Football Hooliganism

Europe

What do Milan, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Charleroi, Marseilles, Warsaw, Hong Kong, Kurdistan, Leipzig, Brunei, Palo Alto, Shiraz and Nairobi have in common with Rochdale, London, Burnley, Sheffield and Burton on Trent? They have all had incidents of hooliganism in the last year. Although Hooliganism is most readily associated with supporters of English teams it is not exclusively an English based or influenced problem. Other countries also produce hooligans. In fact, in the early 1960s the English league did not want to participate in European club competition due to the perceived threat from foreign supporters. Although English supporters seem to be more likely to cause trouble abroad, there are serious problems in countries including Holland, Germany, Italy and Spain. Hooligans from these countries are also starting to be active in other countries. This can be seen in recent European tournaments where German hooliganism was as much a problem as English hooliganism. German hooliganism has a particularly bad reputation as its groups are linked to far right organisations that have become more prevalent since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Many football grounds have become a no go area for non-Germans. Groups like the ultras, who support different clubs in Italy, are also starting to gain a worse reputation for football violence than their English counterparts. A Leeds United fan was stabbed in Milan before a Champions league game in November and Bologna fans recently fought with police and set fire to cars in a car park. Other countries have also been affected. In France recently, an assistant referee was hit by a firecracker during a football match in Strasbourg. Holland has also been affected with Den Bosch supporters rioting for three days after a match was called off after a fan was shot. Problems in Europe come to a head when hooligans from different countries meet up for World Cups and European Championships. It is no surprise that the only major football tournament, held in recent years not to be scarred by violence was the 1994 World Cup in the USA. The European Championships in 1988 in Germany, in 1992 in Sweden, in 1996 in England and in 2000 in Holland and Belgium have all been marred by hooliganism. This has also affect the 1990 and 1998 World Cups held in Italy and France respectively. Hooliganism is not an English problem, it is a European, and on a greater level, a world problem.

Read More !

Football Hooliganism

History

Hooliganism has been associated with football since it began. In the early years of football as a professional sport so called roughs were regularly reported to be causing trouble at matches. The biggest rivalries were, and still are, between clubs from the same city or local area. Trouble was reported at these games as early as the nineteenth century. As well as attacking opposition fans, the roughs used to attack players and referees. After this period, and particularly between the two world wars, football gained a more respectable reputation and crowd violence, although not totally wiped out, started to decline. It was not until the early 1960s that hooliganism once again became a serious problem, particularly in the media. This was expressed as a part of the overriding culture of youth rebellion and moral panic at the time. This came about as a result of rising juvenile crime rates, uncertainty about the future and new movements like the Teddy boys. Along with other overriding themes that have been present when hooliganism is considered a problem there was racism in society that manifested itself in things like the Notting Hill disturbances. Football stadiums became identified as a place where fights could easily take place. It was around this time that football hooliganism began to take on the coherent structure of groups that it has today. Must of these groups emerged from the working class housing estates of the major cities. Loose alliances were formed amongst young men on match days and they occupied the terraces behind the goals at stadiums. This led to the development of a strong local feeling that had to be defended against other groups. As a result a national network of rival gangs was built up and fights regularly took place inside football grounds.

