Lunacy
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 11:42AM Anyone read The Telegraph yesterday? Along with an article, they published photos released by the police of suspects they would like to question about indecent chanting at the Pompey v Spurs game from earlier this season. The police don't directly mention racial chanting. But the Telegraph ran the headline that these fans were allegedly singing racial abuse. All very much of a legal minefield. What are the police investigating exactly? Is it indecent (which I guess can be racial or possibly homophobic) or is it just racial?
The Telegraph are specific with their opinion on the subject. It's hard to prove either way simply because everyone has a different opinion on the meaning behind the words sang in the 'Sol Sol wherever you may be' chant. If someone is overtly racist, then good luck to the police and I hope they arrest and charge them. No place for it anywhere in life, and football fans should not be exempt from it at football grounds across the country. To be clear - I'm talking about racism, not ambiguous misinterpreted words.
All this publicity and police investigation is really down to one thing. Sol Campbell and his crusade. Two things, never separated, and co-existing as a singular pain in everyone's arse.
The amount of chants in football tinged with homophobic references is aplenty. Not right you might argue, but its common place. Ask Ashley Cole. Ask anyone. But has that been spoken about at all in the midst of all this as much as the alleged racist element?
Campbell has always banged on about all Spurs fans being racist and that's why they boo and abuse him. And that's it. That's the crux of it. His fragile ego can't cope, so he points his finger and rather mention the gay slurs (which, he should think about doing, or is it okay for fans to sing homophobic chants?) he decides that Spurs fans sing that 'Sol Sol' song because he's black and us Yids we hate the blacks. So lets get all KKK about it and sing about those pesky blacks but only when Campbell is playing and only mentioning Campbell's name. I guess we are the worst type of racists, the type that discriminate hypocritically by hating black Sol Campbell but loving black Ledley King. In fact the only black we hate is Campbell. White supremacy at it's very finest.
Have I made it sarcastically clear enough how ridiculous these accusations are?
Maybe 'indecent chanting' will cover off the homophobic chanting on the sly, and maybe Campbell has complained about this. Or maybe the authorities have jumped on the hype the media spun on the back of the original incident.
Again (and for the 1000th time), I'm not saying I like or have sang any of these songs. Its not my bag at all. And that other song sang by the idiot minority about Adebayor is overtly racist, but the idiots who sing it think its funny and probably don't have the brains to realise singing about washing elephants is a chant too far. I know for a fact that Spurs (stewards) have removed people for singing this during games. I've yet to hear Adebayor complain about it, but hope he does. Mido was subject to abuse recently also (again) and arrests have been made. This in particular warrants far more publicity than this Campbell carnival.
Hated for his colour - RedThe majority of Tottenham fans are way above all this and are far more simplistic with their honesty by calling Campbell a Judas or a c*nt. Which is our right to do, and before anyone gets all self-righteous about how 'you wouldn't expect to get away with calling someone a c*nt in the street so why would you expect to get away with it at a football match' - don't bother. Players except this as part and parcel of football. The day someone shouts out 'Ronaldo! I don't like you mate' is the day we slowly and gently lower football into a deep grave and shed a tear for our dear departed friend.
There's no need to put the hatred for Campbell into a fucking song. And the media and police and everyone else who want to slate Spurs fans over this should get that flux capacitor out of the bottom drawer and go back several years when Campbell played for Arsenal at WHL and got an incredible reception of abuse. No 'Sol Sol hanging from a tree' chants back then. Just your common working class mans screaming and shouting and swearing. And what does our very own Benedict Arnold do? He tells the press that the abuse was racially motivated. Had nothing to do with him walking from Spurs to Arsenal on a free and everything to do with race and colour of skin.
Fuck off mate. Just fuck the fuck off. Even the likes of Ian Wright along with one or two other ex-players don't see what Campbell appears to see.
He shat on the club, doesn't accept he did and doesn't understand why fans dislike him. If the minority of Spurs fans who are still obsessed with this non-entity had any self-respect they would just ignore him completely. Although I guess if they did that, Sol Campbell would actually believe we have forgiven him.
We live in such a PC world that anything like this will be scrutinised and exaggerated and people will be made an example of, even though other instances which are obviously racist are completely ignored - by police and the media - because they don't score highly in what they believe to be their own agendas and publicity ratings.
Maybe, the few who had their photos taken by the police at that Pompey game need to be 'sacrificed' so that it deters others from actually saying something truly racist, not questionable or subjective, but something that's blatantly black or white.
