Jozy Altidore has been tearing it up in the Eredivisie.
The USA international has now scored 30 goals in all competitions this season for AZ Alkmaar. His performance on Friday, scoring two goals and notching an assist, helped AZ defeat Heerenveen 4-0.
It also moved his club closer to survival, as they could clinch safety if Roda can’t win their match tomorrow.
You can probably remember the most recent own goals in the Premier League. Fabian Delph for Aston Villa against Fulham this weekend? Matt Kilgallon for Sunderland away at Chelsea? Well, we can probably forgive them as a lapse in concentration or being very unlucky! This cannot be said for Utrecht player Mike Van Der Hoorn, who inexplicably put the ball in his own net under absolutely no pressure! The Eredivisie side were 3-0 down at the time to AZ Alkmaar, before Van Der Hoorn compounded their misery. Take a look…
American forward Jozy Altidore was the target of racist chants Tuesday during AZ Alkmaar’s 5-0 win over second-tier Den Boscha in the quarterfinals of the Dutch Cup.
The game was stopped by referee Reinold Wiedemeijer, but Altidore himself asked for it to be continued and he scored with a penalty. He has won praise for his calm response to the situation.
Here now is a video clip of Altidore’s interview following the racial abuse that he suffered during the Dutch cup match.
Jozy Altidore scored his 9th goal of the season for AZ Alkmaar.
What a brilliant goal from the American. The perfect combination of strength, power and finesse!
By Leander Schaerlaeckens
The Netherlands is enamored with its top scorer, one Jozy Altidore he of New Jerseyan and Haitian origins. So enamored, in fact, that Eredivisie Live, which broadcasts the Dutch league made a tribute video likening him to… the A-team’s B.A. Baracus.
Upon tweeting this, charges came my way that this was racially insensitive. Not all well-built black men sporting a beard look like B.A. Jozy himself, as evidenced by the video, seemed to take delight in the comparison.
Nonetheless, the comparison offers a compelling insight into the disparity between Dutch and American political correctness. Among developed countries, they seem to stand at opposite ends of the spectrum.
The average Dutchman sees this video and thinks: “That’s funny.” It doesn’t occur to him that it might be insensitive.
The average American thinks: “That’s offensive.” Probably. Or he at least wonders if it is. Because his jokes pass through a filter that is the product of decades of national incremental scrutiny on all public utterances.
This video was meant to evoke a chuckle. Please suspend your political correctness for a brief moment and treat it as such.
