Should Tottenham fans be banned?
FA chairman Lord Triesman thinks Tottenham fans guilty of shouting racist abuse to Sol Campbell in the Spurs v Pompey game earlier this season should be banned for life from all Tottenham home games.
Triesman:
“I abhor the treatment of Sol by fans of a club I’ve always loved. I hope the individuals will be identified and, if appropriate, banned from Tottenham’s ground.
The supporters responsible have let their club down in a way that is totally unacceptable. I wouldn’t have them in the ground again.”
Should the offending fans be banned (assuming they’re identified)? It’s tempting to say that Sol Campbell deserves abuse and that he’s a wimp if he can’t handle it, but loadsamoney or not, the escapism football offers should not be used as an excuse for antisocial behavior, which racist chants and comments invariably are.
Find them, ban them and let’s get on with it.
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Lets move away from the Spurs issue, If there is clear evidence of any fan shouting racist or Homophobic abuse at any player, they should be banned from all grounds regardless of which team they support.
for a club whose fans are supposedly being racist its strange that these songs are ended “cos we got ledley at the back”. homophobic possibly but racist never.
Steve - agreed 100%
Yes, let’s ban those nasty Spurs fans for shouting nasty things at that nice Mr. Campbell, even if he asked for it.
And then let’s ban Arsenal fans for shouting nasty things at Ashley Cole.
And then let’s ban Chelsea and West Ham fans for shouting nasty things at Tottenham fans about the holocaust.
And then let’s ban Man Utd and Liverpool fans for shouting nasty things at each other about Munich and Hillsborough.
And then let’s ban Newcastle and Sundreland fans for shouting nasty things to Middlesbrough fans about paedophilia.
And then let’s ban Pompey fans for shouting nasty things at Southampton (and even at Harry Redknapp, for a while) and vice versa.
And then, while we’re at it, let’s ban all fans of all clubs for perpetually shouting nasty things at opposition fans, players and coaches (not forgetting the referee and linesmen).
Yes, that’s the way to go. Football with no crowds.
P.S. For the last time, will you people get it into your thick heads that the abuse directed at Campbell was NOT racist? Thank you.
JimB - the perfect answer fella, why stop with Spurs fans. Anyway I call a spade a spade
Why has this suddenly hit the headlines.
I have followed my team up and down the country for the last 30 years and have heard all manner of obnoxious songs aimed at footballers of every shape size and colour. I have also heard these songs aimed at opposing supporters. It amazes me that the FA think songs about Munich, Gassing the Jews, and others songs less heinous than this abuse of one player. Is it because it is Spurs and they are an easy target? Come on FA get real. If you pick on one then you have to target them all.
Our about when fans called Mido a shoe bomber, is this not racist, and hurtful.
Triesman is being ridiculous, and rightly ridiculed. Portsmouth and the pompous Harry are being equally ridiculous and if they are being serious should apply the same standards they demand of Sprs fans to their own and ban them.
As for poor old Arse-Sol, NONE of the abuse is EVER rascist - it is not ‘cos he is black - it is because he is an appalling example of the worst in modern football - a treacherous self-centered and unprincipled money-grabber who deserves all the abuse he gets. He should expect it, put up with it and take it like a man.
Spurs fans are not Racist as far as I know. I live by Nags Head and I’ve been call N****r by Arsenal fans for no reason. If Spurs fans were racist why did they applaud Defoe when he got substituted in the same match. I don’t even think this has been taken this far because of racism but because of the homophobic connection with HIV. If you see a person you cant tell what their sexuality is so why do you so called left wing people always lump a persons sexuality with colour. It’s an insult to those who have to live with racism every day. Why not ban the supporters that abused our boys in Croatia? No, we’ll fine them a poultry amount! If they had been homophobic they’d be bombed by now. The FA by their wish to ban the Spurs fans are in my opinion being institutionally racist and pro homosexual. This in no way condones the abuse Campbell got. He’s a footballer it comes with the territory.
Lets get things straight. The abuse Cambell is getting is no way racist nor is it just for leaving Spurs and going to Arsenal…..It is the manner in which he did it…..He knew where he was going when he refused to sign a contract eighteen months previousely…then he had his so called agent running around europe supposedly looking for a club…….what an insult that was to Spurs supporters…he must think we are as thick as he obviousely is…..they make a good pair…Ian Wright got it right (excuse the pun)when he said that he wouldnt like to carry that sort of baggage for the rest of his life….GET USED TO IT SOL FINGS AINT GONNA CHANGE……HOPE YOU LIVE TO A RIPE OLD AGE
I believe Campbell has brought all this on himself by his own actions, and I think it’s rather pathetic to see someone earning 100k per week doing a job most people would die for complaining about other people’s opinion of him. Whatever happened to ’sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me’.
As fans we have very little influence over what goes on in football. I really liked the story in the press a few years ago of the father and young son who saw Campbell in a shop. The father politely asked Campbell to tell him how he could explain the meaning of honesty and loyalty to his son. Regrettably, not many of us get such opportunities, and for some, shouting abuse is their only outlet.
I will never forgive Campbell for what he did, but my personal way of dealing with it is different. I have not, and will not, go to or watch any game where he is playing, even though i am a life long Spurs season ticket holder.
if there was a section of the away supporters using racist
abusive comments then yes ban them.
But i do not believe for a second that the FA, Portsmouth or
the police will be able to come up with any evidence which
outlines spurs fans were being racist. If anything spurs fans are the recievers of racism but no complaints there all the teams can shout at us “your all a bunch of dirty yids” is this not an even worser example of racism? It is used by a bigger majority of other fans towards a certain faith just because tottenham is based in a jewish community. Why is this still a big topic and does anyone actually know that racism was used and in what fashion only song i have ever heard is “You can stick sol campbell up your a**s” cant wait for pompey at the lane you can gurantee something will come of it. do we really deserve a ban just for some mindless fans or hearsay from the great tabloids that have brought us some really accurate storeys. i feel this is another story started by the forever loved daily mail sports writer hackett!!!
This is all ridiculously blown out of proportion. I was and still am appalled at what Campbell did to Spurs, lying all the way and cashing in on a free when he could have gone the prior year for £10m - £15m. THAT would have been a great way to thank both the club that nurtured him and the fans who supported him all the way. He cited Champs League football at the end, but Liverpool wanted him too and they were in the Champs League. Merson swore he would never join us when we briefly courted him because of his loyalty to Arsenal - I for one respected that. I do not scream abuse at Campbell but passion runs high in fans and we do not forget - Campbell knew that before he signed the paperwork.
It is NOT AT ALL racist, colour is not mentioned and a previous comment rightly points out that Spurs fans totally support players from different races and always have.
Beckham received far more vile and horrible abuse after getting sent off against Argentina but the same “racism” furore was not generated by the bleeding hearts. They couldn’t wave the racist flags because he is white. They ignore that there may have been black fans abusing him - it’s all utter nonsense because colour is not mentioned ANYWHERE in the chants !
Paul Ince still gets the most awful abuse from Hammers fans EVERY SINGLE TIME he goes back there - where are the headlines for that ????
Triesman is an idiot.
Campball is abused because of his behaviour towards Spurs and they way he kept making us believe he would stay. The songs although abusive are not racist and anybody who knows anything about Spurs knows we are not racist, for heavens sake the nickname we gave ourselves is YIDS,which we sing at every game Yid Army etc. Campball crocadile tears all the way to the bank