LIVERPOOL LEGEND JAN MOLBY VISITED LFCNY
New York, Saturday 19th December 2009
The one and only Jan Molby paid LFCNY a visit, and apart from a dismal result at Portsmouth, it was a fantastic day. The 11th street bar was wall to wall of Liverpool Supporters looking for a photo with Jan, which after the match viewing, started a Q&A, followed by photos and autographs.
We would like to thank Jan Molby for being such a gracious guest to our club, the Onion Bag for being kind enough to donate numerous items to the event, and we would like to thank the 11th street bar for hosting an all day event with the club.
After his stint at The 11th Street Bar, Jan joined the MP Red podcast crew in the studio for an extended interview full of insights into his playing days and his analysis of Liverpool FC and Rafael Benitez today. Part I of this interview can be found here where he also sat in on the News section, Believe It, Believe It Not or Believe it Maybe. Part II of the interview will be published before January 10th.
Hailed by his former Liverpool manager and team-mate Kenny Dalglish as "one of the finest midfield players of his generation" the great Dane was a contemporary in the celebrated Ajax youth academy, with Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Jesper Olsen. He also came under the influence of Dutch master Johann Cruyff.
Molby was signed by Liverpool boss Joe Fagan for £225,000 in August 1984, following the departure of Graeme Souness. The fee was a bargain for one of the most successful of English football's foreign imports, who combined subtlety and power. Molby's passing, long or short, was wonderfully measured.
He was also an expert penalty taker, scoring 42 spot kicks, and in November 1986 earned a niche in the record books with a penalty hat trick against Coventry in the League Cup.
He became the first foreigner to serve 10 years with one English club before becoming Swansea player boss in 1996. He played for Liverpool 291 times, and scored 60 goals.
To some, he will forever be remembered for his contribution to Liverpool's victory in the 1986 F.A. cup final.
LFCNY Football returns and will continue through March 3rd, 2010. Come down and join us? Everyone is welcome. The action will take place at Pier 40 on the Rooftop field each and every Wednesday evening from 7:00 to 8:30. Access to Pier 40 is available via the 1 or 9 train to Houston Street followed by a 4 block walk west to the intersection of Houston Street and the West Side Highway. There will be a $10 charge per person, each week.
LIVERPOOL LEGEND JAN MOLBY VISITED LFCNY
Jan Molby visited us at the 11th Street Bar when Liverpool took on Portsmouth on Saturday, December 19th.
Hailed by his former Liverpool manager and team-mate Kenny Dalglish as "one of the finest midfield players of his generation" the great Dane was a contemporary in the celebrated Ajax youth academy, with Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Jesper Olsen. He also came under the influence of Dutch master Johann Cruyff.
Molby was signed by Liverpool boss Joe Fagan for £225,000 in August 1984, following the departure of Graeme Souness. The fee was a bargain for one of the most successful of English football's foreign imports, who combined subtlety and power. Molby's passing, long or short, was wonderfully measured.
He was also an expert penalty taker, scoring 42 spot kicks, and in November 1986 earned a niche in the record books with a penalty hat trick against Coventry in the League Cup.
He became the first foreigner to serve 10 years with one English club before becoming Swansea player boss in 1996. He played for Liverpool 291 times, and scored 60 goals.
To some, he will forever be remembered for his contribution to Liverpool's victory in the 1986 F.A. cup final.
THE LFCNY RAISES OVER $5,000 FOR THE DUSC
New York, Tuesday, 13th October, 2009
The charitable outreach of the LFCNY (Liverpool FC supporters club in NYC) continued on Saturday October 10th with a 6-a-side soccer tournament on the west side of Manhattan. Last season, the LFCNY played the Glasgow Rangers New York fan club and raised over $5,000 for the DUSC (Downtown United Soccer Club) in a one off game (won by the LFCNY!).
Teaming up again with the DUSC, the LFCNY organized and eight team, 6-a-side tournament to raise money for the DUSC. The DUSC brings soccer to children within the New York area, but to do so requires money for coaching, facilities and equipment. Last Saturday was a roaring success with over $5,000 raised with money still coming in.
There were teams representing the fans of Aston Villa, the Red Bulls, Everton, Cardiff City, Real Madrid, Celtic and the DUSC. After a round-robin stage, the teams of the LFCNY and Cardiff City faced off in the final with the LFCNY emerging victorious by a score of 3-1. The LFCNY got past a resolute Red Bulls side in the semi-final and for a time an all-Liverpool final was on the cards until Cardiff City dispatched Everton in their semi-final.
