Philippines awaits HKFA report on racist abuse at football ‘friendly’ By Edwin Espejo Jun 10, 2013 8:32AM UTC The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) will release the results this week of its investigation into the racial abuse fans reportedly hurled at members and supporters of the Philippine football team and that won 1-0 in a ‘friendly’ match in Hong Kong last Tuesday. Hong Kong fans were reported to have referred to the Philippines as a ‘slave nation’ during a match which hosted a sizeable Filipino audience. They also were also seen unfurling a banner that read: “Lest we forget, 23/8/10 Manila”, referring to the bus hostage incident in Luneta where eight Hong Kong tourist were killed in a botched rescue attempt. The Azkals celebrate their 1-0 win over Turkmenistan in the AFC Challenge Cup in March. Pic: AP. Some 169,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are working in Hong Kong, most of them domestic helpers. Football is one of the global spectator sports where racial and economic divides have been put aside and where poorer countries have made great strides in making the game a truly global athletic competition. Over the last five years the Philippines has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts in football popularity and competitiveness, which is good news for a country that has long been basketball-obsessed. The Philippines was once Asian football’s favorite whipping boy, so to speak. Not anymore. This is thanks in part to the Filipino-European members of the Philippine national team who have made the ‘Azkals’ much more competitive in Asia and a handful for opposing teams. The narrow victory against Hong Kong Tuesday only underscored the Philippines’ improved standing in the FIFA rankings. The Philippines (ranked 143) has now jumped above Hong Kong (147th). Among Southeast Asian countries, only Vietnam (133rd) and Thailand (142nd) rank ahead than the Philippines. Philippines’ football still lags behind compared to the rest of Asia but five years ago nobody would have taken the Philippines seriously in this part of the world. Admittedly not all the players were born and raised in the Philippines, but what country, at one time or another, has not made use of eligible foreign players their national football team? The Hong Kong fans’ racial outbursts have no connection whatsoever to the sport. It is racism in its ugly form and it has no place in sport, especially in a sport that has done so much to transcend racial divides. Hong Kong once resented its pariah image and its long history of British colonization should remind its residents that economic prosperity is no license to discriminate against their lesser neighbors. The Luneta incident, which Philippine authorities already admitted as a serious operational mistake and a diplomatic gaffe, should also not be reason enough to deride people by reason of race or economic status. The Hong Kong football authorities should immediately apologize to the Philippine team and the country for such arrogant display of racism. You do not invite a neighbor to a dinner in your house and castigate him or her for failing to place the bread plate in the proper place. Emotions may run high at sports events and competitive football games can certainly get physical. But racial abuse? There are no winners when racism enters the sports arena.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:28:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015