BHAFC Fans given banning order....................

[bhanutz]

These are good lads,follow the Albion home and away loyally! If you go to away games you would know them.

 

[Seasidesage]

Better than being called rufus, cecil and eugene

Had they had those names they would probably have brought in Michael Mansfield, walked, and received £100,000 each from public funds for their trouble...

 

[Eeyore]

Anyone who knew the group I travelled away with in the 90s would know we were far from hooligans and never looked for trouble, yet there were three occasions where we literally couldn't avoid it; Palace away where we turned the corner in to the middle of a massive fight, Chesterfield where they attacked their own pub and Scunthorpe at home who surrounded us afterwards and started on the smallest and weediest of us.

Despite that, to their credit. PC Beard and the rest knew we were mostly trouble free alkies and left us alone to concentrate on bigger issues. Nothing came of those three incidents and, the irony was, it took Bellotti. and Archer before anyone I knew got banned.

Imagine that for a second - you walk out of a ground or pub straight in to a massive fight that you've had nothing to do with causing. Then, a few days later you get taken to a kangeroo court and given a banning order.

These lads may be no angels, I don't know, wasn't there, couldn't comment. But the system could actually have been said to have got worse over the last 20 years - that is less just.

I do remember the Scunthorpe United incident very well. I chased some of the buggers who had just committed an unprovoked act of ABH on one of our group. One then proceeded to hide behind a bunch of coppers and when I pointed him out they threatened me with arrest !

I suppose I'd get an FBO for that these days.

 

[Arthur]

If it makes me a shithouse as you so eloquently put it to make a rational decision to potentially preserve my own life by running instead of taking on skilled and practised fighters then I am guilty as charged. I am not so scared of being perceived as being weak for making that decision in public so I would personally say that it is you that have the issues rather than me if you would feel the need to be seen as the big man who 'stands his ground'.

Well from what I've seen those "skilled practised fighters" you speak of didn't look that great when people stood up to them. So perhaps if you grew a set then you might have preserved your own life anyway and come away from it with a bit of credit.

The article states that they confronted the Russians and the police. Even if this was after being attacked, any right minded individual would let the authorities deal with the thugs and get out, not start throwing chairs cos someone else started it. That is a child's excuse.

The police you speak of of were English old bill and were more interested in playing Stephen Spielburg than dealing with some bum bag wearing Russians. As for the Gendarmerie they had one answer to anything and that was tear gas.

Finally, if someone smacked me in a pub and I hit them back then I would never be done for assault if I used reasonable force to defend myself. If I was attacked and I then followed my attacker out the pub and hit him with a chair, we would both quite rightly be charged with assault. Your scenario doesn't hold water I'm afraid

But then it would be up to a magistrate to decide what was reasonable force not you. If someone threw a chair at me and I threw it back at them would that be reasonable force?

 

[wellquickwoody]

Disappointing to see some comments from fellow football 'fans' here.

I was in the square in Marseille when it kicked off, and it was literally do or die. A few hundred Russians re-arranged the square, throwing tables, chairs, umbrellas at anyone, punching and kicking anyone on the ground.

We were fortunate to be at the other end of the square, but that still didn't stop the local police firing tear gas at us and swinging batons at england fans running AWAY.

Shame the lads have been stitched up and our police should be ashamed.

First hand factual accounts will not be considered in the kangaroo court that is NSC, be off with you now!

 

[pearl]

Ok...

If you are summoned to court on a civil complaint like these lads, you are not entitled to any legal aid. You are also presented before 3 busy wankers (sometimes known as a magistrate) who have made their decisions before anyone has even set foot in court. The tiniest shred of evidence against you basically garuntees an FBO. If you contest it and lose, you get the ban and have to foot the bill, which runs well into the thousands of pounds. In this instance the lads defended themselves against the Russians (who lets not forget inflicted some pretty major damage that day). They are good blokes who have followed BHA home and away for a long long time. However knowing the implications of fighting the ban in court and losing they had no choice but to accept it - as many have before them. This is not a criminal court where you can defend yourself properly, it is very different. In my personal opinion it is an absolute joke that the police and the courts can even hand out FBO's in these circumstances. Naturally the Arsegus will use the usual buzz words in their article to instigate the obligatory reaction from those out there not aware of how the civil football banning order works.

