Abuse by spectators at football matches

[malumbu]

I've tried to carefully word the thread. I caught up with the newspapers over Easter and was shaking my head about one article "I never liked football but now go to matches with my kids". And then went onto how appalled he was with the abuse and trolling of professional referees. Stuth, I've seen this for decades, and even pre-social media we all knew the ones that made questionable decisions. In those days they got hate mail through the post - more effort than a few keyboard strokes but just as vitriolic. Doesn't make it right but I don't feel that it is any better or worse that it was when I first started going. Abuse at amateur and kids/youth is a separate issue having been abused myself (and it got genuinely worse as you headed out of London into North Kent.

Same paper had an article on racism in football following some high profile cases. Again suggesting that it was as bad as it has ever been. Nonsense. I was there in the dark days, and it wasn't just Chelsea and West Ham fans. 100s of bananas at one match - I'll name the fans by PM if you would like to know and a couple of unpleasant if minor skirmishes I got involved in, in more recent decades.

Social media and TV appear to help in this case as you can't get away with it as in the past. Yes Brexit, and a move to the right etc has had an effect. But we aren't Russia, Italy, Moldova etc etc.

Anyway, doesn't make it right, just trying to provide some perspective and how far we have moved on as a nation since Shoot magazine had a 'serious' article in the mid 70s that black players were not successful as they didn't have the stamina (my word.....) Let's have a grown up discussion please. I'm going to a tier 8 match on Saturday with two Brexit supporting areas (rural working class vs stockbroker belt) so I am sure it will be very different to DHFC. And Millwall.

[malumbu]

Good post Malumbu. Not sure if I agree with all your thoughts, but perhaps if footy fans showed their displeasure at abuse, eg by turning their backs, that would be a start - and result in some positive media coverage. It was good to see Newcastle fans applauding Mo Salah as he was stretchered off last week. Very different to the Spurs fans throwing coins at Walcott a few years ago.

[pk]

malumbu Wrote:

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> Good post Malumbu. Not sure if I agree with all

> your thoughts

Brilliant!

Complimenting your own post, even tho you?re not sure if you agree with yourself!

Or have I missed something?

[JohnL]

pk Wrote:

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> malumbu Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Good post Malumbu. Not sure if I agree with

> all

> > your thoughts

>

> Brilliant!

>

> Complimenting your own post, even tho you?re not

> sure if you agree with yourself!

>

> Or have I missed something?

darn :)

[malumbu]

Nope I was just surprised that my Danny Baker thread caused ahitestorm and this post caused no interest at all (beyond me talking to myself). I supposed I should have combined the two. A mate stood in front of DB once at a Millwall match and found him a bit abusive. And another mate told me a none-PC but funny Millwall fans story that DB had recounted. It's banter, but in the current reactionary environment they'd be calling for closing down the Den. So long ago it was the Den.

[Seabag]

I used to sponsor my sons team, and take them to the match most Sundays.

So I agree re the North Kent comment. It?s an area that?s been missed by time, specially the nasty little ground at Eltham, the thought of it still brings me out in a cold sweat.

One day the police were called, as someone threatened and attempted to assault the ref. An older man, in a grey tracksuit (standard) wearing raybans (standard) and driving a car with blackout tint windows (standard) was arguing with the policeman ? yeah but as I swung at him he ducked, so I didn?t actually assault him, tho I meant to miss him anyways?

My other observation was there must be one North Kent - Peaky Blinder school of barbering. Plus your son will be called

Billy

Bailey

Bentley

Boston

Austin

Aaron

Archie

Shane

Shaney

Or something along those lines and fouling is just ?playin the game mate?

Oooooo I feel better getting that off my chest, I?ve held onto that for a few years now. I can relax and breathe a little easier.

Thanks for listening/reading 👍🏽

[malumbu]

I think that was my loudest chuckle since I've been on this forum. I wont go into too much detail (eg a ruck in the car park after one match) as I'll give too much personal details away. And they weren't always bad, and sometimes it would be a one off. Also I can get accused of 'being a metropolitan elite' and "that's why we 'voted to leave the EU" (yes even Brexit came into it). Our kids used to call it the "Bromley haircut". I'll PM you a few stories as similar nice to get off the chest.

To add balance anecdotes of playing even more street wise kids than ours (ie further into London) - "I'll come tooled up" "I'll shank you" "I'll .... your mother (or your mother is a whore")) - on the pitch abuse not off it.

Back to the edge of SE London and North Kent, Eltham, Bexleyheath, Orpington.... don't miss them.

[JohnL]

Was in a pub in Clapham and a lad with the haircut came in - as the rest of his mates gradually slunk in you could pick them all out by the haircut. Other than that harmless though :)

[peckman]

Arent you all being as bad as them by presuming a whole section of a county is the sane ? Come on people rise above the sterotypes !!

[malumbu]

I think I pointed that out with the self deprecatory remark about metropolitan elite. But as you move to the outer boroughs there are socio-economic differences which are pretty obvious just from the political views. Don't feel there is any harm in poking fun at that, in the same way that others retaliate with jokes about snowflakes. I had to stop myself humming the dueling banjos from Deliverance as that is probably a stereotype too far. As Seabag and I have both witnessed, in kids football, some of the teams from these areas(sadly influenced by parents) were the worst, certainly in giving grief to officials, many of whom were parents volunteering to do the role. It is probably the same parents that the Grauniad reported on (talking of metropolitan elite)- the very opposite of the parents that I am talking about, ie the journo was someone who knew sweet FA on football but wanted to opine on it in any case.