Samuel Etoo in spitting shame.

Nunu

Spat at an opponent under very little provacation in the final minute of the game tonight against Bilbao. Very, very poor form:( He has seriously gone down in my estimation.

scuba steve

Any link?

APM

although I agree that spitting is terrible form, the one angle shown on Sky Sports tonight was poor, It wasn't replayed and was unclear whether or not he directly spat at the Atletico player (but the Bilbao player could be seen wiping his face)

We'll see later if there is an enquiry and if he did it should be and will be rightly banned.

Unlikely he'd serve an actual ban though as he'll be with Cameroon for the African Cup of Nations for most of the rest of the month.

Nunu

He definetly meant it. They showed it again in their short analysis after the game and it bounced off the Bilbao players face. Any ban should come into effect when Cameroons involvement in African Nations Cup comes to an end. He has to learn a harsh lesson and selfishly from my own point of view it would mean a true king among football men, Henrik Larsson, would get even more playing time over the next 6 weeks.

APM

Nunu wrote:

He has to learn a harsh lesson and selfishly from my own point of view it would mean a true king among football men, Henrik Larsson, would get even more playing time over the next 6 weeks.

This is true, but I doubt the Spanish FA have any connections with the tournament which could apply a ban until Cameroon get knocked out. In that case Barcelona and any other team could apply for league games to be cancelled so that their players who are involved would be available for selection.

On an unrelated matter its undeniable that Eto'o has been awesome this season, 18 league goals in 19 matches.....that sort of form would keep other strikers in any squad on the bench

Draupnir

Its ok, hes from Africa so can do what Diouf did, and say its part of his tribes culture or some such rubbish

APM

for those who didn't see the game, the Eto'o incident happened in second half injury time and the game ended on a particularly sour note,

Deco got sent off in the 89th min - straight red for pulling the hair and ear of Gurpegi in retaliation for what was at most an obstruction, so things were just a tad bit tense at the end.

still awful to spit in an opponents face. Unexcusable.

Nunu

APM wrote:

This is true, but I doubt the Spanish FA have any connections with the tournament which could apply a ban until Cameroon get knocked out. In that case Barcelona and any other team could apply for league games to be cancelled so that their players who are involved would be available for selection.

On an unrelated matter its undeniable that Eto'o has been awesome this season, 18 league goals in 19 matches.....that sort of form would keep other strikers in any squad on the bench

No, you read me wrong APM. I meant any domestic ban shouldn't start until he returns from International duty. Otherwise he wouldn't be suspended for any La Liga games because he'd be playing for the Cameroon.

APM

yeah thats what I meant. But officially he's still in the Barcelona squad I would think. So in that case the ban would be served out, as if he was injured etc.

Nunu

Ah, I get you. I thought you were talking about him being banned from the actual tournament not the subsequent league games when he returns. It doesn't sit well with me that he might not miss any games at all. Surely he should be banned for the next 3 or 4 league games he is available for on his return. But, as you say he is still technically available for selection even when he is away. It's a bit of a grey area really.

Some comments about the incident:

MADRID, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o's spit in the face of an Athletic Bilbao player during their side's bad-tempered Primera Liga match on Sunday provoked an angry response from Bilbao coach Javier Clemente.

The league leaders had Portugal midfielder Deco sent off in the final minute when he jumped up to grab Carlos Gurpegi's shirt, after the visiting player had tugged his hair.

Minutes earlier Eto'o was caught by television cameras spitting in the face of Bilbao defender Unai Exposito.

The former Spain coach said: "Deco should be more of a gentleman. Grabbing someone's shirt is worse than tugging someone's hair... spitting is ugly behaviour as well.

"I thought it was what people who had just come down out of the trees did."

Barcelona won the game 2-1 to go seven points clear at the top of the standings.

