A History of the Most Racist Moments in Recent European Soccer

If there's controversy involved in European soccer, you can be sure that Mario Balotelli's name is never far from the headlines. Recently, Balotelli has been plastered all over newspapers from Manchester to Milan due to his antics on and off the pitch. However, sometimes it really isn't his fault. Look to a recent press conference held by Paolo Berlusconi, younger brother of AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, where he used a few choice words to describe Super Mario that can only be viewed as racism. Racism has been prevalent throughout European soccer history, and despite recent campaigns to try and eradicate the game of such offenses, many players past and present are wondering if the game will ever really be clean.

What's the old adage, if we don't learn from the past we are doomed to repeat it? Well, we'll do our part. From Paolo Berlusconi's ill-guided comments, to the insanity of Zenit St. Petersburg supporters, we present A History of the Most Racist Moments in Recent European Soccer.

Written by Adam Silvers (@silversurfer103)

"Football Language?"

Racist Offender: Fritz Korbach
Victim: Bryan Roy and Romario, PSV
When: 1991
Where: Heerenveen, Netherlands

Former Holland boss Fritz Korbach landed in hot water when he referred to Bryan Roy as the "ni**er," and Romario that "coffee bean from PSV." Korbach dismissed the racist claims by saying this was merely "football language." Nice try homie. Holland's governing body of football suspended him for a match.

Last Dance

Racist Offender: Dortmund Nightclub Bouncers
Victim: Julio Cesar, Borussia Dortmund
When: 1994
Where: Dortmund, Germany

It's important to remember that if there is racism on the pitch, you can bet your house there's racism on the streets of Europe. Such was the case in '94 in the industrial city of Dortmund. Then-Dortmund player, Julio Cesar, was denied entry into a local club because of his dark complexion. That's messed up, the man just wants to dance.

Kick It Out

Racist Offender: Everton FC Supporters
Victim: John Barnes, Liverpool
When: 11/1/1987
Where: Anfield, Liverpool, England

We've seen some absolutely disgusting displays of racism in sport, and England is no exception. Not as hyped as Barcelona and Madrid, the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton is every bit as fierce. This instalment in the on-going duel for city supremacy back in '87 went beyond football for Liverpool forward John Barnes. Barnes was subjected to racist abuse by Toffee supporters who threw a banana at him and chanted, "Everton are white." Real creative guys. Barnes tried to take it in stride by back-heeling the banana off the pitch. Stay classy, JB.

Mending Fences

Racist Offender: Stuart Pearce
Victim: Paul Ince, Manchester United
When: 12/17/1994
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

Ex-Nottingham Forest left-back, and current England U-21 manager, Stuart Pearce was guilty of racially abusing former England teammate Paul Ince back in '94 during a premiership match at Old Trafford. Unlike the majority of these racist events, Pearce showed deep remorse for his actions. Pearce and Ince would even go on to become friends off the field, including competing together in a charity golf outing. Guess there are such things as happy endings, sometimes.

The Benchmark

Racist Offender: Steve Harkness
Victim: Stan Collymore, Aston Villa
When: 2/28/1998
Where: Villa Park, Birmingham, England

Unfortunately this episode of racism has become the point of reference for comparative cases in England. Villa Park was the scene for a Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Liverpool, unfortunately the match was overshadowed by allegations of racism leveled against Steve Harkness by Stan Collymore. Collymore was disgusted with the treatment he received from Harkness during the match, Harkness denied any racial abuse.

Mic'd Up

Racist Offender: Ron Atkinson
Victim: Marcel Desailly, Chelsea
When: 4/20/2004
Where: Stade Louis II, Monaco

Haven't we learned to always make sure the mic is off before going on racist rants? We guess not. Such was the case for former ITV football pundit Ron Atkinson, who thought his mic was off when he decided to voice a few choice words about Marcel Desailly. Atkinson referred to Desailly as "what is known in some schools as a f––g lazy, thick n--." Yeah, not cool dude. He would later show remorse over the incident saying he was "an idiot, but I'm not a racist."

The Lions Make History

Racist Offender: Millwall FC Supporters
Victim: Djimi Traore, Liverpool
When: 10/26/2004
Where: The New Den, London

Here's some football history for you, in '04 Millwall became the first club to be formally charged by the Football Association for racist actions by their fans. The incident that brought about the charges was an exchange between Lions supporters and Liverpool player Djimi Traore. In this case first definitely is the worst.