However, in recent times there has been a move away from this idea of fighting in stadiums and groups arrange to meet outside grounds, before or after matches. Football hooliganism has moved on even from the days of the firms of the 1970s and 1980s. At this time football hooligans thought they were having "a bit of a laugh." Activities like verbally abusing opposition fans and threatening them with attack. The hardcore that were violent cause most damage by causing fights between rival groups of supporters. Due to changes in the 1990s, particularly the introduction of all seater stadia after the Hillsborough disaster, hooligan activity has almost completely moved out of the stadiums. Although a hardcore does remain, most violence occurs outside the grounds. Modern technology is used to organise fights between different groups of hooligans. In particular the Internet and mobile phones have become the main weapon of the football hooligan. Mobile phones are used to finalise details and call in reinforcements. When fights do break out in football stadiums, the most common sight is someone on a mobile phone getting more hooligans to join in. Although there is not the coverage or hysteria regarding football that was seen in the 1980s. Hooliganism still takes place between rival sets of English supporters. Recently a prearranged fight took place in Rochdale between Manchester United fans, who are noted for their lack of passion and corporate approach to football, and Leeds United supporters. Local derby games often lead to violent battles between supporters; the most recent examples are in Burnley and Sheffield. On the Internet gangs from Queens Park Rangers and Arsenal taunted each other about fights after their FA cup game. Football violence occurs at all levels of the game. Bishop Auckland supporters recently staged pitch invasions and fought with police during an FA Trophy game against Burton Albion. At the other end of the scale, recent violence from England fans, most notably in Marseilles and Charleroi, shows hooliganism is a Europe wide problem.

Read More !

Hitler declared the war on Russia on June 22nd 1941. During the first phase of the war Germany army defeated Red Army, blocked St.Petersburg and came as close as 30km to Moscow. Red army stopped

(c) Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Germans only in 1943 at the Battle for Stalingrad and started its victorious reconquest of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe which was finished on May 9th 1945. USSR lost about 25 million people in that war, country was ruined but USSR gained the status of superpower and one of the leading country of the world. Soon after the war former allies became enemies. USSR and USA had different point of view on the European future. The new War could start any minute and the world lived under that threat till 80th.
Soviet leaders which followed Stalin followed his ideas – they developed the army and the industry and sciences whish served army needs. They regulated people’s day to day life with ideology and still proclaimed Communism as the nearest and desirable future of USSR. However they were different in a way. Khrushchev accepted that Stalin’s regime
was too cruel and tried to make everyday life of people better, Brezhnev was too conservative and inefficient, Andropov tried to make Russians effective workers but failed. Finally Gorbachov went in charge. He had an idea that the country must be reformed. He started with the policy of glasnost’– free public access to information and perestroika - implementing democratic principles into the state system. But instead of the reforming USSR this lead to the collapse of the state. When people found out what is going on in USSR they just gave it up and in the 1991 the country ceased to exist. Instead of USSR 15 independent states were proclaimed, Russian Federation became the largest successor of former Union and was headed by the president Boris Eltsin.
Eltsin ruled for 8 years. Under Eltsin the country completely changed. We accepted democracy and capitalism as well as new constitution. Everybody was free to choose life philosophy and ideology. Everyone was free to do anything. That was a time of unlimited freedom and almost no regulations of the state. This lead to the stagnation of economy, shocking price rise and mass unemployment. But by the end of the 90s the country passed through several crisises and steady economical growth has started. The second president of Russia Vladimir Putin is opt to make Russia powerful economy. We will see.

Read More !

Under the famous tsar Ivan The Terrible (Ivan Groznyy) Russia conquered Tartar states along Volga river and acquired access to Caspian sea. The colonization of Siberia was also started. Unfortunately the never lasting wars had the devastating effect on Muscovy. Moreover ancient ruling clan of Rurikovichy born out in the beginning of 17th century. There was a growing instability in Muscovy. Russian elites failed to produce a suitable strategy for the developing of the state, there was no widely accepted leader to become a new tsar. As a result Civil War had started in Muscovy.
Period of chaos and civil war has lasted from 1598 till 1613 and was called Time of Troubles (Smutnoye Vremya). There were many candidates who fought for the crown. People were unhappy and insecure, famine started. Unstable situation in Muscovy was used by Sweden and Poland to declare war on Russia. Muscovy lost control over western territories and even Moscow itself was captured be Poles in 1610. However Russia managed to survive. Russian army drove Poles out. Zemskiy Sobor was gathered (every area of Russia sent representative in Moscow to vote for new tsar) and proclaimed noble Mikhail Romanov to be a new tsar in 1613. The dynasty of Romanovs began their 300 years reign.
Early Romanovs had to restore the order in Muscovy. The peace treaties with Sweden and Poland were signed. The new legislation code was issued. According to the code every noble had to serve to the state. Landlords gained absolute power over their peasants. Peasants had no right to move from one landlord to another on

