Jump to content

Saints fan banned

doddisalegend

By doddisalegend,
in The Saints

 Share

Recommended Posts

doddisalegend

doddisalegend

Posted
Posted

A SAINTS fan who used to work in the club's shop has been banned from football matches after shouting homophobic abuse at Brighton fans.

Former Southampton FC retail worker Jonathan Coombs, 28, shouted "does your boyfriend know you’re here" and other foul-mouthed abuse at Brighton and Hove Albion fans, as he watched his team play away at at the American Express Community Stadium.

He was arrested at the ground by police for a public order offence.

 

http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=05D46EB511E54D26BD5A5F40CD590E07&CID=35C7C136A84464302F22CA7CA98565BA&rd=1&h=6GLoZ58h1Ba5F--_2Hr0gYHu8lN6dhyHqKHRWoJ5avY&v=1&r=http%3a%2f%2fwww.dailyecho.co.uk%2fnews%2fdistrict%2fsouthampton%2f15695114.Saints_club_shop_worker_banned_from_football_matches%2f&p=DevEx,5025.1

Link to comment
Share on other sites
twopintsnilnil

twopintsnilnil

Posted
Posted
Oh my god, this is getting ridiculous. I assume a lot of fans will be banned for the chants to Welsh fans re sheep.

Society is being cleansed and while vile homophobia is wrong, isn’t it starting to get a tad silly?

 

Nope. As you said, homophobia is wrong. Driving it out of football is right. I'm not sure of the point you're making about the Welsh and sheep - as witless as it is, it's not homophobia is it. Or are you linking them in a political-correctness-gone-mad Daily Mail kind of way?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Noodles34

Noodles34

Posted
Posted

I don't know what else they may have chanted (I suspect nothing worse, otherwise that would have been quoted), but "does your boyfriend know you're here..." is ridiculous, I mean it's hardly homophobic at the best, in fact it could be a straight forward question?

Personally, if he had any sense he would have taken it to crown court.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dusic

Dusic

Posted
Posted

Can't see the problem with banning someone for something that is wrong and fans were warned not to do before the game.

 

Quite simply, in this day and age, clubs don't want these types of people as supporters.

 

They are trying to attract a different crowd.

 

As an aside - what a pathetic, boring, generic chant anyway - hardly showing any humour or wit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Suomi Saint

Suomi Saint

Posted
Posted

Maybe one day OWTSGMI will be banned on account of religious sensitivities. We have to be careful with the path we are going down in this PC world. Here in Finland, Finns make jokes all the time about Swedish men being gay. The Swedes make jokes about Finns swearing and drinking a lot. It’s called banter. Of course this guy may be genuinely homophobic, but what happens if he is not? Is the whole crowd chanting that the referee is obsessed with masturbation a crime also? No, I am not racist or homophobic before anyone accuses me of that, but I can see self expression and freedom of speech being gradually eroded by the professionally offended.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
angelman

angelman

Posted
Posted
Nope. As you said, homophobia is wrong. Driving it out of football is right. I'm not sure of the point you're making about the Welsh and sheep - as witless as it is, it's not homophobia is it. Or are you linking them in a political-correctness-gone-mad Daily Mail kind of way?

 

Yeah fine, and best to stop it at football. But a chant at a football ground is not a phobia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ericb

ericb

Posted
Posted
Who knew that MLG had such a streak to him :uhoh:

 

There's no way MLG wouldn't have argued with the judge that he was simply stating a fact as there were women and probably gay men there, and then would've lectured the judge on the potential of Saints to qualify for the Champions League in the next five years based on the state of our coffee machines in the Chapel stand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JackanorySFC

JackanorySFC

Posted
Posted

Absolute joke. What is it about football offences that mean giving a warning is totally out of the question? What other offence could he commit that would see him and his family get this much attention (pictures n the local paper, shared all over the internet etc)? It's a stupid song, as said above hardly original either but heard/ hear worse at EVERY home and away game I go to either in the ground or on the way to/ from. Oh, also hear worse at work, in the pub etc. If someone is offended then give the idiot a warning and explain the potential consequences. This fella has got more exposure than most nonces. The priorities in this country are a complete joke!

 

Getting a 3yr banning order and all the hassle that goes with it (messing up holidays etc) is pathetic for someone who is clearly just a little simple. Come on look at him, he's not a threat is he? At least our wonderful football intel' officers can justify their overtime gravy train now they've managed to keep this Cat C hooligan away from potential victims for the next 3 years (2 if he appeals).

