8 May 22, 2022The Sunday TimesSport Football
to already prohibited action. If there
are insufficient stewards and police to
form a strong barrier, then the contin-
gency measure of an official escort for
the players and managers has to be
the bare minimum.
Longer term, there needs to be a
clear policy of deterrence. If Everton
were docked points and back in the
relegation mire, you can be sure other
would-be invaders would think twice.
The jailing of Biggs did not deter fans
from behaving badly on Thursday so
perhaps hurting the thing they love to
the point of thuggery is the only solu-
tion. Crucially, the punishment needs
to be consistent. Some clubs are fined,
others are not.
Burnley fans will think, right now,
that should they avoid relegation this
afternoon, they will be full of joy not
aggression, but it takes only one
overly expressive fan to spoil every-
thing and spark mayhem. The players
are at their place of work. They have
the basic right to be able to shake their
opponents’ hands and walk, unim-
peded, off the pitch just as fans have to
be able to attend without fear of injury
from flares.
Does this make me a killjoy? I don’t
think so. There are songs and chants
and banners and tears galore and
quite enough vibrancy for pitch inva-
sions and flares to be redundant.they can kill. In February a 14-year-old
was injured by a flare during
Chesterfield’s National League game
against Wrexham. Six months ago, a
seven-year-old Hull City fan was hit in
the face by a flare at Barnsley. Nine
years ago a teenager was killed by a
flare thrown at a Corinthians match in
Brazil. John Hill was killed by a flare
watching Wales in 1993, in Cardiff.
I have had approximately 70 bottles
of water taken from me upon entering
various stadiums and given that it is
illegal to take a flare to a match, let
alone set one off, more stringent
searches need to be undertaken.
We now have the prospect of the
final day of the Premier League season
turning ugly because of a lack of con-
sistency and planning when it comesI
’ve never run on to a football
pitch from the stands in much the
same way as I’ve never camped
outside a private hospital to be
close to a royal who has just given
birth. I’ve never thrown a flare
inside a stadium in much the
same way as I have never taken a
box of fireworks into a cinema.
Football is emotional and all the
better for it but everyone who plays,
officiates, manages and attends has to
be safe. Pitch invasions and taking
flares into a stadium are criminal
offences. If you need evidence that
they need to be illegal then just take a
look at what has happened this week.
Euphoria turned ugly when Shef-
field United’s Billy Sharp needed
stitches after being knocked to the
ground by a headbutt. His assailant,
Robert Biggs, 30, had dodged the
throng of supporters who had also
invaded the City Ground pitch after
Nottingham Forest had won their
Championship semi-final penalty
shoot-out to attack the United cap-
tain. Biggs was jailed for 24 weeks,
which may or may not make Sharp
feel better, but it ought to act as a
reminder that no matter how much
fans love to celebrate they cannot all
be trusted to do it good-naturedly on
the pitch.
I was at Craven Cottage when
Fulham secured their return to the
top flight last month and the ensuing
pitch invasion was brimming with
bonhomie. That it may be a shame to
end such happy incursions is no good
reason not to take recent events moreseriously. Even during a well-man-
nered spill out on to the turf, people
trip and barge and players are jostled.
The images from Goodison Park
after Everton dodged relegation on
Thursday were utterly pathetic.
Instead of celebrating with fellow
fans, some Evertonians felt the need
to goad the Crystal Palace players and
Patrick Vieira, their manager.
There would be no justification for
this even if Palace were the arch-rivals
of the Merseyside club but the fact
they are at worst indifferent about
each other only serves to underline
the sheer stupidity of it all. Vieira
walked across the pitch after the final
whistle and snapped after being ver-
bally abused. The Palace manager
kicked out at a fan, and the FA and
Merseyside police are investigating
the incident.
There is plenty of sympathy for
Vieira, and it was ridiculous that he
was not given an escort to the dressing
room. Had a fan kicked a manager in
retaliation for an insult there would
be far less leeway offered and that is
because the fan had no right to be on
the field of play in the first place.ALYSON
RUDDMay 19 Patrick Vieira kicks out at
abusive fan at Everton
May 19 Port Vale fans punch
Swindon Town players
May 18 Mansfield’s Jordan Bowery
shoved by pitch invader at
Northampton Town
May 17 Nottingham Forest fan
jailed after headbutting Sheffield
United forward Billy Sharp
Feb 6 Leicester City fan jailed
after assaulting three Nottingham
Forest players
Jan 29 Referee’s assistant hit by
object at Crewe v RotherhamVIOLENCE ON THE RISE
Flares lend an exotic European fla-
vour to matches, which is something
supporters should stop to ponder
because English football does not
need to import intensity. We have inti-
mate grounds, loud and witty fans
and do not need to spice up the level
of support. And flares can maim, andHordes of
fans storm
the pitch at
Forest,
Everton,
below, and
Port Vale,
below rightTHEY WOULDN’T DO IT
IF THEIR CLUB
LOST
POINTS