UEFA to hit the Welsh for National Anthem abuse?

[ATFC Seagull]

FIFA or UEFA rarely act unless England are the perpetrators

I'm sorry, but WHEN exactly have England been seriously punished for crowd disturbances? I might be wrong, but I can't really remember England ever suffering more than an incidental fine which is peanuts to the FA budget. You were threatened with being thrown out of Euro 2000, but no action was ever taken.

There are plenty of teams in Europe (Georgia springs to mind immediately) who have had all sorts of severe penalties for crowd disturbances such as playing behind closed doors, but nothing near close to this nature has been put upon England.

And I'm pretty sure England have never been punished at all for whistling national anthems, and I'm also pretty sure that it was England fans that started it on a large scale.

 

[Safeway]

Re: Re: UEFA to hit the Welsh for National Anthem abuse?

The English National Anthem? We don't have one

Yes we do. 'Land of Hope and Glory'.

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

Let them boo if they want, what good will it do their team?

Seems stupid to me that they're booing their OWN national anthem though

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Let them boo if they want, what good will it do their team?

Seems stupid to me that they're booing their OWN national anthem though

I think thats where you're all spectacularly missing the point. God Save the Queen is viewed in Wales as an English anthem, not theirs, yet it is constantly thrown upon them as their national anthem by England fans who, lets face it, have a "we own your country" mentality.

For example I know several England supporters who live with me in wales, who, during Six Nations games, stand up and sing "Long to reign over YOU" during the anthem.

Any booing on Saturday was a reaction to an anthem that is particularly sensitive in the country, and which many have serious grievances about. Whereas with England fans it just tends to be "you're foreign, lets boo your anthem."

 

[Tooting Gull]

I must admit, of all the things I can get excercised about in football - and that's a lot - booing of national anthems isn't one of them.

I wouldn't do it myself, and it's a bit juvenile - but hardly the crime of the century, and on one level just a bit of banter. It just makes me - and hopefully the team - want to beat them all the more.

That's more general - on the specifics of this case, it's going to be a long time before I as an England fan start lecturing other countries on fan behaviour unless it's completely outrageous. Which this isn't.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

the depressing thing about the national anthem is(well in my opinion) that the lyrics mean nothing inspiring or patriotic.

god save the queen? why? she sits down and gets payed.

now land of hope and glory, theres a chooooone!

 

[Jam The Man]

I'm sorry, but WHEN exactly have England been seriously punished for crowd disturbances? I might be wrong, but I can't really remember England ever suffering more than an incidental fine which is peanuts to the FA budget. You were threatened with being thrown out of Euro 2000, but no action was ever taken.

There are plenty of teams in Europe (Georgia springs to mind immediately) who have had all sorts of severe penalties for crowd disturbances such as playing behind closed doors, but nothing near close to this nature has been put upon England.

And I'm pretty sure England have never been punished at all for whistling national anthems, and I'm also pretty sure that it was England fans that started it on a large scale.

I'm not talking specifically about booing... moreso any violence/alleged riots etc..

In Euro 2000 when some English 'fans' ran riot around Belgium, UEFA threatened to throw England out of the tournament... the next day, Turkish 'fans' caused more damage to one town than the total damage caused by the other countries put together, and UEFA said FA!

 

[Jam The Man]

Re: Re: Re: UEFA to hit the Welsh for National Anthem abuse?

Yes we do. 'Land of Hope and Glory'.

I pray I live to see the day!

 

[Uncle Buck]

I'm not talking specifically about booing... moreso any violence/alleged riots etc..

In Euro 2000 when some English 'fans' ran riot around Belgium, UEFA threatened to throw England out of the tournament... the next day, Turkish 'fans' caused more damage to one town than the total damage caused by the other countries put together, and UEFA said FA!

In actual fact the Mayor of Brussels said the Turkish incident was a party that got out of hand, but he also said not enough England fans were deported. There is a chance of a friendly in Brussels coming up, should be fun....

Amused me yesterday that during the Welsh anthem, about 500 blow up sheep were being chucked about in the England corner.

Have to thank the hard Welsh fans that took it upon themselves to spit on the England fans in colours trying to get to the station, really sums them up.

 

[Shizuoka Dolphin]

Smashing up a stadium IS a problem. Singing sectarian songs, racist chanting and hooliganism IS a problem. Booing the other team's national anthem in a home international is COMPLETELY HARLESS.

What a horrendously sanitised world some people wish football to be...

 

[ATFC Seagull]

I'm not talking specifically about booing... moreso any violence/alleged riots etc..

In Euro 2000 when some English 'fans' ran riot around Belgium, UEFA threatened to throw England out of the tournament... the next day, Turkish 'fans' caused more damage to one town than the total damage caused by the other countries put together, and UEFA said FA!

