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Football thugs


Helen Williams

She is a hectic 22-year-old who is desperate for a holiday since entering the busy world of online publishing. She is really into funky house and break beats at the moment - so this is the summer of global gathering - she can't wait!

Helen Williams loves international football tournaments - for a few fleeting weeks most of the country is united in their support for a positive event. So why do drunken, offensive dickheads go out to ruin our fun and humiliate our squad?

Anyone who cares about football will have watched England's opening match against France for Euro 2004. Those final minutes must be some of the most gutting in football history. As if I didn't feel bad enough, so-called hardcore fans sure-as-hell made me feel worse by smashing their pint glasses against the big screen and shouting raucous foul-mouthed insults at innocent bystanders. What on earth were they out to achieve? Did it make them feel better? Unfortunately the answer is probably 'yes' and that makes me feel even sicker than if we had scored an own goal in the 90th minute.

The trouble that took place in my town that night is just the tip of the iceberg compared with the shenanigans in Croydon. Four hundred hooligans went on the rampage after the match and 83 arrests were made. In contrast, when England beat Croatia 4-2 you could sense the wave of relief wash over news readers' faces as they reported the peaceful celebrations English fans were having in Portugal. I suspect they think they deserve a flipping medal for their good behaviour. Well actually, the absence of violence that arises when England do well just about sums up the pitiful reality that football yobs represent - bloody bad sportsmanship!

"The trouble that took place in my town that night is just the tip of the iceberg"

If the riots continued even when England were winning then we would be able to separate the thugs from the beautiful game, as Uefa would give their eye teeth to be able to do. But alas, the louts continue to give our nation a reputation for being sore soccer losers and have been doing so for decades.

But what I've been building up to is my most disturbing qualm with footie thugs. I love watching England play and I want them to win for themselves and for the decent supporters who make the squad proud of their country. But when I think of sickening raving yobs celebrating the victory as if it were their own, for a horrible guilty moment, I'd rather we lost.
 

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