No More Monkey Business

Racist Offender: Real Zaragoza Supporters
Victim: Samuel Eto'o, Barcelona
When: 2/12/2005
Where: La Romareda, Zaragoza, Spain

In a La Liga clash back in '05 between Real Zaragoza and Barcelona, things got ugly. Barcelona star, and Cameroon international, Samuel Eto'o became the target of racist abuse from the home Zaragoza fans. Supporters made monkey chants whenever Eto'o touched the ball and they threw peanuts onto the pitch. Eto'o threatened to leave in the middle of the game, but was prevented by his teammates. After Barcelona finished their 4-1 shellacking of Zaragoza, Eto'o danced like a monkey on the field. That's how to deal with the racist abuse with flair.

The Motivator

Racist Offender: Luis Aragones
Victim: Thierry Henry, Arsenal
When: 10/6/2005
Where: Las Rozas training ground, Madrid

We've heard of unconventional methods to get players to work harder, but in this case Luis Aragones took it to the next level. During a training session in '05, the former Spain boss tried to motivate Jose Antonio Reyes by making remarks against his club teammate Thierry Henry: "Tell that negro de mierda [black s***] that you are much better than him. Tell him from me. You have to believe in yourself; you're better than that negro de mierda." Nice.

Ironic Injustice

Racist Offender: Hallescher FC Supporters
Victim: Adebowale Ogungbure, FC Sachsen Leipzig
When: 3/25/2006
Where: Erdgas Sportpark, Halle, Germany

A horrific scene in Germany took place during a match between FC Sachsen Leipzig and Hallescher FC. Leipzig's Nigerian midfielder Adebowale Ogungbure was spat at and called "ni**er ape" by Hallescher supporters, while also shouting monkey noises at him. Ogungbure retaliated by placing two fingers above his mouth and saluting the crowd, a direct reference to Adolf Hitler. Ogungbure was arrested by German police, because it's illegal to make Nazi gestures for political or abusive purposes. Thankfully those charges were dropped, we assume it's because someone actually used common sense in the proceedings.

Nothing Like Home Cooking

Racist Offender: FK Borac Cacak Supporters
Victim: Mike Temvanjera, Borac Cacak
When: 10/14/2006
Where: Čačak Stadium, Čačak, Serbia

This episode back in '06 at Čačak Stadium was horrific. 37 supporters of the home side donned KKK hoods and displayed racist banners directed against their own players. Most notably targeted was Zimbabwe international Mike Temvanjera, who also received monkey chants. Police immediately intervened and all 37 supporters were removed. A dark day for Serbian football and Serbian culture in general.

What Proof?

Racist Offender: Emre Belözoğlu
Victim: Joseph Yobo, Everton
When: 12/30/2006
Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England

What do you get when you have two players give direct evidence of racial abuse on the field? Apparently nothing—at least when an independent commission is involved. Yup, sounds shady as hell to us too. Such was the case one afternoon back in '06 at Goodison Park when Toffee teammates Joleon Lescott and Tim Howard gave clear evidence that their teammate Joseph Yobo was racially abused. The accused was, one, Emre Belözoğlu of Newcastle United, who allegedly called Yobo a "f*****g negro," and a "f*****g ni**er". Lack of proof? Sounds pretty damning to us.

Arts and Crafts

Racist Offender: Lithuania Supporters
Victim: France Black Players
When: 3/24/2007
Where: Zalgiris Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania

We'll just let the picture speak for itself. As creative as racism goes, this one is definitely up there. We can only imagine the horror and shock when this banner was unfurled in Lithuania in '07 in a "friendly" against France. Why even bother?

Smells Like Racism

Racist Offender: Milan Baros
Victim: Stephane M'Bia, Stade Rennes
When: 4/18/2007
Where: Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France

This one is downright wrong. One of the more childish things we've seen on any field in any country. Milan Baros is that bully back in grade school who picks on anyone and everyone for no good reason. Such was the case here as Baros, who played for Lyon at the time, imitates that Stephane M'Bia is stinky. Really, Milan?

Oink, Oink

Racist Offender: Roman Weidenfeller
Victim: Gerald Asamoah, Schalke 04
When: 8/18/2007
Where: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Former German international Gerald Asamoah has often been a victim of racial abuse. This lastest case involved Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, who was investigated by German footballing authorities for calling the Ghana-born player a "black pig".

That's Not Kosher

Racist Offender: Chelsea Supporters
Victim: Avram Grant, Chelsea
When: 9/29/2007
Where: Stamford Bridge, London

Right after Chelsea fans lost arguably their greatest manager in Jose Mourinho, they gave his replacement Avram Grant, some trouble. Blues supporters bombarded the Israeli and his father with racist chants and banners during a home game against local rival Fulham. Damn that's cold. Grant even took them to a Champions League Final in '08. They could care less, though.

