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Last update - 15:09 17/08/2007
Czech Jewish leader slams anti-Semitic chants by Sparta FC fans
By The Associated Press

Sparta Prague fans openly expressed anti-Semitism at its Champions League qualifying match against Arsenal, the head of Prague's Jewish community, Frantisek Banyai, said Friday.

This was after the club had increased security to encourage good behavior from its fans.

Banyai said: "It's a problem that has to be solved. We've asked Sparta to deal with it."

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Banyai and Leo Pavlat, the head of Prague's Jewish Museum, complained in a letter Thursday to Sparta about repeated anti-Semitic chants by some of its fans.

The letter to Sparta chairman Daniel Kretinsky said that some spectators at the AXA Arena chanted "Jude" (the German word for Jew) at Wednesday's game against Arsenal, which Sparta lost 2-0.

The club's leadership and the players have publicly declared their disapproval of such expressions from an extremist minority of our fans.

Fearing a possible punishment from UEFA, about 500-700 security guards were deployed at Sparta stadium for the Arsenal match. Around 40 undercover officers were dispatched among the fans and the club also increased the number of cameras that monitor the behavior at the stands.

In 2005, Sparta was forced to play Arsenal in the Champions League with one third of its stadium closed as punishment by UEFA for the racist behavior of its fans during a previous Champions League match against Ajax, which Sparta lost 2-0. UEFA also fined Sparta $43,000.

Banyai said he does not plan to complain directly to UEFA or the Czech soccer federation.

