Football’s main problem is hooligans off the field

Illustration by Suneesh K.

The lasting image of the Euro2020 finals is that of Italy’s manager Roberto Mancini in tears immediately after his team’s victory even as his opposite number Gareth Southgate consoled the young Bukayo Saka who had missed the penalty that condemned England to yet another painful defeat. For Mancini, this win went beyond the game of football. His team was carrying the hopes of a proud footballing nation that just five years ago failed to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in 60 years. But more than that, it represented a nation that had suffered more than any other in Europe this past one year following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Southgate's gesture was even more poignant; the embrace as much an emotional moment for him as it was for the young lad who will carry the burden of this failure until a success offers release. England had been excellent all month but on this day they had been beaten, though just about, by a nation whose collective suffering over the last one year, seemed to have steeled the team that refused to give up.

It was a moment to celebrate two fine squads that had both done themselves proud.

Instead, we were greeted with the familiar reports of violence and arson by English fans as they poured their frustrations out on the streets. On a Guardian podcast, one of the commentators called it a "war zone" outside.

How does a game which is so beautiful in every way arouse emotions which are so ugly? The violence on the streets was just one part of it. Equally bad was booing the national anthem of opponents, while also hurling filthy, racist abuse online against players who missed their penalties in the finals.

It isn’t the first time either that boorish English fans have brought the game to disrepute. Sadly officialdom, both in England and in Europe, has tended to turn a blind eye to their violent behaviour wherever they have gone. And that includes their own homes.

A study titled Can the FIFA World Cup Football (Soccer) Tournament Be Associated with an Increase in Domestic Abuse by Stuart Kirby, Brian Francis and Rosalie O’Flaherty revealed that the risk of domestic abuse rose by 26 percent when the English national team won or drew, and by 38 percent increase when the national team lost. Frighteningly, reported domestic abuse incidents increased in frequency with each new tournament.

Within the stadium, too, there were efforts to disturb the game as evidence emerged of a laser light being shone in the eyes of Denmark’s goalkeeper as he prepared to defend a penalty. While FIFA threatened to penalize the English team, it is unlikely to have any impact on the hooliganism of the spectators.

Elsewhere, fans of other sports have had to pay a heavy price for conduct that isn’t even as bad.

Consider poor Pakistan which was banned from hosting an international cricket game for over a decade after terrorists shot at a team bus carrying the Sri Lankan team.

No civilians were involved in the incident nor was any fan seen celebrating. Yet for all these years the national team has suffered having had to play all its home games in the United Arab Emirates whose slow wickets neutralize its key strength, its fast bowling.

Fans of the game in the country, rarely known to have ever behaved badly in stadiums or outside, have been deprived of the pleasure of watching their best players performing under home conditions.

Pakistan also lost its right to co-host the 2011 World Cup because of concerns about the "uncertain security situation" in the country.

In India, too, after the World Cup semi-final in 1996 was disrupted by spectators, the match was called off and awarded to the Sri Lankan team. Since then, the venue, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, has lost its preeminent status as Indian cricket’s favourite ground. In fact, during the 2011 World Cup, it didn’t host a single knockout game, with the quarter finals going to Ahmedabad, the semis to Mohali and the finals to Mumbai.

Spectators across the world and across sports have behaved abominably from time to time. Punishing the vast majority of fair-minded fans for the actions of a few is unfair. But when you have repeated incidents of the kind that we saw in England over the course of the tournament, it is probably fit to declare a ban on more games till such time as there is clear sign of improvement.

Most football fans love the game for the joy it brings to their lives. While it is natural to support the home team, the game transcends those boundaries. The Guardian in a report on the finals quoted Claudia Iacobazzo, a bartender in Rome, who said: “Obviously I want Italy to win, but I like England, so I’d be happy for them too.”

That is the essence of it, to celebrate a great game as much as a victory.