Scottish government to fight football racism

by

Scottish government to fight football racism Recent proposals that have been drafted by the Scottish government to reduce the amount of racism that is seen at football matches will be put into law. Initially, the draft received quite a number of complaints where people were saying that it would be impractical to enforce the new law; however, the government has rejected these claims and will go ahead with implementation on Wednesday.

The bill is known as the offensive behaviour bill and will be easily passed because of the majority the Scottish National party hold in parliament. It has become unpopular with opposition parties but this does not matter for the government who intend to pass the law whether they approval or not. There is also criticism coming from other bodies such as the football clubs themselves and the Church of Scotland.

The police have welcomed the new law and it will allow them to arrest people for inciting racial hatred. The law extends from public spaces to the internet and the maximum sentence is five years in prison. The bill covers many areas, including all public places, pubs and football grounds. The bill was drafted because there was an increasing problem with football violence in Scotland and last year there were several bombs sent to Celtic fans.

Recently, Celtic have been fined because their fans sung songs that were pro IRA at a football match. Another Scottish club was recently banned from attending a European match because their supporters were known for racial attacks.

Roseanna Cunningham is the community safety Minister for Scotland and she has commented, “The situation with this kind of football violence in Scotland has got out of control and we had to do something about it. It was either we sit by and let this kind of bigotry thrive or we take action and introduce a law to let people know that it will never be tolerated.”

Many of the critics of the new law have said that it would be more effective to enforce existing laws more strictly. Other critics have said that it is confusing and too vague to have any effect. Scotland’s first Minister is Alex Salmond and he has resisted strong pressure to get rid of the bill, and has said that it is essential in tackling the most serious social problems that are found in Scotland.

While many football fans are protesting against the passing of the bill the popularity of the Scottish National Party has not fallen and a recent poll has suggested that support is at over 50%, compared with a 25% figure for Labour.

Alison McInnes is the justice spokeswoman for the Scottish Liberal Democrat party and she has commented, “The government are introducing two significant new laws without a consensus among parties. Worse than this, they are unable to answer basic questions about the enforcement of the law and why it is needed, I’m very concerned that this is going to have a negative impact on freedom of speech in Scotland.”

 

Gary Speed tributes across the country

by

Gary Speed tributes across the country The Welsh manager, Gary Speed, died recently and the nation are still trying to come to grips with the death of this footballing legend. Across the UK last weekend hundreds of thousands of people paid tribute to the player and there were many emotional scenes. He was recently found dead aged only 42.

At the Leeds United football ground a tribute was held to the player on Saturday afternoon and tens of thousands of fans came to pay tribute. They were joined by Louise Speed, his widow and their two sons.

At the football ground a huge number of tributes to Speed have been placed around the statue of Leeds legend Billy Bremner. During halftime, Louise speed came out onto the pitch to inspect the tributes made to her husband.

A montage was also shown which highlighted some of the finest moments that Speed had while playing for Leeds, the club where his first professional contract which he signed in 1988.

In Newcastle, at St James’s Park, there were also scenes of remembrance and there was a great deal of celebration and clapping before the match kicked off to remember the player. The memorial was actually delayed because Mrs Speed said that she wanted to come to the ground to thank all the fans before the match began.

David Moyes is the manager of Everton and he has recently commented about Speed’s death, “He was a true gentleman of the game and his death is truly a sad loss for football.” Gareth Dale, a Welsh player for Tottenham Hotspur has paid tribute to Speed by stitching, ‘RIP Gary Speed’ onto the side of his boot. All across the UK flowers, scarves and football shirts have been left at stadiums to remember the player.

Socrates Brazilian football legend dies

by

Socrates Brazilian football legend dies Socrates, the Brazilian football player recently died aged 57 and the whole of Brazil are mourning his death. He died on Sunday night due to an intestinal infection which led to septic shock. In his later life he also became a political activist. His agent has announced that he had recently been suffering from complications associated with him having cirrhosis of the liver.

It is well-known that the player was suffering with an addiction to cigarettes and alcohol. His agent has said, “He was in hospital three times before he eventually confronted his addictions and saw his recovery as a chance to fight them however, ultimately, he was unable to.”

During the military dictatorship which gripped Brazil he was known as a fighter for democracy and had a strong intellect. As well as being a football player he was also a qualified doctor and is still regarded by FIFA is one of the hundred greatest players to have ever played the game.