It was Eto'o's last game before going to join up with Cameroon for the African Nations Cup in Egypt.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldFootballNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20060115:MTFH81781_2006-01-15_22-12-56_L15655684:1

Is it just me or could Javier Clementes comment about 'coming down out of the trees' be construed as rascist in tone?

20 Times 20 Times

I really believe that Fifa and the uefa have to start taking a Firm stance on this behaviour, spitting on someone is one of the worst things that a person can do, and how are these players role models to our kids? If I seen a player do this for my club (Dundalk Fc) I would do everything possible to make sure that player didn’t put on a white shirt again, these players that make outbursts like this deserve a ban from the game for a certain period I firmly believe.

county

Draupnir wrote:

Its ok, hes from Africa so can do what Diouf did, and say its part of his tribes culture or some such rubbish

,i could say a lot more only i would be banned but i agree with you

therecklessone

Nunu wrote:

Is it just me or could Javier Clementes comment about 'coming down out of the trees' be construed as rascist in tone?

Well, considering the fact that the Spanish FA continue to dodge the issue when it comes to dealing with racism amongst their fans I'm not surprised. I think it would be ironic for a player like Etoo, who's been on the receiving end of dogs abuse fromthe stands, to face censure for his actions while the Spanish FA continue to plunge their head in the sand.

Still inexcusable.

Pigman II

Draupnir wrote:

Its ok, hes from Africa so can do what Diouf did, and say its part of his tribes culture or some such rubbish

The African Cup of Nations starts this week. The weather in Egypts supposed to be good ... but bring an umbrella all the same.

BillyBoy

Nunu wrote:

Clemente - 'Grabbing someone's shirt is worse than tugging someone's hair'

Since when???

Nunu

I think he must have said it ironically or something because his player pulled Deco up by the shirt when he went down looking for a free and Deco then retaliated by pulling his hair. Maybe Deco was trying to justify his actions after by saying he was sinned against first when he was pulled up by the jersey and this was Clemente sarcastic response? No one in their right mind thinks shirt pulling is worse than pulling hair.

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/overseas/spain/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=international_feed/06/01/15/SOCCER_Spa-Athletic_Bilbao.html

TheDoc

The Bilbaos manager made osme rather racial comments in the media there after the game. But tbh I cant say I care, it was animal like behaviour and doesnt deserve to be on a football pitch nor getting mentioned for awards..... he is a filthy disgrace and shoud get a firm ban, spitting is the most horrible,vile and dishonourable thing you can do to a person, and I'm suprised the guy didnt break Eto's nose, cause I know I would have.

I cant wait to see someone spit on Robert Huth and see the absolute pounding they get.....

therecklessone

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

spitting is the most horrible,vile and dishonourable thing you can do to a person, and I'm suprised the guy didnt break Eto's nose, cause I know I would have.

I'd rate pissing on a person as much worse.

Nunu

This is not the first time that Eto'o has reacted violently to provocation by resorting to spitting.
http://football.guardian.co.uk/championsleague200405/story/0,15008,1433548,00.html

Wednesday March 9, 2005
The Guardian

Chelsea's stirring 4-2 win last night - 5-4 on aggregate - ended in chaos and acrimony with Barcelona involved in tunnel scrap, their striker Samuel Eto'o spitting at a steward, after allegedly being racially abused, and Frank Rijkaard saying that elimination was particularly hard to take because of Chelsea "lies".
The post-match problems near and in the tunnel did not involve any Chelsea players but appeared to be sparked when the Chelsea scout Andre Villas provoked Rijkaard. Stewards intervened to try to usher Rijkaard towards the tunnel and matters deteriorated as they began to deal forcibly with several Barcelona players, including Eto'o, Ronaldinho and the goalkeeper Victor Valdés.

Eto'o said he was called "a monkey" and was seen to spit as the scene became increasingly wild, Barcelona players and stewards scrapping at the tunnel mouth. Rijkaard had to restrain Valdés physically before calm was restored.
Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho, his players and most of his staff were on the pitch celebrating their win as the problems unfolded. The club's owner Roman Abramovich later had water bottles thrown at him by Barcelona fans as he went towards the tunnel.