(c) Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

their own. In a few words the serfdom was sanctioned by the state. City dwellers could not change their occupation or move from one town to another. Everyone in Moscow had the obligations however most of the rights were handed by tsar and nobility. Muscovy bacame stable, conservative and closed structure.
In 1682 tsar Peter started to reign in Russia. He believed that only through intensive contacts with Europe and European style reforms Russia can be successfully developed. Peter stimulated Russian nobles to get education in Europe. He hired hundreds of officers, engineers and scientists all over Europe to serve in Russia. The connections with Europe though were unstable cause all the routes passed through Poland and Sweden which prevented the development of Russia. The only chance for Russia to get rid of their influence was to get access to Baltic sea, establish port there and acquire the direct link to Western Europe. However with the archaic Russian army and no navy at all Peter failed in the first attempts to conquered needed territories. He was forced to reform the army and equip it with modern weapon and tactics as well as establish Russian navy. The reorganized forces crashed Swedes and Russia acquired access to Baltic sea. The port of Saint-Petersburg was founded at the newly acquired territories in 1703 straight after the war. Saint-Petersburg was rapidly growing and in several years Peter moved capital here to his beloved city from conservative Moscow. Apart from successful foreign affairs, Peter developed the country much. He reformed government structure and system of courts. He put Orthodox Church under the state control. He obliged nobles to get education and founded national Academy of Science. Peter the Great forced the development of Russia, under his rule Russia became powerful state armed with modern institutions and technologies. In 1721 Peter proclaimed Russia an Empire and became the Emperor.

Read More !

In 13th century Kievan Rus’ was attacked by Mongol Empire. The separate armies of principalities were defeated one by one. As a result most of

(c) Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Russian principalities were vassalized by Mongol Empire. Republic of Novgorod was the only region which remained independent.
Mongol occupation which lasted about 200 years is considered to be crucial for the development of Russia. This invasion lead to further disintegration of Kievan Rus’ – princes had no use cooperating with each other, all their problems were solved by Mongols.
Also, the two centuries of the occupation by Asian invaders influenced culture much and made Russia more different from the rest of Europe. The autocracy of Mongols easily implemented in our culture, we also gained the inclination to collective actions and decisions making, rather than to individual ones.
Under Mongols small regional center Moscow developed rapidly. Moscow was just one of many small towns at north east borders of Kievan Rus’. However several trade routes passed through the town. The other advantage of Moscow was a remote and forested location, which prevented frequent Mongol attacks. Prince Daniil inherited a tiny principality of Moscow in 1303. He widely used the advantages of Moscow and started the development of Moscow as a regional center. Daniil and his descendants managed to establish a good relations with Mongols and used the decline of old principalities to increase the wealth and power of Moscow. Finally, to the end of 15th century Muscovy gained control over the most of Russian lands. Muscovy became powerful enough to claim independence. The key battle versus Mongols took part in 1480 at Kulikovo field near Dnepr river. Russians defeated Mongols and Muscovy became independent state.
Muscovy consolidated all ethnically Russian lands in 16th century and started exploring further.

Read More !

Disclaimer
Dear WayToRussia.Net visitors. You are going to read the text on Russian History. Please keep in mind that this text was not written by a professional historian. I only tried to describe the main events of the history of my country. Do not blame me if you can’t find here an information about the event or personality which you think is very important. The full course of the Russian history in our universities lasts at least a year comparing with a single webpage on our site – it is impossible to publish here the complete history of Russia. However I tried to produce a relevant overview of the key events. Please consider this text like a story told by your Russian friend, who is trying to give you an image of Russian history, nothing more.
If you are looking for the professional researches on Russian history please refer to the following authors: Vladimir Soloveyv, Nikolay Karamzin, Vasily Kliuchevsky.
- Dan Perushev
The images are used with permission from the Tretyakov Gallery. You can see the originals in Moscow on Lavrushinsky pereulok (Tretyakovskaya metro)

