Altidore, TFC disturbed by fan attacks on his beliefs
TORON TO • As he slowly departed Monday night’s fixture, Jozy Altidore wasn’t just confronted by referee Drew Fischer and New York’s Felipe and a barrage of boos inside Red Bull Arena.
The U.S. international, besieged all night by “F— you, Jozy” chants, was hit with a barrage of hatred that bothered Toronto FC brass to the extent they couldn’t ignore it.
As Altidore made his way toward TFC’s sideline in the 86 th minute, a Red Bulls supporter behind TFC ’ s bench shouted a string of disparaging remarks that questioned t he 27- yearold’s love and respect for his country.
Loaded with religious undertones, they were remarks you might expect to hear in other parts of the world, not Major League Soccer.
On Wednesday, Altidore clarified statements he made following TFC’s 2-1 win over the Red Bulls to open the Eastern Conference semis.
“My comment about Red Bulls fans being ‘ classless’ was because the stuff that had nothing to do with soccer,” Altidore told Postmedia.
“My mother raised us as Jehovah’s Witness and there were comments being said. That has no place in this country. My beliefs have no place in this country. It’s ridiculous.
“Coming off the field — with Tosaint Ricketts and Raheem Edwards as my witness — there’s a guy telling me I have no idea what it’s like to represent this country, that I didn’t die for this country and I don’t deserve to be in this country because I don’t put my hand on my heart and that I don’t sing (the Star Spangled Banner).”
Coach Greg Vanney called the co- ordinated “F— you’ chants completely unacceptable.
“Are you going to walk up to someone on the street and say, ‘F— you?’ You think you can say that because you buy a ticket and you’ve got 10,000 others behind you? No chance.”