Sparta is in a position to take appropriate steps, he said.
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  1.   Time has come for all Jews to make an 15:46  |  ILSupporter 17/08/07
  2.   Pretty Pathetic when you consider that Asrenal... 16:10  |  Ronnie Wolman 17/08/07
  3.   Czech Jews, come home to Israel. We look forward to seeing you 16:17  |  Anat 17/08/07
  4.   Czech fans anti-Semitic chants 16:39  |  Yosi 17/08/07
  5.   You know something..... 16:39  |  Yoav 17/08/07
  6.   Yosi - News! Most European are anti-Jew 16:47  |  Duh! 17/08/07
  7.   Soccer creatins 16:49  |  Boris 17/08/07
  8.   Racist Chanting Experience 17:24  |  Myles McSwiney 17/08/07
  9.   drunk 17:29  |  lucas 17/08/07
  10.   Europe 17:37  |  TRUTH 17/08/07
  11.   ajax and the jewish problem 17:48  |  scanadu 17/08/07
  12.   #2 Ronnie 17:53  |  David 17/08/07
  13.   #2 Ronnie 17:56  |  David 17/08/07
  14.   David,The Most Jewish Team in London 18:06  |  Ronnie Wolman 17/08/07
  15.   Football fans ? nothing new 18:39  |  Frederique 17/08/07
  16.   What is bad about being called a Jew? 18:50  |  S 17/08/07
  17.   Hapless Czechs lousy losers, too 18:51  |  Cheryl 17/08/07
  18.   To: Yosi (#4) and Yoav (#5) 18:52  |  TV 17/08/07
  19.   #15 19:10  |  Shana 17/08/07
  20.   Czech 19:33  |  byron 17/08/07
  21.   # 4 yosi 19:39  |  Axel 17/08/07
  22.   Bad Press / Why Alija 19:40  |  David 17/08/07
  23.   Just a reminder 19:48  |  Axel 17/08/07
  24.   #6: wrong droves 19:51  |  Paul Freedman 17/08/07
  25.   Racist chants - what else is new ? 19:56  |  David 17/08/07
  26.   Czech Jewish Leader 20:58  |  siegfried buchwalte 17/08/07
  27.   You Jews can be so hypocritical 21:34  |  Chris 17/08/07
  28.   Europeans Don`t Like Jews ? Shocking ! 21:53  |  Tod Zuckerman 17/08/07
  29.   PhiloSemitic/AntiSemitic Czechs 21:59  |  Ken 17/08/07
  30.   Loock at the anti semitic Lodz 22:05  |  justice 17/08/07
  31.   You judeophobes can be so hypocritical 22:05  |  Jimberjam 17/08/07
  32.   these anti-Semites must have been provoked 22:08  |  mohammed 17/08/07
  33.   Chris No 27 22:08  |  justice 17/08/07
  34.   Don`t confuse europeans and football fans 22:15  |  Frederique 17/08/07
  35.   Who Cares? They`re fat and Slavic. 22:37  |  Abe Selig 17/08/07
  36.   To Abe Selig 22:42  |  Ben Hartman 17/08/07
  37.   # 21 22:58  |  Yosi 17/08/07
  38.   Frederique: Are you sure you dont play on the left wing??? 23:09  |  Ronnie Wolman 17/08/07
  39.   @35 : Reporting from fat-free America ? 23:10  |  Frederique 17/08/07
  40.   it is not only you who are hated 23:15  |  mehmet 17/08/07
  41.   # 37 yosi 23:23  |  Axel 17/08/07
  42.   @38 Ronnie 23:26  |  Frederique 17/08/07
  43.   To Abe Selig 23:34  |  Ken 17/08/07
  44.   Pilsner Urquell 23:49  |  Stanley 17/08/07
  45.   Frederique no wonder your politics are backward! 23:59  |  Ronnie Wolman 17/08/07
  46.   Yosi & Axel 00:20  |  John Phee 18/08/07
  47.   Dearest Euro Jews 00:37  |  Danite 18/08/07
  48.   Ronnie 00:45  |  Frederique 18/08/07
  49.   jude? 01:13  |  PATRICK HAMMEL 18/08/07
  50.   jude? 01:14  |  PATRICK HAMMEL 18/08/07
  51.   WHY "JUDE" IS "ANTISEMITISM" - WHY "DEATH TO ARABS" NOT? 01:17  |  nobodysacred 18/08/07
  52.   There is no anti-Semitism in Czech Rep. 01:35  |  Jew 18/08/07
  53.   Patrick 49 & 50 01:43  |  John Phee 18/08/07
  54.   Juden is a normal German word like Engländer, 01:58  |  Petteri 18/08/07
  55.   Re Truth # 10 02:00  |  Paulo 18/08/07
  56.   Thanks Ken from Brno # 29 02:03  |  Barry 18/08/07
  57.   And Israeli Soccer Fans? 02:03  |  Bill 18/08/07
  58.   Frederique,I actually like Rugby 02:52  |  Ronnie Wolman 18/08/07
  59.   Abe Selig (#35) 03:15  |  Jonathan 18/08/07
  60.   Ajax Amsterdam has big Israeli flags 04:35  |  Felix Drost 18/08/07
  61.   Haaretz spyware 04:35  |  Jonah 18/08/07
  62.   Jonathan 04:48  |  Some guy 18/08/07
  63.   some guy 06:09  |  Jonathan 18/08/07
  64.   #35 Abe 07:02  |  alex 18/08/07
  65.   #35 Abe 07:04  |  alex 18/08/07
  66.   Beatles 08:02  |  ron 18/08/07
  67.   czech soccer 08:05  |  HAKOAH New Rochelle 18/08/07
  68.   Abe Selig 09:52  |  Chris 18/08/07
  69.   When will Jewish leaders finally slam 12:07  |  T Wolfe 18/08/07
  70.   Jonah: Virus and Haaretz 12:34  |  Ronnie Wolman 18/08/07
  71.   THIS PHRASE IS BECOMING A NUISANCE? #@$% 14:10  |  MARCO 18/08/07
  72.   Zero tolerance is only thing that will work 14:36  |  r 18/08/07
  73.   WHAT ABOUT BETAR YERUSHALIEM FANS 14:43  |  NADER 18/08/07
  74.   #20 Czechs-Byron and other posters 16:38  |  Haham me Bat yam 18/08/07
  75.   Jude chant 21:37  |  Boris 18/08/07
  76.   #74 21:40  |  Boris 18/08/07
  77.   I try to summarize rationally 01:06  |  Praguer 19/08/07
  78.   Sparta 22:52  |  Sparta fan 20/08/07
  79.   czech are not racist... 23:36  |  sparta forever 20/08/07
  80.   I hate Israel`s policy too. Am I nazi? 00:55  |  Venca 21/08/07
  81.   Its the little minority group of people 12:43  |  Rom 21/08/07
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