Racism and Soccer: Witnessing Prejudice at the 1997 CONCACAF Match in Costa Rica

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-11-26 23:47:12 | Updated at 2024-11-28 23:39:53 2 days ago

Racism and Soccer: Witnessing Prejudice at the 1997 CONCACAF Match in Costa Rica
Tico Times ^ | November 26, 2024

Posted on 11/26/2024 2:09:55 PM PST by nickcarraway

Costa Rica squared off against the U.S. team in a World Cup Qualifying game on March 23, 1997, at Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in San José. My young son and I were seated in the middle section, near row 30. Saprissa is a stadium where the U.S. could never win against its CONCACAF rival. Bruce Arena, former U.S. national team coach, described it in a Sports Illustrated article (Andrea Corrales, 2009) as: “The way the stadium is, the fans are right on top of you.”

Arena went on to say, “That’s intimidating for players, but even more for officials.” Landon Donovan didn’t play but was present and sensed a “very hostile crowd.” For Costa Rica, young Keylor Navas was the goalkeeper, while Bryan Ruiz, Walter Centeno, Hernán Medford, and Harold Wallace were among the starting players. The U.S. came into the match with a dismal 0-9-1 record in World Cup qualifying matches in Costa Rica.

The stadium was, of course, packed. With its unique, imposing vertical design, the excitement and tension were palpable that evening as we waited for the 8 p.m. start time. The temperature hovered in the low 80s at game time, and the skies were clear. There didn’t appear to be any designated USA sections—or at least, I wasn’t in one. Never one to openly display my allegiance during foreign national games, I knew that soccer matches in stadiums worldwide could be risky. It was best to keep a low profile in rival territory, especially when seated alone among home-team fans.

I managed to stay relatively calm during the game. However, during one exuberant moment of clapping and yelling, I felt the flat sole of someone’s shoe squarely in the middle of my back—not hard, but clearly a warning. As I quickly glanced back, I couldn’t identify the offender. I turned back to the game, acutely aware of the crowd’s mood. Though emotions ran high inside me as I rooted for the U.S. team, I kept silent. What could my eight-year-old son have been thinking, taking all this in with his impressionable mind?

About 15 minutes into the game, the linesman, a tall and broad-shouldered man with a Caribbean physique and an elegant physical presence, stood straight with impeccable posture. Being seated at midfield and not far from his position, I could often see his back as he worked.

Then came a crescendo of noise—a loud male voice, middle-aged and unmistakably Tico, began bellowing racist epithets. It was an unrelenting wave of profanity and crudeness, filled with racial stereotypes and insults hurled at the linesman below. The section went silent—indeed, it seemed like the entire stadium fell quiet. The verbal tirade, spewing the worst imaginable phrases in both English and Spanish, was appalling. Yet, the linesman stood unflinching, erect, and composed, not moving a single muscle. I couldn’t help but admire him for his stoic demeanor in the face of such a disgusting personal attack.

Inside, I felt a deep inner turmoil. What was my son thinking, this eight-year-old boy, listening to a public display of such hatred? It could have been anywhere in the world—even in Pura Vida, Costa Rica. For brief moments, I wanted to shout, “Stop! Stop the profanity!” But I imagined the consequences—being severely pummeled by spirited Ticos in a wild stadium filled with raw emotion, football fervor, and national pride on the line. All I could muster was to quietly say to my son, “Listen, son, listen to the tirade. How can it be?”

Their best players were of diverse backgrounds. The scene left me grappling with questions of interpretation and meaning. What does it mean? Even now, I still don’t know.

TOPICS: History; Hobbies; Sports
KEYWORDS: costarica; racism; soccer

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1 posted on 11/26/2024 2:09:55 PM PST by nickcarraway

To: nickcarraway

Maybe don’t take your 8-year-old kid to a soccer match in a racist country.

2 posted on 11/26/2024 2:19:21 PM PST by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)

To: nickcarraway

Even worse was the 2004 Asian cup in China.