From Russia With Hate

Racist Offender: Zenit St. Petersburg Supporters
Victim: André Ayew, Ronald Zubar and Charles Kaboré, Olympique Marseille
When: 3/12/2008
Where: Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Chances are if you've made our list on three separate occasions, your supporters are racist as hell. This certainly appears to be the case for the fans of Russian premier side Zenit St. Petersburg. In this instance, an UEFA Cup match against French outfit Olympique Marseille in '08 provided the platform for racist abuse. Guadelupe born defender Ronald Zubar revealed that he and other black teammates were targeted by Zenit fans, such offenses included throwing banana peels and making monkey chants. On top of it, Marseille lost the match.

The "Toon" of Hate

Racist Offender: Newcastle United Supporters
Victim: Mido, Middlesborough
When: 11/29/2008
Where: Riverside Stadium, Middlesborough, England

Egyptian international Mido made headlines with his second case of abuse at the hands of Newcastle fans. At a match at the Riverside, away fans hurled anti-Islamic verbals at Mido, and he was branded a "terrorist" by supporters. Two men were charged in connection with the abuse, and this case undoubtedly force the FA, England's governing football body, to take racism more seriously at matches.

The Old Lady is Mean

Racist Offender: Juventus Supporters
Victim: Mario Balotelli, Inter Milan
When: 4/18/2009
Where: Stadio Olimpico di Torino, Turin, Italy

Mario Balotelli at the center of it again. This time when he was just a teenager playing for Inter Milan. During a game against Juventus, fans sang songs of racial discrimination and targeted the Italian hitman. Juventus was found guilty and punished by being forced to play one game behind closed doors. Sounds more like a slap on the wrist than a real penalty.

Don't Hate the Playa, Hate the Game

Racist Offender: Jelle Van Damme
Victim: Oguchi Onyewu, Club Brugge
When: 5/21/2009
Where: Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht, Brussels

You would think a dude named Jelle would be a little more chill on the pitch, but we've been fooled before. This issue of abuse back in '09 saw American international Oguchi Onyewu targeted during his playing time in Belgium. During a Jupiler League tilt, Anderlecht's Jelle Van Damme repeatedly called Onyewu a, "dirty monkey." Absolutely classless.

Euell Strikes Back

Racist Offender: Stoke City Supporter
Victim: Jason Euell, Blackpool
When: 9/22/2009
Where: The Britania Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, England

A League Cup match between Stoke City and Blackpool back in '09 would be the stage for this display of racism. Blackpool player, Jason Euell, was sitting on the substitutes bench when he was racially abused by a Stoke fan, who was ejected from the stadium and arrested by police for his actions. Homie wasn't even in the game and he was taking abuse. Do these fans come to matches just to yell shit at black players? SMDH. Blackpool manager Ian Holloway, who had to restrain Euell as he confronted the offender, was furious in his post-match interview. Good for you Holloway, stand up for your players.

Cold As Ice

Racist Offender: Lokomotiv Moscow Supporters
Victim: Peter Odemwingie, West Bromwich Albion
When: 8/20/2010
Where: Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow

Soviet-born Nigerian international Peter Odemwingie joined Premier League-side West Bromwich Albion from Lokomotiv Moscow back in 2010. Sounds like a normal transfer so far, right? Shortly after signing for West Brom, photographs showed Lokomotiv Moscow fans celebrating the sale of Odemwingie through the use of racist banners targeted at the player. One banner included the image of a banana and read "Thanks West Brom". That is some classless shit.

Quit Monkeying Around

Racist Offender: Celtic FC Supporter
Victim: El Hadji Diouf, Rangers
When: 2/20/2011
Where: Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland

In February 2011, in an Old Firm match at Celtic Park, a Celtic supporter was caught mocking black Rangers player El Hadji Diouf with monkey noises and gestures. Same shit, different day. The Old Firm derby between Celtic FC and Rangers FC is one of the oldest historical rivalries in European football. So, again, we're just not shocked that fans went beyond just cheering for their own squad. It was during the match that the Celtic supporter was caught making monkey noises and gestures towards Diouf as he readied to take a corner.

Just Zenit Being Zenit

Racist Offender: Zenit St. Petersburg Supporters
Victim: Roberto Carlos, Anzhi Makhachkala
When: 3/20/2011
Where: Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Zenit makes the list again. This time the target of the Petrovsky faithful was Brazilian Roberto Carlos, a player for rival Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. In March of '11, during an away game at Zenit St. Petersburg, a banana was held near Carlos by a hooligan. Shameful, disgusting, there aren't enough adjectives.

Mono...

