Liverpool fans are Europe's "worst"? It's just a cheap shot from a cowardly UEFA
UEFA have somehow decided that Liverpool fans are the worst in Europe, as they "steal tickets from their fellow supporters."
So how have German fans (who almost killed a French gendarme) and Italian fans (whi killed a Sicilian policeman during rioting) not been included?!?!
Cheap shot from a cowardly crew
5th June 2007
Daily Mail
Hand me a felt pen. If UEFA want to tag Liverpool fans as the worst in Europe then it is only right they should be rewarded for this lazy insult with a cheap label of their own. And here it is: "The biggest cowards in football."
See how easy it is to throw insults around? Stung by criticism of the ticketing arrangements and chaotic crowd control at the Champions League Final in Athens, Michel Platini's administration has proved to be astonishingly unstatesmanlike with its response.
Blame game: UEFA has accused Liverpool fans has being the worst in Europe because they "steal tickets from fellow supporters and children".....although they somehow omitted German thugs who killed a French gendarme, Italian thugs who killed a Sicilian policeman and Spanish and Eastern European racists
Rather than examine the problems like a sensible governing body should, UEFA (European football's governing body) decided to stamp their feet, squeal "it's so unfair!" and trot out deliberately sensationalist claptrap to try to divert attention elsewhere.
The communications director of European football, Frenchman William Gaillard, actually said this about the followers of Liverpool: "What other set of fans steal tickets from their fellow supporters or out of the hands of children?"
Dunno William. But a few, I'd guess. Even if a couple of kids did have their tickets robbed on the night, let's compare this sensationalist, unsubstantiated and, frankly, silly accusation with some of the crimes that have been perpetrated by the followers of a few other teams across Europe recently.
I'm thinking specifically about the murder of a policeman at an Italian stadium when a homemade bomb blew up in his face.
Then there was the French gendarme almost killed by German thugs. The routine and quite blatant racism at some Spanish and Eastern European grounds, a blight that UEFA have feebly failed to tackle.
The tendency of the Roman riot squad to beat visiting supporters senseless for no obvious reason.
The attack on a referee in Denmark this week. I could go on.
When judged against that pile of paperwork sitting in UEFA's file marked "Trouble", I'd say snatching a ticket from some nipper might rank as a relatively minor offence. But Gaillard appears peculiarly keen to hype up any English problem.
He adds: "There have been 25 incidents involving Liverpool fans away from home since 2003 and these are in the report. Most teams' supporters do not cause any trouble at all."
This is an interesting claim.
William has obviously never tried to slip away from a Lazio game while trying to avoid the inconvenience of a sharp blade in the buttock.
Nor can he have danced through the streets of Marseilles as residents added a splash of local colour by throwing bottles.
But what about those 25 incidents said by UEFA to involve Liverpool over the past four years? We await the details.
English football will have the chance to verify the substance of these charges when the "undercover report" is handed to Sports Minister Richard Caborn today.
If many prove to be as minor as his ticket- snatching accusation then Gaillard had better look out. His job is in jeopardy, or at least it should be.
Particularly as he made this rather contradictory pronouncement before the Champions League Final: "The two groups of supporters have a tradition of good behaviour and at this point we are expecting that to continue."
A tradition of good behaviour or the worst in Europe? He just can't make his mind up. Perhaps William is just overwrought and in need of a lie down in a darkened room. For 20 years or so.
Let me make one thing clear. Nobody in their right mind doubts Liverpool fans were partly to blame for the disturbances in Athens.
Too many turned up without tickets, some tried to bribe, fake, cheat and steal their way into the ground, even if it meant that a fellow supporter would lose their own legitimate place.
Sadly, like all big clubs, Liverpool has its fair share of scumbags. It also has more than its reasonable quota of people who believe it is their divine right to see the game by whatever means possible.
This is not a new phenomenon. As the crowds hustled towards the old Wembley 18 years ago, I watched one ticketless Liverpool fan vault over the barrier and make a run for it.
