We have to win the pitch battle or risk a return to the dark days of fan fences
SOUTHGATE SPEAKS OUT WITH FOOTBALL TEETERING ON A KNIFE EDGE
GARETH SOUTHGATE sounded more like a politician than a football manager when talking about the game’s darkest days for a generation.
The England boss has done a superb job in reconnecting fans with the national team but the ugly side of hooliganism has been out in force to leave a dreadful stain on the beautiful game. Hooligans have suddenly turned football matches into shameful events as pitch invasions have become part of the norm. Players have been attacked, managers taunted (Crystal Palace’s Patrick Vieira, right) and the issue is in serious danger of spiralling out of control, with one of the only ways of stopping it a potential return to the bad old days of fences.
Southgate
(left) tackled it head-on at Wembley yesterday as he suggested that the issue is actually a deeper lying societal problem.
He said: “It would be wrong to duck the questions on it and that will cause me a disconnect with fans in the same way encouraging the team to take the knee caused a disconnect with some of the fans and a dislike of how I do it. But I’ve got to say what I believe and try to take a stand for what we believe to be right. What we don’t want is to go back to fences. That’s reliant on, of course, the best possible stewarding we can and the best possible policing.
“But there’s a reality that if people want to go beyond that it is very difficult to stop. So it is up to everybody. It is up to all of us how things manifest themselves in our country.
“Football at various times in my lifetime has become the vehicle for that, people who want a fight, want to do whatever, and we don’t want to head back there.
“The last 25 years have been brilliant atmospheres in grounds, the game’s brilliant, the families back in, women back in, feeling more comfortable, great for the game, and still a tremendous atmosphere, so it is not that we needed 40,000 blokes in there to make it a great atmosphere, but we are in a difficult moment as a country.
“I recognise that for many people in our society there are financial difficulties and maybe that is playing a part. We have been in a pandemic with huge restrictions for a long time.
“I am not a sociologist. I don’t know why that is. Alcohol and drugs are a part of that equation but we seem to be accepting certain behaviours that aren’t acceptable and it means that everybody is part of that.
“I don’t want to be the one standing up saying this is what… I’m not wanting to be the Pied Piper with this. “But I know I’m in a position of responsibility so I should speak as I feel and that’s what I think.”
Southgate was a player in the 80s and 90s, lived through the bad times and has enjoyed the good times but now English football does seem to be on a knife edge. The trouble at last year’s Euros final at Wembley was a bad moment for English football, the FA were given a two-match stadium ban – one suspended – and Southgate admits the trouble inside grounds in the past few weeks should leave everyone fearing it could cost them future events.
FA chiefs want to host the 2028 Euros and also be
contenders for the next Nations League while they host the women’s Euros this summer. But Southgate’s message was very clear that unless English football sorts itself out, it could cost them future tournaments.
He added: “We still want to host events.
“We’ve got a women’s Euros here this summer which should be a brilliant experience for everybody and what we lived through last year was an amazing experience for the team.
“So we’re talking about something that could cost us the chance of doing those sorts of things because people will look from the outside.
“It’s an incredible passion for football we have in this country. There’s so many positives. What we don’t want is this element of it that will distract from the good things that are there.”