxlade-Chamberlains-family-boycott-finals-in-racism-fear.html
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Post by klr on May 27, 2012 10:34:59 GMT
Are the England players going to be learning about the Ukranian Holodomor seeing as they are playing in The Ukraine ?
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Post by klr on May 27, 2012 10:37:29 GMT
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Post by Jon Doeman on May 27, 2012 10:42:29 GMT
Why handing banana-throwing Russia the World Cup shows FIFA are only interested in the colour of money by Ian Holloway Published 22:30 24/03/12 FIFA president-Sepp Blatter cropped Why seeing super-fit Muamba collapse has made me work a little harder in the gym Why Kean's dignity in defeat deserves respect now the negativity has quietened I witnessed for myself the racism that seems endemic in eastern Europe. When a powerfully-built striker I had high hopes for at Blackpool made a reprehensible insult during a reserve team game, I hauled him into my office for the mother of all rollickings. He was a vastly experienced player and has turned out for top clubs in eastern Europe. During one of our frank exchanges of opinion, he tried to justify his view on life by claiming there were cultural differences between how players were expected to behave in England to the other countries he had played in. I believed him. But his behaviour was something I couldn’t accept. Racism is racism regardless of what language is used to abuse another human being. So although I was sickened to hear that some piece of low-life scum in Moscow had thrown a banana at former Blackburn defender Chris Samba when he played for his new club Anzhi Makhachkala during the week, I wasn’t surprised. The same thing happened to that brilliant Brazilian full-back Roberto Carlos when he played for Anzhi last year. In fact, he was insulted on two separate occasions. Eastern Europe isn’t the only part of the world that is afflicted by the curse of racism, of course. In England, the row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra proved we have our own problems to address. But at least we are fighting the good fight. When Russia were awarded the 2018 World Cup, promises were made about launching a sustained campaign to combat racism in football. It doesn’t seem to be working, does it? FIFA, in their wisdom, will continue to claim that the World Cup must travel around the globe to remain the people’s game. And the tournament staged by South Africa two years ago showed that even a country with huge social and economic divisions can be united by football. It was another significant step in healing the wounds opened up by that racist system of government called apartheid. But for me, it is clear that the decision to hand the World Cup to Russia was driven purely by greed. It was the same when the 2022 tournament was handed to Qatar, a country where homosexuality is punished with a five-year jail term. Mr Sepp Blatter’s advice to any gays thinking of supporting their country in the Middle East was to refrain from doing what comes naturally to them. Just like he told players who had been racially insulted to shake hands with their abuser rather than report it to the authorities. Blatter is straight out of the Dark Ages. His eyes are tinted by the colour of money. Football can change the world – but the world has to want that change. Our game is a vehicle for bringing people together because the colour of your skin or your sexuality doesn’t affect your ability to kick a ball. But when Blatter and his cronies decided to take the World Cup to Russia and Qatar, it wasn’t for any of the right reasons. www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/ian-holloway/Ian-Holloway-column-Why-handing-racist-Russia-the-2018-World-Cup-proves-FIFA-are-more-interested-in-the-colour-of-money-article882783.html
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Post by canadaranger on May 27, 2012 10:57:53 GMT
Excellent piece. Well said.
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Post by saphilip on May 27, 2012 14:47:32 GMT
Ad yet when people do bring it up the reaction from many fans and "experts" from other countries is "you English are still bitter about not winning the bid - why don't you get over it?"
Sadly some of the English press is to blame for that (I will never forgive the BS stories about our country written by a few of the tabloids) - and as a result many people cannot distinguish between tabloid fodder that brings out the BS and the well witten articles that is absolutely spot on about how FIFA is run. And of course FIFA play that up all the time whenever criticsim is laid on that corrupt organisation's door.
While it's true you cannot fool everybody all the time, you sure as hell are on a good wicket if you can fool the inflluentual and those that want to be fooled. And those that you cannot fool you simply buy off.
I am worried about the fact that the Euros is going to be hosted in the Ukraine - and to some extent Poland. Yes, you want to expand the game but at what expense?
Besides the racism issue the issue of fan violence is not far off as well. See what some of the Ultras in Donestk think about the Euros.
Let's just say I have got a feeling that these Euros will be a foretaste of what to expect in 2018.
