Latest news with #NoToRacism
The Irish Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Former Tottenham wonderkid breaks down in tears after being ‘racially abused' in Champions League clash
EX-TOTTENHAM star Aramide Oteh was the victim of sickening racist abuse during a Champions League qualifier, his club have claimed. Welsh football club The New Saints released a statement on social media condemning alleged racist abuse against Oteh by a member of the home crowd during their game against KF Shkëndija. 1 The New Saints star Aramide Oteh was left in tears after alleged racist abuse Credit: Alamy The club's coach, Craig Harrison, also claimed the 26-year-old striker was left in tears at the abuse. The North Macedonia-based outfit beat The New Saints 2-1 after extra time to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory in the first qualifying round of the Champions League. However, The New Saints have released a damning statement against a fan placed in the home end of the 3,000-strong crowd at the Tetovo City Stadium. The statement read: "The New Saints FC strongly and unequivocally condemn the racist abuse directed at Aramide Oteh by a member of the home crowd following the conclusion of tonight's UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match against KF Shkëndija. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL "There is absolutely no place for racism - either in football or in society. "Everyone at the club is offering their full support to Aramide and stand firmly by him." "The New Saints are proud to support UEFA's #NoToRacism campaign and remain committed to promoting equality, respect, and inclusion both on and off the pitch." SunSport have contacted Uefa and Shkëndija for comment on the matter. Most read in Football Speaking after the game, Harrison added: "He is in tears - that doesn't happen for no reason. It's clearly what's been said and done. Obviously that's unacceptable. We will be reporting that. Crystal Palace legend Geoff Thomas slams Uefa for denying them a Europa League place "For a fan to speak to anybody like that is an absolute disgrace and let's hope the culprit gets a fair punishment and is dealt with." Oteh, originally from Lee in South London, came on as a late substitute in the clash. Having come through the academy at Tottenham, whom he joined aged eight, he eventually left the club at the age of 18. From there, he joined Queens Park Rangers, going on to make 17 first-team appearances and scoring once. He went on to loan to Walsall, Bradford, Stevenage and Oteh left QPR permanently in 2021 to join Salford on a short-term deal. Crawley were next, with Oteh scoring his first goal for the club in their first-ever win over Harrogate. In 2023, he then returned to Walsall before winding up at TNS a year later. Defeat for the Saints means they have dropped into the qualifiers for the Conference League, where they will face Luxembourg's Differdange.
Mail & Guardian
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Mail & Guardian
In a world of hate, leverage sports to combat it
Nelson Mandela and South Africa's 1995 rugby World Cup promoted unity in newly democratic South Africa. Amid world news about the Israel-Iran nuclear conflict and genocide in Gaza, the Fifa World Cup is taking place in the US. Part of this international tournament was a game on 22 June between Spanish football side Real Madrid and Mexican side Pachuca. During it, the world witnessed two incidents associated with hate speech. The highlights of the game were not limited to terrific goal scoring but also involved an official display of the global No To Racism campaign at the stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina — a critical communication in a world of hate. An anti-racism video was clearly against discrimination and hate in commemoration of The International day for Countering Hate Speech that happens every 18 June. In July 2021 the United Nations General assembly declared against hate speech after concerns were raised over the exponential spread and proliferation of hate speech. The UN defines hate speech as 'an offensive discourse targeting a group or an individual based on inherent characteristics such as race, religion or gender that psychologically affects one's social peace and dignity'. Hate speech is any kind of communication whether it be spoken, written and broadcast through mediums such as film, videos, social media that attacks or uses discriminatory language with reference to a person or group on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, descent and gender. Unfortunately, hate speech in the form of racism still persists in this age of globalisation, even in the Real Madrid and Pachuna game when Antonio Rudiger was targeted. Prejudice, misconceptions, indoctrination, ideological indifferences and intolerance are the sources of such racial hostility, violence and discrimination. Hate speech is also expressed through direct oral verbal attack, cartoons, memes, objects, gestures, images and symbols towards a targeted individual or group. For instance, in European leagues ripe bananas have been thrown at black soccer players like Samuel Eto, Vinicius Junior, Kolo Toure Neymar and Dani Alaves among others. Hate speech can spill into chronic hatred with devastating effects leading to civil unrest, refugees, insecurities and a genocide as it was in Rwanda. 'No one is born hating another person because of his skin, or his background or his religion. If people must learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite,' Nelson Mandela stated. We can leverage sports as a unifying factor to combat racism. If anyone has ever shown the world that sports can unite the world it was Mandela. In 1995, the Rugby World Cup united black and white people under the slogan 'One team, one country' in support of the Springboks who defeated New Zealand. Sports is critical in curbing racial hatred and hate speech through continuous global awareness campaigns in tournaments such as the Fifa World Cup and the Olympics. The 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup in Australia strongly advocated for inclusion. Captains' armbands stated 'One love'. During this 2025 Fifa Club World Cup, there were non-discrimination signs and a N o to Racism video featuring sports superstars like Vinicius, Sergio Ramos, Edinson Cavani and Pep Guardiola. Sports teams can advance friendly charity games for inclusivity and diversity through showcasing different cultures, values, perspectives and backgrounds. Through sport, well-known athletes and coaches can advance respectful conduct and condemn hateful rhetoric. For example, Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso came firmly out to support Antonio Rudiger after his reaction towards a Pachuna player that allegedly subjected him to racial abuse. Standing up against hate speech can be risky but Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior has demonstrated that racism can be opposed even if you face a backlash. In this age of the internet, hate speech is spreading like wild fire through online platforms. Athletes and sports teams can use their social media handles to counter it with messages of unity, inclusivity and respect. The partnership between Fifa and the UN Refugee Agency should serve as an example of collaboration, which should take place at all levels from civil societies to governments in combating hate speech and promoting unity, cohesion and co-existence. Other efforts can include sensitising and equipping community leaders with sufficient knowledge and skills to identify and counteract hate speech. Promoting intercultural dialogues and interreligious forums are equally vital to countering bigotry. Sports can be a reliable cornerstone in combating hate speech in line with international human rights law and without infringing on rights and freedom of expression. In a world of hate, whether chess, basketball, cricket, hockey, tennis, rugby and football, sport has the power to counter xenophobia, racism and all forms of discrimination to secure and peaceful world for all. Robert Kigongo is a peace negotiator and a sustainable development analyst.
