How many controversies have their been over celebrations at the World Cup on the men's side?
That raises a question in my mind - how many times in the men's World Cup has one player celebrated a goal with a celebration that mocked a stereotypical 'characteristic' of the opposition's country?
I'm assuming that's what Morgan was doing, rather than conflating a football game with the War of Independence, an event that led to tens of thousands of deaths, mass displacements of people and the usual war crimes. I'd consider the latter behaviour as every bit as crass and contemptible (to say nothing of disgustingly self-aggrandising) as those English fans who can't meet foreigners without rolling out one war or another that they only experienced from the safety of their imaginations. (And which I'm happy for North Americans on this site to condemn. Which they regularly do).
By the bye, if we turn to the mocking of national stereotypes in football generally there have been a couple of examples in recent years of South American players being widely condemned for making 'jokes' about the eyes of Asiatic people. (Which, while it manifestly goes far beyond mocking the idea that all British people are genteel tea-sippers, still falls within the category of bizarre behaviour towards other countries that I'd say sits uneasily with the celebration of diversity I presume the US women's team would declare themselves fully signed up to).
Another question is, should we limit the discussion to World Cups alone?
I ask because Nicolas Anelka's career in England was finished as a result of a goal celebration that was deemed racist.
Go way back, and Brian Clough once substituted a young Roy Keane for celebrating a Nottingham Forest goal against Newcastle by swearing at the away fans.
Adebayor's celebration after scoring for Manchester City against Arsenal provoked a storm.
And then you have Paul Gascoigne's contribution to Old Firm relations.
And going beyond football, the Carolina Hurricanes.
(If I scored in a World Cup semi-final, I'd go the full Marco Tardelli).