The tournament kicked off at 9AM and went through until 2PM when the Mike Bains, the captain of the LFCNY got his hands on the trophy. Behind the scenes there was much work and support from Mr. Dennehy’s Pub and Restaurant in Greenwich Village, MLS and The Onion Bag. The DUSC exists because it believes that no child should be denied an opportunity to play soccer because of financial reasons and too that end, Saturday was a great success. Paul Jeffries the director of the DUSC was very pleased, saying, “it's a compelling story that demonstrates the power of soccer to positively impact lives beyond the game. Rival supporters united for a common cause, sharing their passion for the game to benefit children from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
The LFCNY looks forward to continuing its relationship with the DUSC and will also be conducting other charitable ventures in the New York area in the coming months.
lfcny fundraiser for Drew
As most of you know, our weekend bartender at 11th Street, Drew Hill became very sick over the summer, and has been hospitalized since May. The 11th Street Bar will be hosting a benefit on Sunday, September 27th at 2pm to raise money for his ongoing rehabilitation costs. We encourage all LFCNY members to participate in this event. Award winning BBQ will be provided for $10, and a number of breweries have donated kegs for the cause. All money paid for the kegs and the food will go towards Drew.
A number of Drew’s friends will be putting on entertainment during the event ranging from jazz bands to burlesque shows.
In addition to the bar's efforts, there will be a donation box circulating at 11th Street during all of our games between now and September 27th. Please give generously.
I strongly encourage all of our fans to support this worthy cause. Without Drew, we would not have enjoyed the service we have received at 11th Street. He has been the one who has opened at all hours of the morning, in all weather conditions, even on holidays, to facilitate our members coming to watch LFC in action. He has also been a steadying hand and instrumental in the improved communication between the bar's owners and the LFCNY committee.
In short, he is one of us and we should make every effort for him to know that
lfcny that played in the red bulls supporters shield at giants stadium Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
the lfcny announces the complete cessation of the campaign to get steven cohen off the air. on friday 21st of august steven cohen announced the last episode of his show, world soccer daily (wsd) and with that announcement,
the lfcny campaign ends.
New York, Monday 24th August 2009
We view the result of this campaign as vindication of the campaign itself and the strategy used in pursuing our objectives. At no time, in any shape, manner or form did the LFCNY condone any threats of any type of violence against anyone or anti-Semitic slurs directed at Steven Cohen himself. Furthermore the LFCNY did not align itself with anyone who would have pursued such distasteful methods. Our campaign from the very beginning was run to the highest of standards and we had not then, nor do we now have any problems discussing how the campaign was run. The LFCNY owed its own members, but more importantly, the 96 not to sully their memories with anything less than a clean and honorable campaign.
We are also mindful that there are many who see the demise of WSD as a serious loss and we can understand those feelings. We further understand that some will not believe the LFCNY when it says that it ran a clean and honorable campaign; to those we would say that if we had indulged in any threats or slurs, not a single sponsor of WSD would have given us the time of day.
However we do not apologize for the campaign we ran. To a very great extent we ran this campaign using the precise, exact words of Steven Cohen against himself. We did not have to go very much beyond those hurtful words, words which gave serious offense to 96 families on Merseyside and Liverpool fans the world over. Whatever Steven Cohen does in the future, we would trust and hope that he does not find a way to give offense again. We would like to believe that lessons have been learned on both sides.
But those days and that campaign is now behind us and the LFCNY looks forward to a new season of football where the biggest question and problem will be the form of Liverpool FC.
Today’s statement that Steven Cohen is finally gone off air is Justice for the 96.
New York, Friday 21st August 2009
This campaign was always about the 96, and never about anything else or anyone else but the 96.
Steven Cohen knowingly chose to lie about the 96, causing heartache and grief to the 96 families on Merseyside and Liverpool fans worldwide.
Today he has paid for those lies; the LFCNY does not exult the demise of World Soccer Daily but is particularly glad that Steven Cohen has been called to account for those lies and hate.
At this stage the LFCNY would like to pay tribute to the following that have worked tirelessly on this campaign; first and foremost and above all other Anthony Ananins AKA Tony New Mexico, also The LFCNY brains trust, Allister Cairns, Justerland, Charles Brown 1989 and Mel Abshire.
We further recognize that this campaign would not have been as effective without the help and support of:
FourFourTwo
Heineken
WorldSoccerShop
Sporting Glory
But above all, Jeff McIntyre of Ruffneck scarves.
We would also likely to play tribute to the following blogs: Ginge Talks the Footie, Empire of the Kop, Dan Loney @ Big Soccer, Bill Archer @ Big Soccer, World Soccer Reader and the countless others that have picked up on the campaign.
This campaign has always been about the 96, never anything else.
The truth of Hillsborough will out, Justice for the 96.
Conor Brennan, VP LFCNY, www.lfcny.org, coordinator of the Official Boycott Campaign against Steven Cohen
When emailing any sponsors, always remember that you are doing so on behalf of the 96, the LFCNY and all Liverpool fans worldwide. Firm, but polite, is the way to go, please. Keyboard warriors not welcome.
the lfcny applauds fox soccer channel and chelsea fc
New York, Wednesday 29th July 2009
In a stunning rebuke and continuation of his isolation from the football world, Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) today announced that Steven Cohen would not be returning to host the FSC show Fox Football Fone In (FFF) which he has co-hosted for 4 years. Just last week, Chelsea FC, the club Steven Cohen nominally supports, also rebuked him saying,[h]e is not a representative, nor ever has been a representative of the club. We have some 90 million fans worldwide and cannot account for every fans opinion.
Steven Cohen chose to lie and smear the 96 Liverpool fans who died tragically at Hillsborough in 1989, seeing their deaths as a way to boost his ratings by denigrating them. Steven Cohen now finds himself in the position of being rejected by those in football whose opinions matter. The LFCNY applauds FSC for its position not to re-instate Steven Cohen as co-host of FFF and we thank Chelsea FC for honoring the memory of 96 of our fellow fans. While we may not support Chelsea FC on the field of play, we recognize that they understand that there are some things that are bigger than partisan loyalties and we sincerely thank them for their position.
FSC, like many others in the football world have realized just how toxic Steven Cohen and his odious lies are. Some of the biggest advertisers in the game - Heineken, FourFourTwo have pulled their support of him and now FSC, the biggest broadcaster of soccer in the USA has done the same. Steven Cohen no longer will have a platform to cross-promote his World Soccer Daily advertisers on FFF. Advertisers and supporters, large and small, are seeing Steven Cohen for what he is, a merchant of hate. They are choosing not to be associated with him, not to give him their money to deride the deaths of 96 football fans in their name.
Steven Cohen has lost the support of his own team, Chelsea FC, his broadcast partner, FSC and over 50 percent of his original sponsors. The LFCNY recognizes that all these decisions were not taken lightly and we thank all. This week we particularly thank FSC and Chelsea FC. Next week, we look forward to thanking more sponsors and supporters who will leave Steven Cohen because of his lies and hate.
The LFCNY and so many Liverpool fans across North America and the world over have worked tirelessly to get to this point, but the battle is far from over. Steven Cohen has been removed from TV. He now must be removed from satellite radio and we call on Sirius/XM to follow the lead of FSC to cancel its contract with him.
There are 96 families on Merseyside who do not deserve to have to suffer the lies and hatred of Steven Cohen anymore.
Chelsea FC rejects Steven Cohen, condemn his lies about Hillsborough.
New York, Wednesday 22nd July 2009
Over 50 percent of Steven Cohens original sponsors, including such companies as Heineken and FourFourTwo have left his show, World Soccer Daily. These sponsors have left because they cannot afford to be associated with Steven Cohens lies and hate. Steven Cohen has chosen to denigrate 96 dead Liverpool fans whose only failing was supporting their team. Hillsborough was a tragedy of immense proportions in the game of football, but to this day, Steven Cohen sees it as a way to deride Liverpool fans. Everyone connected with the game knows what happened at Hillsborough.
Chelsea Football Club, nominally the club Steven Cohen supports, know what happened and its position has been made very clear in both matchday programmes, and an on-pitch recognition during last season's FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal. When asked for a comment about Steven Cohens hateful comments by the LFCNY, Gareth Mills, spokesman for Chelsea FC said, we have distanced ourselves and will continue to distance ourselves from any comments that disrespect the memory of Hillsborough. Mr. Mills went on to say, that match [FA Cup semi final] marked the anniversary of tragic events that impacted the whole football community. Our players and staff have gone on the record with supportive comments and statements. Everyone in football knows. Except Steven Cohen, that is.
Asked specifically about Steven Cohen, Mr. Mills was at pains to emphasize Chelsea's disgust and looked to put as much distance between the West London club and merchant of hate, Steven Cohen,we can see no benefit of giving him legitimacy by the club singling him out. Giving Mr. Cohen oxygen is the worst thing he could do..He is not a representative, nor ever has been a representative of the club. We have some 90 million fans worldwide and cannot account for every fans opinion.