The Ancient Ruses: 7th to 13th Century
The Tribes of Eastern Slavs – the ancient ancestors of Russians occupied Eastern European Valley around 7th century. Slavs were just one of the

(c) Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

several tribes which inhabited the valley, but step by step they became the dominant power.
Russians or Ruses were one of the smaller Slavic tribes, but somehow this name was applied later for the great number of people who settled in the area between Baltic, White, Caspian and Black seas.
The Ruses ascribed supernatural powers to the nature and the Gods they believed in were all named after the sun, the water, the earth... There was a very strong connection to the land and nature and it can still be felt in the language: there are many words to describe forests, fields, sky, water, etc.
The first known East Slavic state emerged in 862 along the Dnepr river valley. Prince Rurik founded the state with the capital in town Kiev that is why the country was called Kievan Rus’. Other major cities of Slavs were Suzdal, Chernigov, Rostov, Vladimir, Novgorod. Kievan Rus’ soon united most of East Slavic lands. In 869 ruler of Kievan Rus’ prince Vladimir adopted Christianity as a dominant religion of the state. Rus’ adopted Christianity from Byzantium and with their religion we adopted much of their culture. It is believed that lack of personal freedom, domination of the state and absolute power of the leaders partly is a result of Byzantium influence.
Unfortunately Kievan Rus’ remained united just for two centuries. The ruling clan was rapidly growing and every prince wanted to get his part of the land. Moreover, regional centers became powerful enough to claim independence from Kiev. So, finally Kievan Rus’ transformed into the bulk of independent and aggressive principalities. The most powerful were Vladimirskoe principality, Galicia and Novgorod republic.

Read More !

Cricket World Cup History

Test cricket was the only format played at an international level until 1971.

The length of test matches made any sort of knockout competition a logistical nightmare, as proved by the failure of the earliest attempts at organising a triangular test series between England, South Africa and Australia.

It took the invention of one-day international cricket at a rained-out test between Australia and England, to create the possibility of international cricket teams contesting anything other than the bi-lateral series’ that dominate test cricket to this day.

The Birth of ODI Cricket

In 1971 a test match between England and Australia was rescheduled as a single-day match to placate a crowd who had become frustrated by four days of rained out cricket. Each side was permitted to bowl for a maximum of 40 overs, with 8 balls bowled in each over.

This experiment proved to be a big hit with fans, and just 4 years later the first Cricket World Cup was held in England using the new one day format.

The early Cricket World Cups were known as the Prudential Cups and featured 8 teams playing in the traditional, white test regalia and using red cricket balls. The West Indies won the first two tournaments, before India announced its arrival as a cricketing power with a victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

The Modern Game Takes Hold

In the next 3 Cricket World Cups, the tournament, as well as the one- day international format, evolved rapidly. The first modification to the tournament format came at the 1987 Cricket World Cup, where matches were cut to 50 over events to compensate for the shorter days on the Indian subcontinent, which hosted the event.

In the 1992 Cricket World Cup, the tournament was subjected to a massive face-lift by hosts Australia and New Zealand. The 1992 tournament also witnessed the first appearance by South Africa in a Cricket World Cup.

With the tournament format now established, cricket fans enjoyed a series of intriguing tournaments, which included Sri Lanka emerging as champions in an incident-packed World Cup on the subcontinent in 1996. Australia lost in the final of this World Cup, but was about to launch a record-breaking run in the tournament.

The Australian Treble

The Australians claimed the first Cricket World Cup title of their hat-trick at the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England. The tournament featured one of the most famous matches in Cricket World Cup history, when South Africa bungled a winning position in the final over of their semi-final match against Australia. Australia went on to win their first title by defeating Pakistan in the final.

Australia won again in 2003, this time winning the tournament in the backyard of their biggest ODI rivals, South Africa. Australia and India progressed to the final in which the Aussies took apart the Indian attack, eventually winning the match by 125 runs. This tournament was also notable for Kenya’s performance, as the minnows reached the semi-finals for the first time.