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Post by saphilip on May 27, 2012 14:50:28 GMT
For the record I do believe that Ruio was lefty out as a result of Terry being in the squad and not for any other reason. While uits true that he has lost some of his pace and skills I would still prefer to have RF in the team than JT - simply because the former does seem to care when he plays for England, while the latter gives me the impression that he doesn't.
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Post by Macmoish on May 28, 2012 6:14:00 GMT
Guardian Sol Campbell warns England fans against travelling to Euro 2012 • Campbell wary of racism and violence in Poland and Ukraine • 'You could end up in a coffin,' says former England defender Sol Campbell has warned England fans they will be putting their lives in danger if they go to Euro 2012. The former England defender believes Uefa was wrong to choose Poland and Ukraine because of the threat of racism and violence. Speaking on a Panorama special, to be screened on BBC 1 on Monday night, Campbell said: "Stay at home, watch it on TV. Don't even risk it ... because you could end up coming back in a coffin." The programme reveals a history of violence and racism in the host nations and comes after the families of England's Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said they would not go to Euro 2012. The brother of Walcott tweeted that he and his father will not be flying out to support the Arsenal midfielder because of "possible racist attacks". Those fears have been stoked by the Foreign Office, which carries a statement on its website warning "travellers of Asian or Afro-Caribbean descent and individuals belonging to religious minorities should take extra care." Campbell does not believe Poland and Ukraine deserve to host the competition, which begins on 8 June, because of the problems that still persist in those countries. "I think that they were wrong, because what they should say is that if you want this tournament you sort your problems out," he said. "Until we see a massive improvement, that you have sorted [it] out, you are never going to get the tournament. You do not deserve these prestigious tournaments in your country." In response Uefa said: "Uefa's zero-tolerance approach to racism is still valid both on and off the pitch and ultimately the referee has the power to stop or abandon a match should racist incidents occur www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/28/sol-campbell-england-euro-2012
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Post by Macmoish on May 28, 2012 6:57:49 GMT
Also BBC Sol Campbell warns fans to stay away from Euro 2012 Fears of racism at Euro 2012 Ukrainian football's dark side Euro 2012 should not have been awarded to Poland and Ukraine because of entrenched racism and violence, Sol Campbell has told the BBC's Panorama. The former England captain's advice to fans is to "stay home, watch it on TV... don't even risk it." Uefa, European football's governing body, said awarding the tournament to the two nations was an opportunity to tackle social challenges like racism. It said the tournament was a chance for both countries to improve their image. Panorama spent a month filming at matches in both the joint host nations and witnessed Nazi salutes from the terraces, black players being taunted with monkey chants, rampant anti-Semitism and a vicious assault on a group of Asian students. 'Zero tolerance' Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote I am concerned that they will be targeted by racists and fascists and anti-Semites in Poland and in Ukraine” Nick Lowles Anti-racism campaigner on his fears for England's non-white supporters After watching the footage, Mr Campbell said he believes Uefa should not have chosen the countries as hosts of such a prestigious event in the first place. "I think that they were wrong, because what they should say is that 'if you want this tournament, you sort your problems out. Until we see a massive improvement... you do not deserve these prestigious tournaments in your country.'" In a statement, Uefa said: "Uefa Euro 2012 brings the spotlight on the host countries and clearly creates an opportunity to address and confront such societal issues. "Uefa's 'zero tolerance' approach to racism is still valid both on and off the pitch and ultimately the referee has the power to stop or abandon a match should racist incidents occur." Uefa said it was working with both Poland and Ukraine to ensure the safety of travelling teams and their fans. But despite these assurances the families of two England players, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, are reported to be staying away from Euro 2012 for fear of racist attacks. Uefa said the scenes of racist abuse filmed by the BBC in the last month were at domestic matches and a matter for national football authorities. But Mr Campbell had this advice for fans thinking of travelling to Euro 2012: "Stay at home, watch it on TV. Don't even risk it… because you could end up coming back in a coffin." Racist attack On 14 April at the Metalist stadium in Kharkiv in Ukraine - one of the host cities for Euro 2012 - massed ranks of as many as 2,000 fans in the terraces for a match between two of Ukraine's biggest teams gave the Nazi salute to their team. Some fans at the match told the BBC that they were saying "Sieg Heil" because Hitler hated "Jews and blacks" and that is how they support their team. But local police chief Colonel Volodymyr Kovrygin denied that it was a Nazi-inspired salute, saying the fans were "pointing in the direction of opponents as it were, the fans, so it looked like they were pointing with