Free Speech, International

FIFA Fines Germany For Fans Chanting Nazi Slogans

Coat_of_arms_of_Germany.svgFlag_of_FIFA.svgThere is an interesting ruling by FIFA which has fined the German soccer federation 32,000 Swiss francs ($33,000) because fans chanted Nazi slogans at a World Cup qualifying game in the Czech Republic. It is a curious decision to penalize a team for the actions of third parties who are not under its control.  It is not clear what FIFA expected the Germans to do to fans chanting in a foreign stadium.  The team not that the offensive fans did not buy tickets through official channels.  How is the team responsible?

The “improper conduct” violations against Germany is only the latest such fines against teams, including fines for chanting anti-gay slogans.  Assuming that FIFA does not really expect the team to police the speech of fans (particularly on foreign soil), the only other possibility is that FIFA is hoping that fans will be deterred if they know that their teams are being penalized–an unlikely prospect.

Of course, in baseball, we now appear to be tossing fans for merely figuring out (and calling out) pitches.

38 thoughts on “FIFA Fines Germany For Fans Chanting Nazi Slogans”

  1. With all the corruption and sleaze plaguing the FIFA a couple years ago, where the money goes is more important than what these fans chanted.

  2. One of the sentences was inchoherent. What is FIFA?
    What were the exact slogans?

  4. Just a shakedown to get some money from Germany. They obviously have no control over these individuals. Following this line of reasoning, FIFA should have fined Mexico when their fans at a soccer game against the U.S. in Mexico Cuty chanted “Osama, Osama.” But they didn’t, probably because they knew Mexico wouldn’t pay the fine. But Germany seems to have a never-ending guilt complex over what happened 75 years ago, and there are plenty of people in the world who are happy to take advantage of that.

    1. Yep, and the results of Germany’s election can’t be thrilling them, either.

  6. The American Founders revealed to the entire world that natural and god-given rights existed before government was established. They may not know or acknowledge the fact, but freedom of speech exists in Germany and every other country on the planet. Brutal dictatorships like FIFA, China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, etc. deny that freedom to their oppressed members and citizens.

    Every person in the world has the freedom of speech referenced in the 1st Amendment.

    It was awarded by God and nature before any government was conceived.

    1st Amendment

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

    1. Brutal dictatorships like FIFA, China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Berkeley, A Trump rally, the military…..

            1. Point taken, but what would you suggest the state do? Have every potentially taunted individual walk around with their own meter maid police escort, who issues citations to those calling out unacceptable phrases?

              1. I would suggest the team/stadium take steps to remove the fans and ban them for life. If the state funds those stadiums through tax breaks or other incentives, threaten to remove them unless the team takes control of the situation.

                1. Red Sox have already done this. Can’t speak to how thoroughly MLB is addressing the problem.
                  I used to have season tickets years ago behind center field and I must admit not ever seeing this type of behavior, but I was in a group of long-term ticket holders and we all knew each other. Alcohol and the anonymity of crowds tend to bring out the worst in some people.

                  https://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2017-05-03/mlb-reviews-security-at-all-parks-after-fenway-racial-slurs

                  1. Yes Fenway took prompt action, good for them. I agree with you about alcohol and the anonymity of crowds. Only exceeded by the anonymity of the Internet which allows people to lose their minds without recourse.

    2. Unruly fans are typically ejected. There have been scandals here in CA where stadiums had inadequate security, and fans were beaten up badly. At least here in the US, businesses reserve the right to refuse service to anyone (within the confines of the law.) I’m not sure if they have the same right in Europe.

      It’s patently unfair to punish a team for any action outside of its control, such as fan behavior.

      It’s unfortunate that Neo Nazis are on the rise in Europe. Greece’s 4th largest political party, Golden Dawn, is headed by Ilias Panagiotaros, who said that Hitler was “a great personality, like Stalin.” It may be an unfortunate side effect of the rising popularity of socialism, and the belief in the erosion of individual rights for the “greater good”, which is defined by the group as anything it wants. Greece especially leans towards socialism, so may be especially vulnerable to any such totalitarian movement promising “better lives through government.”

      It is unfortunate that more people do not make the connection between weak individual rights, powerful Big Government and Nazism, Socialism, and Fascism, which were all bedfellows. We have our own Antifa movement behaving like Fascists in skinny jeans.

      1. Neo-Nazis appear to be on the rise in the US as well. As bad as Antifa may be, they’ve yet to reach the level of skinheads, Neo-Nazis and the Klan. How many people have they killed exactly? This false equivalency by suggesting they are the same does not compute.