"One of the stewards called me a monkey," said Eto'o. "Just look at the coach [Mourinho], he's not respectable. This is the mentality of this football club."

Uefa is likely to investigate the post-match incidents but Rijkaard tried to play things down. "It wasn't a big deal, really," he said. "Someone came forward and insulted us, our bench. I don't know who, some guy. I don't really want to say what I think about it."

He was more outspoken when discussing his disappointment, saying events surrounding the game had made him want to win more than usual. Chelsea "lies" seemed to refer to Mourinho's allegations that Rijkaard spoke for several minutes with the referee Anders Frisk at half-time of the first leg. "Normally you feel bitter after a loss but maybe I feel a little bit more bitter because of the lies that were told before this game," he said.

Mourinho said he had seen nothing of the post-match trouble and saluted his "fantastic" players. He danced a jig of delight on the pitch after the final whistle. "I enjoyed much more the end of this game than other games," he said. "I have played in finals and I didn't run like we did today. It was a reaction of a big team. I saw on the pitch players, coaches, the medical department. Didier Drogba was there in the middle, so everybody was involved."

He said there was "nothing personal" between him and Barcelona and added: "I want Barcelona to win the Spanish league." They will not want him to win the Champions League.

He must have got away with that because this is the first time I have heard of that incident. So he has a history, therefore I would be amazed if he is not seriously censured by the Spanish F.A. this time around.

Guy:Incognito

therecklessone wrote:

I'd rate pissing on a person as much worse.

How likely is that to happen on a pitch, but tbh spitting is as bad or worse. It's not quite as disgusting but its shows a total lack of respect an they are willing to do it right to your face. It's not even like hitting someone whos down or from behind, it's saying i'm going to degrade you in as public a manner as possible and I don't give a crap.

okden

etoo was a hot head before going to barca, a lot of red cards for not keeping his cool, hes matured now, very profesional, the odd time you see him about to blow up, he pauses then grins, its like happy gilmore, you can see hes working on it and its paying off.
when i saw the spit i thought racist remark straight away, its the only thing that twigs him out now, so he still has some work to do or defenders will use it as a weakness on the pitch.
racism is way more vile than spitting, its like spitting on someone who has been spat on their whole life.

Davei141

Before you call the guy who's face he spitted in a racist, lets see what Etoo has to say.

okden

i should have broke that up better. my first post inside the soccer walls and im causin trouble :rolleyes: . i ment
it mightnt have been racial abuse but IMHO i thought it was. if it was sammy shouldnt have reacted that way, even though he did miss him. but i do hate racism, i had thought about putting in the IMHO about the vile part but it just didnt seem right.
i watched the match and deco and the other guy (both sent off) had some previous thru the match. but the rest of the game was very good natured, thats why i thought racism when i saw the spit, then they showed the replay which made me IMHO more certain, ..no previous, defender mouth moving, sammy walks by him and pushes him first, then when he gets behind him a few feet he spat.
you just never can tell whats going on on the pitch. ive heard stories about one of the great argentinian teams of the 70's. who if they fouled you, would give you a french burn while pretending to help you off the ground, in the 70's this would get you a slap, then the ref would give the guy who was fouled a card and the other guy looks like a saint.

