Gone are the days when a racist and homophobic football fan could hide behind the anonymity of a crowd - Police are actively seeking sixteen Tottenham fans who turned up at Fratton Park in September to watch their side lose 2-0. The supporters have been singled out for singing a chant at Sol Campbell which implied mental illness, and also carried strong tones of racism, anti-semitism and homophobia (we’re not interested in publishing it, but it is here if you simply must read it). The police are trying to make an example of the offenders by publishing snaps of them. The Sun reports:
A disgusted police officer took photos of 16 yobs involved in the chant at Portsmouth.
Now cops have decided to hunt them down.
They face a fine of up to £1,000 if convicted. A court could also impose an order which would ban them from any ground in Britain for up to ten years.
Superintendent Neil Sherrington, of Hampshire Police, said: “We have identified 16 people we would like to speak to. Our inquiry is aimed at putting before the court those individuals who engaged in unacceptable behaviour.
“I would regard this abuse as intolerable in any forum - the excuse that it was at a football match is not a valid one.”
Should supporters be allowed to give players the kind of abuse that would result in arrest outside of a football stadium? Is it fair to single out sixteen supporters when there were probably an awful lot more abusing Campbell? Let us know…
Note to League One football supporters: Sing an offensive chant about the broadcaster that shows your second round FA Cup game, and karma may just dish out a nasty surprise…
Villains show excellent sense of humour over striker’s antics
Following the news that ‘fatigued’ striker John Carew was spotted at a lap dancing club prior to last week’s UEFA Cup clash with Ajax, Villa fans treated the big Norwegian to a roaring chorus of:
“Get your t*ts out for Carew!”
After coming off the bench to nab an assist and a goal at Wigan, Martin O’Neill should probably make sure he gets a lappy every week.
Tottenham keeper gets the crowd going with a Chas ‘n’ Dave classic
Prior to Tottenham’s 2-1 victory at Slavia Prague last week, Paul Robinson earned his place in the good books of Spurs fans by starting a chant of “Spurs are on their way to Wembley…” When the crowd request an encore, he obliges with a rousing rendition of “Stand up if you hate Arsenal…”
In an age of mega-bucks contracts and low levels of loyalty, how refreshing to see
