European Water Polo Championships - Canada

George Walker3
Man, I was absolutely dying laughing yesterday. They ask some "die-hard fan" if he actually knows the rules of water polo, and he just looks them dead in the eye and says: "Nope. I'm just here to fight Mexicans."

😁 👍
See? You have to admit our fans have their merits... at least they're honest!!

Honestly, that was just pathetic. Yesterday morning—I think it was the day after the game—I’m driving around, listening to the radio, and I can hardly believe what I’m hearing. I’m out here in the States, in this college town of about 100,000 people where there isn't much besides the university. One thing about this place: people live for those morning radio shows where everyone is just laughing, shouting, and acting like life is one big party. And let me tell you, the shows are incredibly shallow. Anyway, during this morning's broadcast, they were actually mocking us for the fight we got into in Denver. It's like they have this idea that violence is just baked into our DNA, that we're constantly at each other's throats. Then, some idiot—one of those guys laughing hysterically—drops this "rhetorical" question: "What do you think happens if you adopt a kid from the Mediterranean and raise them here in the US? Are they going to turn out just as wild as those people?" And of course, the whole studio erupts in laughter... Later on, one of them even had the nerve to ask how long we've been playing water polo. I've been laughing about it all day, though it's pretty depressing that people as clueless as these Americans spend their time laughing at others. They act like violence is our only trait... Unbelievable. Neither we nor you guys dropped an atomic bomb on Japan. Greetings from Illinois.

Honestly, Americans pull off even worse stunts than we do; it’s just that when we act out, it looks like mindless chaos, but when they do it, they wrap it up in a neat little bow and call it "fighting terrorism."

Honestly, whining about the officiating in water polo is just a total waste of breath because, let's be real, no referee out there actually has a clue what’s going on, and they might catch maybe 20% of the fouls—if they're lucky—while the rest of the game is basically decided by whatever the ref feels like seeing in the moment.

We’re all a bunch of wild savages here, whether you call us first, second, or third, and honestly, the fourth group really should have been better prepared for the finals, especially since both Americans and Mexicans are always sitting right at the top of the European Water Polo Championship and world rankings regardless of how they're playing lately, so it's super rare for them to miss the quarterfinals, or even the semifinals for that matter, and it really should have been obvious that those two teams were likely headed for a showdown in the final, so if we go back to the idea that we're all pretty much idiots, then the Kekeks probably could have seen the trouble coming a mile away.

And they can't try to pull that whole excuse where they say, "Oh, we're peaceful people, we're this, we're that," because hey, you might be, but we definitely aren't. 😁 You wanted the European Water Polo Championship, so you got it, and now you just had to step up and do the work.

As for that question about whether our police would protect the Mexican embassy—well, things went just fine with that in Washington, D.C., didn't they?

P.S
And don't even get me started on the Canadian fans, because they aren't exactly without any stains on their reputation either.

massive29 said:Americans and Mexicans!

It honestly hurts to see all this hate flying back and forth between you guys—but seriously, just leave us Canadians out of it and focus your energy elsewhere. And hey, Lawrence Bailey66, tell me this: why should I be stuck paying taxes to train thousands of new cops just so you people can stop fighting each other? That money would probably cost more than fixing up the half-ruined stadium over in my neck of the woods. Honestly, until you guys settle your own business, even a whole battalion of Canadian police wouldn't be able to help. They just wouldn't have the motivation. I mean, what do you think goes through the mind of a SWAT officer when he’s staring down some animal screaming in his face, knowing he has a wife and kids waiting for him at home?

http://forumi.siol.net/topic.asp?TOP...50&whichpage=4
I can't really access that specific link—it looks like it might be a broken image gallery or a dead end. I guess if you were trying to show me some photos, they didn't quite make it through. Maybe try sending a different link? I'm happy to take a look once I can actually see what's going on.

🙂

Are you seriously telling me this like we forced you guys to host the European Water Polo Championship? I mean—if you weren't up for the task in the first place, why even bother volunteering to organize something like this? I guess it just seems like a lot of unnecessary trouble if you aren't truly capable.

You guys seriously have no clue what kind of infrastructure it takes to host a tournament where the finals feature teams like the USA and Yugoslavia. And then there's that comment—"Unless you settle things between yourselves, even a battalion of Canadian police won't help." I mean, come on. For people in Canada—which has a smaller population than Belgrade—is a police battalion really supposed to sound like some massive, intimidating force? I guess not.

Just some info for anyone interested—within the Belgrade area, there are five police brigades stationed. Two of them are more mobile—one handles crowd control during protests and the other is an armored mechanized unit. Then you have three non-mobile brigades made up of precinct officers and rapid response teams spread out across various city stations. Of course, you also have the Gendarmerie and the special counter-terrorism units to consider, but that’s a whole different conversation.

