Manchester City’s taunting of their Manchester rivals over the Munich air disaster, one of the greatest tragedies in English football history, is an example of perhaps the most vile feature of modern football. As is Rangers’ continual problem with sectarian chants emanating from their supporters during domestic and European games.
Freedom of speech is one thing. But freedom from discrimination is equally important. And whilst there is no law against causing offence, and should not be, the chants about the Munich air crash go beyond a line, where decency gives way to utter depravity and an attempt to ridicule an event which is clearly and understandably a sensitive issue; there is a reason holocaust denial was made illegal; it goes beyond that element of freedom that freedom of speech implies.
There are those chants which cross this line in modern football, which are aimed directly at particular individuals. Sol Campbell is often on the end of some of football’s more pernicious chants.
The uncomfortable problem football has is that it tolerates, by implication, such vile songs from their crowds. Recently a group of prominent footballers, including Frank Lampard and Ledley King, took part in a campaign to rid anti-semitism, one of the more subtle forms of racism, from football grounds.
But their actions will probably fail, and mostly because there is no real will to do so; no real deterrents are issued. Influential individuals will be reeled out, and Sir Alex Ferguson himself has shown what one person can do in a position where thousands look up to him, imploring Manchester United fans to cease their taunting of Arsene Wenger, which has taken a distinctly dark turn in recent years.
But there are only so many Alex Fergusons, and not everyone will listen to him anyway.
Perhaps a look at Israel would help clubs tackle the scourge of racism, or other highly offensive and unacceptable abuse from crowds. Beitar Jerusalem in particular have continually faced problems as a section of hard-right fans chant anti-Arab songs on a regular basis. The club has been docked points, forced to play behind closed doors and had other sanctions thrown at them. And it has worked.
Last year, when the hardcore element began their anti-Arab chanting, the majority of Beitar’s fans drowned them out and turned their backs on the idiotic minority. Would they have done so without the deterrents used by the Israeli Football Association? Possibly not. The zero tolerance policy has paid dividends; under cover officers have been at games and ready to eject fans singing anti-Arab songs, and the points deductions have helped to unite the majority of the club’s supporters against the fringe racist element within them.
The rest of the world needs to follow the lead. Fines and other half hearted measures do not work. The only way to enforce a measure is to demonstrate that you will hit a team where it hurts most – not on the balance sheet, but in points. Governing bodies need to prevent teams participating in European or global competitions if they are continually involved in racist or discriminatory chanting of any kind; a three strikes and you’re out rule over a period of say, three years, would soon force teams like Rangers to either eliminate the chanting or simply not compete in Europe.
And domestic associations penalising teams with points deductions will make a huge difference. The possibility that a sub section of fans chanting about Munich, about black people, Jews or any other group could result in a team being relegated by a point, or miss out on the title by a point, is the deterrent that is required to stamp out the ugliest of chants from our stadiums.
