The hooligan rears his ugly head again

[sft42]

surely now it's time for the international community in the form of UEFA and FIFA to act and ban the english team from all future competitions until that countries FA can give assurancies that they will not act in the repellant manner they feel they can get away with everytime their country plays abroad.

It's shameful and disgusting behaviour and I can see how anyone can defend it.

For anyone not aware of the latest repugant actions of the england supporters click here http://www.itv.com/news/1398119.html and not content with wrecking other countries they ran amok at home as well http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/nati
onalnews/tm_objectid=14330942&method=full&siteid=50100&headline=83-held-as-england-fans-riot-name_page.html

[sft42]

Thank you QM for joining in the debate...as DV says it's nice to see you here...but unfortunately the whole original point I was trying to make has been lost by spurious arguements about the Tartan Army and team (they go first cause they're far, far better) and playing performances....I am willing to acknowledge that the english team are better than the Scots, with ten times the population I would expect so.....My point was a simple one.....For how long are the authorities going to let these scumbags terrorise what are largely family holiday destinations and ruin the image of the beautiful game for the rest of the nations in, firstly europe and secondly the UK?

...and Gef it really disappoints me that anyone, let alone you, has thought to use that as an excuse for mindless violence.

[miteyboosh]

sft42 - my answers were influenced by your previous track record and the way you seemed to have gone to town on your answers with obvious relish. As for the other incidents (which get very little media coverage), some have occurred at European and domestic level. Turkey - "Welcome to Hell" the famous intimidation by Galatasaray (sp?) fans; muder of Leeds fans; match officials having to leave the pitch surrounded by riot police at last year's Istanbul derby; Macedonian players pelted by coins and glass bottles. France - serious trouble during and after an international match last year; during World Cup '98, German thugs famously kicked a French policeman into a coma which took him years to recover from. Italy - violence by Roma fans against Leeds and Chelsea fans; racist taunts by Lazio fans and players; during a Serie B match last year, rival fans rioted and a fan was murdered in the stadium. Russian fans in 2002 rioted in the worst street violence seen there in 20 years, leaving one person dead. In certain parts of Europe, black players are greeted with jeers and monkey noises. These examples are all off the top of my head so there are probably many more examples. What this shows is that the problem of hooliganism is Europe-wide. Gef has a valid point, the trouble makers aren't England fans with tickets, they are idiot thugs who would have been on their holidays in the algarve anyway. That is why UEFA aren't regarding those incidents as football hooliganism and why no action will be taken. Outside the stadium after the France match, there was no trouble whatsoever, despite England fans being herded around like cattle by the police. The true football fans are behaving. Drunken louts 300 miles away who happen to be wearing England tops are not. Shoot them with tazers and lock them up.

[miteyboosh]

QM - I'm somewhat confused by your response. Regardless of how long 3 minutes is, we played as well as the best team in Europe, who didn't play badly, which surely tells us we ARE a major force on the European stage. Just because we were pipped at the end doesn't erase the performance of the previous 90 minutes. Bayern were better than Man Utd in the other match you refer to which seems to back up my argument, although Man Utd were better over the course of the whole season. In the Rugby World Cup, Australia were also major players on the world stage. You seem to have backed up my point rather than your own, but if I've got the wrong end of the stick, please let me know. Finally, I agree with kags. I read rogersaurus's post with interest and I hope we can have some more comments regarding it.

[miteyboosh]

AB ed, there appears to be a glich with the site. I posted my answer and it seems I'm logged in as miteyboosh. Please let me make it clear that I don't know this user and don't wish to be associated with his comments. I'm Tj . This has happened before to other users as well as myself when I somehow managed to log in as simonsays. Can you please delete the last two posts I wrote and are attributed to him/her? Many thanks.

[miteyboosh]

Ahhh! It's still doing it! Anyone else having these problems?

[miteyboosh]

come on tj admit it we r the same person u wish u were me tho!!!!!!!!!!

[Gef]

sft - I certainly do not condone mindless violence and drinking by anyone. However, The FA only sold tickets for Euro 2004 to genuine (and identifyable) supporters. Unfortunately, Uefa made tickets available to anyone via the Internet. It must also be pointed out that there has been no trouble at the games so perhaps the idiots causing the trouble have not even attended them but are 'on holiday' on the Algarve etc. What has happened is no different to the typical behaviour of young Brits every summer in Ibiza etc.

[MrIxolite]

Banning England from competitions is a ridiculous idea. Do you really think that will stop the yob culture in this country? The hooligans attach themselves to football like a parasite. They have no interest in the actual game, it is just a vehicle to them, a call to arms almost. If you banned football they would find something else to adopt. The FA have done a very good job ion preventing the hooligans from the portugese teams. There has been virtually no trouble in the stadium vicinities and the isolated pockets of trouble in Albe fueira (sp?) happened 100km from the nearest match! These yobs are not football fans. The Germans and the Dutch were fighting in Porto when their teams were playing yet the media don't concentrate on these, only the English. Our FANS have been impeccably behaved in Portugal but unfortunately will always be tarnished by the yob culture that leeches off them. It is down to our government to control this anti-social behaviour , not the F.A