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Mark van Bommel looks on as his Dutch teammates move the posts to the other side of the pitch to avoid chanting. Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP/Press Association Images

UEFA aware of racist incidents, no Dutch complaint

“We all heard the monkey chants,” Dutch skipper Mark van Bommel said. “We can’t accept that. We reacted well and the situation was sorted.”

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL GOVERNING body UEFA today said that it was now aware of racist incidents at the Netherlands’ public training session this week but it had not yet received an official complaint from the Dutch.

“UEFA has now been made aware that there were some isolated incidents of racist chanting that occurred at the open training sessions of the Dutch team (on Wednesday) in Krakow,” it said in a statement.

“UEFA has not yet received any formal complaint from the KNVB (Dutch football federation).”

Dutch skipper Mark van Bommel was quoted as saying in an interview published in De Telegraaf that the Oranje heard racist chanting from some of the estimated 25,000 fans who turned up to watch them train at the stadium in southern Poland.

“We all heard the monkey chants,” he told the newspaper. “We can’t accept that. We reacted well and the situation was sorted.”

“If any of us is targetted by monkey chants during our matches we won’t accept it. If we hear anything like that during a game, I’ll immediately go to the referee to ask him to intervene.”

Van Bommel, who has left AC Milan for PSV Eindhoven, was also seething at the UEFA representatives who were at the training session and claimed they had heard nothing.

“Open your ears. If you hear the chants but you don’t wish to say you heard them, that is even worse,” he said.

De Telegraaf previously reported that a handful of spectators had made monkey noises at the side’s black players during the warm-up, forcing the squad to train away from fans.

A senior UEFA official had told AFP that some Polish supporters were unhappy at Krakow not being made one of the four Polish host cities for the tournament and made themselves heard. UEFA’s statement stops short of launching any investigation into the incident, which was reportedly short-lived, but it threatened to take action if there were any repeat.

“Should such behaviour happen at further training sessions, UEFA would evaluate the operational measures to be taken to protect the players,” its statement said, without elaborating.

“UEFA has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to discriminatory behaviour and has given the power to referees to stop matches in case of any repeated racist behaviour.”

- © AFP, 2012

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    Mute Imran Ali
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    Jun 8th 2012, 12:12 PM

    Fckin animals ruining it for everyone

    94
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    Mute B7584
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    Jun 8th 2012, 12:12 PM

    Hope the Euros arent remembered for this sort of stuff.

    79
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    Mute Kevin Mac E
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    Jun 8th 2012, 12:27 PM

    typical spineless uefa

    61
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    Mute Eamonn Connaghan
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    Jun 8th 2012, 12:23 PM

    Small minded morans. They should be banned from attending any matches.

    59
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    Mute Mensah Mensah
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    Jun 8th 2012, 12:53 PM

    I heard fifa/ueafa is trying hard to kick racism out of soccer…why did you game a country with a history like that to host a tournament…thats screw up…
    Money talks i will say..

    35
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    Mute Fsed Desf
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    Jun 8th 2012, 2:49 PM

    What you mean by ” a country with such a history ” ? Are you racist ?

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    Mute Mensah Mensah
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    Jun 8th 2012, 4:09 PM

    So mr fedex are you saying is ok for football fans to chant names and abuse players,poland and ukraine are not racist countries but the football fans are a disgrace to the countries…

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    Mute Peter 66
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    Jun 8th 2012, 12:57 PM

    Get the testicle biting dogs in amongst the nobs.

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jun 8th 2012, 3:10 PM

    They obviously didn’t see the series that Ross Kemp did on football hooligans a couple of years ago. In Ukraine it’s even worse and I’m afraid that this whole event could be marred by hooliganism and some blatant corruption in Ukraine. I’m no great follower of soccer or rugby but I always give a wry smile when I see rugby fans having a beer and while watching the game and then socialising with the opposing team afterwards. Try doing that with soccer and you would get a full scale riot!

