Ross Sheil, Staff ReporterJAMAICAN FOOTBALL fans appear to be undaunted by the threat of racism and neo-Nazi rallies at the World Cup in Germany this summer.
Racist attacks rose by 27 per cent last year and German anti-racism campaigners have warned non-white fans against visiting certain parts of the capital, Berlin and former Communist east Germany. The Africa Council (Afrika-Rat), a group which represents Africans in Germany has taken the step of publishing a list of places in Berlin to avoid.
However, German authorities are confident that the tournament will live up to its motto: 'A time to make friends'. Michael Gabriel, Co-ordinator of the Fans Project, which runs 'fans embassies' in the host cities and have their own anti-racism strategy, played down reports.
"I think it is not as dangerous as perhaps other countries have an image of. If you come to Germany, yes, there are certain areas of Berlin and Leipzig that you should avoid but then this goes for all major cities across the world," said Mr. Gabriel.
APPLICATIONS FOR TICKETS
A number of Jamaican friends who will be travelling to the World Cup on June 16, as part of a party of six, told The Gleaner they have already been allocated tickets for Brazil's match against Japan in Frankfurt. They are also waiting to see if they will be successful in their applications for tickets for France versus South Korea in Leipzig, which is the only host city in the east.
Leipzig will be the venue for a march by the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD), planned to coincide with Iran's match against Angola. The NPD has even gone as far as to announce that it will support Iran, given the anti-Jewish comments by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"That is quite disturbing," said 29-year-old social scientist Corin Bailey. "However, going to the World Cup for any football fan, other than actually playing in it, this is something you dream about. So clearly I am not going to let these reports stop me from going but it will stop me from hanging around town centres."
