No sport in this support (Hooliganism - the real sport behind football?)

Member Name: geordieger

Product:	Hooliganism - the real sport behind football?
Date:	18/04/02 (375 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none

Disadvantages: spoils the beautiful game, nonesensical violence

As many of you know I enjoy my football. Not old enough to properly remember the seventies when hooliganism was commonplace in the game I have been shocked by the level of violence that I have seen rising.

I want to recount a personal experience of hooliganism and hatred that I experienced personally.

To set the scene, last september I was drinking in a Glasgow pub with my friends before a Rangers' game. Unbeknown to us a group of celtic fans had entered the pub. We continued to drink, laugh and enjoy the buildup to the game. One of the celtic fans obviously did not like us being there and decided to come over and confront us.

After some obscenities being thrown our way and us retaliating back all hell seemed to break loose. The gang of celtic fans charged at us. We were all sitting around a table and were taken by suprise.

After a scuffle I saw a broken glass heading towards my face and in a panic put my arm in the way. Result: I ended having to have my arm held in the air by one friend whilst another applied pressure to it until the ambulance came to try and stem the blood that was pouring from my arm.

I ended up with 36 stitches in my arm, my tendons connecting to my hand being torn with just a millimeter to spare them from being completely severed which would have left me with no use in my left hand, and two veins in my wrist being slashed.

I am appalled by what I have experienced and for a while would not go out with my rangers' shirt on and certainly would not go to a match. Several months later and my physical injuries have healed less a mass of scars that look like a roadmap, my psychologial scars have also healed but I will never forget the hatred that I experienced that day.

It left me thinking; how do innocent people end up getting involved in violence all because of the shirt they are wearing and the team that they support? How do you start off being in a pub drinking and enj
oying an afternoon and then end up in an emergency department because someone decided that you need beating up, all because you dare to disagree with the team that they "support"?

All in all what is football? Is it worth losing two pints of blood over like I did? Is it worth losing your life over? After all, and I would not have said this a year ago, its just a game.

I have read books about hooliganism, by authors such as Dougie and Eddy Brimson and it makes me stop and think about how much hatred that this sport brings.

Obviously people are proud of what they stand for and defend their beliefs, but there is a way to do this when it comes to sport.

Rugby fans are a different kettle of fish. Yes they share the passion for their game, Yes they enjoy the rivalry involved but vary rarely does it result in gangs of men bashing each others head's in.

Hooliganism in football to me seems to be set up by people who in all reality do not have football as their prime concern. They merely attach themselves to a football club, and use that club as an excuse for a fight.

These people regularly contact others at rivals "forms", or combat groups, and set up fights either before or after a football match. Convenient times and places are arranged for these battles and each group knows approximately how many will turn up on each side.

They have no real interest in the game, just the battle before or after it. They do not care who they injur in the fight, men, women and children can be caught up in the bloodshed unwittingly. I have been walking away from games and seen groups of men charging at the opposition "casuals" and not caring who gets in the way.

The whole thing sickens me and it annoys me that these idiots attach themselves to the beautiful game. If they want to fight why don't they find a piece of wasteground and fight there and let the real fans watch the gam
e in piece? Football hooliganism is a problem, but in all reality I feel that the hooligans would find other ways to vent their hatred even if football wasn't around to be blamed!

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