Stop calling people idiots when you are the biggest one of them all.

When I went to see Melb Croatia play in it's last year of the NSL, the sequence of events went as follows.

I parked the car and walked towards to ticket gate, passing the social clubs full of Croatians with exclusive Croatian music.

I had to wait to pay for my ticket becuase the attendent was busy speaking speaking to someone else in Croation.

I enterered the ground and saw signage of Croatian gyprockers, two bob real estate agents and builders.

I was handed a calandar. And guess what. exclusively in Croatian.

People next to me, talking in Croatian.

So I sat to watch the game and then comes the ethnic chants including, Cro-art-tzi-ar, Cro-art-tzi-ar.

Yep. I felt really at home.

Now you shou go go home and fuck your father's donkey for telling you porkies.

Is that the same Bozza, a man of Croatian heritage, who was welcomed onto the board at Sydney Olympic? Surely with all this ethnic tension around no Greek club would ever have a man of Croatian heritage in a position of power?

If so, his point (made several times over the last couple of years) is that we aren't Greek or Croatian or Italian clubs anymore - we are Australian clubs.

Did bozza not say we're passed ethnic clubs we are australians first and foremost.

Ah, so, because you had issues at a game in the 80s, these problems MUST still exist in football today - because no one has moved forward in that time?

As for people speaking Croatian - I'd rather that than the fine example of English in your closing comment.

Edited by Benjamin: 14/4/2012 04:12:59 PM

Bosnich is the token non greek guy at olympic.

Read the names of board members and coaches and tell me they dont have a policy of 'keep things in the family'.

Bosnich is the token non greek guy at olympic.

Read the names of board members and coaches and tell me they dont have a policy of 'keep things in the family'.

I can't be 100% certain of this, but I'm pretty sure that if I had the time and was willing to invest the effort, I could get myself on to the board at SMFC - and I'm about as Greek as Bozza. Or would I just be a token?

Yeah I'm hoping to get on the board of Man United soon, just need to find the time and effort...

Who writes your jokes, and how long has he been on strike?

Soccer violence at Melbourne game

PM Archive - Monday, 7 May , 2001 00:00:00

Reporter: David Mark

MARK COLVIN: Australian soccer is in crisis again, and crowd violence is to blame. Last night's semi-final between the Melbourne Knights and Perth Glory - in Melbourne - ended in violence when Knights' supporters attacked some of the Perth players and a coach as they were leaving the ground.

Perth's coach Bernd Stange was injured. A security guard was knocked unconscious and a female Soccer Australia official was also attacked.

Last night's violence is just the latest in a long history of trouble involving Melbourne Knights fans. But Soccer Australia is attempting to play down the significance of another chapter of crowd violence.

David Mark reports.

DAVID MARK: Last night's match ended in a nil all draw, but it was events after the match that caused today's controversy.

It's alleged Melbourne's striker, Bobby Despotovski, made an offensive hand gesture to some of the Melbourne fans which incited the crowd.

Melbourne Knights general manager, Robert Herzic.

ROBERT HERZIC: What transpired was I think they were trying to get at a player in particular - and that one is Bobby Despotovski - for finger gestures that he was making to them during the course of the game, and in particular while he was being escorted from the changing rooms to the buses.

DAVID MARK: The alleged gesture was said to be offensive to the Croatian fans who make up a large percentage of the Knight supporter base.

Stephen Kamansz is the general manager of the National Soccer League.

STEPHEN KAMANSZ: We understand that some of the players and the coach were leaving the changing room after the game. They were set upon by a small group of allegedly Melbourne Knights supporters, and that at least one player and the coach were assaulted, and that a security guard was assaulted also. Beyond that, I, I really don't know.

DAVID MARK: The chairman of Perth Glory, Nick Tana, believes Despotovski has denied the allegations, but says the club will carry out its own investigation.

NICK TANA: My understanding is he spoke on radio. I, as I've said, I am not certain, but that is what . I've been told by third hand party. I haven't spoken to the player in regards to whether or not he did or did not make any gesture. No.

DAVID MARK: But you will be seeking to do so?

NICK TANNA: Definitely.

DAVID MARK: The National Soccer League will conduct an investigation into the matter which it hopes to complete by Wednesday.

The inquiry could result in disciplinary action being taken against either the Melbourne Knights or Despotovski.

UNIDENTIFIED: Now, as the chairman has said, I'm, I'm conducting an investigation. I hope to be in a position by tomorrow - it may be Wednesday - to provide all the information to the Board. What happens from there is a matter for the Board.

DAVID MARK: But at this stage Soccer Australia's Board won't be meeting until Saturday night - the same night of the rematch between Perth Glory and the Melbourne Knights. And so any disciplinary action most likely wouldn't take place until after the match.

Regardless of the outcome of the inquiry, it does seem that this event is a return to the ethnic violence that has beset Australian soccer in the past.

Many of the clubs in the National Soccer League were set up by various ethnic groups. The clubs' national allegiances have led to problems in the past, with supporters fighting each other, mirroring tensions in other parts of the world.

In the 90s Soccer Australia attempted to stamp out the problem by renaming the clubs. Thus Melbourne Croatia became the Knights, and South Melbourne Hellas dropped their Greek reference.

Even so, about half of the clubs in the NSL retained their ethnic supporter base. And as the weekend's incident shows, even clean skins - like the five-year-old Perth Glory, with no ethnic affiliations - can be involved in alleged racial incidents.

But Soccer Australia chairman, Tony Labozetta, says the incident isn't a return to the violence of the past.

TONY LABOZETTA: I think that we've gone away from that. As I've said this was an isolated case, and I cannot imagine - in my wildest dreams - that any such repercussions will happen again.

DAVID MARK: As part of the NSL's restructure, does Soccer Australia need to make sure that the clubs move further away from their allegiances with certain ethnic groups?

TONY LABOZETTA: I think it's always been said that a lot of the clubs are predominantly started from the ethnic background, but I think we've gone beyond that. I think that clubs today are well aware of their responsibilities, their need to broaden their base.

What is important is that what they have got should be their sort of foundation, but they need to branch out and they need to go beyond that. And I'm sure that most clubs are very, very clearly doing that at the moment, and we're here to support them in making sure that that happens

Since when are Greeks ethnic and nationalistic or political rivals of Croatians :lol:

Plus how many of those fans were non Greek or non Croatian :oops: