Lifelong Albion fan banned for 2 years for telling palace fan to shut up in 1901

[Pevenseagull]

I was sat a few seats away from Alistair Campbell during the Burnley game when we came back from 2 down in injury time and that foul mouthed f***ing **** should be banned from every ground in the country - but then he was sat with Ivor 'ex-MP friend of the Albion but now making money from working around stuff that's designed to kill people' Caplin- sp people let it pass.

He was one of the most offensive people I have been near in a football ground and he got away with it

f***ing disgrace


****

 

[hola gus]

But maybe they had already done so?

Nope they had not. But interestingly the guy had contacted the club regarding being mis-sold his seat prior to the game......... Now is it just the Cynic in me that believes there is a connection?


Can't really say much more as this is now going down the legal route but those suggesting this is another 'Sid-gate', I can assure you it is nothing of the sort. I love Brighton and hove Albion fc but what I have seen of the treatment of this fan makes me disgusted with them

 

[Pevenseagull]

and the potty mouthed, bully-boy, shit spin machine denies any semblance to Malcolm Tucker

oh the humanity

 

[pigbite]

.....we've gone green for plymouth. so what are we going to do for one of our own fans? Brighton and Hove Albion are refusing to speak to him even though plenty of people willing to say he did nothing apart from telling a palace fan to have some respect, shut up and sit down after over celebrating in 1901 section of the Amex. This is a complete joke and could happen to any of us that are passionate about The Albion.

So spoonie, what would you like us to do about this?

I presume that you would like us to lodge some kind of protest with the club either on an individual basis or as a group but so little is clear that it makes that approach a simple waste of time right now.

So far all I can see is that a BHAFC fan in the 1901 took exception to an CP fan in the same area, there was an incident between the two and now the fan has been banned.

I don't know:

- which BHAFC fan (or more specifically incident) we are talking about. Some posters seem much more informed but there is still plenty of speculation about exactly what incident/individual we are talking about. Is it the one who quietly approach the CP fan after the game, an aggressive fan, one and the same, someone else?
- what the actual behaviour of the CP fan was
- what the incident(s) was
- if the banned fan has any prior
- what reasoning the club gave
- what the banned fan has done to try and communicate with the club and why the club are refusing to communicate
- what the banned fan is doing about it now

There is plenty of comment, some of supposedly informed, but very little that is verified. Also, there is almost no chance of getting any comment from the club on this matter on NSC therefore I am only getting one side of the argument. Quite how we get the club's side of the story save things going either through the media or some civil suit.

Is there anyway that someone with closer links to the club mediate between the individual and the club?

I am not saying I don't believe that an individual is being treated unfairly but before any kind of meaningful support can be provided the facts from both sides need to be known. I also think that a reasonable, low profile approach between the parties concerned is the best bet atm as a NSC protest under the current level of disinformation would be pointless. We could all jump on a reactive bandwagon of indignation and then be made to look pretty silly if the facts are not really as presented. If the facts are as portrayed then the individual can expect alot of justified support, including mine.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Wary of getting caught by a Schizoid Sid scam again, but on a general level, I'd suggest there really should be some kind of formal appeals procedure put in place by the club before they just draconically take away somebody's ST. Even if its only by letter (cos its likely to get heated in a personal hearing) with additional letters by eye-witnesses also taken into consideration. That would seem the fair thing to do.

 

[Mad Jack McMad]

The bloke in question (I'm fairly sure it's him anyway) is a pretty good friend of mine.

I'm not in possession of all the facts as I wasn't there, but what I do know is he feels VERY let down by a club he has been nothing but loyal to. As someone said in a previous post, this bloke has followed the Albion all over the country through thick and thin. In honesty he is probably the biggest Albion fan I know.

What has really hacked him off is the total unwillingness of the club to open a dialogue with him. To my knowledge he has received one letter from Mr Hebbard basically telling him there is not a chance of an appeal and to drop it. Since then all efforts to speak with the club have come to nought. I think he is now looking to speak to his solicitor about going down official legal channels, which would really be a shame and totally unnessacery, all the club need to do is speak to him.