Japan was doing free kicks after a tie with Jordan I think and their side had a bad kick position that the Japanese complained about so they moved to the other side and won.

China was moderately enraged and Chinese threw bottles at the Japanese fans.

Then when Japan beat China and won the cup, the chinese freaked tfo and trailed the Japanese fans bus trying to beat the crap out of them.

Ive never seen such bad behavior and I’ve coached soccer a while now.

3 posted on 11/26/2024 2:26:15 PM PST by struggle

To: nickcarraway

Is the author writing a memoir? This was a match from nearly 30 years ago and he heard some bad words directed at the linesman.

Thank you for posting nickcarraway - you always share so many articles.

4 posted on 11/26/2024 2:26:43 PM PST by HonkyTonkMan ( )

To: struggle

Happens at Azteca as well - brutal.

5 posted on 11/26/2024 2:28:42 PM PST by HonkyTonkMan ( )

To: nickcarraway

“About 15 minutes into the game, the linesman, a tall and broad-shouldered man with a Caribbean physique and an elegant physical presence, stood straight with impeccable posture. “

Damn. Would you like to lick his balls?

6 posted on 11/26/2024 2:36:26 PM PST by dljordan (What would Michael Collins do?)

To: All

I would say it’s partly racism and partly a sense of entitlement — soccer is “our” game not a Yanqui sport and we should beat the Yanquis. Canada was in the same situation travelling to those venues and as our team was generally not as good as the U.S.A. in those decades, we regularly got beat anyway so I imagine the taunts were better natured since we were playing our role as predictable losers.

That has all changed in recent years with a much more competitive team from Canada that is ranked above a lot of the countries that used to beat us regularly. So I imagine our teams are getting the treatment.

Anyway, soccer (futbol) is basically a religion in many countries, all of the hype that surrounds the NFL, NBA and MLB plus college sports times ten ... a good place not to be as an England fan is among Scottish fans in any England-Scotland match (football, rugby). I was once on holiday in the UK and a train service strike outage cancelled my return trip from Glasgow to London to catch a flight home. My only way out of town was a rugby fan bus heading for a town in Yorkshire (some sort of inter-league “friendly”) but the talk all the way down was frightening to me as a guy born in Birmingham, I played the Canadian “don’t know nuffin” card and was accepted as a sort of mascot for the trip. I survived, caught an inter-city bus in Yorkshire and barely made my flight, having survived a near-death experience.

What the Brits and Irish say about each other in the privacy of their own homes would startle you, at least back in the day, maybe woke socialism has erased that.

I don’t imagine a France-Germany soccer fixture is a very safe place to be among the wrong fans either.

7 posted on 11/26/2024 2:37:37 PM PST by Peter ODonnell (A conspiracy theory is usually a fact that a leftist cannot endorse)

To: nickcarraway

A “linesman” is an official?

What’s a “tico”?

I can guess, but maybe clear it up for others?

8 posted on 11/26/2024 2:38:28 PM PST by Does so (♭♫♪ Are ye able said the Master ♫♬♪...🇺🇦...Dem☭¢rat...≣)

To: HonkyTonkMan

Yeah, non american soccer matches can be crazy. My bud went to a Roma vs Lazio match and people were throwing bananas on the field whenever a certain African player touched the ball.

9 posted on 11/26/2024 2:43:12 PM PST by struggle

To: HonkyTonkMan

You are welcome, and thank you.

I don't follow soccer. But I worked with someone who was born in the U.K., but his parents were from Sri Lanka. He was a fan of Man United. He was at a matched hosted by Spurs or Arsenal, and they beat him up, for being a Man U. fan, and maybe being Sri Lankan. He said he had to stand to watch the rest of the match, and it turned out he had broken ribs.

To: HonkyTonkMan

In Europe they still throw bananas on the field at black players.

11 posted on 11/26/2024 2:45:31 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)

To: Peter ODonnell

And then there’s The Old Firm between Rangers and Celtic.

12 posted on 11/26/2024 2:46:16 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)

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