Davei141

I understand what you mean, if it was racism then i hope it was a nice golier. But you cant say whenever he does something like this that it must of been a racist comment, because he only reacts to racism nowadays. Its more or less excusing his actions before you know the facts, and so far all we know is Etoo spit in somebodies face.

okden

Davei141 wrote:

i hope it was a nice golier.

funny
but your right of course i should have lased my comments with IMHO's, any how etoo has talked with clemente and a big public kiss and make up seems to be going on by all parts.
the ref didnt report the incedent so normaly clemente would have to file it for etoo to get sanctioned, but clemente isnt filing anything probably because his "spitters come down from the trees" jibe was taken up by reporters as racist, clemente says when he made the comment he thought deco was the spitter. etoo claims the spit missed exposito but if any of it hit him it was by accident and he is sorry. exposito said he was hit alright but if etoo thought it was an accident then it was ok with him.
could be all true could be all pr firefighting, who knows? what i dont like is how it made it to sky news when barca are leading the fair play award for cautions in a competition. hopefully its cause ronnie is becoming more newsworthy as the clip did have him in the middle of the pushing. but if they wanted good ronnie footage they should have showed this http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7287574941458348840

Cactus Col

okden wrote:

: but clemente isnt filing anything probably because his "spitters come down from the trees" jibe was taken up by reporters as racist, clemente says when he made the comment he thought deco was the spitter.

It's either a racist comment or it's not. Whether he meant it towards Etoo or Deco, the meaning of the comment is clear, that the person spitting is no better than an unevolved caveman.

meditraitor

The racist part of this incident is nothing to do with the spitting incident(etoo is a scumbag anyway), aparentley after the game in a press conference the manager of the other team said that only animals just after climbing out of the tree's use spitting as a defense...or something along them lines

"Spitting is ugly behaviour," Clemente told a post-match news conference. "I thought it was something that people who had just come down out of the trees did."

http://www.eurosport.com/football/european-leagues/2005-2006/sport_sto814428.shtml

county

okden wrote:

etoo was a hot head before going to barca, a lot of red cards for not keeping his cool, hes matured now, very profesional, the odd time you see him about to blow up, he pauses then grins, its like happy gilmore, you can see hes working on it and its paying off.
when i saw the spit i thought racist remark straight away, its the only thing that twigs him out now, so he still has some work to do or defenders will use it as a weakness on the pitch.
racism is way more vile than spitting, its like spitting on someone who has been spat on their whole life.

so a black man spitts at a white man so the white mans a racist??

okden

okden wrote:

etoo was a hot head before going to barca, a lot of red cards for not keeping his cool, hes matured now, very profesional, the odd time you see him about to blow up, he pauses then grins, its like happy gilmore, you can see hes working on it and its paying off.
when i saw the spit i thought racist remark straight away, its the only thing that twigs him out now, so he still has some work to do or defenders will use it as a weakness on the pitch.
racism is way more vile than spitting, its like spitting on someone who has been spat on their whole life.

i didnt say this, and if i did, when i said it i was talking about someone else and if any of it hit anyone here, it was an accident and i appolagise.

Cactus Col

meditraitor wrote:

The racist part of this incident is nothing to do with the spitting incident(etoo is a scumbag anyway), aparentley after the game in a press conference the manager of the other team said that only animals just after climbing out of the tree's use spitting as a defense...or something along them lines

"Spitting is ugly behaviour," Clemente told a post-match news conference. "I thought it was something that people who had just come down out of the trees did."

http://www.eurosport.com/football/european-leagues/2005-2006/sport_sto814428.shtml

but I don't see how it's a racist remark.

BillyBoy

Cactus Col wrote:

but I don't see how it's a racist remark.

Well which people is he talking about when he says "I thought it was something that people who had just come down out of the trees did."? My reaction to it is that it is a racist remark aimed at black people but I would like to hear your view on it?

Cactus Col

My first impression that it's people who haven't evolved beyond cavemen. neanderthals.

meditraitor

Cactus Col wrote:

My first impression that it's people who haven't evolved beyond cavemen. neanderthals.

Fair point,

therecklessone

Cactus Col wrote:

but I don't see how it's a racist remark.

The assumption is that he wouldn't have used that comparison if the spitter was white. It alludes to his colour and his ethnic origin, and given the appaling record of racism withing the game in Spain (players, coaches, and fans) I'd come to only one conclusion on reading Clemente's comments.

