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Who Flames The Fan & Who Fans The Flame?

Crispin Thomas

Friday, April 6th, 2007

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 dark day throwbacks
scattering fans
who are the guilty
with blood on their hands?
sad sad pictures
that never belong
rioting scenes
we thought were gone
come back to haunt us
again and again
battles on terraces
children and men
out in the open
keep it all hid
oh no we didn’t!
oh yes you did!

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 who is it starts it
who fans the flame
how can we tolerate
this in the game ?

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 misunderstanding
passionate roars
bottles and batons
down on all fours
no-one is blameless
but ask anyone
look at our stadiums
how far we’ve come
times when we differ
times we agree
but hostile surroundings
are unfair to me
over-reaction
fences and flares
intimidation
is everywhere

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 where is the answer
look at our game
who flames the fan
and who fans the flame?

© CT07

Notes

Life on Mars? The Seventies? The Eighties?.No 2007.

This after yet more needless violence and unpleasant scenes in Europe, and almost predictable. I don’t believe for one minute that a minority of all travelling fans are not easily driven to get involved . No-one is 100% squeaky clean here or there . Fan or police. 99% are just going to cheer their team on . Are we saying if we chant it intimidates police? Must we all become sanitized clones in the background .A perfect comic strip painting of a perfect well-behaved crowd. Sitting up straight, with suits and ties on like card-board cut-outs waving little flags, eating popcorn and clapping a goal. Is passion and nay form of animation or expression the threat and instigator? Is it so terrible if away fans stand up? We let away European fans stand up waving their scarves in circles round their heads here.. no problem. Why can’t stewards control things? Why do we and they get drawn into it? .Just like years ago though it’s still “You started It!.” “Oh no we didn’t” Oh yes you did! ”

Riot police charging with batons, fans goading and reacting, seats being thrown,.stabbings, what is going on? Women, children and disabled people? We can’t take a stick of celery or even a plastic bottle of Evian water in here without the top being taken off. .Why can’t EUFA step in and be in total control of securtity at games. At concerts and festivals, the organisers are in charge of their own softly softly security? What right do police have to move in and take over and do as they please?. I seriously fear for friends and staff and players going out to the away leg of Valencia v Chelsea in that beautiful city on on Tuesday! Is it some huge cultural mis-match , a lack of understanding or our awful reputation of hooliganism of old that is to blame here ?

I’d never go to any away European fixture now , much as I’d love to. We cannot blame the situation just in Italy or Spain though, it’s everywhere. To a large extent we have cleaned up our act here, within grounds . Elsewhere it comes across on screens in an incredibly intimidating manner with hostile atmospheres ,flares, racism, bottles and an over-keen police presence at grounds spilling over into fan-reaction…and this still in 2007…WHY ?

At the start of the season, when I saw that the Champions League Final was to be in Athens, I thought brilliant. I love Greece, the islands, the food ,the people. No way would I go now. So come on..Who Flames The Fan & Who Fans The Flame?

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/who-flames-the-fan-who-fans-the-flame/