Pitch invasions could be joyous eruptions of glee if not for idiots who reflect a Them and Us world of rising violent crimeRoker Park, the final game of 1989-90. Sunderland were sure of their place in the playoffs; Oldham knew they would miss out, largely because of the strains of an extraordinary season in which they had reached the League Cup final and the FA Cup semi-finals. Oldham won 3-2 and, as the final whistle went, home fans invaded the pitch.Slowly they made for the corner of the Roker End where the away fans were housed. I was on the terrace a few yards away and remember clearly the sense of sudden anxiety as my dad gripped my arm and...
Desperate perpetrators and drugs also blamed but report about day of ‘national shame’ cites collective failures“I am not in the business of individual blame. So if people are looking for a report that tries to make scapegoats of individuals you won’t find that.” So said Louise Casey of her comprehensive report into the events in and around the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium on 11 July. “There were collective failures that I identify and were clear. There are also mitigating factors that I describe in the report, in hindsight, as a ‘perfect storm’ that made that final so difficult to manage.”As the 129 pages are picked over, it seems unlikely Lady Casey’s words will stop people looking to hold...
The football authorities have a duty of care to protect the players and Fifa failed with its risk assessment of the gameOne of the many sad things about what unfolded during England’s game in Hungary on Thursday is that it was completely preventable. We knew at Kick It Out there was a high risk of racism and disorder, so Fifa must have known too, but nothing was done to prevent it.So we find ourselves with victims, when there didn’t need to be victims, and we are talking about sanctions when the solution was to put adequate prevention in place. It’s laughable that the stadium ban imposed by Uefa for the discriminatory behaviour of Hungary fans at Euro 2020 did not...
The assault on Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish reflects the airborne plague spread via Twitter and other areas of society“He might be a fan, he might be a nutter, but he’s on my turf and I’m gonna chop the mother down” – the words of Keith Richards, who famously raised his Fender Telecaster and used it as a club to repel a stage-invading fan as the Rolling Stones played Satisfaction at the Hampton Coliseum in 1981. Related: Birmingham City fan who assaulted Jack Grealish is jailed for 14 weeks Related: Emery calls for calm at Arsenal and 'respect' after fan shoves Smalling Aston Villa v Preston, 2 Oct 2018 Related: Liverpool goalkeeper Shamal George hurt in alleged racially motivated attack Continue reading...
After a win in Prague, Joachim Löw and his players strongly criticised supporters’ offensive actions. Why won’t Gareth Southgate and co speak out when England fans behave badly?That was some performance from Joachim Löw, the Germany national manager, after the jarring evidence during the international break that there are still a few troglodytes among his team’s support who seem hell-bent on providing living proof of Einstein’s theory that there is no limit to human stupidity.Löw had just seen his team win 2-1 against the Czech Republic in Prague, maintaining an immaculate record in their World Cup qualifying group, but when he arrived for his press conference, face like thunder, the questions about his team’s performance had to wait. “I am...