The 2007 Cricket World Cup was overshadowed by the death of Pakistan’s coach, Bob Woolmer, after his team’s unexpected group-stage loss to Ireland. Whilst a pall was cast over the tournament, the Australians were once again relentless, defeating Sri Lanka in a controversial final.

Read More !

A M Naik
L&T: Chairman & Managing Director
L&T Infotech: Chairman

Mr. A.M. Naik mirrors the values of the organizations he heads - professionalism, dynamism and high ethical values.

He joined L&T as a Junior Engineer in 1965, and was rapidly given positions of increasing responsibility. He was appointed Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of L&T on April 28, 1999. On December 30, 2003, he was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of L&T. He successfully led the Company through some of its most challenging times, and enabled it to emerge stronger each time.

His broad global perspective has seen the Company expand its horizons beyond domestic borders, and position itself to become a global player.

Mr. A.M. Naik heads an organisation that is among the most admired companies in India, reputed for the technological excellence that characterises its projects and products, for its contribution to the development of indigenous engineering capabilities and, for its inherent professionalism and value systems.

Y M Deosthalee
L&T: Whole-time Director & Chief Financial Officer
L&T Infotech: Director

Mr. Y.M. Deosthalee is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a degree in law. He joined Larsen & Toubro Limited in 1974 and has been with the company since then. In March 1995, he was appointed on the Board of Directors of Larsen & Toubro Limited as Sr.Vice President (Finance). He is currently designated as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

His portfolio includes Finance & Accounts, Personnel & HR and Information Technology.

Mr. Deosthalee is also on the Board of several Subsidiary & Associate Companies of the L&T Group of Companies. He is the the Founding Trustee of the newly formed L&T Public Charitable Trust, a major CSR initiative of the Company.





R N Mukhija
L&T: Whole-time Director & President (Electrical and Electronics)
L&T Infotech: Director

Mr. R. N. Mukhija is President (Operations) & Member of the Board of Larsen & Toubro Limited, Mumbai. As a whole time director on the board, he is involved in policies and strategy formulation, projecting L&T's capabilities to external stakeholders, business community and society, liaison with Government agencies at Ministerial level for policies affecting L&T. He is a member of the Investors' Grievance Committee.

He is in-charge of the company's Electrical & Electronics Division, which has six Businesses namely Electrical Standard Products (ESP), Electrical Systems & Equipment (ESE), Petroleum Dispensing Pumps (PDP), Metering & Protection Systems (MPS), Medical Equipment & Systems (MED), and Control & Automation (C&A). These business units are located in different locations like Mumbai, Mysore, Faridabad, Ahmednagar, Coimbatore and Wuxi (China).

As the head of the Electrical & Electronics Division, he is involved in strategy formulation and ensuring implementation of periodic plans. He is presently steering the Division to a high growth path with an emphasis on exports, performance excellence, HR initiatives & IT strategy. For most of the businesses, leadership position & high Brand Equity have been created in the domestic market where he has played & continues to play a significant role.





V K Magapu
L&T: Whole-time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (IT & Technology services)

Mr. Vijay Kumar Magapu, Whole-time Director & Member of the Board, Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) is the Director of Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd, the wholly-owned subsidiary of L&T.

Under his leadership, L&T Infotech adopted an aggressive business development drive that resulted in key strategic alliances and the establishment of multiple Offshore Development Centers for global clients. He was also responsible for several initiatives to secure quality certifications and assessment levels that are among the most sought after in the IT industry.

In his capacity as L&T's Chief Information Officer and e-Commerce Officer, Mr. Magapu helped to devise and implement IT strategies across the Company.

Mr. Magapu joined L&T as a Graduate Engineer Trainee in 1966, and rapidly rose to assume positions of responsibility in materials management, production planning, design and various functions in marketing. In 1985, Mr Magapu took charge of L&T's newly set up Hazira Works and oversaw the development and expansion of this heavy engineering complex. Later, he was elevated to the post of Executive Vice President responsible for the Company's power project business before being appointed Chief Executive of Larsen & Toubro Infotech Limited in 2000.