        1. I haven’t seen the Klan rioting, burning anything down, or dragging anyone from their car for a beating because they had the “wrong” haircut. I have seen skirmishes between protestors and anti protestor, and I think some of those were racist. But it’s Antifa who have terrorized Berkley. Prevented multiple conservative speakers from talking through threats of violence.

          The Klan are has-been jerks whose days of power are long in the past, thank God. It’s Antifa we need to worry about now.

          We currently have laws against hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace which can address racism. The police are aware of Aryan Nation and other racist gangs who deal drugs and run guns. We already have legislative tools again racist crimes. We do not seem to be applying those laws against the racism and violence perpetrated by Antifa.

          Something to remember is that multiple studies have shown the US to be one of the least racist nations in the entire globe. Statistically, the support for the Neo Nazis and Klan is just not there. Compare and contrast with the mainstream acceptance of Antifa at universities, elementary schools, the media, Hollywood. There is absolutely no comparison in the level of acceptance between Antifa and Neo Nazis.

            1. The “White Nationalist” groups like the Nazis and the KKK condemned the murders committed by Dylann Roof.
              That “defense” is as convincing as the the claims we’ve seen here recently that BLM ” officially” condemns violence.

              1. Karen equalizes Antifa (who I dislike) with Neo-Nazis, skinheads, and the Klan. I asked, “Who have they killed” and she could think of nothing in the recent past. Perhaps you have some examples? Maybe you know of some people that BLM has killed? These things are not the same,

            1. Enigma,..
              (This is in reply to your 5:39 AM comment and question)
              I don’t know of “people that BLM has killed”.
              Just as I don’t know of any White supremisist organization that murdered the Black churchgoers in Charleston.
              The piece of trash who killed them had spent a lot of time on the internet visiting White supemisicists websites.
              One website, belonging to the Council of Conservative Citizens, “condemned” the act of murdering the churchgoers.
              So CCC did not murder anyone..in fact, they said they condemned it.
              It’s probably not possible to exactly determine the degree of influence these kinds of orginizations’ rhetoric and websites had in motivating Roof to target the Black churchgoers.
              They can “stir things up”, then proclaim that they “condemn” acts of those influenced by them.
              I’ll have to continue this a bit later.

              1. ( part 2…I had to answer a call on my cellphone…
                I think there is a paralell situation with BLM.
                When they march and you hear “What do we want, dead cops now”, or “pigs in a blanet, fry ’em like bacon”, it “stirs things up” in the same way that the White hate groups stir things up.
                The rioting that has coincided with BLM protests in some cities can be “condemned” by BLM leaders get off the hook for any legal or direct reslonsibility for their the rioting, or for the assassination of police officers in New York, Baton Rouge, or Dallas.
                An original founder of BLM…I can’t think of her name…suggested that the killing of the cops in Dallas was a “false flag” operation.
                In recent history, I can’t think of anyone killed by the KKK or the Nazi Party in the U.S.
                They can incite certain people by their statements and actions, but then say “gee, we had nothing to do with this” if they motivated a violent act.
                This kind of “deniabilty game” can be even easier to play when a group is decentralized and has a prominent internet presence.

              2. Fair point about Dylann Roof, however, there are thousands of actual cases of hood wearing, dues paying Klan members and skinheads that actually have killed people. Still no comparison to Antifa or BLM who have killed none.

  8. How do they know they were German fans? Maybe it was a false flag operation? FIFA are idiots any. How do you control your fans in another country, it is hard enough controlling them in your country. When ASU goes down to Tucson to play the UA, should they fine the ASU for the signs that say “Fix Wilber and Wilma”? UA is one of the few schools to have both a male and female mascot, in this case, wildcats (supposedly). It makes more sense if you are at the game and if you are an ASU fanatic, you know that Wilber and Wilma need to be fixed. We cannot have them breed.

    1. PCS, what did you get for your birthday, flowers sans chocolates from you beautiful wife? Many happy returns.

          1. George – yes, very exciting. However, an offensive line for ASU would have been a better present. 🙂

    2. Good point. Maybe they were mocking the German team by taunting them with Nazi chants. Or they could have just been Neo Nazis

      I found this quote interesting: “The German supreme court tried to ban the National Democratic Party (NPD), which is the successor to the German Reich Party, defining the group as having an “affinity with national socialism”.” However did Liberal academia manage to so successfully brand Nazis as far right when they are so obviously hard Left? The right has plenty of problems of its own (Obamacare not repealed??? Really? Special interest money, etc.) But Fascism and Neo Nazism are not among them.

  10. I think that falls under the Pinko doctrine of “punishing somebody, anybody” in order to be seen to be doing something.

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