 

BTW, again as someone else mentions above. If you get pulled for something like this then for God's sake lawyer up and say NOTHING until you've received decent legal advice! Check out @FSF_faircop on Twitter to truly know your rights as football supporter. They are experts in getting fans like us treated like the general public rather than football scum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SKD

SKD

Posted
Posted
Absolute joke. What is it about football offences that mean giving a warning is totally out of the question? What other offence could he commit that would see him and his family get this much attention (pictures n the local paper, shared all over the internet etc)? It's a stupid song, as said above hardly original either but heard/ hear worse at EVERY home and away game I go to either in the ground or on the way to/ from. Oh, also hear worse at work, in the pub etc. If someone is offended then give the idiot a warning and explain the potential consequences. This fella has got more exposure than most nonces. The priorities in this country are a complete joke!

 

Getting a 3yr banning order and all the hassle that goes with it (messing up holidays etc) is pathetic for someone who is clearly just a little simple. Come on look at him, he's not a threat is he? At least our wonderful football intel' officers can justify their overtime gravy train now they've managed to keep this Cat C hooligan away from potential victims for the next 3 years (2 if he appeals).

 

BTW, again as someone else mentions above. If you get pulled for something like this then for God's sake lawyer up and say NOTHING until you've received decent legal advice! Check out @FSF_faircop on Twitter to truly know your rights as football supporter. They are experts in getting fans like us treated like the general public rather than football scum.

 

Nail on the head for me.

 

I’m struggling to see what is actually abusive or offensive about that particular chant. If the snowflakes can’t handle it, then football is probably not for you. Whilst I don’t find it funny, it’s clearly just ‘banta’. It’d be good to see the whole of the Northam/Itchen North singing it in the return leg as some sort of protest.

 

I expect with a half decent legal representation, he’d have walked away with nothing.

 

Shame on hants police, the Judge and the Echo for printing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sour Mash

Sour Mash

Posted
Posted
Can't see the problem with banning someone for something that is wrong and fans were warned not to do before the game.

 

Quite simply, in this day and age, clubs don't want these types of people as supporters.

 

They are trying to attract a different crowd.

 

As an aside - what a pathetic, boring, generic chant anyway - hardly showing any humour or wit.

What a drip you are Saint Charlie.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ericb

ericb

Posted
Posted
No chance with the current make up of "hate crime" drive from the authorities. No chance whatsoever of someone like him getting a not guilty, its an easy win for them.

 

Personally don't like the chant and do think it's a good thing people are trying to get homophobia out of football but also think the sentence is a joke and way over the top. Seems the lad was badly informed by his representation to be honest and i hope he doesn't end up losing his job as a result.

 

Also don't forget it's world cup season, so the police will be looking to up arrests and bans to justify their money. Before any world cup/euro's the amount of FBO's go up massively.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tajjuk

tajjuk

Posted
Posted

Spot on imo.

 

These sort of things in football are stupid anyway, 'it's only a song', yeh the Nazis started by singing lots of songs it creates a culture where people start making excuses poor behaviour, it's about acceptable behaviour towards other human beings and creating a culture of acceptance.

 

Kids got to those games, they shouldn't be hearing hate speech. Seen similar excuses said about all the hate speech and songs between Rangers and Celtic, yet what happens on the stands often spills out into the streets and people think it's fine to start abusing and shouting at people (and worse) in the street.

 

Just go watch and sing for your team, I have never understood football 'fans' who just go to matches to shout abuse at other fans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LuckyNumber7

LuckyNumber7

Posted
Posted

Absolutely pathetic but sadly not surprising, the world has gone mad. If they banned everyone who sang that chant there would hardly be anyone left so why don't they just be done with it and play all games in an empty stadium, that way no-one can be offended by anything and there will be no atmosphere, just how the authorities want it. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
saintwbu

saintwbu

Posted
Posted

I had the misfortune of being at Swansea v Brighton the other week, and heard a Brighton fan shout ‘sheep ****gers’ at the Swansea fan, which I found quite ironic given their sensitivity when it comes to chanting about sexual preferences. I’m sorry but ‘does your boyfriend know you’re here’ towards the city with the biggest gay population in the UK is no more insulting than ‘you’re so northern you eat off the floor’ or ‘sheep ****gers’. Anything more vulgar, or directed at an individual, then yes fair enough. But not one person in that Brighton can have found a generic chant like that actually offensive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LeBizzier69

