Chants at football matches, where to draw the line?

[ponsaelius]

How many on here haven't joined in with the paedophile chants when we play Middlesbrough away?

 

Slightly different though, using it as a blanket term to describe a load of people is different to singling out one person by name and chanting it at them IMO. For me, chanting directly at somebody that they are a paedophile is too far.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

How many on here haven't joined in with the paedophile chants when we play Middlesbrough away?

 

Slightly different though, using it as a blanket term to describe a load of people is different to singling out one person by name and chanting it at them IMO. For me, chanting directly at somebody that they are a paedophile is too far.

 

Yeah, I would say the town full of paedos etc fits into the 'so far fetched it's not offensive' and 'just to wind up the fans' brackets, which for me is OK.

[Superior Acuña]

Liverpool slums makes me cringe really. The north east has high unemployment etc., often worse than Liverpool. IF there's going to be this kind of regional mocking it seems much more appropriate to be anti-London, not against a fellow working class northern city.

[Ryan_Taylor]

went to villa v blackburn earlier in the season where santa cruz got stretchered off on oxygen and the holte end were chanting "let him die, let him die, let him die" 

 

Sums up Villa fans quite well that

[MW]

Just remembered there was a song involving the word paki, maybe at ht went on for a while

[Guest GeordieBatistuta]

Was at the WBA match this season - they were singing 'Down with the Wolves, You're going down with the Wolves' then one man sat not too far away stood up and started shouting 'Down on your daughter, you're going down on your daughter'. Got a bit of a mixed reaction

[Guest toonlass]

I think mocking the dead is wrong and hate hearing any fans singing about Hillsborough, Munich etc. The Man U fans "without killing anyone, we've won it three times" is sick. I don't chant anything racist. I do sing "the Fulwell end" song, and hadn't really thought about it being homophobic before. There have been away games where people try to start chants that I've heard others go "FFS that's a bit too far" but can't think of specific examples.

[Tooj]

I remember drinking in The Star pre-derby day a couple of years ago.

 

Sky Sports News was on the TV, and they were showing a load of Sunderland fans of Asian origin.

 

This was just after there was a major earthquake in India, where quite a few people died.

 

The majority of the pub started singing "You should have died in an earthquake."

 

I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable/embarrassed to be around fellow Newcastle supporters.

[leffe186]

Another thing with the homophobia chants, there are no 'out' footballers at all. Meaning all chants like that become 'jocular' rather than downright offensive (kinda like calling your mate a puff or something), where as there is no confusion over somebody's race so you know for sure where the intentions lie behind a chant of that type.

 

Not sure I follow you here Sewelly, are you saying that homophobic chants are OK because there are no 'out' footballers? If so, then I utterly disagree. There will be gay footballers, guaranteed, so those chants will reinforce a culture that discourages them from coming out in the first place.

 

Speaking as a Spurs fan, I hate, HATE, the Wenger chants. I have never sung a homophobic song (which rules out a few of the Campbell ones) and the Adebayor ones were just pathetic. That's pedophilia, homophobia and racism off the table. I have an additional problem with those chants though, in that they're just fucking stupid.

 

I was at the Arsenal Villa match where Villa sung that Eduardo song though, and I loved it. Surrounded by self-righteous, smug, indignant poseurs, the timing was perfect. I know that there have been times when I've felt like physically hurting players and refs, and have happily sung "let him die". You can generally tell when someone is seriously hurt.

[ponsaelius]

Another thing with the homophobia chants, there are no 'out' footballers at all. Meaning all chants like that become 'jocular' rather than downright offensive (kinda like calling your mate a puff or something), where as there is no confusion over somebody's race so you know for sure where the intentions lie behind a chant of that type.

 

Not sure I follow you here Sewelly, are you saying that homophobic chants are OK because there are no 'out' footballers? If so, then I utterly disagree. There will be gay footballers, guaranteed, so those chants will reinforce a culture that discourages them from coming out in the first place.

 

Speaking as a Spurs fan, I hate, HATE, the Wenger chants. I have never sung a homophobic song (which rules out a few of the Campbell ones) and the Adebayor ones were just pathetic. That's pedophilia, homophobia and racism off the table. I have an additional problem with those chants though, in that they're just fucking stupid.

 

I was at the Arsenal Villa match where Villa sung that Eduardo song though, and I loved it. Surrounded by self-righteous, smug, indignant poseurs, the timing was perfect. I know that there have been times when I've felt like physically hurting players and refs, and have happily sung "let him die". You can generally tell when someone is seriously hurt.

 

Not entirely, I'm saying that because there are no footballers who are known to actually be gay, it means chants of that nature are said in jest rather than going out to hurt a specific player because of their sexuality. For example, if there was a footballer that everybody knew was so, then there would be a lot of direct abuse towards him because of this. At the moment it's either speculation or just general gay jibes towards players we know are not actually gay (ie Campbell). I actually think if footballers did 'come out', then in the long term the same sort of stigma would develop that has stomped out a lot fo racist abuse.