Reader Comments (15)
Campbell only sees and hears what he wants to see and hear. Thankfully, we don't get to see his mug all over the gossip colums anymore about who he fancies or who he's dating. I guess the publicity his PR team were churning out was far too random for anyone to care. Hollywood? Yeah ok whatever.
I think its says it all when fans and the media are trying to decipher the words from the lunacy song (is the hanging from a tree a reference to lynching or is it a nod to Judas?).
Does it even matter? I've had far far worse at football games and never read about it in the papers.
If we didn't sing it we wouldn't be talking about it. Its vile so we, minority or otherwise, will get it in the neck from the police/the club/media because it's open to interpretation and complaint.
'get it in the neck'
Tut tut.
I think this post on Glory Glory (from Clue Spur)sums it up just as well as Spookys:
While I must admit I find the song to be vile and am ashamed that we have even been associated with it, this whole witch-hunt makes my blood boil. I ain't defending the singing of this song and,I'm sorry, if you sing this then you need to grow up. But lets have some fucking perspective. Its offensive chanting - name calling - not murder, rape, burglary or even a minor assault.
Hearing them appealing on SSN for people to come forward with information while some poor sod who has not even been tried has his picture spashed across the national media is an utter fucking disgrace. I dont know whether to laugh or cry that in this seriously fucked up country you can bash a baby's head in, snap its spine and hold a hot iron on its ears and our wonderful judicial system decrees that the most important thing is that you can cower behind anonymity because after all, as a baby killer, what's important is that your civil liberties are protected at all costs. However, call someone a few names at a football match and heaven bid, we are coming after you and we're gonna bring in Big Brother and the full force of the national media to bring you down and spit you out the other end.
You know the best part of it? Some clown in a police uniform has even seen the irony of it all - they must have done surely - and decided to call this "Operation Decorum". Decorum?!?! Fucking Decorum?!?!
What next? Operation Improper Conduct? Operation Nasty Name? Operation Dog Plop on the Pavement? Operation Improper use of a doily at a social function? Operation failing to wipe your feet? Failing to remove a hat at the dinner table?
Operation Decorum? f@ck OFF!!!!
Lurker, I've replied to your email.
And yeah, that's a great post from Cule. Like I said, its a zany PC world we live in.
I'm loving how the police are asking Spurs fan who call them to say this is a waste of time to direct their complaints to Crimstoppers and when speaking to Crimestoppers they state we should be speaking to the police. Wonderful organisation there.
Sixteen people out of three thousand are being charged, so the word scapegoat comes to mind. Add to it the fact that the police have not stated 'racial' or 'homophobic', it seems obvious that if anyone is charged it will be for foul and abusive language. Its completely loopy that these sixteen are having their faces plastered everywhere for name calling at a football match.
Has Wenger ever complained about that song sang about him? What is seen (if not enjoyed) as banter aggressive or otherwise in a football ground its not something you can compare to real life normal society. Football is in a bubble, and not everything is right about it but goading is part of the mentality of the stands.
Leave it alone.
[quote] What are the police investigating exactly? Is it indecent (which I guess can be racial or possibly homophobic) or is it just racial? [/quote]
And the difference is?
Idecent appears to mean abusive and foul language. Racial is just that. My point was to illustrate how clouded the terms being thrown about are.
If the police felt they could charge these 16 successfully in court then they would state 'Racial' in their press statement. Either lawyers have told them not to or they have no intention of charging anyone with racist chanting.
I take it this is the same police that have members in the BNP...
Loved SSN coverage of this. Usual sensationalist knee jerk, completely one-sided perspective.
YAWN
If they've been caught singing on camera then they're screwed, regardless of the dynamics of what is perceived as being racist. As Spooky said, its got this much publicity because of Sol Campbell.
I can name several incidents that occur all the time that get completely ignored as banter, but then the argument will always be that the Campbell abuse is not banter.
I still want to know what part of the chant is meant to be homophobic? The HIV bit? Because last time I looked at the stats, straight people got HIV too. And whats worse, 'let him die' chants or wishing HIV on someone?
Ridiculous that the authorities and Campbell have as all debating such irreverent crap.
"He's big, he's black, he takes it up the crack" could be interpreted as both racist and homophobic, Shelf Side Warrior.
So out of 3000 only 16 have been filmed singing the song Anon just quoted and the lunacy chat? I'd say this, charge anyone singing the 'hes big, hes black' song. but its not exactly the worlds worst chant now is it? The fuss being kicked up is apparently about the lunacy song so we need to wait and see if anyone is charged with what singing that one. If they're not then legal it will mean the song isn't racist or homophobic.
Shame on the spurs fans singing the other one, and its a chant that I've never heard home and away before.
Time we gave it a rest.