Turkish football fans don't agree with the rules....

Well let's list them...

Footy. Can look amazing when played well but is over-run by knobheads and people that think it's OK to habitually shout in the street.

Rugger. Impenetrable rules. Kick it one minute, run with it the next, then boot it off the pitch, then throw it back on again. Too many people on the pitch.

Golf. Boring to watch. OK to do a round or two but not as a spectator.
Basketball. Drop the basket a couple of feet and then normal people could play it. Far too many baskets per game to be interesting.

Cricket. Oh my goodness...cricket. Where can you start with how crap cricket is? If a sport takes DAYS to complete and has to stop for "tea" IT'S GOING ON TOO LONG!!

Tennis. 'salright I 'spose. A bit power based these days. Too many aces.

 

Nope. Although it's "in" the family in other ways. My brother is as "chelsea" as they come. Although we both supported Liverpool back when we were kids (probably because they won everything then) so I dunno where that came from.

 

ahem...

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/athens-derby-called-off-after-riots-20120319-1veqq.html

addendum: don't worry tout.....when we go to see lazio/roma, lazio fans are slightly less violent than this. lol. we'll be safe as long as we don't wear giallo and rosso.

i understand it's not fair (and has been pointed out to me by tout on several occasions) but this is the prism that i view "ultras" through. and it's because of actual experience at greek, italian and english stadia. i've seen and experienced the violence first-hand. i don't make the "ultra" versus "hooligan" distinction.

 

Yes, I feel almost the same way. I think you really have to be brought up supporting a club. It's an irrational thing and hence a a difficult decision to become a "passionate fan" in later life.
As far as I know, there are no clubs in the UK like, say, Atletico Bilbao. Although youth products mostly come from the surrounding area, how many of them become mainstays in the senior squad? Maybe in lower league clubs quite a lot. But in the Premiership, hardly any. It must be very hard to maintain, or even define, any sort of "culture" for a club in such circumstances.

 

The one thing that gets me about the footy is that when I'm stood in the pub and watching a game over a pint with mate (yes they'll now revoke me American passport n ow) I see everyone going beserk when a goal is made or missed or the pressure is on...

Yet it's hard to even get enough people to show up on a regular basis for training one night a week and a few 5 a side games. They're more interested in just talking it up at the pub than actually playing. The fellas giving it the most down at the pub are nowhere to be found come practice time. Crazy.

 

ROTFLMAO!!!

 

Yeah agreed here. Seems to be a real disconnect.

 

its not really that crazy is it, how many fans of hockey, american football and baseball fans never play the actual game, throw boxing and mma in there as well. granted setting up a casual football game is considerably less of a physical effort than all those other sports but still like everything some people just enjoy watching more than doing.

 

Yes it totally does apply to a good many sports. I'm not immune to it... I enjoy watching Olympic high diving... but you won't catch me diving off the 10m platform. But it seems with a good many footy fans - it's inversely proportional... the further they are from a state of fitness for even being able to play a pick up game.... the louder and more vociferous their support for their team in the pub. Again... not limited to footy... American football can be equally as bad in this respect.

 

A few bellies on display here
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcE05xRV6B0&feature=related"]Cardiff v Chelsea - 2010 - YouTube[/ame]

 

I reckon the coppers there could take a note out of the Gendarmerie book and employ several snatch squads. Several spotters and several plain clothes snatch squads and just start breaking them down. Throw in several horse brigade rushes and most of those yobs will sod off right quick. Followed up with heavy handed prosecution that leads to suspension of dole benefits and being blacklisted from being able to apply for public housing estates (or a three strikes and your out of public housing) with a dash of compulsory public road cleaning work and it's sort that problem out right there.

 

more from italy...

http://www.football-italia.net/17080/juve-lazio-fined-fans

 

Ah lovely lovely footy fans.
I remember being stuck on a train back from Blackpool one time. When Blackburn were playing (or somesuch team). The fans literally made the journey hellish.
Turned the whole carriage into a very unpleasant place to be.
I don't think I've set foot on a train since to be honest. Certainly not on a Saturday when they all seem to come out of their holes.

 

what i don't get about the racist-chant fans.....like lazio fans.....their team has black people on it. it's like, are you stupid or something?

 

Yes. (Is the short answer.)

Some footbal fans will chant or shout just about anything to try to put opposing players off. For them, it doesn't have to 'make sense', they see anything as fair game.

For me, there a lot of chants which weren't exactly 'politically correct' but which were bloody funny. But I always drew the line at anything racist. One black mate of mine stopped going to the footie for a few years back in the 80's because the atmosphere was so poisonous. Whereas I just used to go through ninety minutes fighting the urge to smash my fist into the face of the nearest seig-heiling moron.

 

that's exactly right johnno. in their twisted minds, they think it's ok to make monkey sounds to throw the other guy off, even if their own team has black people on it. stupid.

 

It stopped being common in England once most teams had several black players. I don't think you hear it at all these days, as far as I'm aware. (I don't go to the football any more.)

Still happens a lot in the more backward parts of Europe though.