Race row could cost Madrid Olympics

14 April 2012

The disgraceful scenes which marred last night's England friendly international in Madrid could not have come at a worse time for the Spanish capital's bid for the 2012 Games.

The monkey chants directed at England's black players in the Bernabeu Stadium came after similar scenes during England's Under-21 clash a day earlier.

Bid chiefs in Madrid have made a point of associating their campaign with football - notably with the city's most recognised worldwide brand, Real Madrid, many of whose players are 2012 ambassadors.

But the behaviour of the national team's fans and the international media furore from the comments made by Spain coach Luis Aragones (right), who directed racist remarks at Thierry Henry last month, has damaged Spain's image.

FIFA are set to condemn the racist abuse directed at England's black players during both matches in what will be a huge blow to Madrid internationally, just as it launches its campaign for the Games.

The Olympics is an event where a country needs to show it can welcome the world with open arms.

Anti-racism campaigners in this country and abroad were astonished Aragones managed to keep his job despite being heard during a training session telling Jose Reyes that he was better than "that black shit", referring to his Arsenal teammate Henry.

Madrid nevertheless hopes a reputation for great parties, a gleaming public transport system and a strong commitment to a 'green' Games will help it to attract more votes than early favourites Paris, London and New York.

There is no doubt that, despite the fact the Games were held in Spain just 12 years ago in Barcelona, the Spanish have done a great deal of hard work on their campaign. Madrid can call on the knowledge of experiencedsporting figures like former-International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch to help them with lobbying.

Samaranch secured the Games for his home town of Barcelona when he was in charge of the IOC.

Although the IOC's Spanishspeaking contingent do not vote as one, South American members are likely to give the Spanish capital support in the early rounds of voting.

But while Madrid has been put ahead of London in second place behind favourites Paris in the early ranking, the Spanish capital has one serious handicap in the run-up to the vote next year. Barcelona staged a magnificent Games in 1992, which some Olympic observers believe were even more spectacular and entertaining than the 2000 Sydney Games.

But the big question is: Why should the IOC hand back the event to Spain so soon?

Whatever Madrid says in the next nine months, the bid organisers are unable to get away from that difficult issue.

There is no precedent - or indeed economic value - for the IOC in awarding the Games to Madrid so soon after Barcelona.

The Spanish capital is the smallest of the candidate cities but it boasts a modern infrastructure that could cope with the Games. Its public transport is newer than the other competing cities after decades of European Union investment.

Madrid has been keen to stress it could stage an 'environmentallyorientated Games because most people would use public transport to get to venues.

But, apart from Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium, the Spanish capital does not have the same kind of attractive iconic venues for sport like London, Paris and New York. These are very important to television executives who pay billions of dollars for the rights.

Madrid also has a limited record of hosting major events. Its one previous Olympic bid was for the 1972 Games, which were eventually awarded to Munich.

Security could be another concern, with the March train bombings that killed 191 people a recent memory, and Basque separatist group ETA a weakened but still lingering threat.

However, Madrid's party-loving inhabitants are firmly behind the bid, at least, and in a recent poll for newspaper El Mundo nine out of 10 said they would want to get involved with making the Olympics a success if they came to town.

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