Vote totals:
Yes:
100%
No:
0%
Neutral:
0%
DEBATE: WHERE SHOULD THE LINE BE DRAWN ON CHANTING AT FOOTBALL GAMES?
WHERE SHOULD THE LINE BE DRAWN ON CHANTING AT FOOTBALL GAMES?
"Murderers" and other such abuse is completely unacceptable
As cited in the introduction the taunting of fans in relation to past disasters personal to their club is not a new or recent phenomenon. Manchester United fans have suffered taunts over the Munich Air Disaster for decades, yet even in this climate some who I stand beside at Old Trafford who are deeply offended by such chants choose to hit back with equally vile taunts. Singing about events where players or supporters died in order to provoke a reaction from the opposition fans is incomprehensible and abhorrent, whether they be United, Liverpool, Leeds or England fans singing about German Bombers.
As a democratic country we believe in freedom of speech. What you hear on the football terraces is no more offensive than a lot of jokes made by mainstream comedians. It should be taken in the spirit is is intended; as jokey insults, not seriously offensive.
WHERE SHOULD THE LINE BE DRAWN ON CHANTING AT FOOTBALL GAMES?
Chanting encourages violence
Violence and hooliganism stop football matches from being a safe and enjoyable event for fans. This kind of chant might seem like light-hearted banter, but it encourages antagonism that goes beyond the spirit of sporting competition. If we wish to eradicate crowd violence from football, then regulating abusive chants would be a good way to start.
The minority of hooligans who commit acts of violence at matches is tiny compared to the numbers of fans who join in with chanting. Chanting is a football tradition; it brings people together as a crowd, uniting the supporters. Even the opposition fans are part of the experience, because you know that they are there for the exact same reasons that you are; to support their club. It shouldn’t be blamed for violence; some people just like to cause trouble whatever the situation.
WHERE SHOULD THE LINE BE DRAWN ON CHANTING AT FOOTBALL GAMES?
Passion; the last great bastion of the football fan
‘Pent up anger and frustration’ is no excuse for deliberately trying to offend an individual or a group of people in such a distasteful way. There is a difference between ‘harmless’ chanting, and blatantly malicious chanting.
To use the examples already given, to sing the "sign on" chant to an entire city would probably not cause too much distress. It is largely harmless. The line is crossed, however, when a chant becomes personal, or about specific people or events. The Munich air disaster is such an example. Rather than being about an entire city, it is about a specific few people who lost their lives. You can only imagine how upsetting it must be for people who knew those players to hear that chant. Another example could be the chant that Adebayor has faced at several away games. This is a personal attack on him and his family, it is likely to cause offence and is, therefore, no longer harmless.
Passion is all the modern football fan has left, the common bond with players has been destroyed by the mammoth wages now afforded to players, in consequence the average working class man now has to work every hour god sends in order to afford the astronomical ticket prices and this pent up anger and frustration requires an outlet. If a football fan is no longer allowed to indulge themselves in ‘harmless’ chanting then how else will they release this. If regulated more staunchly in the ground would this not simply push the trouble onto the streets?
