There they go again
Some readers say I'm too harsh on Liverpool FC, the arch-rivals of my favorite soccer team, Everton. Maybe. But Liverpool supporters have been responsible for a disproportionate share of the outrages committed by British soccer fans over the years. Indeed, it was rioting by Liverpool fans in the European Cup final in 1985 that caused the expulsion of English teams from European club competition for several years, a penalty that probably set English football back a decade.
Liverpool fans were at it again last week. Manchester United player Alan Smith received a horrific leg injury in a contest against the Red Shite. Although a majority of Shite fans applauded Smith, some engaged in abusive, taunting chants. Later, some attacked the ambulance that was taking Smith to the hospital. There were reports that they even tried to rock the ambulance from side to side, although the ambulance company says that Smith's transport was not delayed. The player himself had received a general anaesthetic before he left the stadium, and so was not aware of the attack on the ambulance.
The thugs who engaged in this deplorable conduct are not representative of Liverpool fans, some of whom are delightful (especially the many who hail from Devon and Norway). But no other major English club seems to have even a small group of supporters this vile.
