Have you heard Racist/Sexist/Homophobic Abuse a Football Match?

[Parafox]

If you have, how have you dealt with it?

 

It's becoming a bit of a hot topic that I feel has been a long time coming to a head. It's about time it was highlighted at all levels. It is unacceptable, no matter what your sport. 

 

As part of my job I attend a number of sporting events, the majority of which are football. I remember the first time I went Derby County and we were stationed in front of the away corner. When a DC player came to take a corner, I felt spit landing on my back. The howls of abuse were shocking, albeit not racist. 

 

I also cover Northampton Town and the home and away stands are pretty close and quite open. Again the level of abuse between fans can be disgraceful, including, in some games, racist and homophobic chanting. Maybe not directed at an individual but nevertheless, it was offensive. Stewards have turned to the crowd and police have started to make a move into the stand but only once have I seen anyone ejected.

 

I get the passion of supporters and that it becomes a tribal mentality in a stadium situation and I'm no prude, but when it becomes really nasty rather than banter, it needs to addressed.

 

Just saying, I've covered rugby at The Tigers and The Saints and I have never heard any abusive or nasty chants by any supporters. And there's no segregation of fans which, to me, tells you an awful lot.

Edited 20 October 2019 by Parafox

[StanSP]

Xenophobic, yes.

 

Last season a guy behind me called Puel 'you French twat' after a barrage of other tactics-based abuse!

 

Turned around and asked him 'what's his nationality got to do with it?'

 

He had no answer.

 

It's been ages since I've personalyl heard any racial, sexist or homophobic abuse at a game. 

[AKCJ]

I don't think i've ever heard racism.

 

But i've definitely heard a lot of homophobia and sexism.

[Costock_Fox]

Literally at Liverpool the other week.

 

Some absolute neanderthal was calling Salah a P**i twat. My friend challenged him and then he changed it to Muslim twat and kept shouting about bacon which was completely bizarre.

 

At the same game someone behind us kept referring to players as faggots, queers and puffs until the same friend pointed out how offensive it was.

 

Utterly ridiculous that stuff like this still happens. The later I can kind of understand as generic insults but it’s still not right, the former is outrageously thick.

[DennisNedry]

I've never once heard racist chants or comments at a football match personally (I'm 26).

 

There's often mild homophobia - i.e. 'banter' like that directed at Brighton fans. I also hear off the cuff comments like 'fairy' 'nancy' etc directed at players who pull out of challenges etc fairly often.

 

There's not much to be sexist about at a football match, although I remember a few times at the KP a 'get your tits out' song directed at opposition physios.

 

 

[Unabomber]

3 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Xenophobic, yes.

 

Last season a guy behind me called Puel 'you French twat' after a barrage of other tactics-based abuse!

 

Turned around and asked him 'what's his nationality got to do with it?'

 

He had no answer.

 

It's been ages since I've personalyl heard any racial, sexist or homophobic abuse at a game. 

Had this constantly too, really pissed me off.

[Rain King]

Heard racism twice.

 

Away to Gillingham in 2003. One of our own fans was going mad at Impey and started shouting f**k off Chimpy. He soon got sorted out by others. 

 

The other was Bristol City away and it seemed like their whole stand was shouting the town full of... 

Edited 20 October 2019 by pds

[bovril]

Heard quite a lot of all three in non-league where people feel they can get away with it. 

 

Remember hearing a bunch of total knuckle draggers screaming "Fenian" at Neil Lennon during the Clive Clarke game at Forest.

 

Then there's a load of stuff that probably wouldn't qualify as abuse but is still racist, like black players perform worse in the cold, are lazier etc. 

[Manini]

47 minutes ago, pds said:

The other was Bristol City away and it seemed like their whole stand was shouting the town full of... 

Oooo quelle surprise! 

[Durnerz]

I had the amazing experience of being at the Madrid derby in the Atletico ultra's end. The chants of 'Mono' and monkey chants when players such as Marcelo were on the ball were shocking. This coming from women, children, you name it - it was terrible to witness. 

 

 

Leicester-wise I've only ever heard Brighton fans being taunted with the usual homophobic slurs and many chants of 'town full of p...' aimed at us. Interestingly in the 90's/early 2000's there never seemed to be any issues that I witnessed at football but 'Kick It Out' was prominently displayed around the ground as I remember. 

[Samilktray]

1 hour ago, DennisNedry said:

I've never once heard racist chants or comments at a football match personally (I'm 26).

 

There's often mild homophobia - i.e. 'banter' like that directed at Brighton fans. I also hear off the cuff comments like 'fairy' 'nancy' etc directed at players who pull out of challenges etc fairly often.

 

There's not much to be sexist about at a football match, although I remember a few times at the KP a 'get your tits out' song directed at opposition physios.

 

 

“Mild homophobia” is not banter 

[jonthefox]

I heard it a lot in the late 70's early 80's. I wasn't even a teenager then so i was too shit scared to say anything. 

[Paninistickers]

As Jon says, me as a kid in the eighties I heard innumerable incidents. The oo-oo chnats when a.black opposition player was on the ball was entirely normal (despite the fact fans were perfectly happy to cheer on black players for their own team).