Well thats my point, they gave you a warning, you didn't misbehave again, and thus true to their word, they took no action and you weren't kicked out by UEFA, Phil Neville and Nigel Martyn did the job instead. Its hardly a witch-hunt against you.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Well thats my point, they gave you a warning, you didn't misbehave again, and thus true to their word, they took no action and you weren't kicked out by UEFA, Phil Neville and Nigel Martyn did the job instead. Its hardly a witch-hunt against you.

There was a lot of trouble in Brussels and UEFA were correct to threaten England like they did. However there were some other factors going on. A large Turkish population in Brussels that fancied testing themselves against the English and Anglo / Turkish relations were poor as the Leeds incident had occured a few months before. Also the Belgium police were out for some Hysel payback and went down a confrontational stance, rather than the softer approach taken by the Dutch. There were no problems in Eindhoven for the Portugal game, but in Belgium it was like a battle zone.

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

Still can't quite get to grips with the idea that they hate us so much yet their teams are happy to compete in the English league.

You obviously haven't quite got to grips with the idea that the Premier League and the Football League aren't exclusively English leagues. Perhaps if you studied the history of the game in this country you might be able to grasp the concept.

The likes of Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham (and also Newport County, Merthyr Town and Aberdare Athletic) have never played in the Football League as guests. They compete in the Football League as members.

 

[The British National Party]

You obviously haven't quite got to grips with the idea that the Premier League and the Football League aren't exclusively English leagues. Perhaps if you studied the history of the game in this country you might be able to grasp the concept.

The likes of Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham (and also Newport County, Merthyr Town and Aberdare Athletic) have never played in the Football League as guests. They compete in the Football League as members.

But wasn't you invited at the beginning as guests?

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

But wasn't you invited at the beginning as guests?

No, not at all. In Cardiff City's case the club was elected to the Football League - voted into the Second Division by the existing members of the League at the time. The date was May 30th, 1920, and the voting went as follows:

Leeds United - 31 votes
Cardiff City - 23 votes
Grimsby Town - 20 votes
Lincoln City - 7 votes
Walsall - 3 votes

Meanwhile, Swansea Town, Merthyr Town, Newport County and Brighton & Hove Albion were founder members of the new Third Division in the same year (1920), while Aberdare Athletic took their place in the newly-formed Third Division (South) the following season (1921/22), and Wrexham were founder members of the new Third Division (North) at the same time.

 

[rool]

But surely you'd be so much happier as a nation playing amongst your own as opposed to having to show so much hatred week in week out to the english whether in your own errr principality or, for the other 23 games, across the bridge.

Just a thought, you mind find it more fulfilling and find that you are less constipated.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I've stopped being annoyed about the chippiness of large swathes of the Welsh and the Scots a long time ago. There's nothing you can do about it.

Years ago it did seem a bit bizarre and one-way that while I wanted Welsh and Scottish teams to do well, they all wanted English teams to lose.

Nowadays I think most English football fans (and rugby) want to beat tham every bit as much, just because they're sick of the above over such a long period of time. Brought it on themselves.

 

[rool]

I've stopped being annoyed about the chippiness of large swathes of the Welsh and the Scots a long time ago. There's nothing you can do about it.

Years ago it did seem a bit bizarre and one-way that while I wanted Welsh and Scottish teams to do well, they all wanted English teams to lose.

Nowadays I think most English football fans (and rugby) want to beat tham every bit as much, just because they're sick of the above over such a long period of time. Brought it on themselves.

I'm inclined to agree BUT I found myself enjoying watching Scotland lead and outplay Italy for the first half last night and I have nothing against Italy.

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

But surely you'd be so much happier as a nation playing amongst your own as opposed to having to show so much hatred week in week out to the english whether in your own errr principality or, for the other 23 games, across the bridge.

We do play amongst our own every single week. Cardiff City are a Football League club, and we play against other Football League clubs. No problem there.

You honestly think the 'hatred' element (which is actually tiny in reality) would be lessened if the Welsh teams played against other Welsh teams every week? You've obviously never been to a Cardiff v Swansea match!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

My perspective on this (which is based on having been born in England and having lived in Wales - some time ago, though) is that the Welsh booing/whistling of GSTQ at England matches isn't an expression of "hatred of the English" or even antagonism towards an English football team.

It is a straightforward distaste for the anthem itself and what it stands for when played at these international matches - the arrogance of the English.

Does it not occur to the English that for England to appropriate GSTQ as an "English" anthem is deeply offensive to the other parts of the United Kingdom, who are made to feel like foreigners in their own country?