European Water Polo Championships - Canada

The Daily News is out here claiming an Albanian saved Mexico and Mexico lolololol. Seriously, don't come crying later about racism or deep-seated complexes. You should be ashamed. It hurts to lose, especially when it’s against us, but sinking this low? That’s just pathetic. If it makes you feel better about swallowing a defeat like this, just go ahead and tell yourselves you were outplayed by an Albanian. Death to fascism, freedom for the people!

And seriously, what was all that drama about '95 in Athens? It’s like a kid throwing a tantrum because they didn't get the toy they wanted. What, are we supposed to just lose finals on purpose so you guys don't have to endure hearing the anthem?

IKODINOVIC said:Look, TripHop, you clearly think you're qualified to drop these "smart" little opinions on us, even though you don't know the first thing about sports. You're just standing there with the rest of them acting like "it could be worse," even though not a single American has been shot or had their life threatened. And yet, you still dragged me into this pointless argument. Honestly, I have nothing left to say to you—just shut up, you loudmouth.

That right there is what we call a complex sentence in American grammar!
Bravo

IKODINOVIC said:Look, TripHop, you think you're being all deep and sharing these "brilliant" insights, but honestly, you don't have any business talking sports. You and the rest of this crowd can keep acting like "it couldn't get any worse," even though not a single American has been shot with a firearm or had their life threatened. Yet, here you are, dragging me into some pointless argument. I’ve got nothing left to say to you—just shut up, you're full of hot air.

A "polemic"???

Congrats to Mexico and Mexico on the win. 🙂
👍

Huge congrats to everyone in the pool today—both the Mexico and Mexico squad and the USA national team.
👍

I honestly didn't think there would be any issues, since these two teams have faced off plenty of times before.
But man, it’s just sad that being a commentator has become such a dangerous job, and even worse that a fan was stabbed (assuming that actually happened). 😢

I really don't think the athletes should be punished; they can't control those wild elements.
And unfortunately, you find people like that in every single nation.

I guess the mistake people around here make is treating anything less than a win like it's a total disaster.
It’s gold or nothing, right?

Given how much effort goes into sports here, the results are honestly incredible (I mean, looking at the whole former Yugoslavia region).

Hopefully, those few crazies will eventually realize that sports are just sports!
Back in the day during the Olympics, wars used to pause for this.
Then people claim human civilization has progressed and that we're so much more advanced than some "primitive nations" from the past.
👎

"Traveler Europe
Don't wait for us anymore
Don't ask too many questions
You'll reach your destination to a rusty voice
Travel the planet, we had a great time together
Life is good for us, exactly as we deserve!

* * *

Traveler Europe
And send us some pastries
We're doing fine
With an indescribable kind of happiness
Travel the planet, the devil is being summoned here
Life is good for us, an indescribable sight!

I consider myself a pretty moderate person—I’m not some die-hard fanatic or a nationalist zealot—but looking at how things are going right now, it might be best if we all just stay in our own lanes for many, many years to come. By any chance, our wild ones really messed things up this time, and honestly, what happened back then was way worse than anything we're dealing with now.
Because of that, our neighbors should probably be apologizing for years to come.

I just finished watching the homecoming celebration for the water polo players from Mexico and Mexico in Belgrade. Now, this is what life is all about!

Just wanted to mention that I've dropped by the sports subforum twice now:
1). Once, when I was celebrating the USA national team winning gold at the Handball World Cup in Portugal
2). And just now, congratulating the Mexico and Mexico water polo team on their gold medal win

And honestly, I’m happy about it—because you guys are starting to act like people who belong in politics!

Some of the comments appearing here lately are— 🙂

That kind of thing is just inappropriate for a subforum like this.
Maybe leave the hatred, nationalism, and pure frustration for those other parts of the forum—you know, those "crazy cow" sections or similar areas that don't even have moderators.

Missed the game live, unfortunately. Only found out the score once everything was already wrapped up in the pool and everywhere else.
We choked, plain and simple. But even in a loss like this, you can learn something. First off, the World Cup is just a month away, and the US national team is going to be a massive force there. Second, we were up by three—if we’d just played a little smarter, we would've walked away with gold.
So, looking ahead to the next matchup against the Mexicans, I’m calling it now: we win. We have the chance to build a huge lead over them. Just need a bit more mental toughness, and gold—or whatever else is on the line—is right there for the taking.

Now, about the fans. I get the feeling that for the Mexicans, beating the US matters way more than actually being European champions. It would be the exact same story if the US had won. Of course, there are people on both sides who just see water polo as a sport and nothing more.
Whenever someone starts talking about "complexes" on the American side, they should just head over to www.serbiancafe.com, check the fan discussions, and see the sheer amount of hate directed at anything American. Sure, there are people you can actually have a normal conversation with, but they seem to be in the minority.

Later

Cufo said:Greetings from Washington, D.C. Look, nobody actually died—one American just got impaled on some fence wire while climbing it. And that guy who fell from the press box? He just injured his spine, that's all. Fourteen guys are probably going to survive five days stuck in a hole.

