POINTING A LASER IN SOMEONE'S EYE IS SERIOUS

England face Uefa censure after laser pointer shone at Kasper Schmeichel

• Disciplinary proceedings opened after Euro 2020 semi-final
• England also charged over booing of Danish anthem

Uefa has charged England after a laser pointer was shone in the face of the Denmark goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, as he was about to face Harry Kane’s penalty in Wednesday’s Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley.

Schmeichel saved the penalty but Kane scored from the rebound to set up England's 2-1 victory and book a place in Sunday’s final against Italy.

The case will be dealt with by the Uefa Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body, with England likely to face a fine. In 2008, Lyon had to pay $5,000 for “incidents of an unsporting nature” after a fan aimed a laser pen at Cristiano Ronaldo during a Champions League match against Manchester United.

 

 

The incident was widely condemned, with ITV presenter Mark Pougatch describing the perpetrator as “an idiot”.

“We can just hope that it didn’t put Kasper Schmeichel off, because it’s stupid and he doesn’t deserve that,” he said. “That sort of thing, nobody wants to see.”

England have also been charged with the booing of the Danish anthem and the lighting of fireworks inside the stadium.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “Uefa are looking into that, that’s a matter for them but it’s not something we would want to see.”

Johnson also urged fans not to boo teams during their national anthem. “We don’t want fans to be booing teams. We want fans to be showing support and being respectful,” he said.

England came from behind after Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick gave Denmark the lead. Simon Kjær’s own goal levelled for Gareth Southgate’s side and Kane booked England’s first major tournament final for 55 years when he followed up his missed penalty after Raheem Sterling was tripped by Joakim Mæhle.

England now play Italy at Wembley on Sunday aiming to win their first major trophy since lifting the World Cup in 1966.

(Guardian article published Thursday July 8th 2021 )

I find the whole tenor of this item in the Guardian more than somewhat shameful. Uefa should disqualify England from the competition and have Denmark take the field in the final against the Italians instead. It is not just some ‘idiot’. It is the entire nation.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman’s comment is woefully inadequate, and dismisses the problem as someone else’s. He lays it off on Uefa claiming ‘it’s not something we would want to see’ minimising the full implications of the perfidy of the actions including the racist and xenophobic booing of the Danish anthem.

What manner of people have the British become. The incidents of scamming and deceit has increased to astronomical proportions. Hardly a day goes by without some text, phone call or email, designed to steal and deceive, comes our way.. One cannot just blame ‘foreigners’ on the internet. The calls and texts emanate from England.  Reporting the various incidents to the police on line (impossible to get through on the phone) is useless as they are seemingly powerless to do anything about it.

It is not surprising when you have a government whose members have no regard for integrity, codes of conduct, or honestly trying to work for the entire country as opposed to feathering their own nests and those of their girlfriends and cronies.

A very fine example for the youth and next generation of people, some of whom may even seek to become politicians or involve themselves in public service. It appears that scheming, scamming and obfuscation are the order of the day.

To flush aside and dismiss the pointing of a laser into someone’s eyes with a feeble condemnation is the height of irresponsibility, fully in keeping with Boris Johnson’s spokesperson, even Boris himself.

So eager are the nation for England to win a football game that they have passed any form of decency, or so called, sportsmanlike conduct. The claim of “It’s not the winning, it’s how you play the game” is clearly an antiquated and meaningless phrase designed for losers.

I am sorry for the team, but I am infinitely more distraught over what has been a drastic decline in the character of the nation. Violence and deception are all around us. A young man was stabbed to death a couple of days ago within 500 yards of my home.

This decline starts at the top. We have elected a pack of hyenas to run the country. I use the term in the folkloric sense: Hyenas feature prominently in the folklore and mythology of human cultures that live alongside them. Hyenas are commonly viewed as frightening and worthy of contempt. In some cultures, hyenas are thought to influence people's spirits, rob graves, and steal livestock and children.

My view is that the England team should stand down. At the very least there should be an immediate meeting of Uefa to impose sanctions and disqualification of the team. The entire nation should own up to the reality of what the booing and laser pointing actually represents. I am not trying to preach morals, but merely pointing out that enough is enough. If the people do not stop the rot it will bring the entire edifice down into a chaotic free for all, giving way entirely to the scammers and gangsters. 

I now hope the Italians will administer the appropriate punishment.