He has played in two World Cup finals in his career, which did not start until he was 24, which is an unusually late age to join professional football. Over his career, he scored over 300 goals which made him an international football legend.

Recently a tribute to the player took the form of  a minute’s silence being held at a football match in Brazil. Members of the audience raised their fists up to the sky, in a way that the player used to when he was victorious on the field.

In an interview earlier  in the year, which he conducted from hospital, he admitted how he was struggling with an addiction to alcohol and said that he was finding it impossible to quit. He also commented how his tolerance to alcohol was massive and this led to him drinking much more.

Developing football stars of the future

by

Developing football stars of the future The performance that England put on at Euro 2012 is going to influence the amount of money the FA can spend when developing football stars of the future. The continuing recession is said to be damaging the grassroots football. This week the football Association is set to release its national game strategy which is going to deal with how the sport is run until 2015.

The report is going to outline how football is being affected by the state of the economy. It is not all bad news in the report though as it is expected to show that the amount of racism being seen at football games has fallen significantly. It is also expected that the event which is taking place in the Ukraine and Poland next summer is going to bring in a great deal of revenue for the FA. They have stated that many people are going to be spending money on tickets as well as merchandising.

The head of the FA is Kelly Simmons who has commented, “We are going to see more money brought in if England do well and this will be reinvested back into the game. The FA is a non-profit organisation and we generate money from events such as Euro 2012. We also very much hope that the event is going to bring more attention to football in the UK and bring in economic boost to the sport.”

The FA have also said they are concerned about facilities in the UK falling into disrepair because money is being spent in other areas and sports are often one of the first parts of the budget to be cut. They’ve also said that sports facilities in the UK could learn something from their European counterparts. Other countries in Europe are generally better at creating sports facilities that cater to many sports, this offers great cost savings and allows for higher quality facilities, although less of them.

About the government the FA have commented, “They could definitely do more for the sport and offer greater protection for sports facilities. We understand that there is a lot of pressure on them right now and playing fields don’t seem so important, but sport, and particularly football, is an important part of our culture, and many cities lack adequate facilities.” Research by the FA has shown that the number one issue in the sport is dissent and a near 60% improvement has been seen in this area.

 

Gary Speed suicide shocks football and beyond

by

Gary Speed suicide shocks football and beyond Gary Speed had already insured a legacy as one of his generation’s finest players. As the manager of the Welsh side he had only really just begun his task and it this has ended all too soon. Speed began his career when the Premier League was just starting and he quickly became an icon in the sport and one of the best players in English football. He played for Everton, Bolton, Leeds, and Newcastle.

After playing for these sides he went on to play at Sheffield United eventually accepting a job managing the team. After this he became manager of Wales, the country which he is from. During the time the Speed was in charge of the Welsh national side saw great improvements, and this is something that all teams that were managed by Mr Speed benefited from. He has recently died aged 42 and he is survived by his wife and two sons.

Gary Speed was born in 1969 in Mancot and eventually moved to Leeds when he was given a professional football contract. He played midfield at the side and his fellow players had a big influence on his game. He was known for being a professional and had a great focus on the sport. Despite early promise and excellent playing during his career he only won cups during the start of his career which was a surprise to many people who watched him play.

As he continued to play the sports it seemed that age did not affected his game and even late in his career he was seen playing in several FA Cup finals although unfortunately these were lost to Manchester United and Arsenal. He was also on the side that reached the Champions League final in 2003. All of this occurred while he was playing for Newcastle.

He was the first football player to ever have appeared in 500 Premier league games and he achieved this in 2006. After this he accepted a position as the coach at Bolton that he decided he wanted to return to play the game in 2008 where he played for Sheffield United. After a while he took the position of managing the club.

When he took over the lead position at Wales he showed himself to be a bold and forwardthinking leader and appointed Aaron Ramsey as the captain of the side – despite only being 20 years old. The side also had very few footballing stars but he still managed to turn the side around after a disappointing start. Craig Bellamy and Gareth Dale were some of the stars that he empowered on the team and he relied on them to bring Wales’s victory.

His death was announced by the football Association of Wales on the weekend and has been met in the footballing community with great shock and sympathy. In recent matches his team had been very successful having won five out of the last seven matches. One of the most impressive victories was over Norway where the Welsh team beat them by four goals to one. Wales had been climbing up in the FIFA rankings at a great pace and it is hoped that whoever takes over as manager of the team will be able to continue the great work that Gary Speed has brought to the side.