When there’s a massive high-stakes game coming up—say, a Yankees-Red Sox derby where you're expecting maybe fifty thousand fans, including ten thousand of those really intense, hardcore supporters—the police go into full high-alert mode. You've got specialized riot squads stationed right at the stadium and immediately around it, whose entire job is just keeping the peace. Then, you have regular patrol officers spread out all over the surrounding area, either stationary or on patrol, just tracking how the crowds are moving. All told, for a matchup like that, they usually deploy around 2,000 personnel—and if things get hairy, they can probably roll out another 3,000 fully trained, heavy-duty officers within an hour or so.

And one more thing—and I’m telling you this because I actually know what I’m talking about—it isn't just about the numbers involved, it's about the experience. Looking at those clips, I noticed right away that the security for the match was a total mess. The police didn't take any preemptive action at all. You had American fans climbing onto nearby rooftops, jumping over pool fences, getting into arguments with officers... and nothing. No proactive moves. Their response afterward was just slow, indecisive, and frankly, ineffective. It's honestly a miracle nobody died. If you've ever been part of a serious protest or a riot—or even just witnessed one—you know that before things actually boil over, the most aggressive groups will "test" the police. They're basically gauging how the cops will react once the chaos starts. In moments like that, decisive, preemptive action is everything. There shouldn't be any debating or talking it out; if someone refuses to move or won't drop to the ground immediately, they need to get a proper dose of a baton right there in front of everyone at the stadium. If the police establish who's in charge right at the start, you probably won't even get to a full-blown riot. Sure, it's harsh—innocent people might end up catching a blow too—but that’s just the risk you take when you align yourself with hardcore fans.

Let’s be real here—all of this happened because American fans clearly don't view the Canadian police as some major force, so they showed up in those numbers and acted accordingly. You said:

"...what do you think goes through the mind of a SWAT officer when he sees an animal screaming in his face, knowing his wife and kids are waiting for him at home?..."

I don't know, maybe—given the training your police force obviously receives—he just completely shuts down and imagines himself hiking up Mount Rainier while a light breeze hits his face? There isn't much for him to think about, my friend; his job is just to hold the line until the crowd settles down. Besides, in most decent police departments around the world, specialized units usually don't have wives and kids at home—they tend to start families after they quit that crazy line of work.

vividwalker7 said:Then some idiot (one of those few people actually laughing out loud) drops this "rhetorical" question: what do you think happens if you adopt a kid from the North America and raise them here in the States—will they turn out just as wild as the kids back home? And then everyone just starts cracking up again...

Nah, they won't just be wild. They'll grab a rifle and take out half the classroom, just like any other little American patriot..

Look, I’m not trying to make excuses for anyone here, but man, the Canadians completely dropped the ball on the whole organization side of things. You can't even use the excuse that they were just dealing with Americans and Mexicans playing against each other—that doesn't fly, they acted like total amateurs and there was nothing we could do about it. Like, seriously, what if it had been the English and Germans facing off in the finals instead? Everything would have been handled differently, obviously.

Megan Bishop70 said:Nah, they’re just gonna show up to school with a rifle and take out half the class, acting like a real little American...

Seriously, what is actually going on with you? Are you even sane right now? If you drop one more post like this, Bush is gonna freeze every single asset you have left in the States

You total USA North America nutjob!

😁

vividwalker7 said:Look, there’s no excuse for how we acted, but the organization in Canada was an absolute disaster. You can't even use the "tough crowd" excuse—they had Americans and Mexicans playing, so they were basically dealing with a powder keg from the start. There was nothing we could have done to fix that mess. What if the finals had been between the English and the Germans? Everything would've been fine.

I guess we just have to wait for the World Cup. It feels like all the tension, the fighting, and the constant bickering has just evaporated. Everyone's suddenly playing nice. 😁 😁 😁 I'm telling you, one minute we're grabbing beers together, and the next, it's back to square one... here we go again! 😁 😁 😁

Of course we’re "incapable" of hosting a tournament when you guys end up in the finals. The whole world couldn't stop you two from going at it, yet suddenly our local police need to be on high alert just because of your rowdy behavior? Honestly, maybe everyone with those specific passports should just stay on their own side of the border. Both sides are frustrated, but naturally, you blame the organization for all the chaos, hahaha. Sure, the logistics were a bit shaky, but what if it had been the Spaniards or the Russians playing instead? Apparently, everything needs a special setup just for you lot because of how you act. It’s always someone else's fault when things go sideways.

You’re talking about this whole thing like it was some massive brawl between American fans and Mexican fans, when really—it was just American fans versus the Canadian police.