How often does it happen in the football world that a club rejects a fan?
(We would also point out that Steven Cohen has not interviewed any member of Chelsea FC during their ongoing tour of North America on his show).
Steven Cohen has said many, many times that no one is going to change his mind about his Hillsborough smears. Liverpool fans killed their own, he says; they are scum, he says; they are murderers, he says; and the Hillsborough Justice Campaign is the most corrupt organization, he says. This is what Steven Cohen believes. Too often, when confronted by his own lies, smears and hate, Steven Cohen has walked back his comments, waited for the tempest to die down, and resumed business as usual. Lying about 96 Liverpool fans who never came home from a different FA Cup semi final.
But the tempest is not blowing over this time, will not be dying down. Steven Cohens apologies are never longstanding and always worthless. The LFCNY has no doubt that he will again be calling Liverpool fans murderers next year on the 21st anniversary of Hillsborough. That's why we want him gone completely off the air.
Steven Cohen may try to point to a great accomplishment that he can conduct a Liverpool-based interview without lying about Hillsborough. We at the LFCNY will ask what accomplishment? We would point to his complete rejection by the club he claims to support, Chelsea. His own club recognizes him for what he is.
And soccer in America is also recognizes him for the same. WSD had a sponsorship arrangement with the Seattle Wolves, a 4th division football team. When they heard his comments, they refused to go on his show and felt compelled to issue a statement condemning him, much as Chelsea had done. Alexander Caulfield, the Director of Public Relations & Marketing for the Wolves said, Seattle Wolves Football Club does not support the misrepresentation of what happened on the tragic day of April 15th, 1989. In this vein, the Wolves do not support Steven Cohen's remarks surrounding Hillsborough, and moreover the club cannot move forward with World Soccer Daily until a sincere retraction is issued from World Soccer Daily. This, from a team that supported Steven Cohen; though the LFCNY would take issue with the notion that Steven Cohen could ever issue a sincere retraction.
Steven Cohen has been rejected by his own club, Chelsea FC, one of the biggest in the world; he has been rejected by a 4th division US team. He has been rejected by Heineken, by FourFourTwo, by Ruffneck Scarves and so many other companies and teams. Rejected by those who know the game. It's time for Steven Cohen to be rejected off the air.
The Cohen Lies continue.
New York, Tuesday, 14th July 2009
On Thursday June 18th 2009, on his Sirius/XM show, World Soccer Daily*, Steven Cohen read a virulently anti-Semitic email which he said he had received from an official member of an official supporters group which is sanctioned and an official supporters group of Liverpool Football Club. Those words are Steven Cohens exact words. The email itself, as read, provided no proof to Steven Cohens claims that this individual had any connection with any supporters club. Liverpool fans and all fans know from past experience that Steven Cohens relationship with the truth is tenuous at best. So it was no surprise when Steven Cohen claimed that this email was sanctioned by Liverpool FC and supported by Heineken, FourFourTwo and Ruffneck Scarves. Again Steven Cohen's words.
Around the same time, an associate professor from UCLA, Mark Sawyer put himself forward as a mediator in this entire affair, though it is the opinion of the LFCNY that he was asked to mediate by Steven Cohen. The first thing we asked for, as a prerequisite to any negotiations, was the disgusting anti-Semitic email with the long headers. It was the intention of the LFCNY, and all the North American branches, to discover to which club he belonged and to name, shame and boot him while providing any and all assistance to the FBI and/or the LAPD to which Steven Cohen claimed to have reported this email.
Anti-Semitism has never been any part of this campaign and never will be and the LFCNY unreservedly condemns it in any and all forms.
The LFCNY and the North American branches wanted three things:
Proof that this anti-Semitism was condoned or supported by Liverpool FC, Heineken, FourFourTwo and Ruffneck Scarves.
The case officers and numbers of the FBI/LAPD reports in order to co-operate fully with them.
At no stage did Steven Cohen, either via Mark Sawyer, or by himself, provide any proof for the above claims. Sawyer even admitted, of course he[Steven Cohen] can't prove the guy is a member of the club. We could never prove there is such a person or that he is a Liverpool fan or whatever.
