Football violence

[Pat]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6532983.stm

This is something I really don't understand,not being a football fan.For the last few years,whenever there is trouble at a football match between UK and other European teams, we see headlines like this in Britain.
Am I being naive in thinking that if I follow a football team into Europe and there is trouble nearby, the local Police will step on it hard and there is a chance that I may be involved in the collateral damage,therefore ,if I hear or see trouble ,or the mood of the crowd changes,I should get the hell out of there ?Also knowing UK fans reputation for trouble perhaps I shouldn't go in the first place ?
How can the local Police be accused of overreacting ?

[scotty]

It's really an English problem on the whole I'm sorry to say, 3 Scottish Clubs play in Europe every year with very few if any trouble.
I'm, as I'm sure some of you know, a very keen Football fan, I used to go to HEARTS games Home & Away for quite a few years, I well remember the "Casuals" of the 80's and trouble every week, thankfully this has almost disappeared from the Scottish game, European Police have a "Smack fuck out of people at the first sign of trouble" attitude which, when met with the traveling trouble makers rather than Footie fans leads to the trouble we've seen, I don't know the answer tgo the problem, but as usual, the many dedicated supporters are going to be punished for the bawbag minority's actions.

[boudicca]

Haven't got anything of much value to say on this (since when has that ever stopped me though?) but I love those massive water cannons that they blow those fcukers away with. I saw some English "fans" getting well and truly blasted across a town square in Belgium (I think) once

[Pat]

Splashed them with water...I can imagine the diplomatic outcry that must have caused. I'm suprised we didn't try to invade , you know, to free the Belgian people from a corrupt and evil regime.

[Carpathian Psychonaut]

My only comment, beyond what's said so far, is that I hate it when the news phrases hooliganism as trouble caused by "football fans" or "football supporters".

Seems obvious to me that they're patently neither.

[boudicca]

I'm suprised we didn't try to invade , you know, to free the Belgian people from a corrupt and evil regime.

I am doing. Next weekend!

Wouldn't describe the Antwerp Massive as "a corrupt and evil regime" though...

[Badlander]

Splashed them with water...I can imagine the diplomatic outcry that must have caused. I'm suprised we didn't try to invade , you know, to free the Belgian people from a corrupt and evil regime.

It's their fault. They were caught in Belgian water.

[boudicca]

[Pat]

[Norman Hunter]

It's really an English problem on the whole I'm sorry to say

In the past, maybe. Writing seven years and a day after the stabbings in Istanbul (and still nothing concrete done) fans of such clubs such as Galatasaray cause mayhem year in, year out and still nothing is done. UEFA heap further embarrassment upon themselves year after year by handing out token fines, instead of trying to irradicate the problem at a more grass-roots level (no pun intended). There is trouble every season in Europe, but this never gets the same coverage due to no English clubs being involved in the respective games. As well as the Italians, I'd check out the Dutch, German and Russian hooilgan scene for far worse regular domestic violence.

English clubs in Europe are highly sought after by host-nation hooligans due to our previous, erm "reputation" (I can't and won't deny that) but you ask any supporter of a Premiership team what would have happened if events in Rome had occurred at Old Trafford, White Hart Lane, Anfield etc.

I hate Man Utd. It's in the blood. But no-one deserves the treatment those fans got, innocent or guilty. This Leeds fan hopes Roma get a right stuffing in the home leg.

[GC]

It's really an English problem on the whole I'm sorry to say, 3 Scottish Clubs play in Europe every year with very few if any trouble.
I'm, as I'm sure some of you know, a very keen Football fan, I used to go to HEARTS games Home & Away for quite a few years, I well remember the "Casuals" of the 80's and trouble every week, thankfully this has almost disappeared from the Scottish game, European Police have a "Smack fuck out of people at the first sign of trouble" attitude which, when met with the traveling trouble makers rather than Footie fans leads to the trouble we've seen, I don't know the answer tgo the problem, but as usual, the many dedicated supporters are going to be punished for the bawbag minority's actions.

An English problem!!?,I don't think so. Come to Holland, Feyenoord, Ajax. ADO, Twente the list goes on and on....

[scotty]

Yep, sorry, I meant in a British context.

[canon docre]

A friend of mine is a police-known hooligan. His passport says: "Violent offender Type: Sport." He said, the Brits have by far the worst image mainly due to their unfair use of weapons. When they come over, the Germans even team up with the Polish and that means something.

It's a strange world.

[DeWinter]

It's really an English problem on the whole I'm sorry to say, 3 Scottish Clubs play in Europe every year with very few if any trouble.
I'm, as I'm sure some of you know, a very keen Football fan, I used to go to HEARTS games Home & Away for quite a few years, I well remember the "Casuals" of the 80's and trouble every week, thankfully this has almost disappeared from the Scottish game, European Police have a "Smack fuck out of people at the first sign of trouble" attitude which, when met with the traveling trouble makers rather than Footie fans leads to the trouble we've seen, I don't know the answer tgo the problem, but as usual, the many dedicated supporters are going to be punished for the bawbag minority's actions.