Racist Offender: Sergio Busquets
Victim: Marcelo, Real Madrid
When: 4/27/2011
Where: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

El Clasicos are already feisty affairs. Add a Champions League Semifinal to the mix and let the racist fireworks go off. After the match Real Madrid released a video that appeared to show Barcelona's Sergio Busquets call Brazilian Marcelo, "mono, mono," the Spanish word for monkey. UEFA cleared Busquets of the charges and he was able to play for Barca in the final because life is not always fair.

A Love/Hate Relationship

Racist Offender: Luis Suarez
Victim: Patrice Evra, Manchester United
When: 10/15/2011
Where: Anfield, Liverpool, England

Last December, Luis Suarez was banned for eight matches and fined £40,000 for racially abusing Patrice Evra. Was it all just a big misunderstanding though? Liverpool's Uruguayan striker went back and forth with Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra, a Frenchman of African descent. Suarez called Evra a "negro" in Spanish, but it was later discovered that this is used as a term of endearment in Suarez' native Uruguay. Racist or not, we'll let the world decide.

Walk it Out

Racist Offender: Italian 4th Tier Side Pro Patria Supporters
Victim: Kevin Prince Boateng, AC Milan
When: 1/3/2012
Where: Stadio Carlo Speroni, Busto Arizio, North Italy

You wanted players to walk off the pitch after getting abused? You got it. Just 26 minutes into this friendly between AC Milan and fourth tier-side Pro Patria, and Ghanaian international Kevin Prince Boateng had enough. After dealing with racist chants from the start, Boateng finally stops and kicks a ball straight at the stands before leading his teammates off the field. The prince has left the building.

Roman Rules

Racist Offender: Lazio Supporters
Victim: Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend, Tottenham Hotspur
When: 9/20/2012
Where: White Hart Lane, London

During a recent Europa League clash in London, supporters of the Rome-based side Lazio were found guilty of making monkey chants directed at the black players on Tottenham Hotspur. In particular, Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon, and Andros Townsend were targeted by the away supporters. Lazio was fined £32,500 by UEFA for the improper conduct of their fans, we doubt that's hardly getting the message across.

Danny Rose Goes H.A.M.

Racist Offender: Serbian National Team Supporters
Victim: Black England U-21 Players
When: 10/16/2012
Where: Stadion Mladost, Serbia

Young Danny Rose was among the chief offended in this ugly episode back in October. Serbian fans, known to be extreme at football matches, took aim at England's black U-21 players during the second leg of their Euro qualifier in Serbia. Monkey chants and noises were made and things got a little ugly after the final whistle blew, safe to say there is increasingly less room for these type of shenanigans, especially at the international level.

Captain Crazy

Racist Offender: John Terry
Victim: Anton Ferdinand, QPR
When: 10/23/2012
Where: Loftus Road, London

Well, the video evidence is all you need for this one. You'd think a veteran like John Terry would be smart enough to put a hand over his mouth knowing that cameras are all over the place, oh well. This little dust up during a Premier League match between Chelsea and QPR saw the Blues captain take aim with a few choice words directed at Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand. A four match ban and a £220,000 fine would greet Terry soon after.

New Den, Same Racists

Racist Offender: Millwall FC Supporters
Victim: Marvin Sordell, Blackburn Rovers
When: 11/10/2012
Where: The New Den, London, England

The New Den of Millwall was the scene again for another nasty episode of racism. The target this time was Derby County player Marvin Sordell, who must've been shocked when several Millwall fans unveiled a racist banner that read, "Sordell Is A C***." Six arrests were made as a result and the banner was removed promptly. When will they learn?

The Zenit Xenophobes

Racist Offender: Zenit St. Petersburg Supporters
Victim: All Minority Players
When: 12/17/2012
Where: Petrovsky Stadium, St. Petersburg, Russia

Perhaps the crowning achievement in the racially-fueled Zenit war machine came this past December. How could it get worse you ask? Zenit fans published a manifesto demanding that the club exclude all non-white and homosexual players from the club. This shit is all kinds of scary. The demands were refused by the club, which released a statement saying, "the team's policy is aimed at development and integration into the world soccer community, and holds no archaic views." Until last summer St. Petersburg was the only team in the Russian top flight never to have signed a minority player. Just remember that this country is going to host the World Cup in 2018.

Why Always Him?

Racist Offender: Paolo Berlusconi
Victim: Mario Balotelli, AC Milan
When: 2/5/2013
Where: Milan, Italy

Welcome back to Italy, Super Mario. Why always me, right? This time it wasn't even Balotelli's fault. After recently completing his transfer to AC Milan, and already having quite the impact, Balotelli was targeted by his own club's owner. At a recent press conference in Milan, Paolo Berlusconi, younger brother to Milan owner, mogul, and crime boss Silvio Berlusconi, described Balotelli as "negretto di famiglia" - translated as "the family's little n****". There are so many things wrong with that statement.