Oi Oi Lads, let's smash his face in, just after this game is over.

Football hooliganism was, and is, a very strange thing. It reached its worst in the 80's. English football teams in particular were very bad indeed. In fact, ALL English teams were banned from ALL European competition from 1985 to 1990. What caused this ban? It was put in place because of the Heysel Stadium disaster, in Brussels. Basically what happened was that during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. The hooligans from both teams started a bit of a riot, and part of the stadium collapsed. 39 Juventus fans were killed, and 600 more were injured. It was deemed that the Liverpool hooligans were largely to blame, and so they were banned from all European competition for 6 years. All other English teams were banned for just 5 years.

Heysel Disaster Madness

You see, football, when it's played very well, is one of the most beautiful things you could possibly see in your lifetime. Why then, does such a relatively non-combat, gentlemanly game have in its past, and still does to some extent, the most vicious and violent fans of any other sport?

A lot of the ferocity may come from the fact that football teams are, here comes the gooey cliche, just a fact of life for many many people around the world. Religion is often inextricably linked to certain football teams as well. For example, if you're a Catholic born in Glasgow, you'll almost certainly be raised a Celtic fan. If you're a Protestant born in Glasgow, you'll almost certainly be a Rangers fan. So in the Scottish capital city , you have a very old religious disagreement acting itself out within the two football teams.

I love football, but I can't figure out why you'd want to smash someone's face in just because they support a rival team. It's supposed to be about friendly rivalvry, even at the pinnacles of the World Cup or the European Cup final. If you're a hooligan, or you feel you may have hooligan tendencies, let me tell you, "STOP! Don't punch anyone, don't throw bottles at opposing supporters, just enjoy the game. Sit back, sing for your team, boo the other team if you want, but don't let it get physical!"

Thank God that hooliganism has been very harshly dealt with over the years, because the vast majority of us football fans just want to be able to go to the stadium, watch the game, buy some horribly overpriced beer, and enjoy ourselves. It's very hard to enjoy yourself when you're spending most of the 90 minutes dodging bricks and having to take your friend to the hospital for stitches.

I don't know how this works, but Scottish police use totally
non-violent tactics like this at Celtic/Ranger games.

Thank you police, I never thought I'd ever say that! Thank you for making football a viable and safe alternative to watching TV talent shows and visiting relatives you don't like.



     

You just can't write this stuff! Why football is the best sport you've ever seen!

To show you just how good football is, I'm going to concentrate on describing just one game. The 2005 Champions League Final to be exact.

                                                 25th May in Istanbul, Ataturk Stadium.

                                                          Liverpool F.C vs. AC Milan

AC Milan were thought by most to be the best team in the world, by quite a margin. Liverpool were the underdogs, they had a pretty rough time qualifying for the final, but they did qualify after a controversial goal against Chelsea F.C. in the semi-final.

The game began in the usual manner, then Milan's captain, Paolo Maldini, scored a goal within the first minute of the game. Liverpool were shaken by this very early goal, and it showed. Then, Hernan Crespo scored in the 39th minute, and then again in the 44th minute. A minute later, the first half of the game came to an end. It looked like it was all over for Liverpool. There was seemingly no way back, and many believed that Milan could go on to score a couple more goals.

Nobody knows exactly what Liverpool's manager, Rafa Benitez, said during halftime, but whatever he said worked perfectly, and set the stage for the greatest sporting comeback in history.

Liverpool changed a few players, and changed their formation into more midfield-based one. Dietmar Hamann was asked to man-mark the Milanese star players Kaka and Pirlo. Within ten minutes of the second half, Steven Gerrard, Liverpool's captain, scored a goal with his head. This goal urged the Liverpool fans on and they sang and bounced their hearts out. Two minutes after Gerrard's goal, Vladimir Smicer took a shot from a long way out and it went in! Two goals in two minutes.

Liverpool's equalizing goal came from a penalty kick. Steven Gerrard was fouled inside the penalty area and earned Liverpool's chance at a third goal. Spaniard, Xabi Alonso, took the penalty. He kicked it to the bottom right, but Milan's goalkeeper saved it, Alonso then ran up to the loose ball and fired it into the top of the goal. Three goals in six minutes for Liverpool! Now they were on equal terms with Milan. GAME ON!

The rest of the game was played out, and neither team scored another goal. It went into extra time, and still neither team scored a goal, although Liverpool's goalkeeper, Jerzy Dudek, pulled off a miraculous double-save to deny Andriy Shevchenko(Milan's best player). The game would be decided on penalties. Yes, the dreaded penalty shootout.

The penalty shootout, and the whole game, came down to Andriy Shevchenko. It was match-point, and Shevchenko HAD to score, or else Liverpool would be European champions.

 

 He took his shot, but Dudek managed to get his left hand in the way, and Liverpool won their 5th Champions League title, after a 21 year gap since their last victory.

I'm not even a Liverpool fan. I don't support Liverpool, but I did that night!