Euro hooligans have zero interest in sport
OH what joy! The Euros are finally here and we get to spend a whole month listening to football talk, strategy and about all the craic we are missing in France while the rain beats down at home.
I could think of nothing worse than being in France amidst Euro fever - the lager louts, the riots, the decorated campers vans... but, as they say, each to their own.
This, for many would be and is the trip of a lifetime, fans bonding together over their shared support for their national team.
For those who have pumped a considerable amount of energy and resources into their adventure I’m sure the prevalence of fan riots are something they would rather avoid.
The majority of people are simply sports fans who are there for a good time and to enjoy the experience and the sport.
Why do a certain percentage of spectators at football events see fit to behave in this way and to mar events for others who are simply there for a good time?
What is it about soccer that brings out that element of hooliganism? Why do football fans set off abroad to an international sporting event and then spent their time throwing punches and all sorts of furniture around in the streets?
This behaviour is nothing short of an embarrassment for their country and indeed for the national team who they represent in the tournament.
Do they think any of their sporting heros would condone such behaviour or be interested in having fans of that calibre cheer them on?
It is pretty pathetic that the first headlines to come out of Euro 2016 were about fans acting like wild animals.
Is there some extra level of fun attached to getting off their heads in France and fighting with fans of opponent teams? Why do they have to take their loutish behaviour abroad and shame their country.
I think that a lot of these hooligans just use events such as the Euros as a reason to go out, get drunk and raise hell. They have no genuine interest in the competition, the country it is being hosted in.
Regardless of the bad press it amazes me the level of interest that these events garner. I will never understand the appeal or why 30,000 Irish fans have made the pilgrimage.
The sooner normal service resumes the better.