Criminalisation of football fans

This may be of interest to some of you. It probably should be of interest to all of you. I've just got back from a Football Supporters' Federation event about the criminalisation of football fans. I posed the question about the behaviour stewards in the lower leagues. I wanted to ask the question after what happened at Torquay.

For those of you who weren't there I'll keep it simple. About six stewards waded in to the Town contingent behind the goal to take away a fan. I believe it happened after Dis took us 2-1 up before half time. A steward was about three rows up and with his back to the pitch. Dis scored and Town fans celebrated. Some possibly more exuberant than others surged forward. The steward with his back to the goal was knocked over. His response was to get to his feet and try to land a few punches. Seconds later five other stewards joined him and took the fan away. First of all, I was a few steps to the right of the fan who was manhandled and taken away. To my knowledge he had done nothing wrong. What was quite telling at half time was how two police officers gave the steward, who tried to land a few punches, a good dressing down.

On that point, how many of you feel as though some stewards at away grounds act beyond what is specified in their job description? The response I got tonight from the FSF panel was that due it costing more to have numerous police officers at matches, stewards who aren't trained properly are drafted in from private security firms (same as door staff) and feel it is their duty to act with force.

Not even bouncers are allowed to land or throw punches their job is to try and keep the fans quite whether that means warning them before throwing them out but that must be worse case scenario.  If a steward was to land one on a fan then the fan can get the steward done for abh or gbh which ever one it is regardless what the copper said.

Quoted from Meza

Not even bouncers are allowed to land or throw punches their job is to try and keep the fans quite whether that means warning them before throwing them out but that must be worse case scenario.  If a steward was to land one on a fan then the fan can get the steward done for abh or gbh which ever one it is regardless what the copper said.

Which is why the Town fan at Torquay was allowed back to watch the game and the steward received a rollicking from the police.

Quoted from WappingMariner

Which is why the Town fan at Torquay was allowed back to watch the game and the steward received a rollicking from the police.

Thats good to hear bloody over zealous stewards I wonder how our stewards fair to others .  Wasn't their issues at Alfreton last season with over zealous stewards

Everyone down to Torquay next year to dish out retribution on their stewards then !

Egg him lol then throw fishmeal at him

Quoted from WappingMariner

Which is why the Town fan at Torquay was allowed back to watch the game and the steward received a rollicking from the police.

not everyone ejected at torquay was allowed back in , there was absolutetly no reason for them to be in among the town fans acting like thugs, they should be the other side of the hoardings if they cannot control themselves

Quoted from codcheeky

not everyone ejected at torquay was allowed back in , there was absolutetly no reason for them to be in among the town fans acting like thugs, they should be the other side of the hoardings if they cannot control themselves

Thats crazy surely there actions might have caused a response from a number of town fans then it makes town look bad when in fact mr spit your dummy out would have been the instigator.   I bet he wouldn't do that if it was stoke fans like what they did in 89-90

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

Everyone down to Torquay next year to dish out retribution on their stewards then !

Torquay are going to get promoted as well?

Another point is that the heavy handed stewarding could, with a different group of Town fans there, have turned into a major incident.