Second Spanish team photographed making 'slit-eyed' gesture

[dm17415]

A picture recently discovered on the website of the Spanish Tennis Federation shows the nation's Federation Cup team making an eye-slant gesture, according to a report in London's Telegraph. The shot was apparently snapped in February, prior to Spain's Federation Cup match with China.

It's the second such picture of a Spanish sports team to emerge in the past week. Spain's basketball team made a similar gesture in an advertisement for a courier company that was published prior to the Olympics in the newspaper La Marca.

If you didn't read Adrian Wojnarowski's column on the picture controversy yesterday, I highly recommend it. In the piece, Jason Kidd makes a salient point when he asks what the reaction would have been if an American team had been photographed mocking an entire nation. He says there is a double-standard that exists with Americans and, by extension, their teams. He's exactly right. However, Kidd and his teammates would never be ignorant enough to put themselves in this situation.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijin ... oly,100968

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... sture.html

This puts a dark cloud over Spanish sports, can't believe in this day and age adults can be so immature and racist.

[Kyrama]

A picture recently discovered on the website of the Spanish Tennis Federation shows the nation's Federation Cup team making an eye-slant gesture, according to a report in London's Telegraph. The shot was apparently snapped in February, prior to Spain's Federation Cup match with China.

It's the second such picture of a Spanish sports team to emerge in the past week. Spain's basketball team made a similar gesture in an advertisement for a courier company that was published prior to the Olympics in the newspaper La Marca.

If you didn't read Adrian Wojnarowski's column on the picture controversy yesterday, I highly recommend it. In the piece, Jason Kidd makes a salient point when he asks what the reaction would have been if an American team had been photographed mocking an entire nation. He says there is a double-standard that exists with Americans and, by extension, their teams. He's exactly right. However, Kidd and his teammates would never be ignorant enough to put themselves in this situation.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijin ... oly,100968

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... sture.html

This puts a dark cloud over Spanish sports, can't believe in this day and age adults can be so immature and racist.

If that's the case you're not looking hard enough. It's everywhere all the time.

[Mags FTW]

Eurotrash...

[SmoothKobra]

It's like they take pride in offending people.

[Bullflip]

I think that's Nadal in the background in the pink shirt with his face covered. He didn't do the slant-eyed gesture for some reason.....maybe he's the only one out of the Spanish team with common sense.

[kgarnett21]

I think that's Nadal in the background in the pink shirt with his face covered. He didn't do the slant-eyed gesture for some reason.....maybe he's the only one out of the Spanish team with common sense.

nah, pink shirt guy looks way too chubby to be nadal.

BUT, i do also believe that nadal would avoid such antics.

[eyeatoma]

Uhh, thats the farthest thing from Nadal...

[Rasheeed!!!]

Spanish are a rude bunch!

[6_Rings]

if you think that's mean, well then you haven't heard how they treat black football players there. Spain is a flea market of racism in Europe.

[And 1 Amare]

Don't worry guys, the Spanish Federation is telling us not to be offended since their people don't see it as offensive. It's all good!

[supergallinari]

Exactly. to us it may come off as racist and insensitive but Spanish people don't recognize it and even if they do they don't care.

Obviously this isn't the case for all Spanish people but the repeated offenses of some will cause us to generalize.

[J1Kwon]

Because it obviously does not matter that we Asians do take offense.

As long as the Spanish think it's fine, then it's fine.

Before the few Spanish zealots come in.

IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW RACIST AMERICA IS!

That has no impact on what the Spanish did.
Plus it is not only the American's who were offended.
The only reason there has not been a major reaction from the Asians is because this has not been in the Asian media.

But as a Korean, I did not appreciate the gesture and neither did any of my Korean friends.
This is an example of a reaction from Asians: http://www.yaomingmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13244
If you actually read it, you will notice most posters are responding with hateful and racist remarks.

So solely discussing the action of the Spanish, it was tasteless and should not have been done.
I do believe that it was innocuous and the Spanish simply did not realize they would offend.
The Spanish really are not to blame... but they should realize that such gestures should not be made.

[Andris]

a coach of the Euro2008 champion Spanish soccer team made a racist comment about 2 years
ago and he was not fired.

[Rasho Brezec]

a coach of the Euro2008 champion Spanish soccer team made a racist comment about 2 years
ago and he was not fired.

And the player the stupid comment was about is now playing in Spain and is perfectly happy there.

[PHANTOMPHOENIX]

a coach of the Euro2008 champion Spanish soccer team made a racist comment about 2 years
ago and he was not fired.

He also made derogatory comments about Spanish players on the team based on their region of origin in Spain.

He also insulted Raul who is a legend in Spain....repeatedly

...need I go on

Yet he put Senna(Black Brazilian) on the team when no one wanted him and has been backed by Etoo who is black and been the target of the worst Racist incidents in the League. Henry now plays with Etoo at Barcelona. Maybe Henry should get Etoo to apologize for suggesting Henry was blowing everything out of proportion and being a cry baby.

Aragones is big mouth senile blowhard...the reason why he was not fined or fired is because he goes around insulting everyone in Spain on a daily basis. He doesn't pick and choose people for insults. He insults everyone.

The 'racist' is now coaching in Turkey.

[uweblab]

a coach of the Euro2008 champion Spanish soccer team made a racist comment about 2 years
ago and he was not fired.

And the player the stupid comment was about is now playing in Spain and is perfectly happy there.

What is that supposed to mean? The stupid comment was no big deal after all?
By the way most American fans don't really know what's going on in European soccer stadiums.
Nazi salutes, throwing bananas at black players....
How about a nice tailgating party with those guys before a game?

[Rasho Brezec]

a coach of the Euro2008 champion Spanish soccer team made a racist comment about 2 years
ago and he was not fired.

And the player the stupid comment was about is now playing in Spain and is perfectly happy there.

What is that supposed to mean? The stupid comment was no big deal after all?
By the way most American fans don't really know what's going on in European soccer stadiums.
Nazi salutes, throwing bananas at black players....
How about a nice tailgating party with those guys before a game?

I guess it means that Henry felt comfortable enough to play in Spain. So in a way, it was no big deal to him, yeah.

[uweblab]

well, obviously your thinking is European....
Bananas cheap in Slovenia?

[Rasho Brezec]

well, obviously your thinking is European....
Bananas cheap in Slovenia?

I won't even bother to discuss this further with you, because I can already see you have your mind set and no matter what kind of argument I will present to you, the only thing you will come up with will be sarcastic remarks and attempts of insult. Nothing good will come out of this. Peace.

[DakkaFromNyc]

Eurotrash...

Agreed..