The entire affair is a real pity in my opinion. Far worse things happened on the night that have likely gone un-punished, whereas a true fan has been severly punished for very little.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Haven't read all of this but if he was the one that was SO drunk and SO incandescent with rage that he managed to punch me on the arm when taking a swing at a man in his 50s, all I can say is good riddance. It wasn't great have 4 Palace fans sat next to me but the behaviour of 3 or 4 Albion "fans" was so disgusting that I was glad there was a long break to the next game because I was so disillusioned. I was also glad that I was saddened and disgusted rather than upset and because it was a glancing blow, because if I had lost my temper, I would also have been banned and to paraphrase teenage girls on an night out, they REALLY weren't worth it.

Over 30 years of watching football, visiting places such as the Old Den, Selhurst Park, Ninian Park etc., and the first time I am punched is by a so called fellow "supporter" who can't aim. Whether or not allowing away fans into Corporate areas is right or wrong, nothing can justify the behaviour of these morons. Nothing can justify the 5 year old girl being lead slowly down the stairs in floods of tears. I dread to think what happened to her but judging by the attitude of the adults with her, a similar experience to me, I expect.

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

i'm still confused, If he got banned in 1901, why is he still going on about it?, it would have been spent in time to see us win the Charity Shield

 

[Mad Jack McMad]

Haven't read all of this but if he was the one that was SO drunk and SO incandescent with rage that he managed to punch me on the arm when taking a swing at a man in his 50s, all I can say is good riddance. It wasn't great have 4 Palace fans sat next to me but the behaviour of 3 or 4 Albion "fans" was so disgusting that I was glad there was a long break to the next game because I was so disillusioned. I was also glad that I was saddened and disgusted rather than upset and because it was a glancing blow, because if I had lost my temper, I would also have been banned and to paraphrase teenage girls on an night out, they REALLY weren't worth it.

Over 30 years of watching football, visiting places such as the Old Den, Selhurst Park, Ninian Park etc., and the first time I am punched is by a so called fellow "supporter" who can't aim. Whether or not allowing away fans into Corporate areas is right or wrong, nothing can justify the behaviour of these morons. Nothing can justify the 5 year old girl being lead slowly down the stairs in floods of tears. I dread to think what happened to her but judging by the attitude of the adults with her, a similar experience to me, I expect.

Absolutely nil chance it was the bloke I'm talking about.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Wary of getting caught by a Schizoid Sid scam again, but on a general level, I'd suggest there really should be some kind of formal appeals procedure put in place by the club before they just draconically take away somebody's ST. Even if its only by letter (cos its likely to get heated in a personal hearing) with additional letters by eye-witnesses also taken into consideration. That would seem the fair thing to do.

This. There could be more to it, but generally in this sort of situation I'd be concerned if:

a) there was no proper appeals procedure
b) no account of other eye-witnesses was taken
c) the club had just acted on the say-so of a complaining Palace fan
d) the club had taken the easy option, rather than getting in to the more complicated issues of away/Palace fans in the 1901, or whether the stewards should have acted themselves
e) the punishment did not reflect the crime

If I had been sat by some over-celebrating Palace fan that night in a home area (and the 1901 is a home area, corporate or not), I'd have said something.

Personally, I think a ban for whoever let them in/let them use the tickets would be far more appropriate.

 

[Gazwag]

The bloke in question (I'm fairly sure it's him anyway) is a pretty good friend of mine.

I'm not in possession of all the facts as I wasn't there, but what I do know is he feels VERY let down by a club he has been nothing but loyal to. As someone said in a previous post, this bloke has followed the Albion all over the country through thick and thin. In honesty he is probably the biggest Albion fan I know.

What has really hacked him off is the total unwillingness of the club to open a dialogue with him. To my knowledge he has received one letter from Mr Hebbard basically telling him there is not a chance of an appeal and to drop it. Since then all efforts to speak with the club have come to nought. I think he is now looking to speak to his solicitor about going down official legal channels, which would really be a shame and totally unnessacery, all the club need to do is speak to him.

The entire affair is a real pity in my opinion. Far worse things happened on the night that have likely gone un-punished, whereas a true fan has been severly punished for very little.

Haven't read all of this but if he was the one that was SO drunk and SO incandescent with rage that he managed to punch me on the arm when taking a swing at a man in his 50s, all I can say is good riddance. It wasn't great have 4 Palace fans sat next to me but the behaviour of 3 or 4 Albion "fans" was so disgusting that I was glad there was a long break to the next game because I was so disillusioned. I was also glad that I was saddened and disgusted rather than upset and because it was a glancing blow, because if I had lost my temper, I would also have been banned and to paraphrase teenage girls on an night out, they REALLY weren't worth it.

Over 30 years of watching football, visiting places such as the Old Den, Selhurst Park, Ninian Park etc., and the first time I am punched is by a so called fellow "supporter" who can't aim. Whether or not allowing away fans into Corporate areas is right or wrong, nothing can justify the behaviour of these morons. Nothing can justify the 5 year old girl being lead slowly down the stairs in floods of tears. I dread to think what happened to her but judging by the attitude of the adults with her, a similar experience to me, I expect.

Clearly there are two sides to this story, as these two posts go to show, but both or neither could be talking about the same person/incident, like 90% of what is posted on NSC posts should be read with a massive pinch of salt and maybe those friends of the person in question should help him out with a collection towards his legal fees but NSC as a whole should distance itself until there is credible proof, which can only come from one person, Bozza.

 

[Arthur]

Letting away fans in with the home fans is just asking for trouble whether that be in with the peasants, the 1901 or any of the boxes (eh Parkers!).

The club have to take the lion share of responsibility for that. People seem to think the 1901 and boxes are just Johnny Corporates which isn't the case at all. The remainder of the responsibility has to lie with the people who have given their tickets to visiting fans.

 

[les dynam]

I think what's most concerning is the increasing stories around people being banned, for seemingly doing things we have all done at certain times... standing up, shouting something abusive (be honest, have you ever shouted something abusive at a player/manager/fan/steward etc at the football, the answer is yes!), being a bit drunk.

To ban somebody from their own club, from supporting their own team, is a HUGE deal. That the club (Richard Hebbard i presume) seems to think it's perfectly acceptable to simply hand out bans without at least warning people first is horrifying.

 

[piersa]

Oh come on people, this is obviously bull!

exactly. People believe this tripe. Madness

 

[Beach Hut]

It is very difficult to know what is the truth as we were advised the £250K of damage was done to the away end at one point which was rubbish as well

 

[Bozza]

To ban somebody from their own club, from supporting their own team, is a HUGE deal. That the club (Richard Hebbard i presume) seems to think it's perfectly acceptable to simply hand out bans without at least warning people first is horrifying.

I disagree strongly. There will be plenty of things that should warrant an immediate ban. There will also be things which don't, where a warning will be issued and hopefully that will be that - lessons will be learned.

Most instances are probably relatively clear cut as to the action required. The difficulty comes, I guess, where those two things meet - similarly to a referee on the field of play and "is it a yellow or red card offence" situations.

One thing is for certain - the club absolutely do not want to ban people from watching the Albion for no good reason at all.

 

[hola gus]

exactly. People believe this tripe. Madness

Er don't think so mate. What do you want a copy of my eye witness account? A copy of the letter sent from the club banning the fan?

Not sure what the 'Sid gate' was all about but I can assure you this has happened.

 

[Mad Jack McMad]

exactly. People believe this tripe. Madness

Bozza himself has confirmed this is not a windup. What we know for certain is a male from the 1901 section has been given a 2 year club ban, this much isn't up for debate it's the truth.

Everything else you will have to take as you wish. I've heard a rough outline of the story (while pissed), which has been described above (approached a Palace fan and told them to shut up and show some respect). I believe him, but I don't expect (nor really care) people on here to believe me. He knows what went on, the club knows what went on. Deliberating on here isn't going to make a difference either way. All I can say is I hope the club see sense for his sake as he will suffer badly not going to games for so long.

 

[looney]

1901 is predominatly corporates entertaining their clients. Every game there will be opposition supporters who are guests in there. Anyone who cant control themslves, bite their tongue and stfu because somebody else is celebrating their teams win deserves to get booted imo.

I agree with this, its a different standard of behaviour thats required. Although getting booted from 1901 should be enough.

 

[Everest]

The bloke in question (I'm fairly sure it's him anyway) is a pretty good friend of mine...

I'm not in possession of all the facts as I wasn't there...

...a true fan has been severly punished for very little.

So you think the incident was "very little", even though you say that you don't have all the facts AND you're not even 100% certain is was the same bloke anyway.

I hope you're not a solicitor.