Three more were busy scrambling up the outside wall, attempting to break in through the stairwell above.
I vividly remember these scenes even now for one particular reason.
It happened at the FA Cup Final on Saturday, May 20, 1989. Thirty five days after Hillsborough.
With the emotional wounds of that day still horribly raw for so many people, it seemed inconceivable to me that a few would be so selfish when Merseyside was gathering to offer its respects.
I was amazed at their stupidity, their insensitivity. But it would have been ridiculous and lazy to talk about "Liverpool fans shaming the club".
It was one knot of irresponsible idiots, cretins who were completely unrepresentative of the mood of the city.
Yet, spin forward nearly two decades and UEFA believe they are justified in using the same kind of warped logic to damn an entire club. Why? Because they must know they are at least as culpable for the problems and want to shift the blame.
UEFA's distribution of the tickets was woefully inadequate, creating an unprecedented demand. The stadium itself was ill-equipped to handle such a high-profile event - it had no turnstiles for starters.
The policing and security was said by most observers to be haphazard at best, panicked and belligerent at worst.
In this kind of environment, no wonder chaos reigned; no wonder fans with tickets found they were excluded; no wonder some cheats tried to exploit this lack of order.
Milan didn't even sell their ticket allocation. Just imagine the scenario if two English clubs had made the final and Manchester United had played Liverpool instead?
Cheap as they were, the effects of Gaillard's remarks are potentially catastrophic. With one sloppy, stupid statement he has increased the temperature right across Europe.
Supporters from Liverpool or any other English club travelling abroad can now expect to be met by an even greater level of hostility, to be herded and detained like cattle, baton-charged, penned in and locked in their coaches or trains.
Good or bad, it doesn't matter. Liverpool fans are "the worst". English fans are the "worst". So they 'deserve' what they get.
Sometimes it's true. But not always and UEFA are spineless if they hide behind insults instead of dealing with the real issues.
dailymail.co.uk
UEFA have somehow decided that Liverpool fans are the worst in Europe, as they "steal tickets from their fellow supporters."
So how have German fans (who almost killed a French gendarme) and Italian fans (whi killed a Sicilian policeman during rioting) not been included?!?!
Cheap shot from a cowardly crew
5th June 2007
Daily Mail
Hand me a felt pen. If UEFA want to tag Liverpool fans as the worst in Europe then it is only right they should be rewarded for this lazy insult with a cheap label of their own. And here it is: "The biggest cowards in football."
See how easy it is to throw insults around? Stung by criticism of the ticketing arrangements and chaotic crowd control at the Champions League Final in Athens, Michel Platini's administration has proved to be astonishingly unstatesmanlike with its response.
Blame game: UEFA has accused Liverpool fans has being the worst in Europe because they "steal tickets from fellow supporters and children".....although they somehow omitted German thugs who killed a French gendarme, Italian thugs who killed a Sicilian policeman and Spanish and Eastern European racists
Rather than examine the problems like a sensible governing body should, UEFA (European football's governing body) decided to stamp their feet, squeal "it's so unfair!" and trot out deliberately sensationalist claptrap to try to divert attention elsewhere.
The communications director of European football, Frenchman William Gaillard, actually said this about the followers of Liverpool: "What other set of fans steal tickets from their fellow supporters or out of the hands of children?"
Dunno William. But a few, I'd guess. Even if a couple of kids did have their tickets robbed on the night, let's compare this sensationalist, unsubstantiated and, frankly, silly accusation with some of the crimes that have been perpetrated by the followers of a few other teams across Europe recently.
I'm thinking specifically about the murder of a policeman at an Italian stadium when a homemade bomb blew up in his face.
Then there was the French gendarme almost killed by German thugs. The routine and quite blatant racism at some Spanish and Eastern European grounds, a blight that UEFA have feebly failed to tackle.