It seems, much like his 6-8,000 ticketless fans at Hillsborough claim, that once Steven Cohen believes something, no matter how false it may be, it's his opinion and that makes it the truth. Except, as always, as usual, it's a Steven Cohen lie. But that's what a merchant of hate does. And now because he believes it to be so, Liverpool Football Club, Heineken, FourFourTwo and Ruffneck Scarves either responsible for or support virulent anti-Semitism. What these companies choose to make of those lies is their business, but the LFCNY knows that this is yet another in the long list of lies by Steven Cohen.
The LFCNY will always be clear that anti-Semitism, death threats and such, have absolutely no place in our campaign and we completely and unreservedly condemn them. Just as we, the LFCNY, completely and unreservedly condemn Steven Cohens lies and smears about the 96, Hillsborough and Liverpool fans.
*At 3 minutes, 14 seconds. Listen here
Ruffneck Scarves pulls all sponsorship from Steven Cohen and WSD.
New York, Thursday, 18th June, 2009
The LFCNY is pleased to announce that another major advertiser has pulled its advertising from Steven Cohens show World Soccer Daily. Ruffneck Scarves a mainstay of WSD and Fox Football Fone In has ended its sponsorship with immediate effect.
Jeff McIntyre of Ruffneck Scarves spoke of shoddy dealings by Steven Cohen throughout the LFCNY boycott campaign. Jeff says, that amongst other things, Steven Cohen made calls into one of our strategic partners to try to sabotage our deal, because we voiced our displeasure with what had transpired as a result of his negative comments regarding Hillsborough. And this was before Ruffneck Scarves had made any decision to join the LFCNY boycott.
Conor Brennan, VP of LFCNY and the Co-ordinator of the LFCNY campaign against Steven Cohen, said that he had been in discussions with Jeff McIntyre for quite some time. Early on, we recognized that Ruffneck Scarves was genuinely trying to do the right thing, trying to protect its business and employees and honor its advertising contracts, while being horrified and outraged by Steven Cohens hateful lies and and smears against the 96, Hillsborough and Liverpool fans worldwide. The LFCNY removed Ruffneck Scarves from the boycott list while discussions were continuing.
But Steven Cohens lies and blatant disregard for a cornerstone sponsor continued. Ruffneck invested in hundreds of custom World Soccer Daily scarves as part of a promotional giveaway to be executed at Fado pubs during Champions League viewings with World Soccer Daily. When Fado pubs pulled its sponsorship from WSD, Cohens answer to Ruffneck about alternatives for promotion and return of merchandise was essentially, tough! Again, Ruffneck Scarves were not part of the LFCNY boycott at this time.
Every time Steven Cohen discussed Hillsborough and repeated his lies, Ruffneck Scarves was deluged by emails of outrage and not only from Liverpool fans. Basically, Ruffnecks continued collaboration with Steven Cohen became toxic to its survival.
Several other companies have discovered that allowing its name to be associated with a merchant of hate such as Steven Cohen has also proved toxic to them. Steven Cohen lies and everyone gets hurt - Liverpool fans, the families of the 96 dead, his sponsors. Jeff McIntyre puts the Hillsborough tragedy into some perspective when he says, the Hillsborough tragedy was just that, a tragedy, and should not be used in a public forum to "blame. Were the residents of Indonesia asked to share the blame for the tsunami?
Conor Brennan says that the boycott will continue and that any new sponsors who decide that they want to give their money to Steven Cohen to allow him to continue with his lies and hate will be contacted, letting them know how their money is being spent and what is being said in their name. Just because we have been quiet publicly recently does not mean that the campaign has gone away. We have been in very serious discussions with other sponsors and the next week will see more of them joining the boycott against the lies and hate of Steven Cohen, says Brennan, Ruffneck Scarves was an example of how we are conducting this campaign - with respect and understanding for the sponsors, while being very firm in our position, continuing our discussions until we achieved our objective.
The Hillsborough Justice Campaign condemns Steve Cohen, supports LFCNY and the North American Branches in boycott campaign.
New York, Friday, 22nd May 2009
The Hillsborough Justice Campaign (HJC) today released a statement condemning Steve Cohen for his lies and support the boycott of his sponsors organized by the LFCNY and the North American Branches of Liverpool supporters. The HJC says that Steve Cohen's lies are the result of an "ignorance borne out of prejudice" and the LFCNY absolutely concurs. Throughout this campaign to get hate merchant Steve Cohen off the air, the consistent position of the LFCNY has been that he has been knowingly telling lies to cause hurt, anguish and pain, all in the name of noterity and ratings. The simple fact is that Steve Cohen knowingly lies and now more and more people are seeing the truth in that statement.