Cactus Col

therecklessone wrote:

The assumption is that he wouldn't have used that comparison if the spitter was white. It alludes to his colour and his ethnic origin, and given the appaling record of racism withing the game in Spain (players, coaches, and fans) I'd come to only one conclusion on reading Clemente's comments.

When he made the comments he thought the spitter was Dani. (apparently)

But so what if racism is rife in spanish football, that has nothing to do with this comment, you can't assume Clemente is racist because of that.

Thanx 4 The Fish

meditraitor banned for abuse.

Nunu

okden wrote:

i should have broke that up better. my first post inside the soccer walls and im causin trouble :rolleyes: . i ment
it mightnt have been racial abuse but IMHO i thought it was. if it was sammy shouldnt have reacted that way, even though he did miss him. but i do hate racism, i had thought about putting in the IMHO about the vile part but it just didnt seem right.
i watched the match and deco and the other guy (both sent off) had some previous thru the match. but the rest of the game was very good natured, thats why i thought racism when i saw the spit, then they showed the replay which made me IMHO more certain, ..no previous, defender mouth moving, sammy walks by him and pushes him first, then when he gets behind him a few feet he spat.
you just never can tell whats going on on the pitch. ive heard stories about one of the great argentinian teams of the 70's. who if they fouled you, would give you a french burn while pretending to help you off the ground, in the 70's this would get you a slap, then the ref would give the guy who was fouled a card and the other guy looks like a saint.

I just thought this needs to be clarified. Not that it matters if it hit him or not because its all about the intent, but he defineltly caught him in the face with spit. I've seen it 4 times now and the spit splits 2 ways with the bit to the left landing on his right cheek. I can't find any video of it on the net. If I do I'll post it or if anyone else finds footage please post here.

Chucky the tree

Cactus Col wrote:

When he made the comments he thought the spitter was Dani. (apparently)

But so what if racism is rife in spanish football, that has nothing to do with this comment, you can't assume Clemente is racist because of that.

The first thing that sprang to my mind about the "coming down from trees" jibe was monkeys.


Now, there no way to prove he actually tohught its deco or not. Still, WIth the racist history spain has, you' think he would use a better phrase. I felt what he said was very close to racism and its was deliberate.


Only Clemente knows himself though.

okden

Nunu wrote:

its all about the intent......
.........the spit splits 2 ways with the bit to the left landing on his right cheek

i only saw it twice, one quick rewind, and most went straight ahead and missed him, i saw a smaller bit go left and couldnt tell if it hit him or not, didnt check any further where the left bit went as i was more interested in what went on before the spit. though if you say it hit him i beleive you.
i did think the intent was not to spit on him but near him as thats where most of the spit went (unless hes practicing swerving free spits boom boom.
its still way out of order but not sky news worthy.

anyhow, deco 2 match ban, (to be appealed, due to previous between the 2 during the match) i cant see this being overturned.
etoo and clementes cases of spitting and possible racist remarks not even viewed before the board. probably helped by the public kiss and make up.

IMHO clementes words were not racist, but he used a stupid metaphore for a man in his possition to try and explain the ignorant behavior of a spitter. its not the first time hes done this (think jack charlton plain speak) but it is the first time to my knowledge they have been veiwed as racist. sure he tried to explain himself by saying "its more sporting to punch someone than spit on them" which may be his opinion but its still badly worded for a man in his position.

Nunu

Just bumping this thread because I came across this video today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywhFE5jqYdU&search=etoo

Once again - disgraceful.:mad:
Anyway old news. I just remembered I opened this thread on it, but had no video to support it at the time.

mchurl

Clears it all up, disgraceful by Eto'o:mad:

Makaveli

Yeah was a disgraceful thing to do, absolute scum thing to do to spit on someone. Was a pretty scrappy game with a lot of petulance displayed by each side. Really it was shít game where Bilbao kicked lumps out of the Barca players.

Old news though, when I first saw the thread I thought he was after doing it again last night and that I had somehow missed it.