LeBizzier69

Posted
Posted
Absolutely pathetic but sadly not surprising, the world has gone mad. If they banned everyone who sang that chant there would hardly be anyone left so why don't they just be done with it and play all games in an empty stadium, that way no-one can be offended by anything and there will be no atmosphere, just how the authorities want it. :rolleyes:

 

If they're going to ban 1, then they've no choice but to review footage from every game where these chants are used and ban anyone involved. A precedent has been set, so they simply can't leave it there. Totally agree, it's getting ridiculous. The chants of the 80s and 90s were really pretty horrific looking back on them. This is just Mickey Mouse rubbish in comparison.

I should add that I don't think they should review games and ban people, but now one has been done for a widely used chant you can't just ignore the thousands of others doing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lord Duckhunter

Lord Duckhunter

Posted
Posted

Wasn't there a warning issued prior to the game?

 

I know Leicester banned fans for the exact same season.

 

Whether it's a ridiculous over reaction or not, you've got to be a bit simple to run the risk of a ban by singing this, especially if you work in the club shop

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
stevegrant

stevegrant

Posted
Posted
Whether it's a ridiculous over reaction or not, you've got to be a bit simple to run the risk of a ban by singing this, especially if you work in the club shop

This, basically, although as stated above, I'm pretty sure that if he'd got proper representation he wouldn't have received a banning order, or at the very worst a reduced-term one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kevin Turvey

Kevin Turvey

Posted
Posted
Wasn't there a warning issued prior to the game?

 

I know Leicester banned fans for the exact same season.

 

Whether it's a ridiculous over reaction or not, you've got to be a bit simple to run the risk of a ban by singing this, especially if you work in the club shop

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Brighton fan here in peace. The Leicester game at the beginning of the season saw some really bad homophobic abuse from a lot of their fans near us, not just "does your boyfriend know you're here" and a gay Leicester fan was annoyed enough to make a big deal of it so it was widely discussed in the press. I think a few fans were hauled out, one banned for the rest of the season and another warned. Last weekend at Old Trafford a Brighton fan was given homophobic abuse by a fan in the disabled section, mentioned it to the stewards who heard it also and they all then applied a bit of common sense because the Brighton fan asked the steward and police to just have strong words with the Man U fan.

 

I can't stand the homophobic abuse as I've got gay mates who have suffered terribly but no way should anyone get a banning order just for chanting homophobic abuse in a single game. I agree with all of you, the punishment is ridiculous. Someone else on our forum has suggested the punishment to attend a meeting with gay people who have been bullied or attacked and why the chants are not okay. I think that's a brilliant idea and far more likely to have a positive impact than a ban.

 

Brighton fans get a bit holier than thou about this, we're the only ones who really get the homophobic abuse although I understand Watford and Man City occasionally get it but we routinely refer to Palace fans as Pikeys, any Welsh side as sheep****gers and a Brighton fan was chanting about Zaha having ebola and Aids against Palace also.

 

The contrast between the punishments at Leicester and with your fans needs explaining. I think I'm right in saying that when we played you for the first time in years at your place in League 1, that there were also fans who received long bans for homophobic abuse. It looks like someone at your club has a much more draconian approach than their counterparts at other clubs. Saying that, I think it's all part of a wider issue of disproportionate punishments that football fans face. We've recently had a fan banned for 3 years for chucking a pint over a rival fan in town. Common sense seems to have gone out the window.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SKD

SKD

Posted
Posted
I'm quite happy to sing "he's got chlamydia" in the interests of promoting equality between the sexes...

 

Do you not think it is a bit out of order / offensive / sexist / nazism (delete where appropriate) that in this day and age you are excluding gender neutral's? You sound like a daily mail reader to me.

 

"It's got chlamydia" from now on please.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Manuel

Manuel

Posted
Posted
Perhaps when we play them at home we should ask them if all their family members know they're there? father, mother, brother, aunty, dog etc.

he he, perhaps we'll see if we can fit this to a tune..."we can see you holding hands, in a platonic way with no assumptions made about sexual orientation whatsoever"

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OttawaSaint

OttawaSaint

Posted
Posted (edited)

These new chants won't really roll off the tongue very well.

 

"The referee may be acting in a manner that might be seen as not impartial towards the opposition through the eyes of the partisan crowd supporting the other team...".

Edited by OttawaSaint
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...