Yesterday, Liverpool Football Club broke with tradition and to condemn Cohen and today the HJC do the same, "whilst we do not normally divert our valuable time and energy to respond to scurrilous comments in relation to Hillsborough, in this instance we make an exception". The LFCNY are very pleased to have the support of the HJC and will continue in its campaign to get Steve Cohen off the air. The HJC was specific in its support for the campaign, "we support the LFCNY and all Liverpool fans in the U.S. who have called for a boycott of advertisers associated with Mr Cohen", and we take heart from these statements. The campaign against a merchant of hate, Steve Cohen will continue and the LFCNY and all the North American Branches are congratulate the HJC on its stance.
This story has broken in the UK and the LFCNY have contacted many different organizations and companies across the length and breadth of Britian. Expect more statements like those of Liverpool Football Club and the HJC to follow in coming days.
This campaign answers for the 96 because they cannot. They are dead. As long as Steve Cohen has a broadcasting pulpit to promote hate and lies, this campaign will not rest. We encourage everyone to join our boycott of the sponsors of Steve Cohen.
Jack The Lad
Gary Allen
sales@jackthelad.us and garyah63@msn.com
Press Display
Alex Kroogman
akroogman@newspaperdirect.com
PSG Sports
Nick Roberts
nickr@psgsports.com
Sporting Glory
Michael Coyle
michael.coyle@lawdit.co.uk
The Fix
Declan Hill
declanhill2002@yahoo.com
VIP Communications
customerservice@joinvip.com
21st May 2009
The Hillsborough Justice Campaign unequivocally condemns the comments made by broadcaster Steve Cohen in relation to both the Hillsborough disaster and the ongoing justice campaign.
The cause of the Hillsborough Disaster was the breakdown of police control (see Interim Report of Lord Justice Taylor). To suggest otherwise is in direct contradiction to the facts and indicates an ignorance borne out of prejudice.
Moreover, Mr Cohen’s comments regarding the Hillsborough Justice Campaign are slanderous and defame the good name of the organisation.
Whilst we do not normally divert our valuable time and energy to respond to scurrilous comments in relation to Hillsborough, in this instance we make an exception. We support the LFCNY and all Liverpool fans in the U.S. who have called for a boycott of advertisers associated with Mr Cohen.
Finally, we would like to draw Mr Cohen’s attention to our website: www.contrast.org/hillsborough. If his views remain unchanged after reading the facts as outlined in the history section then it could reasonably be argued that his views on Hillsborough are pathological.
K.Derbyshire (Chair)
The Steve Cohen boycott: LFCNY applauds Anfield statement
New York, Thursday 21st May 2009
Today, Steve Cohen found himself condemned by Liverpool Football Club for his scurrilious lies and hatred peddled against Liverpool fans and the 96 dead at Hillsborough. In many respects, this was an unusal move by the Club as Liverpool usually prefers to let the families speak on Hillsborough-related matters. But when you are Steve Cohen, a merchant of hate who peddles lies and pain, people will queue up to condemn you.
The LFCNY is very pleased that Anfield has broken with tradition and condemned Cohen for his vile utterings. The story of Cohen's spewed hatred has broken this week in the UK and we have good reason to believe that Liverpool's statement of against Cohen and his outright lies will not be the last.
The campaign run by the LFCNY and all the North American Branches will continued unabated until Steve Cohen no longer has any pulpit from which to insult, lie and cause pain for no other reason than noterity and ratings. We want him gone from Fox and Sirius/XM. Gone. Off the air.
Steve Cohen exercised his right of free speech in lying about the 96, Hillsborough and Liverpool fans. Peddling hate for ratings he has caused tremendous pain. Liverpool Football Club exercised its right of free expression today in condemning Steve Cohen and the LFCNY and all the North American branches will exercise their free speech rights in continuing to tell everyone, every sponsor, every network, that Steve Cohen lies and laughs about his lying.
The LFCNY unreservedly applauds Liverpool Football Club for its support.
The Steve Cohen boycott continues; Celtic Supporters' Clubs (North America) join; LFCNY asks 'what apology'?
Steve Cohen has printed a statement on his website today, May 18th 2009, which he says is an apology. The LFCNY completely reject his interpretation of that word and the attempts at the same within.
It should be noted that there are some words missing. In no particular order, those words are, '96', 'dead', 'Hillsborough' and 'Liverpool'. There are others, but it's not for us to either write Steve Cohen's apology nor help him understand what a real apology looks like. In a recent interview, the LFCNY has described Cohen's previous 'apologies' - yes, this is far from him first foray in this territory - as "snivelling, mealy-mouthed, forced and qualified." We apologize that we forgot 'disingenuous', also.
