It shouldn’t be scary to watch a game

WHEN I was growing up in the Seventies my father briefly stopped taking me to matches. After one particularly scary afternoon at Bolton where bottles and darts were thrown, it was decided that we were better off at home on Saturdays. I thought about this after listening to Eric Dier talk about the abuse his friends and family have received at Premier League matches. It has caused them to stop attending. Dier, the Tottenham defender, is a bright bloke who does not say anything for effect. Indeed after speaking on the issue at St George’s Park last week, he specifically asked for it not to be overblown. Still, I asked myself just how bad it could be, given how lawless football watching used to be in this country. But then, two days later, I stood next to an English fan at arrivals in Milan. It was 10am and he had an open can of lager in his hand and a ring of white cocaine residue around one nostril. Later that day I watched TV footage of the English singing ‘Ten German Bombers’ in the centre of the city.

I don’t know if my friend from the plane was among them but it doesn’t matter. Dier was right. English football does have work to do, both on and off the field.