Irish Examiner
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Alexander-Arnold feels heat on Real Madrid debut as Al-Hilal make Club World Cup point
Real Madrid 1-1 Al-Hilal (G García 34', Neves 41' pen) Xabi Alonso said in the buildup he was going to 'ignite' his players at this Club World Cup, that Real Madrid were ready to rock'n'roll. In the event this was something more downbeat in Miami, 90 minutes of pub-rock, at times even a meandering shoe-gaze as a well-drilled Al-Hilal kept the new-era Madrid at arm's length. Madrid had a chance to win it at the death, but Federico Valverde missed a dubiously awarded 92nd-minute penalty. A 1-1 draw felt fair at the end of a Group H opener that flickered but never caught fire. 'We don't expect the team to work perfectly on the first day,' a phlegmatic Alonso said. 'But we weren't frustrated. We need to do things differently, to correct a few details. We saw a good reaction in the second half. It has only been nine days and three training sessions.' As expected the Hard Rock was a sun-dappled sea of white at kick-off, Madrid the greatest portable source of eyeball-power at this made-for-TV show. The club announced before the game that they had sold 60,000 tickets for this 65,000 capacity stadium, which seems a little hard on Al-Hilal, who are owned by the Saudi government and as a result are basically paying for the whole show. So, thanks for that. It was another strange day at the mothership of all strange footballing events. Most obviously the game kicked off at 3pm local time in mid-June, when just trying to cross the road in South Florida is likely to induce a state of sock-soaking dehydration, and trying to run is like hurling yourself headfirst into the heart of the sun dressed in a fleece bodysuit and thermal slipper socks. In other staging news, Fifa revived its No To Racism messaging, running a short video to that effect on the big screen before kick-off. It felt like a clear response to suggestions it has once again kowtowed to the nearest authoritarian leader by watering down its message to Football Unites The World, which has the added drawback of being demonstrably incorrect. It also felt like pre-emptive PR opportunism. Vinícius Junior, who started here, is the most vocal anti-racism campaigner in La Liga. Alonso also said before the match that Madrid needed 'closure with the past'. Good luck with that one. Madrid feasts on the past. But he picked a fresh-looking team, with the re-branded 'Trent' making his debut alongside fellow newbie Dean Huijsen, and 21-year-old Gonzalo García at the point of the attack. Kylian Mbappé was absent with a fever, possibly even the strain of football fever Gianni Infantino has claimed is sweeping the US, albeit in asymptomatic form judging by the world beyond the stadiums. So we got to see Trent Alexander-Arnold for the first time in match-day kit, a familiar shambling, bandy-legged figure, starting at right-back in a regulation 4-3-3. But it was Al-Hilal who almost opened the scoring after two minutes, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's drive drawing a save from Thibaut Courtois. And with 13 minutes gone Marcos Leonardo really should have scored for Al-Hilal, deflecting a mis-hit shot just wide. Vinícius was booked for the crime of evading a potential Kalidou Koulibaly shin-raker. Alexander-Arnold gave the ball away a few times, most notably before a break that ended with the ball in the Madrid net, only to be rescued by an offside flag. Alonso had spoken a lot about the need for Jude Bellingham to be 'in the right position'. At times in the opening half hour Madrid had little to offer beyond his roving note of menace. But they scored after 34 minutes from a break the length of the pitch, started by Alexander-Arnold winning a challenge outside his own box. The ball was shuttled through midfield to Rodrygo on the right. His cross was perfectly curved into the path of García. The finish bobbled off one foot on to the other, the end result a dink into the net. So the age of Alonso had its first goal. But it conceded its first seven minutes later after Raul Asencio gave away a needless penalty, wrapping an arm around Leonardo as he veered away. Rúben Neves buried the kick. Arda Guler came on for Asencio at half-time, Aurélien Tchouaméni dropping into the back four. And Guler immediately hit the bar, before García drew a goalline reflex save from Yassine Bounou as Al-Hilal lived, briefly, on the edge. Bellingham showed some drive on the right. He wandered to the left. He gestured at his teammates. Madrid dominated possession for a while, playing in the merciful shade of the Hard Rock's vast wedding cake roof. Alexander-Arnold came off after 65 minutes of a so-so, occasionally bright debut. The game became a little sluggish and fretful in temperatures that never strayed below a brutally humid 90 degrees. Al-Hilal might have taken the lead after Lucas Vázquez gave the ball away, but Leonardo clumped his finish over the bar with pond-wader finesse. And at the death it seemed Madrid might produce a classic late assertion of their Darwinian right to victory as they were awarded a very soft VAR-reviewed penalty. Valverde's kick was saved. It felt like justice for a spunky Al-Hilal. Guardian
