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Belgian Soccer Fans Taunt Japanese Player With “Fukushima” Chant

A Belgian soccer match had to be halted after some fans mocked Lierse goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima with “Fukushima” chants [the incident occurs five minutes into the following video clip]:

….visiting Beerschot fans threw a projectile in the direction of Japanese international ‘keeper Kawashima before insulting him with chants of “Kawashima-Fukushima! Kawashima-Fukushima!” the Belga agency reported.

Following protests by Kawashima, the referee decided to bring play to a halt for several minutes until order was restored.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, but Kawashima, 28, left the pitch at full-time in tears, and spoke of his anger at the chants.

“I am prepared to forget about a lot of things, but not that. It is not remotely funny,” he said.

—

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39 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - August 21, 2011 at 10:16 pm

Categories: Anti-Japan Tags:

Guest

Some of the fans of these Belgian soccer teams are really notorious for these kind of chants, although chants like this one don’t occur frequently. Similar situations sometimes occur with other foreign players in the league. But do not think that this kind of behavior is considered “normal” in any way. Soccer is actually the only sport in Belgium where you can observe this kind of rude behavior and as you can see in the video, the referee will not hesitate to bring the game to a halt. And when things really get out of control, the team of those fans can actually get fined and fans risk a life-time ban from stadiums.
Day-Bee-Toe

This is not racism, but rather a subside effect of eco-fascism (those who recognize nuclear power as “the worst form of electric power except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time” are somehow regarded as public enemies). Many so-called eco-friendly Japanese love to katakanize 福島 (Fukushima) as フクシマ and alternate the impression by doing so. Fukushima is a beautiful city with its long history, but this defamilialization inevitably reduce it into just a symbol of the nuclear accident. This is a terrible insult against the city and its people, who are struggling to stand up against the disaster and not to let the “nuclear tragedy” in the near future actually happen.

Unfortunately, this kind of a violent symbolism, which must have been began by Japanese pseudo-liberals, is being propagated to the world and many people outside Japan are imitating it. Those stupid fans are just imitating it only because Kawashima is Japanese and his name somewhat resembles with Fukushima for their ears (not to Japanese ears, because names end with -shima is very common here).

Incidentally, the funniest thing on the abuse of “Fukushima” is the Social Democratic Party leader. Ms. Fukushima seems to be very fond of her new slogan “no more Fukushimas.” I agree with her, because I believe she mustn’t have forgotten her own surname, which she did not change after the (de facto) marriage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/20/world/asia/20kaido.html

Deep

What the hell do Belgian soccer chants have to do with “Japanese pseudo-liberals?”
flowby

I assume you have had a chance to meet with these eco-fascist, anti-nuclear, Japanese pseudo-liberal influenced Belgians and heard their views directly?

The battle against ugly sports spectators (esp soccer) has been ongoing by authorities for many years – with some limited success. Unfortunately this is an example of such – the game was stopped, but the incident did occur in the fist place.

However in the world of first class pro sports you will always have such elements and it is necessary for players at that level to be beyond the taunts and insults. If not your mental / physical performance will surely suffer leaving you open to more derision.

Kawashima will need to toughen up to survive in the cauldron of Euro – football.

Day-Bee-Toe

I assume you have had a chance to meet with these eco-fascist,
anti-nuclear, Japanese pseudo-liberal influenced Belgians and heard
their views directly?

I didn’t mean that, but I meant that the abuse of the name “Fukushima” was invented and has been propagated by Japanese pseudo-liberals.

It’s a sort of a general procedure: Japanese pseudo-liberal media write self-insulting and self-stereotyping rubbish (e.g. “the government had covered up the meltdown for months” — actually, all the major newspapers reported that the government admitted the possibility of meltdown on the very next day of the earthquake) and American, European pseudo-liberal media copy-and-paste it so that it circulates around the world.

Thus, those stupid football fans were chanting the cliche which Japanese pseudo-liberals indirectly taught them.

flowby

Thank you DBT. I understand your drift.

However I think those neanderthal fans in Belgium would use whatever words of scorn they want irregardless of the origins.

If for arguments sake the Fukushima situation was accurately reported around the world, do you believe those “well read and informed” fans would change their chants because Kawashima – Fukushima may well sound ”wrong”?

