By Duane Rollins and Ben Rycroft
Let's start with an obvious fact.
No matter what you think of Sydney Leroux, she does not deserve to be racially abused.
Taunted, booed, made to feel uncomfortable during a game, sure. But not racially abused, ever.
Now, let's state another fact that should be obvious. No one should be denied the opportunity to defend themselves against a charge of racism. That charge was raised again on Wednesday and there are some fairly loose arguments being used to point fingers. The Sun has written this. Michael Crampton has written this in response.
Leroux's is far too serious of an accusation to let float away in the wind. Especially in today's football world where FIFA is finally putting teeth behind its words when it comes to fighting the cowards that stand in crowds and sling their cowardly words.
So, when Leroux claimed that she was the victim of racist chants in BC Place during the Canada vs USA game last year, CSN tried to get some answers.
CSN spoke to people that were at the game, supporters groups and leaders, security from BC Place and pulled video of the game to review a few times over.
Feel free to watch it too. First half. Second half.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
After viewing it three times, we were at a loss to hear any kind of chants coming from the crowd, or witness any reaction from Leroux on the field that would suggest she had heard something unnerving. If our ears have failed us, let us know. All Canadian fans should want to know. There is no need to hide anything.
When reviewing the tape you can skip ahead to the 63rd minute, when Leroux enters the game. The booing is clearly audible, as it is every time she touches the ball. A few organized chants can be heard, but they are not distinguishable from the white noise that mostly is apparent.
At the 73rd minute you can hear something that sounds like "Judas", and there is a clear chant a few minutes later that appears to be directed at Leroux. It can't really be made out, but evidence found on both the Voyageurs and Southsiders boards suggests that it might have been the now infamous "Who's your father?" chant.
Is chanting "who's your father?" at Leroux racist? It's in poor taste, but for it to be racist there would need to be an assumption: that it's because she has African-American heritage that she doesn't know her father.
Nowhere is it suggested on the message boards, where the chant was distributed, that race was the intent. But it does explicitly detail how frustrating it is to see a player leave a country, to represent another, where the parent's origin is not the one who has an active part in their lives. Again, debate the taste if you like, but there is no trace of racist intent in the motives of those who started or participated in the threads. Nor is there anything to be found from watching that game tape.
Without any evidence, and given Leroux's lack of willingness to provide more detail (USSF has turned down several requests for an interview with Leroux), it is unfair to accuse the crowd at BC Place of being racist.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>When you chant racial slurs, taunt me and talk about my family don't be mad when I shush you and show pride in what I represent. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23america">#america</a></p>— Sydney Leroux (@sydneyleroux) <a href="
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Following her comments on Twitter, that left many assuming she had been the subject of racial abuse at BMO Field, Leroux back tracked (or clarified through the USSF) and said that when she tweeted racist slurs, she was referring to a game between the USA and Canada during Olympic qualifying (Jan. 29, 2012).
Stadium security in Canada is more thorough than it used to be. If you've ever had five beers at a game and gotten a little belligerent, it is a good bet there is a security note on you in that stadium. So, CSN contacted BC Place security and asked them if they'd ever received a complaint from either the USSF, Sydney Leroux or anybody in the stadium on Jan. 29, 2012, or throughout the tournament. Additionally, security was asked if they had made any notes, at all, about racist taunts being hurled from the crowd at the game now in question or throughout the tournament.
It took a couple days and going through a few channels but BC Place finally agreed to go back and look over their security notes from Olympic qualifying. What they found was exactly nothing.
"Sorry to disappoint, but we went back through our stuff from that game and I didn't find anything from our staff that would suggest there were any racist taunts on that night," Duncan Blomfield, Communications Manager of BC Place said. "And no, we have never received a complaint from U.S. Soccer or any players about racist chants."
Blomfield explained there were procedures in place for dealing with such fan behaviour, if it were ever to arise.
"Security either deals with it directly at the moment or takes notes and meets with the group leaders after to have it dealt with," he said.
Blomfield would like it made clear that this should not be taken as conclusive evidence either way.
Another incident, one that required followup, did occur during Olympic qualifying, though. A few of the Southsiders were confronted about a chant involving Hope Solo and her posterior. BC Place takes a pretty aggressive approach when it comes to their family environment and even swearing is met with a swift response.
"I got called into a meeting with BC Place and organizing committee staff," said Brett Graham, Southsiders president. "It was earlier in the tournament. One of the USA's earlier games."
They were essentially told to tone it down.
And on the night of the Canada vs USA game, BC Place security continued that hyper-vigilant approach and security did intervene on another matter involving Leroux.
This flag was confiscated by BC Place security:
So, BC Place security weren't allowing loose biblical references on that night -- and Solo's behind wasn't fair game earlier in the tournament -- but security were supposedly allowing racist chants to go on in the stadium?
To recap, the USSF has never filed an official complaint to the CSA about racism in Canadian stadiums.
Leroux has never filed an official complaint with the USSF, the CSA or BC Place about racism.
BC Place has no record in their security files of racist chants throughout Olympic qualifying.
And neither the Southsiders, nor any other fans, have never been called in by BC Place security to answer for racist chants.
While there is ample evidence to show Leroux has received racial abuse on Twitter, from any number of people -- which, as an act, remains as deplorable and disgusting as any -- there is also convincing, cumulative evidence to suggest Leroux's claims of racism in Canadian stadiums are, at the least, an exaggeration, or at the worst, a simple fabrication.