US National Soccer Team Players Official Statement Concerning Treatment of US U-23 National Team During Olympic Qualifying

US Soccer Players calls on Mexican Federation and the Mexican Olympic Committee for a formal apology

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 18, 2004) -- In response to media reports and accounts from our membership concerning the treatment of the Under-23 US National Soccer Team during the recent Olympic Qualifying tournament in Mexico, the United States National Soccer Team Players’ Association, the officially recognized union of members of the United States National Soccer Team, issues the following statement:

On behalf of our membership we are asking the Mexican Federation and the Mexican Olympic Committee for a formal apology and calling on the United States Soccer Federation to take official action with CONCACAF, FIFA, and the International Olympic Committee.

We believe that a failure by all of the organizations with responsibility for soccer and the Olympics to take any substantive action validates the worst behavior of the fans of our game and reflects badly on all of us. The actions of the Mexican fans at issue were a direct attack, not only upon our players and our fans, but on the dignity of all Americans.

We support completely the free speech rights of all fans. As United States National Team players, we have endured physical abuse from opposing fans— bags of urine, batteries, and other objects have been thrown at us from the stands. It has become routine for National Team players to endure offensive behavior and to experience efforts made by fans to prevent us from sleeping or otherwise disrupting pre-game preparations.

However, when activities like those that occurred in public stadiums in Mexico take place and the relevant authorities do not take steps to make it clear that such conduct is disgusting and inappropriate and disrespectful to the families of thousands of people who died, it encourages similar behavior in the future and sends the wrong message. This is particularly true when the players are members of a youth National Team, the game is part of Olympic qualification, and the conduct is directly contrary to the Olympic ideals and the Olympic Charter.

We explicitly recognize and acknowledge that the action of the few do not in any way speak for the country of Mexico or the people of Mexico as a whole, but allowing it to happen without immediate public condemnation sends the wrong message, not only to American fans, but to Mexican supporters. Had a similar event happened at a stadium in the United States, we have no doubt that the US Soccer Federation and the United States Olympic Committee would have issued immediate public apologies and would have taken action to be sure that such conduct would not happen in the future. There is no excuse for the treatment the U-23 National Team received while in Mexico, and dismissing it as an outgrowth of a sporting rivalry is insulting.

Our concerns are heightened, given that United States and Mexican soccer interests have become closely tied, through Soccer United Marketing’s (“SUM”) promotion of the Mexican National Team in the United States. We treasure the fact that soccer is a means to bring together people of different backgrounds and heritage, not a battlefield for the airing of prejudices and hostilities. We believe that efforts by SUM, the marketing arm of the top league in the United States, Major League Soccer, to promote the Mexican National Team could benefit the national soccer federations of both countries. However, relationships like that must not prevent the responsible organizations in both countries from taking decisive action when a problem develops that needs to be addressed.

We want to make it clear to United States fans, however, that the members of the United States National Soccer Team and its Federation do not condone any effort by United States fans to respond in the same or any similar manner when the Mexican National Team conducts its upcoming tour in the United States or any other team comes to the United States to engage in international competition.

We believe that when fans cross the line their Federation must not respond by pretending it did not occur. The relevant authorities must be held accountable. Therefore, we are calling on the Mexican Soccer Federation, the Olympic Committee of Mexico, and the United States Soccer Federation to act within the spirit of competition and sportsmanship, to do the right thing by the players and their fans. If appropriate action is not forthcoming, we will raise this issue ourselves with CONCACAF, FIFA, and the International Olympic Committee. We recognize that the voices of athletes may not carry any political weight or lead to any corrective action, but on behalf of our players we refuse to tolerate this kind of behavior. It is important that some responsible organization makes it clear that behavior of this type is not routine or in any way an acceptable aspect of the sport. Simply, this is conduct that should not be tolerated.

We congratulate the members of the Mexican National U-23 Soccer Team on their victory, and we hope that this issue will not in any way taint their achievement in qualifying for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens Greece.

We are proud of the United States U-23 National Soccer Team and how they responded to the abuse directed at them during Olympic Qualifying, but as fellow professionals we do not believe this should be part of our job and it certainly should not be something that must be endured by the young men on our U-23 National Team. We understand that they will feel the need to dismiss the conduct directed at them as unimportant because they have been trained to be professionals and to handle whatever comes their way. However, it is in precisely that sort of situation that they should not be asked to accept what they faced, and the soccer Federations and international sports organizations with the ability and the responsibility to improve and advance soccer and all international sports must step up and act in the best interests of everyone involved.

It is too easy to let these actions go when the proper course of conduct is to use the mechanisms established by international soccer and the International Olympic Committee to address them appropriately. It is essential to remind everyone involved of the principles of the Olympic Charter and the Olympic movement and the concepts of international competition. To allow events like these to occur without clear condemnation may encourage fans to blur issues of politics and nationalism and international differences of opinion with international athletic competition. This type of conduct, if unchecked, escalates, and leads to violence and other tragedies. As we head into a season of international friendlies and World Cup qualification games in our region of the world, it is essential that the governing authorities make a clear statement about what will and will not be tolerated.

Again, we thank our fans for their continued support and congratulate the United States U-23 team for their composure in ridiculous and unreasonable circumstances.

Where they actually throwing bags of urine at the players?

I know in europe & here occasionally they throw coins,batteries,lighters but bags of p1ss.

If it's an olympic qualifer they should be banned fullstop,no messing.How can they promote peace & games for all when this type of thing goes on.
If it had happened at a C.L game that involved an english side all hell would have broke loose.
Bans forever they would probably cry,just no justice in the world.


jammy.

I didn't see the match but I don't think you could mistake the smell of pee!!!!
Don't know if it was shown live in the States. Maybe Cabe knows.

It is absolutely disgraceful behaviour of the fans, and goes against everything the Olympic games stands for.

Was watching the highlights of the Mexican league and one of the ref's had to be enscorted off the pitch surrounded by police with riot shields to protect him!

The game was not available on normal cable channels. I think the US Soccer pay per view on broadband was the only option.

No green cards for those guys...