Netting or the lack thereof

Before the derby between the titans of Manchester commenced, Roberto Mancini and Sir Alex Fergusson greeted each other and exchanged some candid comments. It was heartening to watch, it was the start of an exciting derby, an exciting game of competitive football. However, what transpired after was a regressive act of brutality and cult worship gone terribly wrong.

The game between rivals, Manchester City and Manchester United has always been an adrenaline pumping affair, however, the recent game brought to light the ugly side of football partisanship. The goal scored by Robin Van Persie seemed to have caused the home crowd a whole lot of distress and they subsequently subjected the Red Devils to undisguised wrath. While Rio Ferdinand was assaulted for celebrating van Persie’s goal, an assault that could have maimed him to say the least, and Rooney bore the brunt of stray merchandise and bottles, City’s goalkeeper Joe Hart was occupied with restraining a fan who was trying to have a go at Ferdinand while he made an attempt to recover.

In light of the events that transpired at the Etihad stadium, the Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor stated that it was time to consider netting vulnerable areas on the field such as behind the goals and around the corner flags.

There have been various reactions to this suggestion, while fans are clearly not thrilled; the association seems to be pleased in having all its bases covered. The chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation, Malcom Clarke, went on to say that these measures are knee jerk reactions to incidents of violence. He added that safety at games was improving and the government figures indicated a substantial decrease in arrests.

However, Man City’s Vincent Kompany seems to have a rather compassionate view on this issue despite witnessing the rogue incidents that took place on the day of the derby. Kompany rejected calls for the introduction of netting to avoid untoward incidents stating that fans should not be treated “like animals”. While he maintained that action should be taken against the perpetrators of the assault against the United players, he also said that football has come a long way from where it started; hinting at past violence and racist outbursts by spectators. He endorses the need for preventive measures against violence and assault but is against netting stadiums; he was quoted saying “the fact that we are able to put people outside cages is something that makes the English game so much more special”.

Hillsborough, The Yorkshire Derby, The Manchester Derby are stark reminders that football needs some sort of protective gear. Netting or the lack thereof, here’s hoping we see none of them unidentified flying objects taking off from the stands.