As I say, people not aware of the facts shouldn't be so quick to judge.

how did the UK police know who they were?

 

[bhanutz]

Is there no way they can appeal?? It seems very unfair..seems like some top lads have been royally stitched up!

 

[bhanutz]

how did the UK police know who they were?

If you go to away games, Sussex police tend to know who you are! Darren Balkham often comes in the pubs for a chat!

 

[Springal]

how did the UK police know who they were?

Darren Balkham was in France filming, no doubt recognised them and got them checked out against the database from all the filming that goes on at UK games! Also a lot of pictures were circulated in the press afterwards asking for them to be named

 

[Arthur]

Yes. I hit back. If I got caught and he didn't that's my tough bleedin' luck. As for the Argus bit don't local rags often put up court sentences?. Though usually it just "so and so of The Drive, Hove, 6 months for kicking a puppy" or something..

Yes they do. The trouble is in this day and age the local rag is no longer tomorrows chip paper. It stays online until google no longer feels the need to index those pages. Given that they haven't actually been convicted of a criminal offence seems double unfair to me.

 

[The Guvnor]

Had they had those names they would probably have brought in Michael Mansfield, walked, and received £100,000 each from public funds for their trouble...

Injunctions included

 

[Harold]

Horrific day. These lads were jumped while sat down. The whole group involved follow Albion everywhere. Some chose to defend themselves when faced with the same situation again. One threw a drink over what he thought was a journo. Turned out to be undercover British copper. Rotten trip for all involved, and it caused 4 of our group to return home abandoning trips to Lille and St etienne.

 

[The Kid Frankie]

how did the UK police know who they were?

If you've ever been to an away game not resembling a speccy fat virgin then chances are you are on Darren Balkham's list of potential risk supporters.

 

[bhanutz]

If you've ever been to an away game not resembling a speccy fat virgin then chances are you are on Darren Balkham's list of potential risk supporters.

Never judge a book by its cover!!!

 

[pearl]

If you've ever been to an away game not resembling a speccy fat virgin then chances are you are on Darren Balkham's list of potential risk supporters.

I'm sure Darren isn't!

 

[Swillis]

Some of you lot really make me sick. We all saw the footage of the Russians indiscriminately attacking English fans, they were like a pack of animals. None of us know the circumstances of what happened to these blokes, provided they never started the trouble then I would be firmly on their side.
How do we know they had a chance to run, if I was in that situation and I could run I would. BUT not if it meant leaving behind one of my mates or any England fan who was in trouble(providing they never instigated it).
Sometimes the best form of defence is attack.

 

[Black Rod]

One threw a drink over what he thought was a journo. Turned out to be undercover British copper.

I do like the way that you've made this sound like it was justified if it was a journalist, but it just unfortunately turned out to be a police man

 

[el punal]

Typical clueless responses on here.

Can't even be arsed to delve into the facts of the case (which have strangely eluded local press), but anyone who fancies sharing the 'muppet' 'idiots' etc etc comments make yourselves known and I am sure I can help you share these comments in person instead of the safety of your computer.

If, as you seem to be implying, there were extenuating circumstances regarding the named five people, why did they not oppose the banning order? More to the point why don't you elaborate on proceedings if you feel the need for justification for the accused?

 

[BBassic]

If you've ever been to an away game not resembling a speccy fat virgin then chances are you are on Darren Balkham's list of potential risk supporters.

Is 'speccy' still an insult? Kids used to call me that when I was in school. Twenty odd years ago.

 

[Harold]

I do like the way that you've made this sound like it was justified if it was a journalist, but it just unfortunately turned out to be a police man

Not justified, but we all got a bit fed up with the media hovering like flies while people were being indiscriminately assaulted. Some seriously. One of the group took extreme umbrage and tossed a beer over a camera. Silly, but the whole day was crazy.