A NIGHT OF SHAME (VILLA V BLUES 3/3/03) BUT WHOSE TO BLAME? (Hooliganism - the real sport behind football?)

Name: marandina

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Product:	Hooliganism - the real sport behind football?
Date:	04/03/03 (2208 review reads)
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I can vividly recall strolling along the side of the football ground as a throng of Sheffield United fans charged from the other direction hurling house bricks along the way. I was 11 at the time and pretty scared at what was unfolding. This was the 70's and soccer had been singled out for hooligans to treat match days as their venue for unadulterated violence. Who can forget the images from those dark days including Leeds fans ripping up seats in Paris, policemen on horseback and numerous incidents at The Den, home of Millwall?

You could be forgiven for thinking that those days are over. Sadly, after last night, I have to say that they definitely are not. I went along to the Birmingham v Villa game knowing that there would be trouble. After all, it had been in the local paper (Birmingham Evening Mail) that trouble had been organised as a kind of retribution for the seeds sown at the first meeting between the teams last year. On that occasion, Birmingham had won the game 3-0 but the win had been marred by pitch invasions with one fan running on the pitch to taunt the opposition goalkeeper from a distance matter of inches from his face. Inflammatory stuff that laid the foundations for feelings of revenge.

So last night feelings were running high. Normally, I park my car about a mile from the ground and walk but this route takes me past a particularly troublesome pub and the train station where most visiting fans alight to get to the ground. For this game, my brother dropped me down at the ground and picked me up so that I could drive my car back from his house.

I also went along with a mate of my brothers who was worried about leaving his car at the ground. Having made it through the numerous police present, we got out fairly close to where we'd both need to enter the ground. As we walked along the Trinity Rd side of the ground, which runs parallel to Aston Park, we were met with the sight and sound of mass brawling in the park. We
looked across to see glimpses of yellow jacketed police flashing torch beams in the dark as they got to grips with what can only be described as growls of savagery from fighting thugs.

Anyway, we got into the ground where, in theory, you should be safe. There were extra stewards and police on duty inside as rumours were that tickets had been sold to away fans in home designated areas of the stadium. The atmosphere was electric with a number of individuals clearly pumped up to the point where they seemed to be almost frothing at the mouth with aggression.

The game kicked off and, frankly, the standard was appalling. Bearing in mind the significance of the fixture, the players hardly helped with a frenetic tempo matched by some reckless tackles that simply served to stir things up even more.

The game petered into a 0-0 draw at half time and things calmed down. However, it wasn't long after the break before one of the home players was sent off for headbutting an opponent. Craziness on a massive scale, which re-ignited the blue touch paper. Soon after Birmingham scored followed by a second goal. To add fuel to the fire, a second home player got sent off (quite rightly) incensing the 40000 odd home fans to the point where something had to give.

It did as several sections around the ground erupted with one group of fans trying to charge into the Birmingham fans but, thankfully, they were held back by police and stewards. One idiot ran onto the pitch to replicate the incident from St. Andrews and I along with hundreds of others left early to avoid the trouble.

All the way home I listened to the local radio station as all people could talk about was the trouble. There were people with kids taking them, in some cases, to their first game. Maybe they'll come through it like I did but then maybe they won't. I mean, after all, why should they?

The evening raised lots of issues:

 Why had the tick
et arrangements gone so badly wrong yet again?

 Why had such an explosive fixture been played at 8pm giving people the chance to drink all day before the game?

 Why had the players not gauged the mood and behaved better?

 Why is a minority so intent on causing trouble?

 What goes through people's minds to turn them into such Neanderthals?

My enduring image of last night is of the executive boxes to the left of the Holte End. For those that don't know, the Holte End is the home stand and is flanked on both sides by further home stands adorning the left and right hand sides of the ground. After the first goal, one section that were seated outside erupted into cheers and were obviously Birmingham fans on a Corporate package. This being so close to the home fans enraged many but, to be honest, I'm not too fussed at people celebrating their team scoring. What I found extraordinary was one particular gentleman who took it upon himself to shake his fist and give a one fingered salute to the thousands below. Precipitating a one man riot, the stewards eventually got to him and made him leave but only after this had gone on for a good ten minutes.

All in all, I felt ashamed last night. I got home and told my wife it had been one of the worst nights of my life. Sure, we'd lost again but it was the events in and around the ground that had left me, at times, genuinely fearing for my own safety. You would have to have been there to feel what I and many others felt.

If any of the trouble-makers are reading this then you area disgrace to Society. I really and truly had thought I'd seen the back of all this but clearly that macho culture is still alive and kicking that brings men (and women) into some kind of Fight Club approach to what should be a leisure activity.

Of course, the authorities aren't completely blameless. I've asked questions above

but, of course, the bizarre kick-off time will have been driven by money as it was a live televised game on SkyTV.

Frankly, the stewards and police should be commended for dealing with such a difficult set of circumstances. I understand that there was something like 40 arrests after the game whilst, I'm sure there will have been further trouble in Birmingham City Centre.

Last nights scenes should not be a part of football in this new century but my real concern at the heart of all this is that do they scenes simply reflect Society's ills at a more micro level? I'm not trying to excuse what went on but this tribal culture must have its roots somewhere and there seems to be plenty of issues at a Social level right now.

I suppose that is the question I will leave you with whilst welcoming any comments you may have.

Thanks for reading and this will be my last opinion for a few days before I outstay my welcome!

Marandina

***Latest 2pm 4/3/03***
The player involved in the headbutting incident has now aplogised while the Police are considering prosecuting players and fans. It's a good job I love the game so much otherwise I seriously consider disowning it.

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