Somehow I suspect they couldn’t give a rats on the political correctness or accuracy.

Bernician

Football fans can be dicks, its part of the game, pretty unprofessional of the keeper to get into such a tizzy about it; now he has guarantied opposition fans will do this in the future.

Hraesvelgr

Whenever people say stupid crap like this is “part of the game”, I suddenly don’t feel bad for not liking sports.

butakun

I just hope unsportsmanlike conducts (both from fans and players) stay within football. I hate when such culture spills over to other entertainment that I enjoy as Lewis Hamilton had to endure once in Spain a few years ago.

http://www.facebook.com/rallegretti Rob Allegretti

I can see it now:
a
“Ha ha! Your country experienced a terrible natural disaster that you had no control over, and I’m taunting you with it because it’s the only thing my small mind has heard about Japan for at least a few years!”
Robin

What a weak man – other players seem to cope with much worse than that!

http://twitter.com/Notnato Nate

Yeah, like that time when… um. Wait. Seriously?
Am I missing some story where a player laughed off a crowd mocking the recent deaths of nearly 30,000 people?

Robin

30,000 away fans at a mid-table Belgian club? Yeah, right. Do you know anything about football?

Lazio fans are notorious for their Nazi salutes, in Eastern Europe monkey chants towards Black players a commonplace.

otoko

Hey didnt say 30,000 fans, it was nearly 30,000 people who died. Very recently.

These fans aren’t mocking him, they are mocking the 30,000 Japanese who died.
http://twitter.com/Notnato Nate

You can be sure a Japanese goalie is used to racism. See lots of posts here at Japanprobe. Like Otoko says, this was an insult to 30,000 dead Japanese. Entire cities washed away to the sea, less than a half year ago.
Think less like jackass racist tropes and more like heckling Michael Jordan for his dad’s murder.

Ap

Not surprising.

Sports fans are usually very dumb.
lovely

small minded, mean, ignorant
Jeroen

I’m Belgian myself and I’m really discusted by the their behaviour. Just know we’re not all like that =)

Ponta

http://ameblo.jp/eiji-kawashima/

From Kawashima’s blog

試合後にベルギー人のチームメイト達が、
同じベルギー人として本当に申し訳なく思うと声をかけてくれましたよ。

After the game, his teammates gave him the words of apologies as Belgians,
He loves Belgium but he couldn’t stand some people using this great disaster, which the Japanese are still struggling to overcome, to jeer at him; though, he usually does not care getting the bird.

Anonymous

You think these fans are worse.. Try Greek soccer fans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKQ-i1b3-L8
Anonymous

“but Kawashima, 28, left the pitch at full-time in tears”

Maybe next time his mummy can travel with him.

It’s sports – people say whatever it takes to throw the other team off their game.

Geesssssssh, what a baby. It’s just stupid words.

Matsudakota

These fans have never heard of sportsmanship. Sure anyone can throw vulgarities or insults to try to gain an advantage but should they? Especially in the age we live in now and when soccer is being considered by many to be ‘the world game’.

If you feel any sort of patriotism to your own country wouldn’t you not feel upset when someone uses that solely as a way to make you feel bad? Keeping in mind he is in a foreign country and team representing Japan.

Although I agree with you when you say it is just words, but im sure most players in his shoes wouldn’t have reacted differently.
Robin

Agreed. To cry is the worst possible reaction, it will only lead to more fans doing it in the future.
http://www.talktotheclouds.com/ Lillian

Very classy of you to attack the player instead of the so-called fans. I guess we can tell what kind of person you are.

Vonskippy

Um….. a realist?

For a professional sports player to let ANYTHING the opposing side/teams/location/weather/viewers/etc effect his play is un-professional. He needs to get a grip and do what he’s paid to do – play football.

If he can’t handle that simple task of ignoring everything outside the actual game play, maybe he should find a new profession (I’m sure his mum will be glad to help him, right after she wipes his nose and dries his oh so sad tears).

Pete

To all the cry baby references: Ironic that in a conversation about ignorance and lack of cultural sensitivity that you are exhibiting the same thing. Crying is not shameful or baby-like at all for athletes in Japan. Crying happens a lot in Japanese sports and it’s a sign of deep commitment to the point of producing extreme emotion (a pretty powerful thing for a nation that usually values bottling up emotions and keeping a straight face in any situation).

