Poll: Will You Miss World Soccer Daily?
By: Daryl | August 22nd, 2009
Quick recap: Steven Cohen is the Los Angeles based (former?) TV/radio host who in April 2009 made the controversial claim that ticketless Liverpool fans were to blame for the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster.
In response, the Liverpool Supporters Club New York organized a boycott of Cohen’s sponsors and attempted to have him removed from the airwaves. There’s a more detailed explanation here, if needed.
Cohen was replaced as the host of Fox Football Fone-In TV show this month (by Eric Wynalda no less) but continued to broadcast his daily satellite radio show World Soccer Daily.
Until yesterday that is, when World Soccer Daily officially ceased production. So that’s the end of that. You can hear the announcement in the podcast of the show.
Depending on who you believe, the canceling of the show is due to either a) threats made against Cohen as a result of his comments, or b) the boycott being successful enough to scare away sponsors.
I honestly don’t know enough to confidently claim that one side or the other is 100% correct. All I do know is that World Soccer Daily is officially finished.
So, rather than getting too much into who’s right and who’s wrong here, I really just want to know one thing: Will US listeners miss World Soccer Daily now that it’s gone?
Opinion on the show always seemed divided. Some loved it and listened daily, some tuned in occasionally, some avoided it like the plague. Hence the poll:
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Category: World Football
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Comments
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First off, Cohen never sincerely apologized for his ignorant comments concerning Hillsborough. His half-ass effort to do so was quite reminiscent of an obstreperous little boy forced to say sorry for doing something he clearly has no remorse for. He’s a pathetic idiot who deserves to lose his ‘livelihood’ and have his own club disown him. Kudos to Chelsea for doing the right thing.
Furthermore, Cohen is a coward. Had he sincerely apologized for his irresponsible and factually incorrect comments concerning Hillsborough, he would still be on the air. Instead he’d rather be a prideful idiot and make a mockery of himself by trying to play the victim. He is not the victim because unlike the 96, he’s still alive, ego and pride clearly intact.
If his loyal listeners want to blame LFCNY or LFC supporters in general, feel free, it just shows their ignorance. Cohen was the one who pulled the plug on his show, not anything to do with Liverpool FC. He could have done the right thing, but did not. Good riddance to bad rubbish say I.
Posted from
United States
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As far as I’m concerned Liverpool fans can no longer with any honesty sing YNWA. You need to be singing:
YNWAUYAWUC (You’ll never walk alone unless you agree with us completely)YNWA now belongs to Celtic, the only place where it can be sung with true honesty.
The Kharma wheel eventually eventually goes around and bites you on the the rear. These people who sent death threats will get theirs be by the FBI or other sources.
Of course Hicks and Gillette and almost 20 years with no title is a pretty good start.Posted from
United States -
Over the years Cohen would make comments that I found objectionable, but so what.
Posted from
Canada -
Clifford – Cohen sincerely apologized for his remarks. He condemned the boycott and the death threats, but apologized sincerely for his factually inaccurate remarks. Read the press release on worldsoccerdaily.com. To say that the show being pulled had nothing to do with Liverpool FC’s “fans” is completely naive and uninformed.
Posted from
Canada -
very verbose, but good read: http://socceruniverse.ning.com/profiles/blogs/liverpool-supporters
Posted from
United States -
So much for free speech in this country. That show was the best place to get information on the game especially for someone new to the game. It was educational, entertaining and annoying at the same time. If you don’t agree with someone you have the ability to change the channel. I don’t listen to Bill Marr or Rush Limbaugh because they are both idiots but guess what they have the right to say what they feel.
Posted from
United States -
I’m very saddened by the destruction of this show. If you don’t like what Steven Cohen has to say, don’t listen to his show. But, to bring about his show’s destruction is immature and ridiculous at the same time. I don’t agree with many things that he has said, but he still had the best soccer show in The United States, the best guests, an open forum–where were the Liverpool fans who disagreed with Cohen, but never called his show?, and flexibility in its format. And now? Nothing. Nice work, really nice work…and I’m not even talking about the whole “free speech” thing (because one can “free speech” him back), I’m just talking about the lunacy of fans (many surely not even alive when Hillsborough happened [and Heysel for that matter]) who want to destroy that which dares to question.
Posted from
United States -
I had been a regular listener of WSD for years. To be fair to Steven, the show has vastly improved over the past year or so with the addition of Kenny. When one recalls the Cohen/Geber shows, it’s amazing how far the program has come to actually mimicking proper radio formatting in its last days.
I find it rather galling though that Steven play the race card now when I recall some of the remarks he had made in the past years. Never mind his hatred of Liverpool. What shocked even me was his open hatred of anything Arab or Muslim. Both Geber and Cohen constantly made disparaging and insulting remarks about Arab entities interested in investing in English clubs. And anything revolving around the Arab/Israeli conflict happening in the news drew comments from Cohen that were so racist that he would have been removed years ago were he on regular AM band radio.Posted from
United States -
I only discovered this podcast three weeks ago (the week before the season began.) I enjoyed most segments during those 3 weeks. The 5 min fans club previews, in particular, were top class. I hadn’t listened much this week, but I was shocked when I heard Friday’s show. I decided to research these hooligans, who hounded this show off the air. However, the more I looked into the story, the clearer it became that Steven Cohen doesn’t deserve a platform to insult a city, a football club, but most importantly, the survivors and relatives of the deceased fans of the Hillsborough disaster. How would people feel about some radio host continually insulting the families of deceased soldiers or 9/11 victims? Would you not at least put pressure on the sponsors of the program to withdraw their support for it? He has made statements a number of times in the past 3 years, been forced to make an apology, and then reiterated the despicable comments a few months later. No matter the undoubted quality of the format of the show, this host doesn’t deserve to be on the airwaves. I really hope another top quality show will take its place and will push soccer on in the US. Finally if you have time, this website has good, independent coverage of the events of this controversy. Take care
Posted from
United States -
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I am just curious how making death threats, especially against children honors victims of a terrible tragedy and their memory?
Posted from
United States -
Sharky, you miserable ignoramus, Kenny is an Arab. You couldn’t be further off.
Posted from
United States -
As a Liverpool supporter here in the states, WSD was one place I was able to sit at work and get the scoop about what was happening in the footy world across the pond. Now the show is gone. The motto, You’ll Never Walk Alone rings very true to me, but the truth is at some point everyone does. Your actions are yours alone. Start something and others become involved and go over the top. Guess what you started it. Keep that close to your heart.
I feel for the 96, it was a tragedy, but there are believe it or not, different opinions out there on EVERYTHING. I wasn’t old enough to remember this happening, but I have seen photos and read eyewitness accounts and it is truly heart wrenching. But here my opinion on your actions. Why not use your heartache and anger in a positive way? Just this year people died in Africa attending a football match. Why not organize to make stadiums safe around the globe? Why spend all this time and negative energy organizing against one single radio show? Have you broken it down and asked yourselves, what was really behind this? If you want to respond and answer this feel free too. Please try to convince me. And what is this statement on LFCNY about “Today’s statement that Steven Cohen is finally gone off air is Justice for the 96.” Thank god now everyone can rest now. Have you contacted the Hillsborough Justice Campaign to tell them they can shut down now. Mission accomplished. How does you getting a show off the air get justice for the 96. I think you have delusions of grandeur. Get over yourselves.
Free Speech, I agree. You can say whatever you want. But if this garbage about threats is true, then it will come back to you, you cannot separate yourselves from the rabble that did this. In one way or the other, sometime something bad will happen to you, and then you will think back and say, “damn, I was associated with an on line movement that at some point became anti-Semitic and threatened innocent children.”
You should be very proud. So leave the people of the show alone now. You have won and I just wonder what you will do with your time now. Other than you Hicks and Gillette, give Rafa his money and win the league.
Posted from
United States -
Tim Vickery made the best and most rational comment about this matter on World Football Phone-in. To paraphrase,
Making a contrarian viewpoint is free speech.
Making a contrarian viewpoint without facts to back your claim is an abuse of free speech.Cohen brought wrath upon himself for making repeated foolish statements.
There is one truism that Steven Cohen should remember well.
Money talks, bullshit walks.
In essence, the boycotts worked and now the liar has been silenced.Posted from
United States -
The Liar? Oh boo hoo. Yeah it worked, congrats. And Tim Vickery’s viewpoint is Tim Vickery’s viewpoint. So Cohen was wrong for what he said (and apologized for going too far); so he let the rabid Liverpool hating fan inside his person come out too much; so what?; so he was dumb enough to express mock indignation at a host of things related to Liverpool and those attempts at bad humor were turned into Internet gotcha clips. Turn his show off. Better yet, call his show and show him how wrong he is. ‘Cause now? Actually, now his words stand. They stand. Within niche and growing soccer community in the US people only know that Liverpool fans freak out when some event from like decades ago happened and people don’t agree with the take on the whole matter.
This isn’t about free speech. That’s a straw argument. This is about raw emotions. This is about (interesting isn’t it?) a storied club who’s fans have such a violent past that actions by many of these same fans are completely swept under the rug. And now, long ago, probably years before many who post here were even born, a terrible tragedy happened (too many fans, pens [why were there pens again?], absent authorities, open gates, closed gates, alcohol, decaying infrastructure, terraces, etc, etc, etc) can be treated as if it were more tragic than any of life’s other tragedies…and just a bit of thou protesteth too much, eh? I mean really, isn’t that what’s also going on here?
So much of this is so ridiculous and this “Hate Cohen” stuff is as immature and stupid as this whole debate. Liverpool fans (in the main) just silenced the only decent (and improving) soccer show in the US, where, to those of you not from the US, soccer fans actually know their stuff.
Posted from
United States -
It was a good show that had really gotten better with time. Kenny was a great addition as well as the guest line ups. No more Robbie Earle and chats with the players. Jozy Altidore was a great interview.
Both parties crossed the line at one point. It should have been settled with a discussion amongst cool heads.
What did Kenny ever do to anyone? He always had the right ideas and could put the brakes on Stephen a bit.
Hopefully it will continue in some shape or form.Posted from
United States -
This whole discussion is based on acceptance of the story about death threats from LFC supporters. If, in fact, there were death threats made against Stephen Cohen or his family, they certainly didn’t come from anyone in or around LFCNY, a gentle and good natured group I’ve been watching games with for several years.
Free speech means that Cohen can (and has many times over several years) make his views known regarding Hillsborough, and LFC supporters can organize a boycott of his sponsors.
Thanks also to the commenter who mentioned Cohen’s generally racist ramblings.
I’m sorry the forum is gone, but if it had to go with Cohen I can’t complain. I’m sure its wishful thinking, but if this boycott leads to any mitigation of the hateful dribble that we have to suffer along with the info, interviews and humor we want from sports radio, it will be a handy outcome. (BTW, I have witnesses on this blog who can attest to my enjoyment of ribald and reasonably offensive humor, so when I call something hateful dribble, its gone fairly extreme).Posted from
United States -
Correction: Steven rather than Stephen, sorry.
Posted from
United States -
Arsenal fan here…
Cohen is a loudmouth sensationalist pig of the highest order hiding behind free speech. His demise is long overdue and his nonsense finally came back to bite him. The sweeping indictment against “Liverpool fans” is ludicrous, unsubstantiated and shows how he’s been able to manipulate so many listeners. I won’t miss that show one bit and at the end of the day neither will others. I’ve no doubt someone better will fill that void soon.Posted from
United States -
miss it like crazy, no other show like. I think they should have created their own show, beat Steven in healthy competition, instead of some lame 60’s English labor tactic (sure I guess it worked, but to what end). Then maybe we fans could have had a win-win instead of a draw at best (I assume the liverpool fans weren’t listening anyway, so everyone else lost). Liar or not, agree with it or not, it was still just an opinion. No matter how ridiculous.
Posted from
United States -
Don’t like his comments? DON’T LISTEN! The scum who forced the show off the air are the same cowards who try to tell others what they should think about religion and politics. I hate Rush Limbaugh with a burning passion, but I wouldn’t dream of trying to get his show off the air. My response is to NOT LISTEN!
Posted from
United States -
as usual scum always screw it up for the rest , if you didnt like what he said turn off…
i remember watching it happen on tv and couldnt believe what i was seeing , but i also remember watching the bradford fire in 1985 , ibrox in the 70´s …it was terrible what happened at hillsborough but why oh why do we have to have it brought up every year , bradford isnt , ibrox isnt …so why hillsborough ..nothing will change for the people who so sadly lost there lives,no amount of compensation money for the families will bring back the loved ones ..
this sickening witch hunt the so called supporters of liverpool have made on the WSD and the families of staff is an insult to the people who lost there lives
maybe you should listen to the chants the liverpool supporters make when you play man utd , about the berlin aircrash…
and as for conor brennan and his gang , your a disgrace
lets hope no one boycotts your business …shoe would be on the other foot then wouldnt it !!IF YOU DIDNT LIKE WHAT HE SAID , JUST TURN OFF THE RADIO
OR BETTER STILL PHONE IN AND CONFRONT HIM WITH HIS COMMENTS AND ASK HIM EXPLAIN HIMSELF…maybe you arent articulate enough ?
Posted from
United States -
I am an American football who has listened to this show for over a year. There were times that Steven made comments that I disagreed with but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I was not a footie fan when Hillsboro happened so the only thing that I can say is that it was tragic. What upsets me is that in a country based on free speech, Look at the admendments making up the Bill of Rights, someone has been silenced because people did not like what he said. If a boycott was initiated everytime someone said something that another person didn’t like then we would all be in trouble. I realize that this situation doesn’t include all Liverpool fans, just a select few who feel it is theri duty to state the opinion of all Liverpool fans. I believe many would probably be embarrassed or outraged at the lengths certain members of their community have gone to to find “justice” as they put it. But I wonder, how many of these fans intersted in justice were there at Hillsboro? How many of them personally knew someone who died? How many of them were footie fans, or for that matter knew what proper football was?
Posted from
United States -
Well, he’s back, folks. Found it on iTunes podcast list and they are up and running from the start on a subscription basis. So if you want your Cohen, he’s there with Kenny again.
Posted from
Canada -
So glad he got the boot. He was an arse. Maybe Nick Geber can come back and restart the show. Cohen was a self serving jerk always pushing his clique (Posh Spice, Georgie, and friends). He did not take critique well. Sent him a couple of comments over the years only to get inflamatory hate mail back from the wanker.
Good riddance.Posted from
United States
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