Soccer subforum moderation - Tijs's private rant

I really wanted to jump in and vent about that whole MLS mess—specifically that disgraceful brawl caused by some group calling themselves the 12th man—and the official statement released by Los Angeles FC. But then, get this, the moderator over there, Anthony Jackson2, starts acting like he owns the damn place, making up his own rules as he goes along. He actually dropped this moderator warning, and I kid you not, I’m quoting him here: We will not permit the reposting of texts or statements written by the criminal underworld

And then—get this—with one single stroke of a pen, he wipes out two and a half hours of actual discussion. Just gone. All those posts, observations, opinions, and thoughts people put effort into... just deleted.

So, look, LAFC puts out a statement explaining their side of the story, and this guy just decides, on his own whim, to label that statement as being "written by the criminal underworld." That’s a massive leap! He's either prejudging who wrote it, or maybe he thinks the entire LAFC organization is run by the mob, at which point he's basically banning any conversation about their own press release.

Seriously, on the soccer subforum, some guy who was handed moderator privileges decided he has the right to dictate what we can and cannot talk about. And frankly, he doesn't have that right. Not to anyone. Especially since not a single actual forum rule was even broken.

Is this some kind of joke? Is anyone actually overseeing what this guy is doing? Or can he just do whatever he wants without answering to anybody? Honestly, just take a quick look at that subforum and see for yourselves how these people behave—acting like they’ve captured God himself just because they have moderator status on an internet forum.

Standing behind Anthony Jackson2

Your last post on the soccer forum dates back to November 2021—if anyone else around here has an issue, they can reach out, though I doubt they need a spokesperson. I'm certainly not going to waste my breath explaining anything to you.

Regarding the soccer section, just like the rest of this forum, we are bound by the laws of the United States. Any calls for violence from certain users—or even worse, from moderators, which seems to be a standard practice here in the soccer subforum—are strictly subject to criminal prosecution. It honestly baffles me that the forum owner, the administrators, and the moderators aren't aware of this, or simply don't care.

A handful of users here got slapped with permanent bans. Meanwhile, others—the ones who actually stood up for the fans against those nasty insults—didn't even get a warning. It’s honestly a miracle I didn't lose a thousand points myself; if I had posted earlier, I wouldn't have realized that supporting the police in this specific situation gets you banned left and right.

To be fair, he isn't the only one. Almost every sub-forum operates under this same logic. Moderators don't even bother explaining their bans or partial penalties anymore; sometimes you don't even get a notification. You're left wondering who penalized you and why. If you hold even slightly controversial views, the only way to avoid major trouble is through self-censorship or just playing the sycophant.

In any case, I'm hoping the central committee will review everything and overturn these bans.

Against the darkness, against the force

Anthony Jackson2 said:Your last post on the soccer forum was back in November 2021. If anyone else on here actually has an issue, they can reach out—I highly doubt they need some spokesperson to speak for them. But you? I'm definitely not wasting my breath explaining anything to you.

Well, I have a problem! I wanted to leave a comment regarding the official LAFC statement about that brawl caused by the 12th man, and you just went ahead and unilaterally banned any discussion about the statement, wiping out every single related comment.

So, what does it matter when my last post on that subforum was? You’re responding with something that has absolutely nothing to do with what I actually said. Even if my last post was from ten years ago—which, fine, whatever—it doesn't change the fact that you're playing dictator and deciding what people are allowed to talk about.

If we aren't supposed to be spreading Russian propaganda during the war in Ukraine, then I fail to see why anyone would want to broadcast Mamić's nonsense here.

Look, this isn't some "Mamić propaganda" nonsense—it’s just an official statement from LAFC.

The fact that certain people see Mamić’s fingerprints on absolutely everything involving this club... honestly, it just shows how obsessed they are with him.

And seriously? Comparing the war in Ukraine to a soccer club's press release... give me a break.

slycyclist342 said:If we aren't supposed to be broadcasting Russian propaganda regarding the war in Ukraine, then I don't see why we're still airing Mamić's version of events here.

Mamić was sentenced to six years in prison and is banned from stepping foot in America. At this point, it’s starting to feel like a cult.

