Alex_1
09 Mar 2005, 11:36 AM
Read this article and was a little bit surprised.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=327186&cc=5901
It appears that the next Costa Rica World Cup Qualifier in Costa Rica will be closed to the public because of unruly fans. Not only that, but they have fined the federation 17k. While that may not seem like a huge amount of money, that probably is to a federation that isn't necessarily making money hand over fist, and who are probably counting on qualifying to this World Cup to boost revenue.
This sets a VERY interesting precedent. And IMO, I think this is LONG LONG LONG overdue. There are some countries that are simply dangerous to play in not just because of the pitch, but because of the fans that throw everything from cups of beer to bottles to batteries to the American's favorite, 'bags of piss'. If the fans of some of these countries want to act like animals, then they should not be able to attend matches. It isn't so much about morality anymore as much as it is about the safety of the players and fans.
But what sayest the fans? I know that there will probably be many Costa Rica fans that are angry and will say that the actions of the few shouldn't warrant the punishment of eveyrone else. I can sympathize with this however when the actions of a few can cause direct harm to others, and is constantly and consistently not condemned enough to stop those fans, then IMO something else has to be done. I can understand some of the silly gamesmanship played by many countries, especially in central American and the Caribbean. But it usually goes too far and turns into cheating and often the possibility for actual harm.
I guess we'll see what else happens in the future.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=327186&cc=5901
It appears that the next Costa Rica World Cup Qualifier in Costa Rica will be closed to the public because of unruly fans. Not only that, but they have fined the federation 17k. While that may not seem like a huge amount of money, that probably is to a federation that isn't necessarily making money hand over fist, and who are probably counting on qualifying to this World Cup to boost revenue.
This sets a VERY interesting precedent. And IMO, I think this is LONG LONG LONG overdue. There are some countries that are simply dangerous to play in not just because of the pitch, but because of the fans that throw everything from cups of beer to bottles to batteries to the American's favorite, 'bags of piss'. If the fans of some of these countries want to act like animals, then they should not be able to attend matches. It isn't so much about morality anymore as much as it is about the safety of the players and fans.
But what sayest the fans? I know that there will probably be many Costa Rica fans that are angry and will say that the actions of the few shouldn't warrant the punishment of eveyrone else. I can sympathize with this however when the actions of a few can cause direct harm to others, and is constantly and consistently not condemned enough to stop those fans, then IMO something else has to be done. I can understand some of the silly gamesmanship played by many countries, especially in central American and the Caribbean. But it usually goes too far and turns into cheating and often the possibility for actual harm.
I guess we'll see what else happens in the future.