Football and Crimes of Passion

Article by Johnny Murwill

As fans, players and pundits often state: football is a game of passion. While the thrill of watching flowing, attractive and high-tempo football is undoubtedly the reason behind many supporters’ love of the beautiful game, it is passion which grips fans the hardest. From non-league football to the highest echelons of the Premier League, there is something about football which unleashes a deep and powerful range of emotions.

At its best, football unites strangers who would never otherwise mix into a frenzy of joy, or even misery. Yet at its worst, whether it be because of crowd mentality or the tribalistic instincts provoked by doggedly throwing your identity to that of a club, football highlights some of the baser parts of human emotion. While there was little mention in the media, large sections of Spurs fans reported of hearing a number of West Ham fans chant, ‘He’s coming for you, he’s coming for you, we can’t say his name, he’s coming for you’.

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Such chants can be swept away as simply being reactionary ‘banter’ to the growing debate over the word ‘yid’, taken too far by a small minority. But whatever the number, there are clearly a not-insignificant number of people, who attend football matches and believe everything and anything is fair play when it comes to abuse. Chants mocking the mass-murder of millions have nothing to do with football, and yet are prevalent in such tribal atmospheres. While there are sections of society who simply have little, if any, sense of morality, there are surely numbers of people who would not chant such abuse in the cold light of day. Is this the crime of passion that football produces? Why does football induce such a level of ignorance to the meanings and abuse disguised by a crowd mentality or chanting?

This is not intended to single out West Ham fans. While some clubs are notorious for having troublesome fans, across the footballing world there are numerous examples of basic, instinctual hatred coming out at football matches. Spurs fans will remember some of the more hideous chanting directed at Sol Campbell and Adebayor.

Nor does anyone want less passion in the game. Many look across at the Bundesliga with envy at the noise and passion generated by their fans - atmospheres in Germany and Eastern Europe often put the likes of Anfield to shame. But surely, a higher priority than a campaign to end Spurs fans’ use of a complex word, should be to minimise the ignorance and tribal notions prevalent in the chanting of hateful abuse.

Tell us your opinions. What do you think makes large groups of fans join in abusive chanting? Have you ever noticed yourself joining in and later regretted it?

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