So, you're telling me Mamić has nothing to do with running Dynamo anymore and they don't even consult him? He didn't even have a say in picking the coach?

Save those fairy tales for someone else.

So, are Dynamo fans expected to jump to the Ultras' defense just to prove they aren't on Mamić's payroll? The rules for bringing in banners were published well in advance, and the Ultras simply didn't follow them. Not that it matters much—nobody actually stopped them from coming in without any. But then again, if they had followed the rules, where would the defiance be?

slycyclist342 said:So what, Mamić has nothing to do with running Dynamo anymore and nobody asks him anything? He didn't even pick the coach?

Keep the fairy tales for someone else.

Look, whether you think Mamić runs the show at Dynamo or he’s totally out of the loop—hey, have your opinion! Honestly, believe it or not, there actually exist people out there who don't obsess over Mamić every single second of the day. There are folks who'd rather just talk about what happened after the game instead of making everything about one guy.

The whole point here is that we're dealing with one guy's ego—this dude thinks he can dictate exactly what we are or aren't allowed to write, and he’s busy nuking comments that didn't even break any actual forum rules. They're only "breaking rules" if they conflict with whatever weird set of laws he's cooked up in his own head.

And get this—we're seeing users getting banned just for agreeing with the police during the clash with the Ultras. I mean, seriously? It's blatant terror against anyone who doesn't bend the knee to this moderator or dance to whatever tune he thinks we should be playing.

Back to the war in Ukraine again.
I was linking an article from The Guardian about Zelenskyy and those millions uncovered in the Panama Papers mode
but the mod deleted it immediately.

If that was grounds for removal, then this really should have been taken down much sooner.

Jesse Price said:So, what, are Dynamo fans supposed to defend the Ultras or else they're considered part of Mamić's crew? The rules for bringing in banners were posted ahead of time, and the Ultras just ignored them. Not that anyone actually stopped them from coming in without any at all. But hey, I guess then it wouldn't even be an act of defiance.

No.
Anyone Mamić brings in and installs within Dynamo is one of Mamić's people.
That goes for the coaches he handpicks and sends over from some small town, too.

Fine, it’s your prerogative to believe these people are independent of Dynamo (from Barisic and Mr. Peras down to Antolic and Cacic...).
I see things differently, and frankly, I have no desire to debate this further.
If you actually want to understand the state of soccer and all the shady connections involved, there is more than enough material out there for you to read.

Whether Mamić has any pull over at Dynamo or not isn't even the point here—it’s totally irrelevant to the actual discussion about the brawl after the game. You can hold whatever opinion you want on that guy, seriously.

The real issue we're dealing with is that everyone should be able to voice their thoughts on a topic without having to walk on eggshells, constantly worrying if a moderator is going to slap them with a ban just because they don't happen to agree with the mod's personal take.

It feels like a few people here have decided they’re the self-appointed police of these threads, acting like they can moderate things however they feel like—just banning whatever they don't like and silencing anyone who dares to write something they disagree with.

The real issue isn't that people on the soccer forums are complaining about the moderators; it's those political junkies and outsiders from other subreddits who suddenly feel the need to swoop in and lecture everyone on what actually went down.

Look, it should be crystal clear to you by now—I can basically walk in here tomorrow and demand to write about whatever topic I want on this forum. What *should* be the gold standard across every single thread is that everyone gets the right to voice their own opinion, provided they aren't breaking any actual rules. But more importantly, we shouldn't have to deal with this constant threat of moderator tyranny hanging over our heads—you know, that feeling where you're never quite sure if you're going to get slapped with a ban just because you said something that didn't tickle some specific moderator's fancy.

Look, I don't get it either—why on earth can't this press release be up for discussion?

Fine, let's say it's an off-topic tangent, but claiming we can't link the official statement from the Dallas Cowboys just because Mamic is a criminal? That is pure idiocy.
It’s like trying to ban any mention of Republican statements in politics simply because certain party members have been convicted of crimes.

Why is it that we aren't allowed to discuss the questionable assets held by the Ukrainian president on the Ukraine thread?

@chavez there’s probably a reason why users from that region won't share that specific report. Instead, you have people dropping random claims out of nowhere, using them as "proof," and then getting offended when regular people refuse to engage in those kinds of circular arguments.