French Soccer Hooligan Killed, Welsh Player in Court

Last week's UEFA Cup match between Paris St. Germain (PSG) and Hapoel Tel Aviv promised to be a real cracker with each team struggling in the lower half of their group table.

Israel's soccer teams participate in UEFA for fear of the violence which they might encounter if they played as a member of the Asian Football Confederation which is home to a number of nations hostile towards Israel. In spite of the fact that Israeli teams play in the perceived safety of the European confederation, last week's match ended in bloodshed.

PSG was once a dominate soccer power in France with Ronaldinho, Mikel Arteta, Gabriel Heinze, and Juan Pablo Sorin on the roster and the UEFA Champions League in sight. Having been unable to hold on to its most talented players, PSG has slipped in the ranks of French soccer and contends for the consolation prize, the UEFA Cup.

Last Thursday, the team was taken to school by Tel Aviv who beat the former French super club 4-2. It is understandable that loyal PSG fans would be upset by this kind of loss and by the team's current struggles, but a group of fans lost total control.

An ESPN article estimates that nearly 100 PSG fans chased down a Tel Aviv supporter and began beating the man. The article also reports that said group of hooligans were chanting racial slurs while attacking the man.

Accoring to the original AP article, Officer Antoine Granomort attempted to aid the Tel Aviv fan by firing tear gas at the mob. Granomort managed to shelter the Tel Aviv fan in a McDonald's but was also attacked by the gang of hooligans and forced to defend himself using his side arm. A 25 year old was shot and killed.

At the same time, Liverpool striker, Craig Bellamy spent most of the week in court. The Welsh forward is charged with assaulting two young women at a Cardiff club last winter.

Some of the testimony was can found on ESPN Soccernet. Bellamy denies both counts of assault but claims that one of the teenagers "slapped" him while he was out for a drink.

These two are incidents are two of the most recent acts of violence in soccer. One is a glaring example of the dangers of fan violence; while the other seems like the typical kind of player accusation one would find in American sports. Although neither are the worst incidents of recorded soccer mayhem, they do serve as good examples of the problems faced by soccer's governing bodies.

Soccer violence in Europe and South America is not something new. However, Bellamy's assault charge came as a bit of shock. It's not unusual for these kinds of charges to filed against athletes in the United States, but when violence in soccer is discussed, the fans are usually the culprits.

Unfortunately, this kind of violence and nonsense brings shame to game. Europe has a tradition of fan violence, most remebered is the 1985 building collapse and riot in Belgium. However hooliganism has taken on a new face and seems more linked to racism than it might have been in the past.

FIFA has attempted to react to this type of hooliganism by running the "Fair Play" campaign which includes an anti-racism day. However, the governing body's actions seem to have little impact on the fans. The football associations have however been somewhat successful in reviewing and punishing the players.

Whole teams have been also punished when the fans step out of line. All of Argentina once had a ban against away fans to prevent stadium violence, and Inter Milan was forced to play a number of empty stadium games after the team's fans threw flairs at AC Milan goalkeeper, Dida.

Perhaps what is most upsetting is the fact these actions are not representative of soccer fandom as a whole. Instead the few loudest are the only ones heard in soccer. These types of actions ruin the sport for not just the average fan or player but also serve to keep potential fans away from the sport and away from the stadium. Soccer is unique in the way it can bring people together, but incidents like these tear people apart.

Sadly, as is evident by last week's outburst, these measures are not effective deterrents to prevent fan violence and racism in football. Both UEFA and FIFA will have much to consider in the coming weeks.