Maybe it’s too much to expect everyone to be aware of this cultural point, and there is something to be said for not letting these things get to you as a professional athlete, but displaying your ignorance through insults is at least as ugly as an athlete not keeping his cool.

flowby

I think the crying is a result of bottled up suppressed emotions and the sports field is just one of the few outlets they have for releasing it.

Acceptable release of emotions in daily life instead of the hammered perseverance and stiff upper lip approach to all, may result in less on field crying.

And sorry I can’t equate crying with deep committment because many committed Japanese athletes don’t cry at the drop.

Can’t imagine Ryo Ishikawa squirting over a missed putt.

Anonymous

Wow you sure are tough in front of your computer screen. Now try again while you’re giving your all with hundreds of people booing at you. Professional or not you won’t stand a chance. While you’re getting exhausted from the sports you’re playing at your best you won’t have the same control over your emotions that’s for sure. That’s what happened to him. Sure that stopped the match but there’s no rules against crying as it didn’t harm anyone since he didn’t retaliate. By the way that’s a sign of being pretty professional about it.

Now don’t go around saying you’re a “realist” while you can’t even see things as they are. You just have no idea what people can do it seems, and I’m sure your mom can’t fix that either.

Jupiter

He probably wasn’t crying in a “oh no somebody made fun of my name” sort of way, but out of sheer fury and frustration.
http://twitter.com/jasohill Jason Hill

I think these fans went over the line here.
Bruce Smith

These fans are scum.
http://twitter.com/JamesLester1 James Lester

In The UK manchester united players regularly get taunted over the munich air disaster in which most of their team died. Similar things happen in other countries all over the world. Deal with it or give up football.

http://twitter.com/Notnato Nate

….in 1958.

http://twitter.com/Notnato Nate

Was just thinking. A taunt based on a plane crash that happened 53 years ago is expected to carry some emotional currency with the current Man United team, yet people are saying that Kawashima is the sensitive one?
Does the Battle of Hastings still strike a nerve with English fans?

http://twitter.com/JamesLester1 James Lester

No Nate, the point is this kind of taunting happens ALL THE TIME. John terry and his personal life, Fashanus brother’s suicide, Mikels kidnapped father, Adebayor and the Togo team bus that got attacked by gunman, people were murdered and rival fans use it to taunt to the him regardless.

When did you last see Adebayor crying?

Its time to man up Kawashima. Bad sh t happens, deal with it.

http://www.talktotheclouds.com/ Lillian

I think the so-called fans ought to give up football.

tdcfox

At first, I thought this was very poor for the Belgian fans to do, but then I thought about it.
1] No chants were made of the tsunami or earthquake.
2] Fukushima seems still not to be considered as serious as it is by most of Japan.
3] When they aired the news segment on BBT, they showed a picture. The picture was taken by a Japanese photographer with the pen-name アフロ or “afro”

Kawashima needs to be a little stronger mentally. In the land of suicides and bullying, this is pretty minor.

Ponta

“Fukushima seems still not to be considered as serious as it is by most of Japan.”Fukusima HAS BEEN　considered serious.

“The picture was taken by a Japanese photographer with the pen-name アフロ or “afro”"
I don’t know about　the news segment on BBT(?), but what’s wrong with the name “アフロ”Aflo,
http://www.aflo.com/

” In the land of suicides and bullying, this is pretty minor.”
I am not sure if you are referring to Japan or Belgium by “the land of suicide and bullying” .
Not that I think kawashima’s protest was unjustified but this news and Fukushima chant might be minor, but you ARE a bigot. Use other handle next time you post a comment.

Hamachiman

I highly doubt some here who are criticizing the man for taking offense and saying he should ignore or get over it, would feel the same way if a Japanese crowd taunted and insulted a Korean or Chinese player with similar insults.

No sir. In that case it would be another example of Japanese ‘racism’, ‘ignorance,’ xenophobism,’ yada yada yada.

Some things will never ever change.

Belgian Soccer Fans Taunt Japanese Player With “Fukushima” Chant

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