Stopping the Travelling Supporter Problem

[Daedalus12]

One solution would just be having final in only the following stadiums: new Wembely, Bernabéu, San Siro, Allianz Arena, Stade de France, and Estádio da Luz.

Moscow is just a terrible pick for the UEFA showcase game. It's like picking Lambeau field for the superbowl venue.

 

[Hermiod]

I think I get it, but I don't understand how the club is going to keep its non-ticketed fans or fans hoping to score tickets from other sources once in town.

If a person is going to an away game sans ticket looking to cause trouble, will it matter if the team is forced to forfeit? I suspect not.

Isn't there also an element not associated with fandom of the club that uses travelling fans or the club as a cover or excuse to further their violent agenda? I remember reading that years ago, but could be mistaken.

Where do you set the floor? If 5 fans show up ticketless to an away match, does the team forfeit? Is it 1,000? Or only if acts of significant violence occur, however one defines significant?

It seems to me to be the first step in holding athletic contests in a sealed stadium, devoid of fans with fans only being able to participate on TV and in groups of less than 10; and really what's the excitement in that? both for the players and fans.

I don't want to see that. I want to see the real fans who have followed their team, to use exactly the right term - across land and sea, for the entire season get the tickets and the rest stay at home.

 

[SmoothieX]

I think I see what you're getting at. It's kinda like saying it's fine if a bunch of New York fans show up in Boston to go to the game and root for the Yanks, but not so cool when 50,000 drunken hooligans show up just to stir up trouble.

I'm down with that.

At least save the rioting and burning of police cars for the home fans after they win a title!

 

[Hermiod]

To put it in a really simple context.

Say MLB changed the World Series so that it was only one game and it was played at a neutral venue. Say it was between the Yankees and the Red Sox, just for example.

Now, I do not know how ticketing works with Yankees and Red Sox fans but I assume they each have some sort of loyalty scheme so that people who watched them play all season get a chance to watch them in the World Series games.

So, both teams sell out their tickets to loyal fans who have been following them for years and all those 50,000 (or whatever) fans trundle off to Texas or whereever it's being held.

Only 50,000 more Yankees fans turn up as well with wads of cash looking to buy tickets. Suddenly the area of Texas around the stadium is invaded by Yankees fans. Some of them pull stunts to get in like stealing other fan's tickets or buying fake ones. Worse, the ticketless Yankees fans, with nothing better to do, spend the day drinking.

It leads to an unmanageable situation for the local authorities. And yes, the Constitution I believe says they can travel whereever they like.

 

[Roger Wilco]

My point is, I understand what you are saying, but I don't understand what the clubs could do to prevent their supporters from travelling.

btw: the Super Bowl would be a better analogy than baseball.

 

[SmoothieX]

Now, I do not know how ticketing works with Yankees and Red Sox fans but I assume they each have some sort of loyalty scheme so that people who watched them play all season get a chance to watch them in the World Series games.

The way it works for playoffs is that season ticket and mini-plan holders get the first chance to buy tickets. Whatever remaining tickets are left are sold to the general public. But those are played at their regular home stadiums.

I don't know how it works for the Superbowl for season ticket holders of the participating teams.

Worse, the ticketless Yankees fans, with nothing better to do, spend the day drinking.

I went to college in the Bronx. I don't know about the ticketless fans, but I can say with certainty that's how the jobless (and college aged) fans spend the day.

 

[Hermiod]

My point is, I understand what you are saying, but I don't understand what the clubs could do to prevent their supporters from travelling.

btw: the Super Bowl would be a better analogy than baseball.

Yeah, but that's American Football which is for wusses in body armour.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

I don't want to see that. I want to see the real fans who have followed their team, to use exactly the right term - across land and sea, for the entire season get the tickets and the rest stay at home.

and I want a VW bus full of the USC cheerleaders to bring me breakfast in bed each Saturday

My point is, I understand what you are saying, but I don't understand what the clubs could do to prevent their supporters from travelling.

I don't think you can

Yeah, but that's American Football which is for wusses in body armour.

as opposed to wusses who dive when the wind changes direction?

 

[Hermiod]

and I want a VW bus full of the USC cheerleaders to bring me breakfast in bed each Saturday

Good for you.

as opposed to wusses who dive when the wind changes direction?

Hey, Drogba's not my fault.

 

[Deleted 2]

Worse, the ticketless Yankees fans, with nothing better to do, spend the day drinking.

I went to college in the Bronx. I don't know about the ticketless fans, but I can say with certainty that's how the jobless (and college aged) fans spend the day.

There's drinking and drinking. I think American sports fans have displayed that it's perfectly possible to drink, celebrate and support your team without turning into a violent, incontinent idiot. The last bit is what makes European 'fandom' so destructive.

 

[Roger Wilco]

^^
You sound like an 80-year-old woman whining about the kids in the park making too much noise.

 

[Deckerd]

(I don't want to take up the entire Football thread with this one discussion)

Again, last week we saw thousands of Rangers supporters travel to Manchester without tickets for the match. The Mancunian authorities tried to accomodate them by laying on big screens etc for the game, but it's alleged that the failure of one of these screens lead to the disgraceful scenes in the city that happened later that night.

Last season's Champions League final in Athens was similarly marred by the behaviour of the Liverpool supporters outside the stadium. The ticket = visa issue may help reduce this problem this year, but we may still see numerous Chelsea and Manchester United supporters turning up without tickets.

And I suspect Swiss and Austrian authorities will be pleased that England did not qualify for Euro 2008 and thus there will not be thousands of ticketless fans turning up.

How do we stop this ? How do we stop thousands of fans showing up for games they don't have tickets to ?

To be honest, I am in favour of UEFA and FIFA taking strong action against the clubs. If one club turns up with thousands of ticketless fans, they should forfeit the game.

I thought it was the travel agencies who stop undesirables from travelling? There are fans who are barred from travelling, once they have blotted their record. Presumably the Rangers fans who got arrested will not be going to any matches outside Scotland from now on. The Scottish Government is looking at making their ban effective in Scotland too, but I don't think they could apply this retrospectively.

It was a no-brainer that that particular debacle was going to happen, given that the Rangers supporters on breakfast TV were pissed at 8 am. There were huge skips at Waverley and Central Stations where the police were tossing all the drink the fans were trying to take on the trains. However there was no such ban on offsales and pubs selling them drink once they got there.

What made me laugh was the Scottish Government saying they were shocked and surprised that Scottish fans could act in such a way. What planet do they come from then?