Manchester United fans injured in crush - how could this be allowed to happen?
I watched the scenes at Stade Felix-Bollaert with a sickening feeling of dread in my stomach. They brought back with frightening intensity those images of Hillborough back in 1989. I’m not a Liverpool supporter, but I had family and friends at that game and could only watch in stunned disbelief at what I saw unfolding before my eyes.
Having been caught up in crushes at other stadiums, I remember that feeling of growing panic as the weight of the crowd presses against you.
All these feelings and fears came flooding back as I watched that game last night. I saw scenes I thought I’d never witness again and felt an impotent fury that they were allowed to happen, that once again those charged with overseeing the safety of the fans were negligent, and to see the police making the situation worse with tear gas and batons just made me want to throw up.
We all know about the Taylor report, and about the campaign for justice for the Hillsborough 96, but last night it was as if it had never happened.
Some will try to attribute blame to the fans for turning up without tickets or for buying tickets in other parts of ground and then having to be moved to the away section, but fans will always want to go and support their club. I’ve lost count of the away games I’ve been to where I’ve had to buy a ticket for the home end because the away end was full.
Am I a hooligan? Have I ever started a fight at a ground? No, I’m just a supporter just like 99% of all supporters, who love football and love their team. But because of a mindless few, authorities treat us all as potential animals.
There was no clearer indication of that than last night. Manchester United fans were herded into a caged enclosure, fans who had tickets from other sides of the ground were moved there “to be safe”. Then when there was a crush and a door opened to help allieviate the pressure, the police moved in and made a bad situation worse.
There has been a call for standing sections to be made available in some parts of every football ground, because we (the fans) are sensible and responsible.
That may be true, or it may be that there will be rogue elements who will abuse this facility, but what last night’s incident bought home to me more sharply than anything else, was that the biggest danger to crowd safety is not from the fans, but from those who are charged with looking after them.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Uncategorized
5 opinions for Manchester United fans injured in crush - how could this be allowed to happen?
Rob
Feb 21, 2007 at 1:33 pm
“We (the fans) are sensible and responsible”.
Nonsense. A person is responsible. People are stupid, panicky and reactionary. You talk about crowd problems and inter-supporter violence as if it were a thing of the past. Well, the BBC may have been complicit in the whitewash of the England supporters’ appalling behaviour in Germany during the World Cup, but those who were there know what happened. Things have changed, but not as much as you seem to think.
Sack the Juggler
Feb 21, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Rob - I was there, as were loads of people, and we all had a good time, we were even invited back to Berlin afterwards by the people we met.
Don’t know what games you went to, but we were in Frankfurt, Nuremburg, Kaiserslauten and Berlin.
mayibongwe
Feb 21, 2007 at 2:19 pm
l think lille fans were trying to be too special for nothing,their team was an inferior side of the night ,worse still they did not score a goal.the refree was lenient to that push situation he should have shown a red card automatically.About the goal claimed there was no way it could have been agoal even in the poorest leagues in the world
football news
Feb 22, 2007 at 2:23 pm
I don’t think there is anyone to blame for.I cannot blame fans for this.They showed their pride for their club.They should be well controlled by the police who were not at their best.
I was also surprised by the way the Lille players and coach approached the situation.Fans should understand that their club will be fined and blamed when they misbehave.
Callie
Mar 13, 2007 at 12:50 am
Fans can’t always be to blame for poorly managed stadiums. But, I do agree with Rob, people are stupid and panicky and that causes chaos and injuries.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: