ByJessica Elgot, Jessica Elgot
I had a particularly wonderful weekend at the Leeds United Spurs game. Being an ex-season ticket holder at Leeds, in the years before our spectacular fall from grace, it was such a joy to see Leeds hold their own against Man Utd, and then Tottenham. We can finally be proud of the team again.
But I'm not so proud of some of the supporters, most of whom were in fine voice during the match, and drowning out the Tottenham fans. And during the game, for the most part they were well behaved. But before and after the match it was a different story.
I've never been to a Spurs game before. But I've heard of the antisemitic chants that go on there, from articles like Martin Bright's in the JC a few weeks ago, when a Chelsea representative said the chants like "We hate Yids" were not antisemitic because Tottenham call themselves the Yid Army.
Right. And I guess "Spurs are on their way to Belsen" isn't antisemitic either.
There's many people who can be blamed for such chants. Blame poor education, blame the club or blame a minority of extremists. They are all responisble.
But the Leeds fans went nowhere around White Hart Lane without being chaperoned by about twenty police officers per fan. Most were singing these chants in full view of the police. Who did nothing. No warning. No arrests. Nothing. What did the Tottenham door staff do, as the Leeds fans entered through the turnstiles, singing about gas chambers? Nothing. It was easier to keep their heads down and shut up.
There's a tough way of combating this in football. Anyone singing these chants, be they antisemitic, racist or sexist is thrown out, their ticket confiscated, and they are never allowed into the ground again. If they persist, they get arrested. But for the Tottenham door staff and the police, that all just seemed a bit too much to ask.