Somebody in the home crowd decided to throw a coin at
defender Rio Ferdinand, despite him doing nothing to entice or anger these fans
– other than doing his job, helping to get his team 3 points and showing how
happy he was. This 2p coin almost cost him his eyesight, causing a flow of
blood just above his eye. He was lucky not to have been injured more seriously
and later laughed it off on the social networking site Twitter. However, still –
it shouldn't have ended like this.
 |
| Rio Ferdinand's injury could have been much more serious |
This incident has raised the issue of protective nets around
the pitch to protect players from missiles like this. This consideration in
itself raises another query. It raises the issue of distrust to supporters, a
lack of respect to the 95% (or more) of fans who got to games and enjoy them
for what they’re meant to be – an enjoyable way to support something close to
your heart, whilst sharing it with friends and family.
"Not for one coin or one stupid person going on the pitch. We should not go backwards; we should remain where we are. We have taken steps forward to make the crouwd responsible and if you ask fans in Manchester or anywhere what they think of the person who threw the coin they would all agree. So I don't think we should change a lot of things for a few people out of hundreds of thousands." - Michael Laudrup, Swansea Manager.
English football prides itself on the connection between the
fans and the club, what happens on and off the pitch. Our games are a joy to
attend and often recognised for what they are – perhaps rthe most exciting
league structure of the beautiful game in the world. Protective netting would
no doubt ruin this relationship. We've (mainly) got past the dark days of
English football and put trust in the fans, and the majority have rewarded us
with splendid behaviour. There’s no need to take a huge backwards step and
instantly ruin this relationship with the supporters – and without them, the
game at a professional level is nothing.
I’m not saying the protection of players isn't important.
But protective nets aren't the answer, if one is even needed to this ‘problem’ –
how often is this even an issue? As shown by the quote of Michael Laudrup earlier in the article, it's the smallest minority which are the problem. These minority should be banned from football stadiums around the country, acting as a deterrent to any fans who are thinking of doing the same. Unfortunately it's been difficult to focus on actual on the pitch matters and the positives of the beautiful game in recent months - let's hope that we can now.