In no shape manner or form does the statement Steve Cohen released today constitute an apology. It is nothing more than an attempt to save the crumbling career of someone who has consistently lied about the events at Hillsborough, Liverpool fans and 96 dead Liverpool fans.
At no time and in no manner has Steve Cohen attempted to engage any Liverpool fans or fans group seriously. He has however, bragged about calling Liverpool fans in the pub, 'murderers'. That is the level of his debate and the contempt in which he holds Liverpool fans.
The LFCNY want Steve Cohen gone off the air. Gone from Fox, gone from Sirius/XM. He is a merchant of hate who knowingly peddles lies and gets various sponsors to pay for the peddling of these lies. The football (soccer) community in the USA is small enough without having it completely divided by someone who views the deaths of 96 fans as a way in which to smear other football fans.
At the end of the day, there are 96 fans of Liverpool dead. When Steve Cohen besmirches their memory, he insults all Liverpool fans and all football fans. That is why the Celtic Fans Clubs of North America have joined in this boycott of Steve Cohen and his sponsors today.
The LFCNY continues to call on all companies to re-evaluate their sponsorship of Fox Football Fone In and World Soccer Daily.
There are no winners here. The 96 remain dead, but their memory will not be sullied by a non-apology apology from someone who peddles such obvious lies and hate about them as Steve Cohen.
Steve Cohen tries to silence LFCNY hiding behind the 1st Amendment/Press Release
As the LFCNY (www.lfcny.org) expected, Cohen has received some sympathetic press coverage, notably from The LA Daily News and now The New York Times. Both articles are mirror images of each other with much space devoted to the musings of noted constitutional scholar, Steve Cohen, about how Liverpool fans are infringing his 1st Amendment rights via the boycott of his sponsors.
But the fact that this boycott campaign has made it to The New York Times is proof of a few things. A soccer story has gone national in the USA - absent the WC '94 and Beckham and Pele in the 70s, this is a first. Secondly close reading of Cohen's comments show a fundamental misunderstanding of the 1st Amendment and finally Cohen is running scared. (He has taken to recording all his calls on WSD because of this).
The 1st Amendment gives Steve Cohen broad rights to say what he wishes in the public square without government interference or censorship. No, you can't shout 'fire' in a crowded movie theatre, but yes, if you are the KKK, you can march up and down 5th Avenue.
The Government has no right to tell Steve Cohen that he cannot talk about Hillsborough; they cannot force him to tell the truth about Hillsborough; they cannot fine him for knowingly lying about Hillsborough. So Cohen's lies stand or fall on whether sponsors would want to support someone who knowingly lies.
The boycott campaign of the LFCNY is based on the belief that when the sponsors know that he has been lying about a large section of their marketbase, insulting 96 dead fans, they will not support him.
Cohen's pulpit is obviously larger than ours (WSD, FFF), so we have to fly under the mainstream radar, so to speak. We have to email sponsors, post on message boards, talk to blogs. Critical mass builds, NPR, The LA Daily News and now The New York Times gets a hold of the story and suddenly Cohen has to start answering to his sponsors. Their questions have been along the lines of, 'what are you saying in our name with our money?' In the name of his sponsors and with their money, Steve Cohen has been lying, spreading falsehoods, intentionally seeking to cause pain and dividing the burgeoning soccer market in the USA all in the name of furthering his own name and career. Not those of his sponsors.
Steve Cohen is allowed by law to lie. The LFCNY and other Liverpool Supporters Clubs around the world are allowed by law to answer those lies by telling his sponsors what's being said in their name with their money. The 96 dead are part of the DNA of Liverpool Football Club. As supporters, while we might be allowed by law to answer the scurrilious lies of Steve Cohen, our calling is of a higher nature. The 96 were our fellow fans; it could just as easily have been any one of us as all of them.
Steve Cohen's lies cannot stand on any merits, they have no validity, they have no truth. They are the phantasm of a pitiful, small mind. And now he seeks a safe harbor in the 1st Amendment, wrapping himself in America. Which refuge was patriotism again?
The laws of the USA allow Steve Cohen to lie at will; the commercial marketplace might allow him to be paid for those lies. But that's the funny thing about companies who are good corporate citizens and care about their marketing, PR and image. Supporting liars who knowingly and intentionally divide their consumer base usually get weeded out. And that's how companies and consumers exercise their right of free expression.