 

It's actually quite difficult to explain what I mean. Like I would happily call my perfectly heterosexual mate a 'puff' or something in jest, because I know he's not going to take offence to it. I wouldn't on the otherhand walk up to a gay bloke and verbally abuse him in the same way because it would actually be meaningful and subsequently hurtful. The same applies with chants, because as far as we know (or atleast assume) the person we are chanting at is straight, the assumption is that there is no real offence being caused.

[Superior Acuña]

I agree with leffe though. There'll be players we don't who are gay hearing those, and their fear of coming out will be reinforced, therefore perpetuating the whole homophobic culture in football.

[ponsaelius]

Yes I agree too. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just pointing out why I think it is seen as acceptable at the moment.

[Guest Heneage]

I remember drinking in The Star pre-derby day a couple of years ago.

 

Sky Sports News was on the TV, and they were showing a load of Sunderland fans of Asian origin.

 

This was just after there was a major earthquake in India, where quite a few people died.

 

The majority of the pub started singing "You should have died in an earthquake."

 

I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable/embarrassed to be around fellow Newcastle supporters.

I remember working Man United the year we went down and on the train back with away fans on the platform the train began singing 'Who's that lying on the runway?'. It was very awkward and I put it down to being a small section of idiots who'd had too much to drink and were going for shock value.

 

Like I said sometimes it can be funny but it's a thin line between funny and offensive. The Chopra song when we won 2-0 was quite funny as you could see it was winding him up.

[Peppe]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3475310/Charlie-Wyett-meets-Anton-Hysen-who-has-come-out-as-gay.html

[Nobody]

Was it West Ham that had a go at Roeder for his stroke? That was too far IMO.

[Darth Crooks]

Are these paedo chants etc. even that funny if your into that sort of thing? I've loads more respect for witty player chants like the Nigel Spackman one and our Jonas one is mint. Might not be to the tastes of others...but the sum of my matchday experience isn't standing there trading insults with other sets of fans. I get 'bants' like don't get me wrong but half the time its not even funny but just vitriol

[Guest Pie]

The 'town full of pakis' stuff at Coventry was way over the top

[Guest Pie]

How many on here haven't joined in with the paedophile chants when we play Middlesbrough away?

Nappy rippers etc ? Hasnt that died out yet?

 

Always makes me smile when clubs tell the media how good their fans are. At best they are all a representative slice of society and as such someone is going to do something fucking stupid and others will follow. Ask Colin Walsh

[Dr Venkman]

Are these paedo chants etc. even that funny if your into that sort of thing. I've loads more respect for witty player chants like the Nigel Spackman one and our Jonas one is mint. Might not be to the tastes of others...but the sum of my matchday experience isn't standing there trading insults with other sets of fans. I get 'bants' like don't get me wrong but half the time its not even funny but just vitriol

 

if we're gonna go down the funny route 'two andy goram's, there's only two andy gorams' has to be the funniest chant of all time

[David Icke - Son of God]

I've heard a few chants that are racist and I would never join in with, especially the Kenwyne Jones and Adebayor ones. That includes at St James's.

 

I heard a fantastic hybrid of the two last season, which basically involved replace Adebayor's name with Kenwyne Jones. Truth be told the song itself wasn't fantastic, but the bloke who shouted at the charva spackers who had started singing it was.

 

"We're you taught nowt in school? He's from Trinidad, man. They don't fucking have elephants over there you stupid cunts!"

 

[David Icke - Son of God]

Are these paedo chants etc. even that funny if your into that sort of thing? I've loads more respect for witty player chants like the Nigel Spackman one and our Jonas one is mint. Might not be to the tastes of others...but the sum of my matchday experience isn't standing there trading insults with other sets of fans. I get 'bants' like don't get me wrong but half the time its not even funny but just vitriol

 

I do enjoy a bit of craic with the opposition, but I can only cope with so many versus of "your support is fucking shit", "shall we sing a song for you","where'd you park your minibus" etc. The paedophile stuff is purile but it makes a change and can be quite amusing when done properly and not just shouted constantly for 90 minutes.

 

Race and sexuality are beyond the pale IMO. I could probably justify anything else once I'm on the terraces.

[David Icke - Son of God]

Was it West Ham that had a go at Roeder for his stroke? That was too far IMO.

 

If you're going to have a wank in the dugout you've got to a bit of expect abuse.

[buzza]

TBH the prem/championship games I've been to in the UK recently (not many like)have always been decent chants which haven't crossed the line for me. I don't like racist or peedo chants and I am wellup for telling everyone to hide their granny when rooney plays if only for the comic intent.

BUT, go to an England game and you will get to hear the more vindictive stuff, don't know what it is about them but you seem to get the worst of the worst, real scumbags at national games.

[Scoreboard82]

Blackburn v Man City last night, sounded like City fans were singing "Who put the ball in the Munichs net?" Personally hate Man U, but a bit disrespectful that. Regretably i have to admit to joining in with "Who's that lying on the runway" in years gone by. A combination of youth and drink unfortunately.

[Fugazi]

Blackburn v Man City last night, sounded like City fans were singing "Who put the ball in the Munichs net?".

 

They were.