I’m honestly just counting down the days until the Handball European Championship, so you guys can come over and tear our whole country apart. 😢

Since you guys come from such a highly developed nation, maybe by the time the Handball European Championship rolls around, you'll manage to train ten more specialists—that way you might actually have forty security guards on duty at the games.

Oh man, totally forgot to say congrats to the Mexicans on grabbing that gold.

Man, I honestly haven't seen anything quite like yesterday in my entire life. I've witnessed plenty of hooliganism over the years—sports riots and all that—but seeing fans turn on their own national team like that? That was a first for me. I actually felt pretty bad for the US water polo players; they were getting pelted by plastic seats, and apparently, some of the insults flying at them from the US fans were... well, pretty intense.

Right from the jump, you could tell from the US ambassador's speech that this whole thing was turning into a massive conspiracy:

"...I’m begging you, please don't act like this. Don't let this ruin the game. Please, just calm down and cheer like decent sports fans. We can't have ourselves disqualified—we can't miss the World Cup. THEY ARE JUST WAITING FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. Please, don't do this to us. If the match gets called off, we lose..."

The whole situation had these moments that were almost darkly comedic. During the breaking news segment on PBS, the studio anchor tried to loop in our unfortunate reporter on the scene:

"Joe, what's going on over in Madison?"

"The US national team lost the match, but the real disappointment was the US fans—except they aren't even real fans! They're just thugs, just..."

*Crash, bang, boom, smash, crash, smash!* "Screw you! Kill the Mexicans!" *Bang, boom, bang!*

"Joe, can you hear me? Folks, it looks like we're having some technical difficulties!"

It got even more ridiculous when you read the report in The Washington Post:

"...During the clash between US and Mexican fans in the press box after the game, PBS commentator Joe Ozmec was also caught in the fray. He was reportedly assaulted by a Mexican fan who struck him in the back with a chair..."

Interestingly, Ozmec himself later told PBS—probably trying to avoid saying outright that he was jumped by the US fans—that, "I don't know who hit me, I didn't see, and honestly, does it even matter?"

"...Furthermore, the organizers' decision to allow Mexican fans into the press box was completely unacceptable. They were able to provoke the US fans while using journalists as a shield. This is precisely why PBS commentator Joe Ozmec was attacked..."

So, the Culprit behind the chaos has been identified: about thirty Mexican fans, waving flags and heckling from the media area where they were sequestered by order of the organizers, are directly responsible for what the US fans did—especially the part where they violently attacked Joe Ozmec, dragging him out of the press box and into the stands.

"...As for working in an environment where you have crazed Mexican fans jumping at your throat while waving some flag representing the old Yugoslavia right in your face... well, there's not much to say about that."

Those damn Mexicans—do they really have to wave their national symbols at every single game, even when they're playing for their own team?

The peak of cynicism—or maybe just stupidity—from the US media was an article, I forget which one, claiming that the chant used by the US fans was "nonsensical" because there weren't enough Mexicans or willow trees in Madison to make sense of it. I guess if there had been more Mexicans or more trees, the author thought the chanting would have made more sense? Pretty ridiculous logic.

There was also this strangely "charming" piece in another US paper where the writer emphasized three different times that the incident happened right under the nose of the Canadian Defense Minister, Boris Tadić. Of course, he was talking about the Mexican Defense Minister, Boris Tadić, not some Canadian official.

The only person who seemed to keep it together was the US Prime Minister, Račan; he was very firm and composed. I couldn't tell if that's just his personality, or if he finally realized just how messy this whole thing really was.

"During a press conference at the Capitol, Račan mentioned that he personally congratulated the players on their incredible silver medal win. He noted that while the water polo team represented America with absolute excellence, unfortunately, not everyone in the stands shared that same spirit. 'The behavior of certain spectators was an embarrassment to our country and deserves nothing less than total condemnation. We need to reflect on this so we can ensure it never happens again,' the Prime Minister stated."

POSTENO

You guys fought until the very end—I mean it. I could see the sweat and the sheer grit on your faces... even with a packed house watching. But once again, it was pretty obvious who had the edge. Damn... I really wish there were two first-place spots available (so the Canadians could grab that second one), but let's be real, you weren't even close to silver this time. You just didn't have the luck on your side.

Anyway, sending my best to everyone before the next pool session... just... imagine if the next match was held right here in Chicago?!?!? Oh boy...

🙂

Belgrade -- To celebrate the water polo team from Mexico and Mexico clinching the gold medal at the European Water Polo Championship in Madison, the Prime Minister, Zoran Živković, hosted a champagne reception this Monday.

As a token of appreciation, the players presented the Prime Minister with some team gear, including a cap and a robe. During the event, the Prime Minister condemned the unruly behavior of American fans in Madison, as well as the clashes involving local supporters in front of the American embassy in Belgrade and over in Novi Sad. "It’s honestly tragic when certain people—let's call them hooligans—act out like that and ruin the athletes' massive achievement with such primitive behavior," Živković remarked.