The way you're claiming the security was top-notch—if we just ignore for a second that they weren't actually prepared for this specific game—is kind of like me saying the security for President Kennedy did an amazing job, even though the blame for the assassination lies with the assassin being too determined and the President just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. 🙄

placebo said:Nah, they’ll just bring a rifle to school and take out half the class—acting like a real little American...

Honestly, I'd rather go out by some psycho kid's hand—or even end up being a confused Canadian special forces guy—than have to look at your nasty new avatar for any longer!

What "great security" are you even talking about? I already told you, the organization was a total mess... If these so-called fans actually acted like decent people, we wouldn't even need the police in the first place. It’s always a complete disaster whenever the US plays against Mexico.

Sure, there were clashes between the Americans and the police. But who were the Americans actually charging at? The Russians?

Cufo said:Of course we aren't capable of hosting a championship when you guys are playing in the finals. The whole world couldn't stop the war between you people, yet you expect our police force to gear up just for your rowdy crowds? Honestly, maybe everyone with those specific passports should just stay on their own side of the border. You're both frustrated, and naturally, you blame the organization for every single mess—it’s almost funny. Sure, the organization was lacking, but imagine if it were the Spaniards and Russians playing instead? It feels like special arrangements are only required because of how you lot behave. It’s always someone else's fault when things go sideways.

1. For the next 20 years, any matchup involving the US and Yugoslavia will be high-risk, and you knew that the moment you stepped up to host.
2. You already dropped the ball during the Zadar-Zvezd game; if the dangers hadn't sunk in by then, they certainly should have after that. That aggressive rhetoric from the Mexican fans, essentially calling for the erasure of Americans, was enough to mobilize the most heated local soccer supporters back then.
3. Everything in America went downhill once the news broke about the unruly Canadian-Mexican fans acting out against the more reserved American families, and the way the indifferent Canadian police just stood there smirking at it. (Though, let's be honest, Americans are already prone to taking offense at a smirk like that).
4. The end result was that horde of people that made both us and you look like incompetent organizers.
5. After those Canadian-Mexicans were kicked out, things will probably be even worse at the handball tournament. Either cancel the competition entirely or actually get to work. For starters, try calming down your Mexican contingent.

Were you feeling particularly proud of that little copy-paste job you did in Trieste?

There’s really no need to try and calm down all those 38 Canadian-Mexican types who are supposedly the "cause" of American fans acting wild—as if they have some extra unnecessary genes or whatever. Honestly, maybe Canada should just hire a hundred special forces guys from Mexico, and then your little circus would be as quiet as a theater audience during the upcoming European Water Polo Championship!

I'm pretty much certain that hiring them wouldn't cost the Canadians a dime.

You're not wrong 👍

Oh, sure, it’s all our fault. A few little lost sheep wandered over to Canada just to give the Mexicans and our local police a big hug, then everyone and their mother found some excuse to pick a fight, and suddenly we’re the incompetent ones. Everything would be perfectly fine if we hadn't "provoked" you saints in the first place. Let's get one thing straight: certain fans are nothing more than a pack of thugs looking for trouble just to prove they're tougher than the Canadians and Mexicans.

Why would you even bother picking a fight?
I’m telling you, those Delije fans showed up in Saint Paul looking for a brawl.
Everything spiraled out of control after two families were jumped at a restaurant in Madison and someone started snatching flags from a couple of local outlaws. Apparently, some locals there, mostly Mexicans, were behind it.
And you saw how that ended. A bunch of drunk Americans showed up looking for blood. I mean, what else did you expect?
Look, for us Americans, incidents like that act like a red rag to a bull—it’s basically an invitation for everything to go south.
The Mexicans stirred the pot, the Canadians just stood by and watched, and then we Americans stepped in to finish the job.
Believe me, if those Mexicans hadn't been acting up beforehand, this whole thing would have stayed limited to about 500 American fans trading some insults back and forth.

Walter Martinez63 said:The Mexicans stirred the pot, the Canadians stood by, and the Americans brought it home.
Honestly, if it weren't for all the nonsense the Mexicans were pulling beforehand, this whole thing would've just been about 500 American fans trading some verbal jabs.

Is it really that easy to get under an American's skin? Can you hide that much hatred behind a calm face and just tear everything apart? I don't know...

Canadians, you guys aren't even equipped to host the EC or handle scenes like this... How are you supposed to prepare for a mob that plans to cause chaos and then blames the Canadians for not being "ready" enough?

You guys have been talking nonsense your entire lives. You only survived because you had help from the Canadians—specifically because they didn't let our fans cause any trouble. But it was all for nothing!!! Luck favors the brave, and you lot are just pathetic. In ten years, we’ll be snatching your flags right out of your hands; it won't matter if it's Gypsies, Gravediggers, or JF. You are an absolute disgrace to your tiny little country. You completely blew a guaranteed win.