Albania players 'bruised and bloodied' by Serbia violence

[Twila]

You know what I find odd?

Soccer players=excel at fake injuries during the game.

Soccer spectators=excel at causing real injuries in brawls because of the game.

Jeebus creepus, you're on to something there...

 

[SLM]

Jeebus creepus, you're on to something there...

Just a peculiarity I've picked up on.....

lol.

 

[coldstream]

The Balkans.. they've been at it centuries.. only a thin veneer of cooperative sensibility has covered the old bloody tribalism and xenophobia. At least this was on a soccer pitch.. and somewhat manageable venue.. instead of the mass gaves of the wars of the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 90s.

 

[Sal]

The Balkans.. they've been at it centuries.. only a thin veneer of cooperative sensibility has covered the old bloody tribalism and xenophobia. At least this was on a soccer pitch.. and somewhat manageable venue.. instead of the mass gaves of the wars of the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 90s.

okay, you're scaring me...this is the second post you've made that I agree with in under a week...usually we perceive things quite differently...

 

[Blackleaf]

Still doesn't explain why soccer/football fans are prone to hooliganizm. I'd understand why hockey could produce hooligans given the level of violence IN hockey but there have been no deaths due to hockey riots.

Football riots are ridiculously common and LOTS of people have died in those riots.

Just so we're clear, I'm not disparaging football. I'm wondering what's wrong with the fans.

Hockey on ice is a minor sport with a minority following on this planet. It is taken seriously by hardly anybody; just a few weirdos.

Football, however, is by far the world's most popular team sport. It is played by 250 million players in all but six of the world's countries. In fact, FIFA has more members (208 ) than both the IOC (almost twice as many as the IOC) and the UN have, whereas the IIHF has just 73 members.

The fact that there are a fair amount of cases of football riots and hooliganism is more to do with the sheer numbers of football fans around the world than the supposed violent nature of football fans. There are hundreds and hundreds of millions of them in every continent - even Antarctica (because you know, as well as I do, that the vast majority of those scientists in Antarctica would prefer to watch football on their tellies than any of the silly sports you lot play) - so there are bound to be a lot of cases of football fans being violent, especially when playing deadly rivals. Had silly hockey on ice been the world's foremost team sport; had 250 million players worldwide; and its governing body had more members than the UN, then we'd be reading about many, many cases of violent ice hockey fans around the world.

When a sport has the vast majority of humanity supporting it (I mean, even African tribes, almost untouched by humanity, have been seen wearing Manchester United shirts), it is bound to have a lot thuggish followers. Sheer numbers dictates it. It just highlights how popular the Beautiful Game is.

 

[coldstream]

okay, you're scaring me...this is the second post you've made that I agree with in under a week...usually we perceive things quite differently...

I actually know almost no one who agrees with me with any kind of consistency.. i just kind of intersect with other trajectories of opinion occasionally. Actually i like to think there isn't a person in world on which i can't agree with something.. although this hypothesis has been tested now and again.

 

[Cannuck]

Hockey on ice is a minor sport with a minority following on this planet. It is taken seriously by hardly anybody; just a few weirdos.

Football, however, is by far the world's most popular team sport. It is played by 250 million players in all but six of the world's countries. In fact, FIFA has more members (208 ) than both the IOC (almost twice as many as the IOC) and the UN have, whereas the IIHF has just 73 members.....

When a sport has the vast majority of humanity supporting it .....

If you equate popularity with quality, you must think Justin Bieber is just the bees knees.