Well, that's probably true. I'm a little sick of seeing fans whinging after European or international games that it was everyones fault but theirs after dragging the country's name through the dirt after . On the other hand, the English have nothing like the "Old Firm" derby, which if it was any other event would probably be refused permission to be played, due to it's propensity to dissolve into violence and sectarian bigotry.
Curious thing, during the last world cup. the British papers I could get hold of were filled with the usual outpourings against the English football fans, yet the Finnish ones showed pictures of Germans and Poles, hardly mentioning the English at all.
Quite why the British press likes to make such a meal of their fans behaviour is beyond me, as has already been pointed out, the behaviour of fans from Italy, Poland, Germany, Holland,Turkey rarely makes any waves in the news.

[boudicca]

He said, the Brits have by far the worst image mainly due to their unfair use of weapons. When they come over, the Germans even team up with the Polish and that means something.

So, in a way, this much-maligned section of society could actually be said to be spreading peace and brotherly love where treaties and diplomacy have failed...

[wild bill buttock]

I think they are all wankers.I used to be a ZULU in my younger days.
The England are tossers,The Jocks are sh'itouts but the Dutch are hard bastards.
Actually in my considered opinion all footbal hooligans are bottle-less twats(like I was) who can only fight in a gang and good on the old bill in whatever country for knocking f**k out of them.They deserve it!

[James Blast]

Hi!
I'm James a Leo from Glass-gow.
I like:
going to pop and rock concerts;
getting drunk;
listening to prog and gothrock;
piano bars;
mates;
cars that go!;
and
telling Belgans I love them.

I also smoke.


Next!

[Purple Light]

Norm, I agree with just about every word you said.

I say just about as being a full blooded Man United hater as well, I just can't want Roma to get stuffed! Their fans are psycho's, their police are psycho's but I hope their team destroys the scum.

On a serious note, I've seen my fair share of football lunacy in the UK over the years. Its blatantly no where near what it was in the 80's (so I'm told) but its still there. Bubbling under. Makes me pretty sick really.


(Soz Mr Blast, I just had to get that in )

[weebleswobble]

Bring on Rollerball

[Planet Dave]

The Italian police have, in the recent past, merrily beaten the living crap out of United fans, and others (Arse, Chelski, whoever), pretty much at will, in Turin, Milan, Rome, wherever. Only thing is this time it was in the terraces as opposed to being outside the ground, so it got in the media. It's not contained to Italy either, Spanish rozzers, Portuguese, French, Swiss, Russian, Croatian (possibly the worst, as their policy is to 'feed' away fans to the local ultras/skins), etc etc, all thwack first and question later, often for the heinous crime of trying to get in to the ground. No-one asks why matches in the UK don't turn into free-for-alls, or why the local plods greatest worry is when the free unsold pies are gonna be handed out. Go figure.

Of course there'll always be nobheads who get a good spanking, and most deservedly so, but 8 times outta 10 its normal match-going innocents who get in the way of the plastic bullets / truncheons / missiles / knives. I guess its their own fault for coming from the country that invented (in the worlds eyes) football hooliganism. Anyone watching the 62 World Cup match between Chile and Italy would surely differ in their opinion.

On a brighter note, when travelling fans are treated with a modicum of courtesy and respect, and welcomed as money-spending tourists, as per Dortmund, Stuttgart, and er, that's it, then things tend to be reciprocated, by and large. Again, go figure.

Heysel left a very fixed impression in the minds of mainland europe. If their plod would just stick to taking out their grievances on scousers, everyone'd be happy.

[markfiend]

Heysel left a very fixed impression in the minds of mainland europe. If their plod would just stick to taking out their grievances on scousers, everyone'd be happy.

Talking of which, did you see the knobheads at Anfield over the weekend with their banner saying "Italian bizzies are scousers"?

Twats.

[Planet Dave]

I didn't see that, no. Business as usual then, things have been 'relatively' quiet since Hillsborough, strangely enough they dropped their famous Munich song after that. Although they have been singing 'Walking In A Shipman Wonderland' for a while now...'we all give thanks, cos he only kills Mancs'. Pretty good for them, I guess someone clever must of wrote it for them.

All part of the fun I suppose. Better to sing witty songs than stab each other. Or attack ambulances.

[MadameButterfly]

I used to be a ZULU in my younger days

No mr. buttock, once born black you tend to stay that way! Unless you're Michael Wacko. Zulu's are ace though, one of the strongest tribes!

[Ramone]

[/quote] Talking of which, did you see the knobheads at Anfield over the weekend with their banner saying "Italian bizzies are scousers"?

Twats.[/quote]

Well that'll be Liverpool F.C fans for you then. Shame half of them on that Kop aren't even from the city!

Twats..indeed.

[Ramone]

P.S Pat has stolen my avatar !!! The swine..!!!!!!!