Tottenham defeated West Ham 3-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday amid Anti-Semitic controversy in the stands. After losing four of their previous five matches, the Spurs were desperate for a victory. They saved their manager, Andre Villas-Boas, from increased criticism and further demands for his firing. Jermaine Defoe scored twice before Gareth Bale put the game out of reach with the third. West Ham added a late goal by Andy Carroll to make the match seem closer than it was. From the outset the result was never in doubt
The bigger story took place off of the field. Earlier this week, Spurs fans were attacked in Rome by a group of hooligans before the Europa League match between Tottenham and Lazio. They were attacked with knives, bottles, bricks, etc. It was suggested that anti-semitism was one of the main reasons for the attack as Tottenham is associated with a
large Jewish fan base in North London.
In what can be described as nothing less than a shocking lack of morality, and humanity, West Ham supporters sung in praise of Lazio and their fans just days after the attack. The situation deteriorated as several men were arrested for giving Hitler's Nazi salute. It only got worse from there as large groups sang "Adolf Hitler, he's coming for you"(Link below). In addition, it was reported that the West Ham supporters aimed large 'hssssss' sounds in unison towards the Tottenham supporters to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers. The English Football Association is launching a full scale investigation.
I am in shock. FIFA and UEFA have launched strong Anti-Racism campaigns in recent years, and they must take a strong stand. They must make an example out of this so that it does not happen again. West Ham F.C. already stated that they will find out who these people were and ban them for life from attending West Ham games. It is sad that we still see this in modern times. We are not talking about an area of the Middle East where this can be expected. This is England. They are one of the pillars of western civilization. How can citizens of the nation of Churchill and Wilberforce possibly sing songs in support of an assault on an innocent group of people or mimic the sounds of gas chambers where millions were slaughtered? It is sick and disturbing. If you watch the link below, you will discover that this was not one or two bad apples, but a large group. I could go on and on about how outrageous this story is, and that it reflects a breakdown of society because a small percentage of the population actually finds these actions acceptable, but I will stop here and let the video and audio speak for itself.
The West Ham supporters in the crowd at White Hart Lane embarrassed and humiliated not only themselves, but their club, their league, their country, and the sport.
By Jeff Graceffo
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4665942/FA-set-to-probe-West-Ham-after-anti-Semetic-chants.html
You Tube clip of the salute
Audio from a reporter from The Telegraph in London
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