Absolute morons detract from West Ham’s win over Chelsea

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Fans are pushed back by stewards as they taunt each other during the EFL Cup fourth round match between West Ham and Chelsea at The London Stadium on October 26, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Fans are pushed back by stewards as they taunt each other during the EFL Cup fourth round match between West Ham and Chelsea at The London Stadium on October 26, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Football ‘fans’ were at it again on Wednesday night, making an absolutely mockery of themselves as West Ham defeated Chelsea in the EFL Cup.

Morons. West Ham United triumphed over Chelsea on Wednesday evening, dumping the Blues out of the EFL Cup. However, events off the field rather overshadowed those on it.

Since West Ham’s move to the London Stadium, their home games have been far from smooth. From steward shortages, to issues with persistent standing, the fans have found themselves in some trouble. The results on the pitch have not helped matters either.

Given problems with the supporters during games against the likes of Watford and Middlesbrough, the authorities duly noted the need for an augmented policing operation for the Chelsea match. The two sides have a history of crowd trouble, after all.

Both clubs then pleaded with their respective fans to avoid any form of altercation and instead leave the battles to the players.

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Of course they didn’t listen.

A sizeable bunch of blithering idiots decided to create problems. Footage shows large groups of supporters overwhelming a helpless batch of stewards. Reports claim that coins were thrown, in addition to seats.

West Ham may be the common denominator in similar issues this season, but Chelsea fans were equally at fault this time around.

However, this is nothing to do with a club-based problem, it is to do with the absolute lunacy that football in this country breeds.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: A Chelsea fan (C) gets past the police line and walks over to West Ham United fans during the EFL Cup fourth round match between West Ham United and Chelsea at The London Stadium on October 26, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 26: A Chelsea fan (C) gets past the police line and walks over to West Ham United fans during the EFL Cup fourth round match between West Ham United and Chelsea at The London Stadium on October 26, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

Football is a game of passion, that is what makes it great. Fans are passionate about their team and express themselves as such. These scenes were not borne out of passion, though. They were the consequence of some idiots wanting to embroil themselves in conflict.

This is where, as a sport, we are sometimes collectively guilty. People are keen to talk about players who are willing to die for their club. This tribal-like mindset can facilitate such ill-placed passion.

However, this argument does not appropriately explain such violent and senseless behaviour. We are not in the 1970s. It is 2016 and this is a country that is supposed to be a world leader. But violence in something as trivial as football is yet to disappear.

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Now, there will be those who claim that these people are just a minority of supporters. This may be statistically true, but these are also the people who form the core of support. These fans are the ones who pack out the stadiums each week, the ones who travel far and wide to follow their team. They are the most visible representation of a club’s fanbase.

Others may point to violence in different European leagues as a reason to suppress criticism. The notion that the UK has less violence in football than other countries is, frankly, bullsh*t. There should be no violence in sport. There has to be a zero-tolerance policy. You cannot claim that the relative lack of violence in British football is a positive.

Sport is supposed to be that release from everyday life, but the fact that some treat it so seriously is hard to understand. Moreover, that the individuals involved in violence are merely paying spectators is something else.

Wednesday was a sad day for British football. There is no other way to describe it. The proportion of absolute morons following this sport has once again proven to be too high.