The tendency of the Roman riot squad to beat visiting supporters senseless for no obvious reason.
The attack on a referee in Denmark this week. I could go on.
When judged against that pile of paperwork sitting in UEFA's file marked "Trouble", I'd say snatching a ticket from some nipper might rank as a relatively minor offence. But Gaillard appears peculiarly keen to hype up any English problem.
He adds: "There have been 25 incidents involving Liverpool fans away from home since 2003 and these are in the report. Most teams' supporters do not cause any trouble at all."
This is an interesting claim.
William has obviously never tried to slip away from a Lazio game while trying to avoid the inconvenience of a sharp blade in the buttock.
Nor can he have danced through the streets of Marseilles as residents added a splash of local colour by throwing bottles.
But what about those 25 incidents said by UEFA to involve Liverpool over the past four years? We await the details.
English football will have the chance to verify the substance of these charges when the "undercover report" is handed to Sports Minister Richard Caborn today.
If many prove to be as minor as his ticket- snatching accusation then Gaillard had better look out. His job is in jeopardy, or at least it should be.
Particularly as he made this rather contradictory pronouncement before the Champions League Final: "The two groups of supporters have a tradition of good behaviour and at this point we are expecting that to continue."
A tradition of good behaviour or the worst in Europe? He just can't make his mind up. Perhaps William is just overwrought and in need of a lie down in a darkened room. For 20 years or so.
Let me make one thing clear. Nobody in their right mind doubts Liverpool fans were partly to blame for the disturbances in Athens.
Too many turned up without tickets, some tried to bribe, fake, cheat and steal their way into the ground, even if it meant that a fellow supporter would lose their own legitimate place.
Sadly, like all big clubs, Liverpool has its fair share of scumbags. It also has more than its reasonable quota of people who believe it is their divine right to see the game by whatever means possible.
This is not a new phenomenon. As the crowds hustled towards the old Wembley 18 years ago, I watched one ticketless Liverpool fan vault over the barrier and make a run for it.
Three more were busy scrambling up the outside wall, attempting to break in through the stairwell above.
I vividly remember these scenes even now for one particular reason.
It happened at the FA Cup Final on Saturday, May 20, 1989. Thirty five days after Hillsborough.
With the emotional wounds of that day still horribly raw for so many people, it seemed inconceivable to me that a few would be so selfish when Merseyside was gathering to offer its respects.
I was amazed at their stupidity, their insensitivity. But it would have been ridiculous and lazy to talk about "Liverpool fans shaming the club".
It was one knot of irresponsible idiots, cretins who were completely unrepresentative of the mood of the city.
Yet, spin forward nearly two decades and UEFA believe they are justified in using the same kind of warped logic to damn an entire club. Why? Because they must know they are at least as culpable for the problems and want to shift the blame.
UEFA's distribution of the tickets was woefully inadequate, creating an unprecedented demand. The stadium itself was ill-equipped to handle such a high-profile event - it had no turnstiles for starters.
The policing and security was said by most observers to be haphazard at best, panicked and belligerent at worst.
In this kind of environment, no wonder chaos reigned; no wonder fans with tickets found they were excluded; no wonder some cheats tried to exploit this lack of order.
Milan didn't even sell their ticket allocation. Just imagine the scenario if two English clubs had made the final and Manchester United had played Liverpool instead?
Cheap as they were, the effects of Gaillard's remarks are potentially catastrophic. With one sloppy, stupid statement he has increased the temperature right across Europe.
Supporters from Liverpool or any other English club travelling abroad can now expect to be met by an even greater level of hostility, to be herded and detained like cattle, baton-charged, penned in and locked in their coaches or trains.
Good or bad, it doesn't matter. Liverpool fans are "the worst". English fans are the "worst". So they 'deserve' what they get.
Sometimes it's true. But not always and UEFA are spineless if they hide behind insults instead of dealing with the real issues.
dailymail.co.uk
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