Weak UEFA

Writing about web page http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/4439545.stm

UEFA had and opportunity to send a real message that behaviour like that of Inter fans will not be tolerated. I personally would have fined them all prize money for this years competition and ban them from European competition next season. Although if I'm honest the punishment was more heavy than I expected them to give.

I have seen some people write about this and condone it in the name of "passion" or say "it's not as bad as heysel" but I think this attitude is extemely naive. Ordinairy decent people don't react to a footballing decision with violence – the AC Milan keeper could have been killed by that flare, so ultimately it is a matter of life and death.
Until those fans learn how to behave they should not be allowed to watch games of this nature. What's more, this is not the first time an incident like this has happened there, how many more chances?

I have seen football hooliganism happen – a mass pitch invasion and people confronting the referee from my team's own fans, and hiding in my car as another teams fans left a trail of destruction. It's not big or clever and is frankly scary. Anybody caught behaving like this should be banned from football for life, and clubs that fail to take suitable measures to control their fans should themselves face the maximum punishment.

: 16 Apr 2005 00:10 |  Comments (1) |  Report a problem