Atmosphere versus Security: The Stadium Debate
When the Prime Minister of England starts complaining about high ticket prices, you know there's a problem. Recently, Tony Blair suggested that Premiership clubs are alienating their own fan base with rising entrance fees. Football has always been the "working class sport", but that moniker may be at risk. The average cost of the cheapest tickets for a Premiership game is 33 Pounds or about 60 Dollars US. Ever since the Taylor Report was passed, which forced all clubs to change to all-seater stadiums, ticket prices have been on the rise. When terracing (cheaper areas of the stadium with no seats, just graded concrete) and fencing around the pitch were removed and seats were introduced many fans complained that it killed the atmosphere. Here in lies the debate: Terracing versus seating, fencing versus no fencing and whether or not those two factors should change ticket prices.
Many fans in England are in favor of bringing terracing back into Premiership grounds. Their principal argument is that the seats kill the atmosphere that can only be created by standing together as one, piled on top of one another, singing 'til your lungs burst. When the stadium police or PA announcer tells you to remain seated, it really kills the mood. However, the stadium disasters at Heysel and Hillsborough (where, total, 135 people were killed) are still very fresh in everyone's collective memory. Terracing was dominated by firms and crews of hooligans that made it their job to take other pieces of terracing as if it were a piece of strategic land on a battlefield. Not exactly the best family atmosphere. With the re-introduction of terracing, ticket prices would be lowered and would subsequently attract the type of fan that large clubs, perhaps, are looking to keep out. The re-emergence of large scale British hooliganism would be a disastrous thing for world football.
When the English use the excuse that terracing has killed the atmosphere in Premiership stadiums, they should only blame themselves. At all-seater stadiums in Germany and Spain the atmosphere is absolutely fantastic. At a recent Bavarian derby between Bayern Munich and Nurnberg, one of the loudest, most spectacular crowds I have ever seen was rocking the place off its foundation. Crowds at the Sanchez Pizjuan in Sevilla (not Betis) consistently produce one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the world. The excuse that seats kill the atmosphere is a sorry reason to bring back terracing.
Perhaps the biggest safety concern with terracing is the overselling of tickets. No matter how regulated the stadium may be, scalpers and fans are going to find new and creative ways to pack themselves into the ground. Compare it to the war on drugs where smugglers are always going to find their way into the country, no matter how impressive the security. The Hillsborough disaster was a direct result of an oversold stadium and a steel fence around the pitch. There was a terrible incident in the recent Manchester United-Lille match in France when forged tickets were used to pass through the gates. There was a large crush and teargas was used by French police. Fortunately no one was hurt, but all the signs pointed to another disaster in the making. The other factor that made the recent Man Utd. incident all the more worrying was the large barriers around the pitch leaving the supporters with no escape.
It is a fact that if you treat people like caged animals, they will act like caged animals. The only good thing about fencing around the pitch is that it, in theory, keeps people from throwing objects at players, coaches, and referees. The recent events in Seville, with Sevilla coach Juande Ramos being knocked unconscious after a full bottle was thrown by a Betis supporter, would be a good case for fencing. However, fencing does not stop everything. In the Milan derby a few years back, Dida was struck with a flare thrown from the upper levels of the San Siro, from behind a fence. So what good does it do in the end? The answer is nothing. It simply gives people an excuse to act like animals because they are treated as such. If there is any major crowd disturbance, the chances are far greater that a crush against the fencing will occur. Many stadium disasters in South America happen because fencing collapses and people are killed. "Fans" who throw objects at players and invade the pitch should be taken care of before entering the stadiums rather than dealt with after the fact.
With terracing and fencing, the two main culprits for stadium disasters, out of the picture in England (for now), do clubs still have the right to charge 100, maybe even 200 Pounds for a ticket in their all-seater, barrier-less stadium? The answer is yes, unless people take a stand. As long as people are willing to pay outrageous prices and fill 60,000 seats at the Emirates, the clubs will continue to charge it. With high profile figures such as Tony Blair finally speaking out against such outrageous prices, perhaps the clubs will listen. But ultimately it is the fan who is responsible for speaking out. The fans must say no, band together and demand reasonable ticket prices. With Premiership clubs signing outrageously lucrative television deals (in the area of 700 million Dollars), it seems crazy that clubs haven't already lowered entrance fees. But the bottom line is that football is a business and will be conducted as such until the fans rebel.
Tony Blair has made his voice heard, and maybe someday, if Roman Abramovich looks out and sees a half-empty Stamford Bridge, he will realize the power of the common fan and charge a reasonable amount for a ticket. The common fan who is responsible for creating atmosphere. The common fan who is able to police himself. The common fan who is the backbone of every club around the world.
Published giovedì 1 marzo 2007 14.09
by
ElDane