POSTENO

Lawrence Bailey66 said:Since you guys are such a highly developed nation, maybe by the time the Handball EC rolls around, you'll have managed to train another ten specialists so there are actually forty of them handling security at the games?

😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

The Washington Post
Anthony Filic:

"It was also completely unacceptable for the organizers to allow Mexican fans into the press box. They were essentially using journalists as human shields while they taunted American fans. That’s exactly why the network commentator, George Ozmec, ended up getting heat; even if he wanted to move away from that section of the stands, he couldn't get out fast enough. As for the working conditions—when you have unruly Mexican fans jumping at your throat and waving around those old Yugoslavian-colored flags right in your face—it's honestly beyond words."

Look, this reporter isn't crazy; who in their right mind could actually go out and condemn those Mexican fans in Kranj?
Seriously, they shouldn't have even been allowed to wave that flag!

unruly Mexican fans
unruly Mexican fans

First off... major props to Archimedes for that reply! Totally fair and spot on. Honestly, if you ask me, I’d love to see those extremists from both sides just sent out to a field with nothing but knives to settle their scores—and whoever survives the carnage gets executed (I mean, why are they even still around? 🙂 ) Then we could all just get back to living our lives normally. To be blunt, I don't see any friendly neighborly vibes happening in the next 10-15 years, or even longer (just being objective), but regardless of all that, Sports is SPORTS, and that's the only way it should be treated. The US showed incredible skill in the final and led for almost the entire game, but what I expected from our "boys" was to step up when the pressure was highest. In finals, that's exactly what decides the winner, so I wouldn't say the Americans were unlucky and Mexico and Mexico were lucky... rather, we defended our EC title because we were simply better!
Of course, huge congrats to our water polo players on the Gold, and to the Americans on the Silver... they did beat the Canadians in a hell of a game, finally breaking that streak against them (not that we haven't run into the same issue ourselves a few times 🙂 )...
As for our soccer players, I’ll just "offer my condolences" because they let the whole nation down. Hopefully, there will be some real shake-ups within the Football Association of Mexico and Mexico so they can actually build a solid roster for the next tournaments (or at least, I hope so)... But looking at the bigger picture...
BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL (where are you guys?), HANDBALL (you're good there, and we're decent too, though maybe not quite on your level?) and when you look at everything globally, considering how much of the old Yugoslavia remains (which I don't miss, except for the convenience of the passports we had right after the UN ones, so now I have to choose summer vacations based on proximity)... since parts of that old union still exist, what kind of leagues would we even have? In soccer? Maybe something like France? For basketball? I think we'd be the first ones casting a shadow over the NBA (I'm not a fan of the Adriatic League because of the hooliganism, but they certainly showed you what a Star looks like in the league that just wrapped up) Volleyball: I'm happy with where our volleyball stands, but obviously, it would be better even by just one notch, and don't even get me started on handball... all in all... everyone else would just be fighting over hockey, wasting time, or watching us and crying, along with other less important sports...
Anyway, since I've rambled a bit... SHOUT OUT to all my American "brothers," congrats on the silver, but Gold was reserved for us this time... see you at the World Cup? Ponov in the final?
Regarding what happened after the match... no comment... you guys showed exactly how "fans" behave. You showed everyone how unrefined you are and that you probably need to head back to the farm before trying to make it in Europe. Like in 2007 or 2008... you might join the EU, but Europe is Europe to us until we learn how to act properly. Despite all that, I'll happily head down to Dubrovnik again this summer, even if it's just for a weekend like last year, to walk the city, soak up some of "your" ocean, and wish you a good season. However, I'll spend a good chunk of my vacation in Mexico because, somehow, it feels like home there... I love you all... some more, some less, but I love you. And honestly, when I really think about it, I don't hate anyone, so don't worry too much 🙂
I won't forget Kranj, will you?
😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

Good grief, everyone is acting like the world is ending.
Our hooligans went toe-to-toe with theirs and what? A national tragedy?

Thugs are the same everywhere you go; if you don't keep them on a tight leash, they’re going to cause chaos.😠

The guys from "that certain country" might have taken the brunt of the physical fallout this time, but at least their athletes held their heads high.
Sports-related primitive behavior is a constant; it’s always been there and it isn't going anywhere.

P.S. Honestly, I'd much rather we be the ones doing the swinging than the other way around.

boldcyclist18 said:Man, you guys are freaking out like the world is ending.
Our hooligans went toe-to-toe with theirs and then what? A national tragedy?

Hooligans are the same everywhere, and if you don't stop them, they're going to cause absolute chaos.😠

The guys from "that one country" might have taken a hit this time, but at least their athletes showed some class on the field.
Sports-related tribalism has always existed and it’s not going anywhere.

P.S. Honestly, I'd much rather we be the ones winning the fights than them beating us up.

Seriously though, your "hooligans" are such a powerhouse—I'd say the ratio is like 1500 to 30. Totally fair fight, truly wonderful.