An alumnus of IIT, Chennai, Mr. Magapu holds a Masters Degree in Mechanical Science from the University of Calgary, Canada. He possesses valuable international experience in various roles such as international marketing, HRD and personnel and technology consulting.

Read More !

History

Established in 1981, Infosys is a NASDAQ listed global consulting and IT services company with more than 103,000 employees. From a capital of US$ 250, we have grown to become a US$ 4 billion company with a market capitalization of approximately US$ 14 billion.

In our journey of over 25 years, we have catalyzed some of the major changes that have led to India's emergence as the global destination for software services talent. We pioneered the Global Delivery Model and became the first IT company from India to be listed on NASDAQ. Our employee stock options program created some of India's first salaried millionaires.

Read more about the defining moments in Infosys' history.

Milestones

1981

• Infosys is established by N. R. Narayana Murthy and six engineers in Pune, India, with an initial capital of US$ 250
• Signs up its first client, Data Basics Corporation, in New York

1983

• Relocates corporate headquarters to Bangalore

1987

• Opens first international office in Boston, US

1993

• Introduces Employee Stock Options (ESOP) program
• Acquires ISO 9001/TickIT certification
• Goes public

1994

• Moves corporate headquarters to Electronics City, Bangalore. Opens a Development Center at Fremont

1995

• Opens first European office in the UK and Global Development Centers at Toronto and Mangalore. Sets up e-Business practice

1996

• The Infosys Foundation is established

1997

• Opens an office in Toronto, Canada
• Infosys is assessed at CMM Level 4

1998

• Starts enterprise solutions (packaged applications) practice

1999

• Touches revenues of US$ 100 million. Listed on NASDAQ
• Infosys becomes the 21st company in the world to achieve a CMM Level 5 certification
• Opens offices in Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Australia, and two development centers in the US
• Infosys Business Consulting Services is launched

2000

• Touches revenues of US$ 200 million
• Opens offices in France and Hong Kong, a global development center in Canada and UK, and three development centers in the US
• Re-launches Banks 2000, the universal banking solution from Infosys, as Finacle™

2001

• Touches revenues of US$ 400 million. Opens offices in UAE and Argentina, and a Development Center in Japan
• N. R. Narayana Murthy is rated among Time Magazine/CNN's 25 most influential businessmen in the world
• Infosys is rated as the Best Employer by Business World/Hewitt

2002

• Touches revenues of US$ 500 million
• Nandan M. Nilekani takes over as CEO from N.R. Narayana Murthy, who is appointed Chairman and Chief Mentor
• Opens offices in The Netherlands, Singapore and Switzerland
• Sponsors secondary ADS offering
• Infosys and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania set up The Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Awards (WIBTA)
• Launches Progeon, offering business process outsourcing services

2003

• Establishes subsidiaries in China and Australia
• Expands operations in Pune and China, and sets up a Development Center in Thiruvananthapuram

2004

• Revenues reach US$ 1 billion
• Infosys Consulting Inc. is launched

2005

• Records the largest international equity offering of US$ 1 billion from India
• Selected to the Global MAKE Hall of Fame

2006

• Infosys celebrates 25 years. Revenues cross US$ 2 billion. Employees grow to 50,000+
• N. R. Narayana Murthy retires from the services of the company on turning 60. The Board of Directors appoints him as an Additional Director. He continues as Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys

2007

• Infosys crosses revenues of US$ 3 billion. Employees grow to over 70,000+
• Kris Gopalakrishnan, COO, takes over as CEO. Nandan M. Nilekani is appointed Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors
• Opens new subsidiary in Latin America
• Reports Q2 revenue of over US$ 1billion

2008

• Infosys crosses revenues of US$ $ 4.18 billion. Employees grow to over 90,000+
• Reports Q4 revenue of US$ 1,142 million

Read More !