To be fair, LiB, you are labouring a point with no back up. Yes, a Swiss footie player was rumbled for an offensive tweet but you then put forward that this doesn't/wouldn't happen here in Switzerland backed up with absolutely no comparable incident.

Isn't that what is known as sensationalism? Yes, there is racism here but there is racism everywhere and it also goes on unchecked and swept under the carpet elsewhere, as well as Switzerland, which is why it's pointless making the whole country a pariah because of it.

Are you saying that if the Olympics were held in Switzerland, he would not have been kicked out of the competition because of an openly offensive tweet? Because that's really the only comparison you can make in this situation.

Yeah, you're right...but ti's still a point nevertheless.

On a more serious note. As Chemmie so eloquently put it. Many people on the olympic level form this side fo the pond, don't quite udnerstand the ramification such a tweet can have. I know for a fact, that many athletes and other performers receive steady instructions on how to handle media and social media....and one would think, that Switzerland would advanced enough..but I guess not.

You can say the same about the Greeks. Have a look here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympi...2319--oly.html

Following that logic, American 'football' (a.k.a. the game neither predominantly played using the foot nor using a ball since the object they use is much more testicle-shaped) is even less of a real sport. This exemplifies my point:

I usually just assume anyone of 'celebrity fame' (arguable what that actually means :P) has a PR person tweeting for them, and don't even bother themselves anymore. This is obviously a step further in the maturing of the tweeting phenomena that has generally not made it over here yet.

Oh please...forget the Greeks..I'm talking about countries and not vacation destinations.
Oh please...don't go there, we've had this discussion on EF before. Soccer is not a sport...it's a leisure activity where gel haired metrosexuals pretend to chase a ball as an excuse to touch each other. Since it's predominantely played in macho countries, the slightest touch of an opponent is highly discouraged, as players wouldn't want to appear gay and therefore, pretend to be dying until the man with the magic spray comes about.

I would think a light might have gone on given the amount of high profile action taken against recent offensive tweeters.

I think it's just a blip which will be gone in 5 years. Tweeting is the new must-have toy and nobody is immune from spilling their guts on it, despite having received "steady instructions". You are pumped up, you lost or won or whatever gets your adrenalin pumping and lowers your inhibitions and you have access to social media. Boom.

Unless the "other side of the pond" puts its athletes' tweets through a censor before their versions hit open water there is little they can do about it.

Fixed it for ya.

I fixed it for you.

Except they were instructed (as stated by Gilli during the press conference). The guy is just stupid and he got what he was asking for.

But maybe this whole matter can be explained in terms of your difficulties to purchase a plunger at 11.00 PM?

Definitely a class act example from a class sport

A very stupid footballer said something very stupid.

Judging by the reactions, that never happened before, or otherwise people have short memories.

Now what's the rest of the thread about?

Thanks soo much,merci villllllll mals for posting this video "Chemmie" ! A lot of my Swiss friends are seriously ashamed of this dude's actions on the field...
ttp://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33747_16...-racist-tweet/

http://www.facebook.com/swissolympicteam


Hopp Schwiiz und Tschüß zämeeee !!

I indeed will be on visit to the Oberaargau (Oberbipp) right tomorrow

But the SVP twitter was from Zürich and the "kicker-twitter" from Valais/Wallis and from Italy.

************************************************** *************************

A) what has a single misbehaving kicker to do with the country ? or do you want to say that he acted in accordance with instructions he got ? And let's be correct, it usually is NOT the athletes but the audience who show racism

I do NOT see any fault on the side of "Switzerland" or the organisations. They simply did what ought to be done, suspend the chap and send him back. He most likely, after a relaxation stay in Switzerland, will get on to Palermo where nobody will care about that "storm in the water-glass"

[QUOTE=HauskinsDale;1623074]Thanks soo much,merci villllllll mals for posting this video "Chemmie" ! A lot of my Swiss friends are seriously ashamed of this dude's actions on the field.../QUOTE]

Yes!!
I'd prefer not to see him again representing our country or his local club anymore on a field. And I hope that Swiss Olympic and the coaches will learn the lesson as well and do more to prevent such behavior

Most decent cities and towns in Switzerland ARE vacation destinations ! Exceptions are well known And while Greece clearly is in bad shape financially, it is a country indeed

what is it with twitter anyways???

Many twits?

[QUOTE=FMX;1623131] What lesson should they learn ? Such things cANNOT be foreseen ! Coaches are coaches but not clairvoyants.

And I cannot quite see why anybody should/could be ashamed about his misbehaviours

Wolli, have you read the comments in the local news articles ? Many seemed to be ashamed.

There is also apart from Individual Responsibility, something called collective responsibility. What IF he spoke those words say in an interview as say Federer, wearing the Swiss sports attire ?