The LFCNY campaign against Steve Cohen will answer the lies he has told about the 96. They cannot. They are dead.
Our answer, our story, our free expression is that of the truth of 96 dead. I suspect Steve Cohen is hearing the truth of the 96 dead; I know his sponsors have. This freedom of expression, it really is a great thing, isn't it?
Steve Cohen's comments on Hillsborough disaster
On the 15th of April 1989, 96 Liverpool fans died at Hillsborough due to police incompetence and inaction. It has been criminally negligent homicide. To this day, not a single person has been held responsible for this atrocity.
The death of these 96 fellow supporters is as much part of the DNA of Liverpool Football Club as any one of the 18 League Championships or 5 European Cups. These 96 were our fellow fans. Over the years, the fight for justice for the 96 has been constantly waged without much success. Over the years also, some in the media have found reason to lie about what really happened, despite the publication of the official report, The Taylor Report. The S*n newspaper in particular comes to mind.
Unfortunately there are also those in the USA who are looking to further themselves and their careers on the back of the deaths of our fellow fans. Your fellow fans.
Steve Cohen, who appears on Fox Football Phone In and on World Soccer Daily on Sirius, is attempting to make a name for himself slandering all Liverpool fans and the 96 in particular. Some years ago he made baseless claims and retracted them after protests. His apologies were all qualified. This time out he was at it again, claiming that Liverpool fans killed their own by turning up ticketless, a lie refuted by The Taylor Report. In follow up complaints, Cohen responded by linking Hillsborough with Heysel, with murdering Liverpool fans as the common theme. As Liverpool fans we cannot allow this atrocity to stand.
If Steve Cohen wants to smear all of us Liverpool fans with these lies, then let us exact a price on him. We want him gone off the air. Gone from Fox, gone from Sirius, gone from the airwaves. The LFCNY and all the North American Supporters' Branches recommend that you email Steve Cohen's advertisers, letting them know that you will not be using any of their services as long as they financially support this person. Below are a list of those advertisers.
And if you think that campaigns like this never accomplish much, we already have had success with the magazine 442 and the sportswear company 365-inc. agreeing already, before any campaign has really begun, to pull their advertising for this odious person. We want to be seen as responsive, so we also encourage everyone to email 442 and 365-inc. to thank them for supporting this campaign.
Email to sponsors of Steve Cohen:
To whom it may concern,
You advertise on either or both of Steve Cohen's shows on Fox and Sirius. Steve Cohen has, and not for the first time, told lies about the deaths the 96 fans at Hillsborough, claiming that Liverpool fans were responsible for killing their own, amongst other lies. Is this the type of person you want representing your company? Steve Cohen has done this before, apologising when the outrage grew too large. Clearly, he will not stop, so our objective is to see him being put off air permanently.
I urge you to reconsider your purchasing of advertising.
I will be boycotting all your products and services until your support for Steve Cohen and his lies ends.
Thank you,
Jack The Lad
Gary Allen
sales@jackthelad.us and garyah63@msn.com
Press Display
Alex Kroogman
akroogman@newspaperdirect.com
PSG Sports
Nick Roberts
nickr@psgsports.com
Cartan Tours
Cartan Tours Info
info@cartan.com
We Speak Wine
We Speak Wine Customer Support
support@wespeakwine.com
Objectivo T-Shirts
Matt Lengkeek
matt@objectivo.com
The Fix
Declan Hill
declanhill2002@yahoo.com
VIP Communications
customerservice@joinvip.com
Email thanking the sponsors supporting the campaign:
To whom it may concern,
I would like to congratulate and thank you on supporting the ongoing boycott of Steve Cohen for spreading lies about the 96 Liverpool fans who died at Hillsborough. It is wonderful to see such corporate responsibility these days.
Whenever I have the chance, I will buy and recommend your products and services as my way of showing support for your company.
Thank you,
World Soccer Daily Shop
Jeff Stephens
JStephens@365-inc.com
Four Four Two Magazine
Ollie Stretton
Ollie.Stretton@haymarket.com
Who Are Ya Designs
Moki Williams
moki@whoareyadesigns.com
Sporting Glory
Michael Coyle
michael.coyle@lawdit.co.uk
Ruffneck Scarves
Jeff McIntyre
Ruffneck Scarves
Heineken
Heineken Customer Relations
Heineken
We encourage all members to send both types of email. We have already had success and with your help we will get Steve Cohen off the air. Slandering the 96 is slandering all of us Liverpool fans and a true fans of football. The 96 are not here to defend themselves. You are!
