It’s hard to fathom who Hot Press thought they’d impress with their “F**K RIGHT OFF FRANCE WORLD CUP PREVIEW”. They try so hard to be seen as the elder, liberal mouthpiece of the nation’s overaged youth, with their regular, preachy articles and editorials on drugs, head shops, sexual liberation, mediocre Irish rock bands and men keeping their hair long until they’re well into their 80s.
But trying to appeal to Sun readers? I mean, did anyone question the validity, relevance and potential consequences of this headline? This is the sort of rubbish Britain’s leading chav rag peddles on a daily basis. Any second now, no doubt, someone will tell me that I have “no sense of humour” for not laughing at a blatantly xenophobic, inciteful “joke”. But it simply isn’t funny, by any stretch of the definition.
This article, which is an otherwise enthusiastic piece of out-of-place sports journalism, still presumes Ireland would actually be in the group France are now in too. Seeded and everything. Have people actually forgotten that Ireland weren’t through to the World Cup when Henry’s goal went in? They still had to win the tie. Have people also forgotten that before Henry’s goal, Robbie Keane controlled the ball with his hand before unleashing a shot, and when the referee called it, Keane questioned the decision? What if that one had gone in? A nation of “schtum”?
This issue has gone on for far too long, and it’s being prolonged by people and publications who you’d think would have more of a clue. It’s been said that Ireland “fans” might actually support England if they should play France at some stage of this World Cup. Look, the only reason these so-called “fans” should support England is because they’ve now got so much in common with that nation’s repellent section of blindly jingoistic, Sun-reading racists.
I Have Grave News 