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| Frustrated football fans (Image: Eurosport) |
The reputation of British football is being tarnished in the same way the sport endured in the 1980s. Sadly, we're seeing an anecdotal rise in a number of cases where small group of spectators are ruining it for the rest of us. The Premier League had largely gotten away with it, right up until the final week of the season when Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira was taunted by several Everton fans, and Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen had been reportedly assaulted by a Manchester City fan, just as the team in sky blue celebrated its fourth league title in five years. And most recently, Liverpool's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid was delayed by 40 minutes after reports of disturbances outside the Stade de France stadium.
What I've highlighted above are examples from the month of May alone, and the extent of 'blame' on spectators vary. But they don't appear to be one-offs. The English Football League (EFL) had been witnessed to similar incidents of antisocial behaviour throughout the past season. It's gotten relevant authorities and individual clubs nervous about how to best handle the rising levels of tensions. Using strong words to condemn the violence and threats, in addition to emphasising the safety of players and teams' staff, simply aren't enough anymore. Very few are proposing tangible solutions to ensure that a football day out is something every family and friendship group can enjoy, not fear.
The problem is that these authorities - UK or abroad - aren't getting to the source. Firstly, it needs to analyse where the UK is at the moment - culturally, socially and politically - and where football comes into it. Football is a more complex sport than what it was 30 years ago. How I see it is that are three primary types of football follower; the armchair fan, the keyboard warrior and the turnstile fan - some of these intertwine, but you'll find that many of the turnstile fans aren't necessarily disclosing their views on public forums. I get the impression that the Football Association (FA), UEFA and FIFA focus on ensuring teams be forward thinking, global entities, and thus not focus on the emotions of people who turn up to matches week-in-week-out. So, reports of disturbances shatter their narrative and then are lost in a cycle where nothing is being done to stop the threats. As someone who is all three types of football fan described above, I'd like to give it a go as to explaining why British football is at a bit of a loss right now.
2021/22 was the first season which saw spectators allowed to enter stadiums for the entirety of the campaign (with the exception of teams in Scotland and Wales, which had home matches behind closed doors for 6-8 weeks in the winter due to the Omicron outbreak). Fans were desperate to return to the turnstiles and see their teams do well. Did we know how to contain ourselves being with large numbers of people again, after over 18 months being last able to? The restless urge to go 'back to normal' has reached fever pitch, and with that comes heightened emotions.
Will authorities give spectators the benefit of the doubt, and hope that the 2022/23 season offers a rosier atmosphere where people can contain themselves better? They can't rely on crossing fingers. I get a strong impression that clubs are at odds with those who turn up to matches. While on social media, as noble as promoting certain causes are (such as players wearing rainbow shoelaces and embracing race equality), they haven't made much of a difference to how we see those who spend their precious pennies on attending games. For example, we rightly praise Blackpool player Jake Daniels for 'coming out'. Any other sector would deem this announcement to be a non-story, but the fact it is in football reflects poorly on where the sport is today. It's not about how gay footballers are received in their dressing room, but how they're taunted by small groups of fans. Even if a player isn't performing to a certain standard, they have to keep their homes under close surveillance, with increasing reports of break ins. They don't realise that players, while many live on decent salaries, have feelings and private lives like everyone else.
A part of me believes Boris Johnson is partly responsible for this. "Oh dear, John, you're blaming the Prime Minister for football anarchy," I hear you cry. Yes, I am. You may laugh at the thought of this, but politics influences how turnstile football fans are feeling, more than in any sport. They invest so much money on their football team - for many of them, it's their primary passion, almost a matter of life and death whether they finish first or last. And if they suddenly need to stretch their budgets so they can afford a season ticket, which are considerably higher than the rest of Europe, they don't want to then attend matches of their beloved side to lose 4-0 at home. The current cost of living crisis will only emphasise this come autumn time. And you don't need to look further than the outcome of 'partygate', which gives us the false impression that we can do whatever we want. Johnson's government policies and culture have consequences on grounds up-and-down the country.
The UK government has a role to play, working with football authorities to improve the overall spectator experience. The sport has come a long way since the dark days of the 1980s, it's more accessible for millions of Britons. Yet, they cannot take their eyes off the ball and go against the good work done in reducing antisocial behaviour during the 2010s.
None of what I've written excuses the poor behaviour of some football fans. But authorities can't pretend that this problem will simply go away. For years, they've relied on the fact that football is widely loved and clubs could therefore relax because it has thousands or millions of online fans from around the world. Impressive graphics on social media won't put a plaster on idiotic actions by the loud minority who overshadow a good afternoon or evening out. We can do this without re-introducing fences that we see in parts of Europe and South America, though a blanket ban on flares and missiles are a start. It's also vital that spectators understand that football is important, but seriously not something to take too personally if things don't go the way we want it. Trust me, the players and staff beat themselves for not playing a good game, they don't need a 'fan' to physically knock them down to confirm how they feel.
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