If the last few weeks told us anything, it’s that fans are STILL treated with contempt
AHEARTBREAKING tale of one mother’s quest to expose the monstrous injustice of Hillsborough, ITV’s Anne was painful to watch at times. Played by the outstanding Maxine Peake, campaigner Anne Williams not only fought for justice for the 97 supporters who died as a result of the tragedy yet were besmirched by a smear campaign which painted them as drunken, rampaging hooligans.
The late mother of teenage victim Kevin Williams also shone a light on how politicians and police chiefs running the country tend to view football supporters at large. Beneath the soundbites and platitudes lies something close to contempt for the people who regard the national game as a way of life.
Following the worst sporting disaster in British history, the introduction of all-seated grounds means the horror of Hillsborough should never be repeated. Yet for all the talk of learning painful lessons and taking necessary steps, there is one thing which hasn’t changed. From the highest reaches of society down, football supporters are still treated with scorn.
While they will never admit it, politicians continue to perceive fans of the national game in much the same way as dogs see lamp posts.
The Scottish Government will argue that a three-week ban on large outdoor gatherings was needed to limit social interaction and protect the NHS. The flaw in the argument was the failure to limit social interaction in shopping centres, high streets or public transport as well. Or to provide conclusive proof that football or rugby were contributors to soaring cases of Covid in the first place.
Despite the imposition of restrictions on outdoor gatherings from Boxing Day onwards, case numbers continued to rise. On December 31, data in Scotland showed 219.3 cases per 100,000, while England showed 222.8.
The two nations took a very different approach to tackling the numbers. Yet Scotland’s cases had risen to 260.4 per 100,000 by January 9. On the same date, England showed a lower figure of 251.2 despite teams south of the border having continued to play their matches in front of capacity crowds. Restricting the numbers allowed to attend games in Scotland to 500 was a pointless exercise in box-ticking. A figure plucked out of thin air, there was no data nor evidence to support the view that going to a match added to the plight of an overworked health service or to the number of casualties. As with the hated Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, it felt as if football was once again being blamed for a far wider problem in society. The main impact of the restriction was felt by the cashstrapped football clubs, who lost £1.5million to £2m a week in lost matchday revenue. And, while football will heave a sigh of relief at Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to allow fans to return in large numbers from Monday, yesterday’s announcement came with an obligatory ‘ah, but…’. Supporters will still be denied entry to games unless they can show proof of a booster jab or a negative lateral flow test. The game will still be used as a battering ram to drive up levels of vaccination and fans will still be expected to provide a level of certification never sought from people heading indoors to shop at Braehead, The Gyle or Union Square at 3pm on a Saturday.
From now on, clubs will be asked to check the vaccine status or lateral flow test results of half of the fans in any ground holding more than 1,000 fans.
Celtic host Hibs in the first game after the winter break on Monday, with the crowd likely to be well in excess of 50,000.
Checking 25,000 fans will mean more stewards, more paperwork, more cost and more grief.
Had Sturgeon (left) ever spent two hours in a hi-viz vest dealing with queuing fans, while earning £9 an hour for her troubles, she would see the sheer impracticality of the rules she is imposing.
Forced to make the best of a hopeless situation, clubs will make all the right noises and cover themselves by issuing public appeals to fans to take a lateral flow test before every game.
Anger at the imposition of the 50-per-cent
spot-check threshold was outweighed last night by sheer relief at the news that fans are coming back.
The question of why they were ever locked out in the first place can wait for another day.
Government advisors such as Professor Jason Leitch have always claimed that the games themselves are not the problem. Concerns have always revolved more around the way people travel to grounds by supporters’ buses, trains and underground.
Recently, however, a Premiership club did a survey of supporters and discovered that virtually no one used public transport to travel to games.
Private-car use was king, with the majority of fans taking journeys of less than 30 minutes to the stadium.
Many were more concerned by the risk to their mental health of not going to games than they were by the threat of catching Covid en route.
In the event, supporters didn’t miss much at all.
While games on Boxing Day were played out in cavernous, empty grounds, a decision by ten Premiership clubs to bring the winter break forward by a week has now been vindicated.
After doom-laden warnings by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf of ‘a worst-case scenario’ around Covid cases as recently as five days ago, the sudden decision to let fans back in is typical of a policy-making process conducted on the hoof.
While lower-league clubs wonder why on earth an arbitrary 500-restriction couldn’t have been lifted in time for this weekend’s fixtures to allow them to benefit first, the top flight returns to action at Parkhead on Monday night to the welcome sound of clicking turnstiles.
In a statement from the SFA and SPFL Joint Response Group last night, Scottish football resolved to find a way to live responsibly with the lingering spectre of coronavirus.
It might be time for the people running the show in the Scottish Parliament to do the same.