Wesley Sneijder on the Taksim Square anniversary weekend – stupid or evil?
Another of those mind-boggled moments this morning, when I saw the picture above. Is this for real? Can anyone really be so stupid, vicious or just plain wicked as to pose that tweet on this weekend, above all others? It would be crassly insensitive at any time – on the 15th anniversary weekend of the murder of Chris and Kev, it simply defies belief.
It’s not automatic simply to assume that Wesley Sneidjer – a player who, as far as I’m aware, has no particular grudge against Leeds United – is having some sort of warped go at the club or the fans. He may well simply be exhibiting a Kewell-esque level of dim stupidity, or lack of thought and understanding. In common with so many footballers, Sneijder may not be exactly overburdened with brains. Even so, this is a low and horrible thing to become involved with, at this particular time, as we prepare to pay our 15th anniversary tributes to our murdered brothers.
And the thing is – someone involved is well aware of the implications and the back story here. Footballers don’t do anything on their own beyond, in some more advanced cases, tying their own shoelaces. There’s an army of marketing people, advisers, agents, scum like that. Somebody knows all too well the effect of that tweet on the Leeds United world. They’ll also be well aware of the amusement it will afford to fans of certain clubs who view this kind of thing with sick and moronic relish. Marketing and publicity are arts without a soul or a conscience. If they can sell their product by appealing to the very worst in the malign minority, then they’ll do it – and they’ll do it knowingly – and to hell with the feelings and hurt of those directly or indirectly affected. That’s a kind of evil in itself.
All of that might make us a little more tolerant and understanding of the comparatively harmless phenomenon of mere stupidity, as exhibited that time by Chuckle Brothers Keys and Gray – or indeed by our one-time hero turned traitor and hate figure Harry Kewell. It’s just odd, don’t you feel, that this particular sort of “stupidity” generally manifests itself to the detriment and insult of Leeds United. You don’t get similar “errors of judgement” being made where Man U or Liverpool are concerned – or do you? You tell me.
And please – if anyone is of a mind to justify any of this crap by saying “Well, you lot sing about Munich” – spare me. I’ve heard it all before. It’s not even true, these days – and even if it were, that’d be no reason to heap misery on the heads of people who will be mourning this weekend, remembering loved ones who went to see a football match and never came home. You don’t visit the sins of the idiot minority upon innocent heads – not if you’ve a brain in your skull or any human compassion in your heart, you don’t. So leave it out, if you’re of a “mind” to send such rubbish in. It’ll only get binned anyway.
…turns out he didn’t know
Wesley Sneidjer, unknowingly it seems from the above, has provided the ammunition for a lot of evil morons out there to make what was always going to be a hard weekend for many into something much more hurtful and upsetting yet. I hope he really is suitably contrite. An apologetic tweet was the least he could do, and the removal of the offending item is a real bonus. But the fact remains that there was full awareness somewhere behind this; people seeking to capitalise on hatred and murder. And for those all-too-well-aware smart guys behind it – well, let’s just hope that they eventually find out there’s something in Karma after all.
RIP lads. 15 years on – never forget, never forgive.
Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
Something had to be said Rob and you’ve once again encapsulated the thoughts of the sane majority!R.I.P. Kevin & Christopher!You will never be forgotten!
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Totally disagree with what is happening at the club at the moment but I am taking my family to ER today to pay my respects to Chris and kev ,,, all these knockers and scum will only serve to make us stronger rob ,, RIP KEV AND CHRIS MOT
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Nice one Mr O 👍
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Echo those sentiments, R.I.P. KEV & CHRIS
Don
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Checked the website, this seems to have little to do with Galatasaray. It seems to be a third party company using Sneijder to flog their products. The company is trying to flog kitchen accessories and are trying to flog Tee shirts, when they get the line up and running. Flashy website, but little behind it.
A bit like Red Bull in fact, Red Bull do not mostly make their money flogging the soft drink. They own the F1 team and football clubs to make money out of them. I do not think Galatasary’s punishment was server enough, but this seems to have little to do with them. A bit like a footballer advertising aftershave or crisps.
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I doubt the club have permitted use of their name for nothing, and I doubt those at the club who granted such permissions are unaware of the significance of this precise timing.
Otherwise, yeah – they’re squeaky clean…
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You underestimated the commercial power of the modern football superstar in negotiating his contract. I am sure every time Keegan changed football clubs, his commercial work with Brut was consulted. They are a set of kitchen knives, vegetable peeler included after all. I doubt that the club was even aware the line was being flogged at this specific time. Every time Lineaker advertised a new variety of crisps his club was not probably informed.
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Well I feel you’re leaning over backwards to be charitable – and I sometimes wish I could be so generous and uncynical – but not on this occasion.
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Well said rob,what is it with these (people).sneidjer, unlike kewell can be forgiven but as for the so called marketing scum they have have no conscience at all.now is it just me or does anyone else when told”were off to turkey this year”reply with both barrels! .anyway this weekend its all about chris and kev,god bless both.unlike the rest we will never forget.
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They may be a set of kitchen knives, but they can clearly be put to a number of uses outside of chopping onions. Surely a modern sportsman can dictate which products his name is put to – or his advisers should be a little more intelligent. The timing stinks on the anniversary of the death of two football fans. Importantly, though, in an age of continuing violence around football, how brainless is it for a footballer to be publicising sharp knives at all? It’s not as though Turkish football is exactly a game of Sunday afternoon scrabble.
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Rob.
To go slightly off at a tangent, do you believe this latest missive from the wild italian?……personally I’ve got very serious doubts about anything this man utters a`la Bates
Both to my thinking are congenital liars and complete strangers from any truth………missed the game today….as I’m on shift…..would loved to have paid my respects to Chris + Kevin
Cheers
Don
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I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s bad for our club Don. It’s taken a while, but that’s where I am.
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