PROLOGUE …
It’s hard for any Greek to believe that there is a tennis tournament being played in Melbourne this week with all the commotion that has been created. In particular, the fans that went out to support Economides the other night, would go as far as claiming that they were involved in an Homeric melee with the Victorian police.
ACT I …
The Victorian Police thought that it was necessary to use capsicum spray on a group of tennis spectators that were chanting.
Yes that’s right chanting.
There were no fans starting a fight, no violence and no brawls.
If anything, there may have been a reluctance to quieten down. And yes we understand that it’s a tennis match. Spectators are expected to act with some decorum, respect the player’s concentration and keep it quiet during points being played. However ss that considered now to be an escalating situation for the police?
Was it necessary for the capsicum spray to make its appearance in a major role that night?
Was it a major violent disruption that needed to be quelled ?
I wonder if whether capsicum spray has ever been used on other fans in other sports for their behaviour?
Does a hostile and drunk cricket crowd, throwing beer bottles at passing spectators have the same pleasure as the Greek fans at the tennis?
If the excuse was that organisers and police were concerned of a repeat of the Croatian and Serbian confrontations that took place at the Open last year, then they were ill-advised and inappropriately deployed. That is a different circumstance and a cultural issue that stems from something totally different.
There were no clashes between any Greek and Chilean supporters.
ACT II …
Markos Baghdatis was the winner of a great game of tennis last night. Both Baghdatis and Safin pushed each other to their best tennis and it was unfortunate that either one of them had to leave the Open from the 2nd round.
The sun rose and instead of the match being the highlight, a new story has been unearthed in an attempt to discredit the Greek fans and in particular Markos Baghdatis.
The story claims that there are calls for Baghdatis to be deported because he allegedly made racial remarks against Turkish Cypriots and it has offended Melbourne’s Turkish Cypriot community.
The alleged remarks are posted on a YouTube video that was submitted 10 months ago.
An extract of the article posted on SMH 18/01 writes:
Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria director Bill Papastergiadis said the furore over 10-month-old footage of Greek Cypriot Baghdatis singing the Greek national anthem and possibly calling out “Turks out of Cyprus” was “sensationalism” by the media and would not harm community relations.
But Melbourne’s Turkish Cypriot community has called for Baghdatis to be expelled from Australia.
Baghdatis, in Melbourne for the Australian Open Tennis Championships, is set to play Australian Lleyton Hewitt in one of the show case matches in the third round tomorrow.
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is meeting with Baghdatis’ management to discuss the issue.
Tennis Australia is yet to decide whether it will make a comment on the reports.
The Hellas Fan Club confirmed the video was taken at a private function in Melbourne after last year’s Australian Open tennis tournament.
Turkish Cypriots were furious Baghdatis had provoked their community, Australian Turkish Cypriot Cultural and Welfare Association president Hakki Suleyman said today.
“I have had a lot of calls from upset members stunned about this racist attack by a high-profile sportsman that breaches the racial vilification act,” he said.
“This is a straight-forward provocation of our community and he is playing a different game to sport, he is not being a sportsman and should apologise. A 10-month-old video has surfaced on video-sharing website YouTube apparently of Baghdatis at a barbecue in Melbourne last year with members of the Hellas Fan Club holding a flare and chanting “Turks Out.”
Three members of the Hellas Fan Club – an organisation which supports Greek sportsmen in Australia – were arrested and banned from the Open following a confrontation with police on Tuesday night.
Turkey invaded and occupied a third of Greek-controlled Cyprus in 1974.
Suat Yilmaz, secretary of the Australian Turkish Cultural Association believes members of his community will ignore Baghdatis’ behaviour.
“I don’t think there will be a bad reaction form our community – people will ignore him,” Mr Yilmaz said.
“But in any community there are stupid people.
“Baghdatis should not mix sport with politics.”
A spokesman for a leading Greek community group in Melbourne said the comments on the YouTube footage were not racist and it was not even clear whether Baghdatis was making them.
So in Act II it seems that the media wants an opportunity to ride on any sentiments against the Greek actions that occurred in the opening Act. Also seems like a sneaky under-handed serve into the court methinks.
Act III
This Act is currently in the hands of the scriptwriters, the media and the sensationalists … we will keep you posted.
prof@skylproductions.com
