Outrage at the Bernabéu (but not of the sort you're hearing about)!

Haven't seen any figures yet on the viewing numbers for yesterday's Champions League match between Real Madrid and Bacelona, but one can assume millions and millions around the world tuned in to what turned out to be an outrageous first leg tie.


As expected, the big media outlets are dissecting every bit of controversy with surgical precision - José Mourinho's "grassy knoll" conspiracy theory, Pepe's studs up foul (or non-foul) on one of the "diving" Barcelona "cry babies", Pinto's punch up, Cronaldo's candid admission of "not liking" to play in such a defensive formation, et cetera ad infinitum.  I'm just as engrossed as anybody else in the spectacle that is El Clásico - one of the first things I did upon seeing Mourinho lumber into the stands and begin feverishly scribbling on his notepad after being banished by the referee was to begin discussing with a friend in fútbol how much the Special One's antics reminded me of R.P. McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  And given his post-match ravings, he played the role famously (and come to think of it, Jack Nicholson's character could be his doppelganger, no?).

But the above controversies, as we often see, overshadow the real outrages of the evening - the outrageous behavior that unquestionably mars our great sport and the unique fan culture that surrounds it.  I'm talking about the racist abuse directed at Dani Alves after Pepe's red card and the rain of missiles on the Barcelona players and the match officials.  I don't care how passionate you are about fútbol, or how devoted you are to a club, or how wrong you think a player or referee's actions are - there is absolutely no place for racism in this game or physical threats to those working on the field including managers, club staff, players, and most of all the officiating staff.

Most pundits and fans assume that it's UEFA's (or the equivalent football federation's) responsibility to stamp out racism and violence in the game.  You might be right, and I might agree with you, that it's a quixotic dream to completely remove these elements from our soccer communities and our world, for that matter.  But, I do know that slaps on the wrists and relatively meager fines will not achieve what most of us desire.  And I do know that we supporters must do much, much more to police ourselves in the stands and in the streets after the match.  Let this be our primary concern when we see this type of behavior happening - let's not be wholly consumed by the hype.