Top Socialist sacked for saying French football team is 'too black'

[T_i_B]

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2000345,00.html

The racial composition of France's national football team burst back into the country's troubled politics yesterday when the Socialist Party expelled one of its leading members for saying there were 'too many black players' in the side.

Adding fresh woes to the presidential ambitions of party leader Segolene Royal, Georges Freche, president of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, a founding member of the party and a Royal supporter, was thrown out for comments made in November.

Freche was reported complaining at a local political meeting that nine out of the 11 members of the national team were black. 'I am ashamed for this country. Soon there will be 11 blacks,' the Midi-Libre newspaper quoted him as saying. Royal backed his expulsion. The row over Freche's racist comments have come as she faces criticism for a series of mistakes on foreign and domestic issues.

The decision was made at a meeting of members of a commission set up to resolve internal party disputes. 'If he had not said what he said, we would all be in a much more agreeable situation,' said Patrick Mennucci, deputy director of Royal's campaign. 'The situation is very unpleasant and the Socialist Party cannot continue to have someone who makes comments of this sort in its ranks. 'Freches was also fined £10,000 by a French court on Thursday for having called Algerians who fought alongside the French in Algeria's war of independence 'sub-human'.

[Kutjara]

1. Freche needs to refresh his understanding of the world "socialist."

It doesn't mean "equality and justice for all, as long as they're white."

Perhaps he'd be more comfortable in Jean Marie le Pen's party.

[TheBaldyMan]

2. who cares what colour they are, as long as they can play football - Freche is a twit

Besides that the other two are probably Algerian-French.

Honestly I'd be over the Moon if Henri or Zidane were Scottish (or Platini for that matter). They all played sublime, delightful footy. Anyone griping about what colour a footballer is can't be much of a fan of the beautiful game. Either that or a damn fool!

[T_i_B]

3. "Anyone griping about what colour a footballer is can't be much of a fan of the beautiful game"

Well there's the thing. Despite all the talk about what football fans are like the fact remains that if a player does well for the team, the supporters will get behind them, regardless of race of religion or what have you.

A good example is Freddy Eastwood. Most people in the South of Essex tend to dislike travellers but despite this Freddy is still the local hero and doesn't get the pikey-bashing that he would otherwise, becuase of what he's done for Southend United.

[Kutjara]

9. Are you in Essex? If so, whereabouts?

My wife is an Essex girl, so she's prompted me to ask. :)

[T_i_B]

12. Colchester...

The other side of Essex from Southend. I was last at roots Hall in September to watch a 0-0 draw between Southend United and my team (Sheffield Wednesday, I'm from that neck of the woods originally you see).

[Kutjara]

16. Ahh. My wife is from glorious Canvey Island.

"The Jewel of the Estuary'" as their tourist office would have you believe. I call it "The Polyp on the Canal," but only when my wife is out of earshot.

Colchester is a much nicer part of the county entirely.

[Hav]

4. .

What an idiot. They almost win the World Cup and he is ashamed...idiot.

[BlueManDude]

5. Thierry Henry is a national treasure and a...

crusader against racism in football.

[brentspeak]

6. For clarification: "Football" in this article refers to soccer, not gridiron football

[Kutjara]

10. Yes, it refers to the form of football in which the players use their feet...

...rather than the form that's predominantly about using hands. I guess the term "handball" was already taken. :hide:

[brentspeak]

13. Both forms of football take their name because they're games...

which are played on foot, as opposed to on horseback. American football is a variation of rugby football (rugby's full name).

[TheBaldyMan]

18. Dear Brentspeak, it is Association Football rather than 'soccer'

[Blue_Tires]

7. shameful

I actually rooted for France once they got past the quarterfinals because I was so tired of all the so-called soccer fans making crude remarks about how France looked so much more like an African side than a European one...

Whatever happened to being proud of a good team, no matter the race?

[David__77]

8. Social democracy was always national chauvinist.

In France, you'd better be white for the "socialists" to consider you French. You have to go further left to find consistent anti-racists.

[killbotfactory]

11. What an asshole

[Odin2005]

14. It ain't only whites pulling this crap.

I remember reading an article about an Angolan model being disqualified from being Miss Angola because she wasn't "Black enough." There are racialist asshats everywhere it seems.

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. Good thing this guys doesn't know about the NBA...or the NFL...or

MLB.

[happydreams]

17. They need affirmative action for non-black players IMHO.

:evilgrin:

[Canuckistanian]

19. Segolene herself is in hot water here in Canada

She said something like "Vive Le Québec Libre sounds good to me", apparently not knowing that Charles DeGaulle had to apologize for years after saying that.

I'm waiting to see how she recovers.

[LeftishBrit]

20. What a bastard!

The 'sub-human' remark about Algerians is unbelievable, both in itself and through its associations with Nazism. Maybe now that he's been chucked out of the Socialist Party, he'll join Le Pen's National Front.