 

The last racist comment I heard was in about 2000, when Frank Sinclair scored one of his trademark last.minute.own goals and a bonehead shouted black b****** about him in frustration. I emabrassed to say I was a bit too weak to take the fella to task.

 

 

 

 

[Steve_Walsh5]

I heard a few racist things at Filbert Street Leeds fans singing I’d rather be a P**i than a Turk. Chelsea fans also with the “your just a town full of P***s

 

When we went down to Bristol City in 2010 there fans were pretty bad with the racism in & out of the ground. Leaving the ground some woman who must have been in her 50’s shouted at me “go and eat some poppadoms” I was impressed that she could tell I was Asian tbh.

[everton carr]

Always amazes me fans can sing about Jamie Vardys wife  and nobody says anything

[SystonFox]

45 minutes ago, everton carr said:

Always amazes me fans can sing about Jamie Vardys wife  and nobody says anything

When they do he just scores goals so bring it on

[ScouseFox]

3 hours ago, StanSP said:

Xenophobic, yes.

 

Last season a guy behind me called Puel 'you French twat' after a barrage of other tactics-based abuse!

 

Turned around and asked him 'what's his nationality got to do with it?'

 

He had no answer.

 

It's been ages since I've personalyl heard any racial, sexist or homophobic abuse at a game. 

is this even bad? genuine question. 

 

can think of about a billion examples of similar comments at football matches and in day to day life. obviously doesn’t mean it’s right, maybe i’m just massively ignorant. 

 

pretty sure i’ve been called a scouse twat on this actual forum numerous times. not exactly offensive and miles away from being racist or xenophobic? 

 

don’t want to start some mad politically correct argument just genuinely wondering. even in the workplace people call each other similar things. it’s the twat part that’s offensive surely, not the fact he’s french? 

[RonnieTodger]

6 minutes ago, ScouseFox said:

is this even bad? genuine question. 

 

can think of about a billion examples of similar comments at football matches and in day to day life. obviously doesn’t mean it’s right, maybe i’m just massively ignorant. 

 

pretty sure i’ve been called a scouse twat on this actual forum numerous times. not exactly offensive and miles away from being racist or xenophobic? 

 

don’t want to start some mad politically correct argument just genuinely wondering. even in the workplace people call each other similar things. it’s the twat part that’s offensive surely, not the fact he’s french? 

But it’s using his nationality against him. As Stan said, why does anyone bring it up at all if it’s not relevant? 

 

I agree that there are much worse things to be called, but it’s pretty stupid all the same. 

 

I remember distantly hearing someone calling Moses the N-word when he dived against us a few seasons ago. No idea who it was though. 

 

[ScouseFox]

so is “dirty northern bastards” in every game we play going to warrant mass bans? or “cheer up mark mcghee”? “fat spanish waiter”? “portuguese dyche”? 

 

like i said i dunno, i don’t make the rules and that may well be breaking the rules. but “you french twat” is probably one of the least offensive things i’ve ever heard at the football. 

[Izzy]

And where does being 'Gingerist' fit into all this?

 

Loads on here call Sean Dyche a Ginger Cvnt and that seems to be perfectly acceptable 

 

[BoyJones]

What gets my goat is that only "white" people are considered racist. 

 

I opened the batting for a local Indian team back in the last century. I was the only "white man" in the team and just about the entire league. I got dogs abuse from the each opposition team when I walked out to open the innings. Numerous racist comments, the least offensive being "f'ing gora" Just played the one season, then went back to village cricket. Never bothered me, being old school, brought up on the old mantra "sticks and stones...." 

 

My point is that nobody should be subjected to racism, but unfortunately indigenous males of an advanced age are conveniently overlooked.  

 

 

[StanSP]

25 minutes ago, ScouseFox said:

so is “dirty northern bastards” in every game we play going to warrant mass bans? or “cheer up mark mcghee”? “fat spanish waiter”? “portuguese dyche”? 

 

like i said i dunno, i don’t make the rules and that may well be breaking the rules. but “you french twat” is probably one of the least offensive things i’ve ever heard at the football. 

I've obviously heard plenty of other abusive/offensive stuff at football, mainly just swear words but as @RonnieTodger said, why does nationality have anything to do with it? 

[StanSP]

2 minutes ago, BoyJones said:

What gets my goat is that only "white" people are considered racist. 

 

This is such a myth as well  and not one person has claimed that on this topic or this forum as a whole. Not that I've seen anyway.

 

 

[ScouseFox]

5 minutes ago, StanSP said:

I've obviously heard plenty of other abusive/offensive stuff at football, mainly just swear words but as @RonnieTodger said, why does nationality have anything to do with it? 

well nothing, but it’s not offensive, is it? or is it?

 

like i said i have no idea what the rules are, but it’s just a descriptive word isn’t it? like fat bastard? lanky ****? little dickhead? obviously they are all technically meant offensively but they’re not really, are they. 

 

or is saying someone’s nationality or the area of the country they are from now as offensive or more offensive than their race or religion? like i said i would 100% call finners a stupid welsh pri ck if wales beat england, and he will call me a stupid scouse idiot when i take the piss out of him when we win. but neither of us would start sending tweets to hamza choudhury like those liverpool fans last week. 

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

All the time, sick of it tbh