the right hand to the fans, kind of attracting attention to themselves." At a match two weeks later, scuffles broke out between rival fans and police arrived to calm things down. But they escalated again as Metalist fans began to attack a small group of their own supporters. They were Indian students studying in Ukraine. They had sat in the family area of the stadium thinking it would be safe. Continue reading the main story Panorama: Find out more Chris Rogers presents Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate BBC One, Monday, 28 May at 20:30 BST In the stadium's medical room afterwards, one of the injured students said: "We were supporting the home team. It's horrifying." British government advice for Euro 2012 fans of Afro-Caribbean or Asian descent is to take extra care in Ukraine because of racially motivated attacks. Panorama also filmed matches in fellow host-nation Poland, recording a chorus of anti-Semitic chanting and witnessing black football players enduring monkey chants from the terraces. Nick Lowles from the UK-based anti-racist monitoring group Hope Not Hate was also in Poland monitoring incidents of racism. He said that based on what he has seen, he was concerned for non-white fans travelling to support England at Euro 2012. "Increasingly the positive thing about English football are the number of black and Asian fans that have been travelling and supporting England. I am concerned that they will be targeted by racists and fascists and anti-Semites in Poland and in Ukraine." In Poland, Jonathan Ornstein of the Jewish Cultural Centre, said football hooligans in the country are stuck in the past. "The stuff going on at the football stadiums is atrocious and it's embarrassing and I think it embarrasses the whole country. I think that most Poles would agree with that," he said. Panorama's Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate, BBC One, Monday, 28 May at 20:30 BST and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18192375#TWEET151600
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Post by klr on May 28, 2012 7:32:49 GMT
When are the warnings & advice going to be issued for visitors coming to the London Olympics ?
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Post by Macmoish on May 28, 2012 7:41:58 GMT
Or Tom Lehrer's famed mid-1960s song re visiting the USA..
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Post by Jon Doeman on May 28, 2012 20:00:14 GMT
That Panorama programme was quite shocking.
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Post by maudesfishnchips on May 28, 2012 20:05:37 GMT
That Panorama programme was quite shocking. just watched it also jon the scence at the end with all those asian students getting beaten by those russian fans in a stadium with no one helping. cant see how fifa can allow these countries to hold these comps
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Post by klr on May 28, 2012 20:10:02 GMT
If there's one thing the English dont like its hypocrisy, Thank God the visitors to the London Olympics wont face problems like these!
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Post by dorsetqpr on May 28, 2012 20:13:32 GMT
Did any of you guys see this tonight? absolutely shocking.
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Post by kempton ranger on May 28, 2012 20:15:33 GMT
Panorama unbelievable , shocking!
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Post by Macmoish on May 28, 2012 20:16:54 GMT
No offense, I'm merging
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Post by klr on May 28, 2012 20:21:17 GMT
I'd take Lodz, Krakow, Kiev, Warsaw & Donetsk at 2am over London at 2am & it would take a special kind of hypocrite to disagree with that!
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Post by klr on May 28, 2012 20:24:25 GMT
Also Sol Campbells comment about "coming back home in a coffin" what was that all about ? was that really necessary ?
I'd be embarrassed if I was the editor of that programme, how did they leave that comment in ? odd!
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Post by RoryTheRanger on May 28, 2012 20:26:47 GMT
So you are saying we have it worse in this country?
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Post by klr on May 28, 2012 20:29:41 GMT
So you are saying we have it worse in this country? Much worse, 100 times worse violent crime than either Poland or The Ukraine, which is why I'm looking forward to the Panorama documentary on whether London is a safe city to host an event like The Olympics in.....................!
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Post by kempton ranger on May 28, 2012 20:30:37 GMT
No disrespect KLR but I certainly do not mix with people that behave like that and I have in all my years of going to football have never witnessed fascism on the terraces on that scale. I am not saying it has been totally eradicated at our stadia , but to have hundreds or even thousands chanting monkey noises or Nazi salutes is "shocking ".
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Post by Jon Doeman on May 28, 2012 20:33:04 GMT
I'll disrespect him, he's full of sh1t.
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Post by maudesfishnchips on May 28, 2012 20:34:19 GMT
So you are saying we have it worse in this country? Much worse, 100 times worse violent crime than either Poland or The Ukraine, which is why I'm looking forward to the Panorama documentary on whether London is a safe city to host an event like The Olympics in.....................! i think were talking about right wing extremists in a football stadium kicking the f*ck out of asians
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