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    Mute Martin Grehan
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    Jun 8th 2012, 2:31 PM

    I’d imagine that someone will have to die before Uefa or Fifa act. All they care about is money. They come out now and admit there’s a potentially huge issue with racism at this tournament and sponsors walk, with their money of course. And we couldn’t be having that :)

    15
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    Mute cavanbythesea
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    Jun 8th 2012, 2:23 PM

    I suspect the ultras will relish these opportunities to spread their hate… Will take a team to walk off the pitch to make uefa act …

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    Mute toorkeel
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    Jun 8th 2012, 2:39 PM

    Hear no evil, see no evil. UEFA unfortunately could seriously regret holding the tournament in Poland/Ukraine. Wait until Poland play Russia, there will be blood on the streets, no question. This could be the biggest own goal in UEFAs history.

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jun 8th 2012, 3:17 PM

    BBC Panorama did a documentary on hooligans in Ukraine a couple of weeks back that showed training camps where they were taught hand to hand combat and how to use knives. You also have to factor in that most of these thugs have at least one years compulsory military service behind them. Throw in some not so distant history and I would say that your assessment of blood on the streets will be borne out. If I was a local I’d board up my house and head for the hills sharpish.

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    Mute toorkeel
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    Jun 8th 2012, 4:17 PM

    @Brian Ward. I saw it, frightening. Also reportedly, Polish hooligans have made a pact with their Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian counterparts at a “meeting” in Gdansk to join forces to take on the Russians and Germans for “historical” reasons. The football could be a sideshow yet.

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jun 8th 2012, 3:02 PM

    This is just the beginning. Get ready for the Daily Hate british media going nuts everyday of the euros. They will bring up and make up all sorts of stuff. They have got their teeth in to this now and they wont let go. Anyway ‘kick racism out of football’. Sickening this continues to go on. Uneducated minority of moronic pigs trying to ruin everything.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Jun 8th 2012, 3:03 PM

    Perhaps you could show the way by not hating on the British.

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jun 8th 2012, 3:30 PM

    I dont hate the brittish just their media.

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jun 8th 2012, 4:13 PM

    To be fair it’s not like English fans have covered themselves in glory over the years. The police have already issued 2,000+ travel ban orders to stop potential hooligans travelling. Even though it’s only a small minority they tarnish their nation and the true English fans with their racist chants and violence. Begrudgy is right in saying that the British press will make the most of it, it will sell newspapers and that is all that they are interested in.

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    Mute Edyta Mariusz OlszakBocian
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    Jun 8th 2012, 2:39 PM

    last week one of the major television stations showed an interesting documentary about the stadiums for Euro 2012 could it be another of GREAT JOB…

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    Mute Cian Smith
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    Jun 8th 2012, 3:32 PM

    damocles he said brittish media not brittish people there is a huge difference..

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    Mute Gavin McGuinness
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    Jun 8th 2012, 6:30 PM

    I think we all expected this. Surprise, surprise, the local police are too busy talking smack about the English fans and not doing enough to discipline the local crowd.

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    Mute Michael J Hartnett
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    Jun 8th 2012, 6:35 PM

    Gavin with all due respect I think the Irish would be better on their own. I know I will be accused of stereo typing but the English fans record speaks for itself.

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    Mute Dave
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    Jun 8th 2012, 11:10 PM

    The hooligan groups have said England are also targets. So wear the Green jersey lads!

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    Mute Michael J Hartnett
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    Jun 8th 2012, 6:07 PM

    This for me is the biggest worry for Irish fans. They have been called legitimate targets by polish football firms. I urge all fans going to Poland to be careful. It is not safe there.

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    Mute Gavin McGuinness
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    Jun 8th 2012, 6:31 PM

    Stick together. Not only with the Irish crowd but with the English.

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    Mute John F
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    Jun 9th 2012, 1:49 AM

    Damn Crackers!!!!

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    Mute John
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    Jun 8th 2012, 8:34 PM

    Poland and Ukraine need diversity. Diversity will enrich there lives and make them more tolerant. White people are just so backwards. Ukraine and Poland, whether they like it or not, are going to become multi-racial countries. There is nothing they can do to stop it. It will make them better people and improve their countries.

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    Mute toorkeel
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    Jun 8th 2012, 9:36 PM

    Interesting logic. Funny, if your post was in reverse it could be deemed as “racist” by the “right on” brigade. I dont think diversity will honestly solve this problem. They are unfortunately where the rest of European Football was in the 70s/80s so they are a long way off addressing the problem by my calculations…

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