davieG Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 A section of Leicester City fans claim they are being victimised by the club for their rowdy and passionate support of their heroes. It follows a last minute decision to withhold so-called 'clappers' – officially known as clap banners – from more than 500 Foxes' supporters ahead of Tuesday evening's Champions League clash with Club Brugge, of Belgium. The club informed ticket holders in Block L of the East End, the closest to the contingent of away fans, of its decision at 6pm – less than two hours before kick-off. It read: "Dear supporter, we are writing to advise that due to the behaviour of a small number of individuals, the distribution of clap banners in Block L at King Power Stadium will regrettably be suspended for the foreseeable future." The message continued: "The football club places the safety of its supporters among its highest priorities and, with that in mind, we have been left with little alternative than to remove the clap banners from Block L." The statement added that the decision was taken "despite a number of efforts to address the issue in recent weeks." Read more: Jeff Schlupp denies 'three other cars' quip after Lamborghini crash on M1 PA image: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276308/binaries/137915227-9.jpg Leicester City and Club Brugge players ahead of kick-off It resulted in a noticeable gap in the visual display organised by the club to greet the two teams as they took to the pitch. Love them or loathe them, the clappers have featured heavily in Leicester City's fairytale rise to Premier League glory and Champions League status – credited with ramping up the noise levels and atmospheric support of the team since their introduction last year. While some fans criticise them for being a gimmick and creating a false atmosphere, an online Mercury poll held last year found that 90 per cent of City fans who responded thought the clappers were a good idea. Supporter Dave Bott took to Twitter to voice his disappointment at Tuesday's development. He said: "Clappers have been "regrettably suspended" in L Block! "I can't believe a small minority have ruined it for the rest of us. Fuming." But Cliff Ginnetta, chairman of Leicester City's official supporters club, believes that the club has scored an own goal by penalising hundreds of loyal fans. He said: "I sit in the L Block section. "It's the noisiest part of the ground and it's fair to say the fans are incredibly passionate. "But we are not hooligans. There are women and children in L Block as well as pensioners. "I'm 66 myself and there are fans in there who are older than me." Mr Ginnetta said that while he has seen incidents of clappers being thrown at visiting supporters, he did not believe there was anything malicious in these actions. He said: "Yes, I've seen people throwing them around, but it's nothing particularly malicious. "They are pieces of cardboard d after all – how much damage are they going to cause? "And it's not only L Block where it happens. "I've seen them come flying over from K Block next to us." Mr Ginnetta added: "I think some people behind the scenes at the club have completely the wrong idea about the fans in L Block. "It's the only section where you get stringent security checks and fencing when you enter the stand. "But once you're in the stand and concourse there's nothing to stop other fans passing you things. "In fact I got passed a clapper on Tuesday. "It just doesn't make any sense at all." Mr Ginnetta is also angry at the timing of the announcement. He said: "It's typical of the club and the way they treat some fans. "They informed us just before kick-off so there was no time to complain. "And they say 'efforts have been made to address the issue' – well I attended the last Fans Consultative Committee meeting, where it wasn't even mentioned. "It's a bit shoddy really and leaves honest fans feeling victimised. "One thing's for sure, the club is going to be bombarded with e-mails from unhappy fans about this." Leicester City declined the opportunity to comment. Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/leicester-city-withhold-clappers-from-a-section-of-foxes-fans/story-29929012-detail/story.html#Yo88WEdSkrQc3lWe.99
jim5000 Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 It's like Theresa May is running the club :-\
Sol thewall Bamba Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Ginetta fighting the real battles on behalf of City fans as normal.
FoxFromCoalville Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 get over it and learn to clap with your hands Sincerely, L Block Resident
Wymsey Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 3 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said: Ginetta fighting the real battles on behalf of City fans as normal. He's alright really. Just doesn't listen to others.
Brick Top Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Lose those hand substitutes. It's dreadful. You don't need those to make some noise, do you?
philce Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Keeps the phone out of my daughter's hands if shes making some noise with the clapper. For that reason alone I want them back!
Sol thewall Bamba Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 1 minute ago, Wymeswold fox said: He's alright really. Just doesn't listens to others. I've never heard of him doing anything meaningful. If he was sat elsewhere he wouldn't have got involved, it's only because he's lost his piece of cardboard that he's stuck his nose in. Lost all respect for him when he said ticket prices at the City were "reasonable" after consulting absolutely nobody but himself.
DB11 Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Well the clappers yesterday were rubbish I threw mine down and didn't use it. It was way too big and didn't make the same sort of noise it was all flimsy
Voll Blau Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Imagine being in L1 and complaining about not having a clapper. All the lads I know in there will be delighted at this.
Freeman's Wharfer Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 If you're in L1 and you're getting angry or annoyed about the removal of clappers then please head elsewhere in the ground where you will get them.
TrentFox Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 The biggest non-story since ......... whatever the last one was.
CosbehFox Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Cliff once again so far off what the actual average fan thinks
Danizen Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Ohhhhhhhh....nooooooooo. That's terrible news......
Guest Lako42 Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 The best part is when he said 'it's the noisiest part of the ground' L1 is shit, they get embarrassed by the away fans in nearly all games.
stripeyfox Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Cliff is an arse. What annoys me is that he is constantly quoted in the press as being the "chairman of the official supporters club" which implies he somehow represents the majority of us, when in actual fact Cliff's club probably has a few hundred members at most.
Riot Van Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Good, now ban them from the rest of the ground.
Munshi Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 10 minutes ago, Lako42 said: The best part is when he said 'it's the noisiest part of the ground' L1 is shit, they get embarrassed by the away fans in nearly all games. Give as good as they get tbh
C-man Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Brilliant. A step in the right direction - well done L1.
GaelicFox Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 No one who matters in L1 gives a shite about clappers
SemperEadem Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Always had Cliff down as a West stand man. Hope they get taken out of SK1 next.
Sol thewall Bamba Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 3 minutes ago, baker11 said: Always had Cliff down as a West stand man. Hope they get taken out of SK1 next. I'll throw one at you on Saturday mate and you can email in and complain.
Corky Posted 23 November 2016 Posted 23 November 2016 Well, Cliff, they could cause cuts to people if thrown around, surely that's obvious? Quite why anyone would want a clapper because you do have hands and this is supposed to be one of the two main singing areas is one thing, but to defend people throwing them isn't great either.
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