FOLLOW me on my popular Twitter feed. Just click this photo! @hbbtruth - David - Common sense on #Politics #PublicPolicy #Sports #PopCulture in USA, Great Britain, Sweden and France, via my life in #Texas #Memphis #Miami #IU #Chicago #DC #FL 🛫🌍📺📽️🏈. Photo is of Elvis and Joan Blackman in 'Blue Hawaii'
Beautiful Stockholm at night, looking west towards Gamla Stan
#Euro2012 - Meanwhile, in part because of history and karma, Irelandpsyches itself up for Euro 2012 in ways that are slightly different than most other countries...
Sunday's matches on ESPN, DirecTV Channel 206: 11:45 a.m Eastern Spain vs. Italy 2:30 p.m. Croatia vs. Ireland
I actually meant to post this controversial video of the May 28th broadcast of the BBC's investigative program Panorma in my last post early this morning about the racist outbursts from the crowd -a minority of the 25,000 there to be sure- at the Dutch training session in Poland on Thursday, but perhaps it's for the best that it now has its own post.
Yesterday, the BBC posted this clip on their website from former England captain Sol Campbell's criticism of Poland and Ukraine being selected as co-hosts for Euro 2012 before they showed they're capable of running something like this BEFORE they've got a firm handle on the overt racism and anti-Semitism present at football matches in their countries, has really riled millions in the two countries, as well as Poles and Ukrainians living in Great Britain. But many have agreed with his analysis that they weren't worthy in the first place, given how self-evident the problems STILL are.
Today on the BBC's website, the show's editor, Tom Giles, has posted his response to criticisms of the program on their "The Editors" blog, which I happen to subscribe to:
'Stadiums of Hate': Legitimate and fair
By Tom Giles
18:28 UK time, Friday, 8 June 2012
When an investigative current affairs programme like Panorama broadcasts a programme called Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate 11 days before a major football tournament and which reveals shocking images of racist abuse and violence in the host countries - controversy is to be expected.
CNN video: Dutch National Team is target of racial abuse in Krakow, Poland during team practice for Euro 2012. Pedro Pinto reports from Warsaw on incident, rumors of cause and what UEFA is doing. Tourney starts today as Poland hosts Greece in Warsaw. June 7, 2012.
The Netherlands plays Denmark on Saturday, an ESPN match airing at 11:45 a.m. and then plays Germany on Wednesday.
Some of you more regular readers of the blog might recall that my pre-2010 World Cup prediction was that the Orange would win in South Africa, but instead, they lost in a very ugly and depressing way in the title match to Spain, a style that really upset a lot of Dutch football fans at home and around the world.
TRAINING DUTCH TEAM ORANJE FOR EURO 2012 !! NEDERLAND HD
FA video: England National Team Press Conference in Cardiff for England at Wales Euro 2012 Qualifier, 25/03/11; Fabio Capello and John Terry comment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAt0OVCvvgE
FA video: John Terry delighted to regain the England armband - Wales v England http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkvx9OIElQA
----- BBC Sports Phil McNulty's Sports blog Emotional Terry picks up pieces By Phil McNulty 16:41 UK time, Tuesday, 22 March 2011
John Terry's bleary eyes betrayed a sleepless night and maybe even a hint of the "overwhelming" emotion of reclaiming the England captain's armband after Fabio Capello's brief address to his squad at London Colney.
Capello's reinstatement of Terry has met with a mixed reception, and the man who lost the honour 13 months ago amid claims about his private life admits he will not be "everybody's cup of tea" after replacing Rio Ferdinand.
Read the rest of the post at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2011/03/emotional_terry_picks_up_piece.html
I've been listening to lots of BBC5 live the past two weeks, getting reacquainted with some voices, sounds and mental images that for awhile had been part of my daily routine, but which changed when I had to work on a project that was taking up a lot of my time.
I've been hearing some very interesting quotes, comments and interviews about Saturday's England at Wales UEFAEuro 2012 Qualifier in Cardiff, which will be starting about 11 a.m. Miami time, as well as the continuing saga of John Terry's quest for redemption, that, if it were about the NFL, people would say, "Wow, THAT's some interesting stuff!" Like the way the current NFL Films videos of weekly 'miked' sidelines sound -a depth and context you're not used to. http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/euro2012qualifying
But because it's about English and European football, and there's not a lot of people hereabouts who share that interest, I don't really have a friendly venue for sharing what I've heard with any locals. Unlike the case in Arlington at Summer's Restaurant, the sports bar/restaurant I frequently went to catch Dolphin games on satellite hosted televised Premier League and Serie A matches on Fox Soccer Channelright before the NFL throngs poured in and the great TV switching and game info signs were hooked up. American Football in one door, European Football out the other. http://www.summers-restaurant.com/ http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer
I actually listened to John Terry's press conference Tuesday afternoon via my computer, which, quite literally, sounded like it was next door, so I could hear the extraneous chatter, the moving about in the back of the room and could literally feel the anxiety from thousands of miles away. There are a lot of smart people who think this decision by Fabio Capello is absolutely dreadful, and a like amount who think it's overdue, and in any case, was NOT playing-related and thus more a media-created controversy than a genuine one.
It's my understanding that it was originally scheduled for Friday up in Cardiff at the team hotel, but was moved-up to tamp down media speculation that Terry regaining the captaincy was sure to create fault lines within the team. http://www.livesoccertv.com/news/3200/wales-vs-england-bellamy-doesn-t-know-me-well-enough-says-terry/ http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/euro2012qualifying/story/England-star-Crouch-denies-unrest-over-Terry-leadership
It remains to be seen whether that press conference will keep lips sealed. Personally, given the circumstances of what's happned, the scrutiny that will only increase and the fact that many reporters simply don't like Terry, I'm doubtful.
Saturday's match will be on ESPN 2 in the U.S. at 10:55 a.m. Eastern, and can also be seen on ESPN3.com.
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FA video: Ashley Cole exclusive on Wales, Bale's explosive rise to prominence and Ghana http://www.youtube.com/user/england#p/u/2/kkheSLIHKwI
See also: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/crouch-bale-is-wales-biggest-threat-thats-no-secret-2251063.html
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FA video: Wales vs England predictions from the stars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9YxE_XrJok
