Nations Told To Ban “Unruly” Soccer Clubs

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30914, 22 November 1965, Page 17

Nations Told To Ban “Unruly” Soccer Clubs

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyright) ZURICH. The International Football Federation (F.1.F.A.) has called for temporary competition bans on clubs whose spectators badly misconduct themselves.

Sir Stanley Rous, the British president of F.1.F.A., said in a memorandum issued at Zurich that misconduct by spectators, “which frequently amounts to hooliganism,” inevitably brought the game into bad repute.

“In the event of articles being thrown on to the pitch, especially with the Intention of injuring players, referees must abandon the game," the memorandum said.

“Closure of the ground is a drastic step which inevitably penalises thousands of blameless spectators and harms the affairs of the club concerned, but this step has to be resorted to in extreme cases. Banned For Season

“The organising committee of the competition should then debar the club responsible for the misdemeanor from participation in any further matches during the current season, or for a longer period if the offence is deemed unusually severe.”

The memorandum said that until recently football matches had not suffered to any extent from hooliiganism, but “vandalism and other acts of violence by groups of young persons had been on the increase for some years. “HooMganiism of this kind must be eradicated,” it said. 3n future, the F.LF.A. secretariat would record any dis. turbances brought to its notice and would call upon the national association Involved, or the organisers of the competition concerned, to conduct a thorough inquiry. The memorandum urged na-

t'ional associations to take special precautions where a second leg match in a competition was of vital Importance to the host team.

Newspaper Incitement “There have been instances of visiting teams being disturbed by rowdy crowds demonstrating outside their hotels until early in the morning, of host clubs impeding the training of their visitors by not providing practice balls and of local newspapers Inciting unrullness by suggesting that noisy and intensely partisan support wiill be likely to upset the visitors," it said.

The memorandum suggested that at matches at which trouble was anticipated the number of police should be Increased and any spectator who appeared to

be carrying fireworks or missile, should be refused entrance.

The authorities responsible for security should request judges and magistrates to impose stricter sentences on delinquents. The memorandum said there were indications of “stiil further deterioration in the behaviour of players and their attitude to authority.” Contributory reasons were that players were being offered higher incentives to win and that winning had become a matter of prestige In matches between countries.

FOOTNOTE.— At Huddersfield on Saturday where Derby County won their English League, Division Two game, 3-1, spectators were warned, after paper had been thrown on the pitch, that if their behaviour did not improve, the referee would stop the game.