I have blogged before about how fans are doing the Old Bill’s job by constantly videoing everything that happens on the concourse of stadiums and in pubs around ground. That fans are inadvertently grassing each other up by posting these videos on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc, and that these videos are being used by the police to ban and convict fans.
Even if the police do not push for a conviction for the fans, if the video go’s viral on social media, and they can clearly be identified, those fans involved will soon find themselves hauled in before their manager and warned about their future behaviour, or worse, fired.
The LAD bible Banter Boys who record everything for a few likes or RTs, or in the hope they become famous for 20 seconds and their video go’s viral are basically walking CCTV cameras doing the Old Bill’s job.
I look back at the Chelsea incident in Paris. For me, the fans did little wrong. They refused to let an away supporter on a train, then when accused of being racist (I am still of the opinion it was because he was a PSG they refuse to let him on, not his skin colour) they chanted we are racist, we are racist ironically.
This sort of behaviour, and worse, happens up and down the country, over land and sea, and is usually just harmless fun. No malice intended. In the context of the game day, it is just normal, acceptable behaviour. Rugby fans are just as bad, or perhaps even worse. Everyone remembers the dwarf tossing incident.
90% of the behaviour of fans, mainly travelling fans, go’s unreported. Whether that bit a little bit of handbags, a chant with questionable language, a flare going off on a train. It is not recorded, it is ignored, and we all get on with the day.
But the 10% which is caught on camera always ends up going viral, and, like with the Chelsea fans, can result in bans, convictions and job losses.
Why fans both film other fans, and allow themselves to be filmed is beyond me. Last season at West Ham, I had the Arsenal Fan TV cameraman in front of me (the only one not in it for fame and fortune). He started to record the fans around him and I politely asked him to not film me (and that if he does, his camera will end up on the pitch)(. Fair play to him, he ensured he did not film me or my mates during the game.
Whilst I think fans who record themselves and others at games for a little bit of fame are idiots, and will only end up grassing up other fans with their footage, I did laugh at this weeks incident involving Spurs and West Ham.
Video footage circulated on social media following the game of one person urinating into a plastic cup before handing to another to throw towards the visiting rival fans at Wembley Stadium.
Spurs investigated the incident and, after identifying the individuals concerned, have now issued lifetime bans to both men.
Now whilst this type of incident is disgusting, it is not unusual. Both Liverpool and Everton have been known to use the urine-throwing technique at games previously. Although in Liverpool’s case, it was never their fault.
It is a key reason why Arsenal do not let away fans sit above home fans – to protect those underneath from object thrown, whether that be coins, urine, pies and people spitting.
Normally I would think unlucky lads. That they have been grassed up by someone catching their behaviour on camera and posting it to social media. That they have been grassed by fellow fans.
But in this case, I have zero sympathy.
It seems the two fans involved, who received the bans, videoed the incident themselves, put it up on their own social media, and basically grassed themselves up.
They deserve everything they get for their own stupidity.
I wonder if their life time bans are worth the thousands of hits, likes and RTs they got. I wonder if next time they go for a job interview and the company Google’s their names, seeing what they did, will result in a job offer being pulled. But it was worth it for the 30 seconds of fame hey lads?
The new generation of fans are idiots. It is not about going to games, getting up to whathever you get up to, and talking about it in the boozer with like minded fans. It is about recording everything, for that little bit of fame.
Imagine in 15 years, when these fans have their own kids;
Daddy can we go football
No Son
Why Daddy?
Because Daddy is an idiot who videoed himself peeing into a cup before throwing it at West Ham fans. Daddy is banned from football for life
Daddy, you’re a twat
I know son, I know
These fans are now not only grassing up fellow fans, leading to bans, they are now grassing up themselves.
I bet both Spurs fans, handed the life time bans, feel a little bit silly now. All for a little bit of attention.
Think before you post.
Keenos
So we have lost 5 sides with rubbish journeys and replaced them with a London game, 3 South-Coast games and a new ground.
Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are gone. They are not going to sign a new deal. I think we have to all come to terms with them leaving the club on a free.
