FA labels booing fans as 'crazy'

[The Feedster]

From the BBC News Desk

The FA has labelled the England fans who booed Ashley Cole during Saturday's 5-1 win against Kazakhstan as "crazy".

Cole was singled out for abuse by a minority of fans after playing a sloppy pass that led to the visitors' goal.

"It is crazy that a section of our own supporters are booing one of our own players," said an FA spokesperson.

However Kevin Miles of the Football Supporters' Federation said: "People have paid their money and have every right to express their opinion."

The fans' treatment of Cole was high on the agenda for manager Fabio Capello and stand-in captain Rio Ferdinand in their post-match interviews.

You pay your money, you're unhappy with the entertainment so you hiss and boo. You've got a right to express your disapproval haven't you?

BBC Sport's Mark Ashenden
Capello suggested the booing was unhelpful, while Ferdinand went further, saying those responsible should feel 'ashamed'.

The FA spokesperson agreed, adding that booing individuals appears to be a feature of the new Wembley, with Cole's Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard and Tottenham's David Bentley previous victims.

"(Booing) is clearly not going to help the team during the course of a game, and certainly not the individual being booed," they said.

"Unfortunately, we are all aware that we have had problems of this kind since we have come back to the new Wembley.

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[rolfw]

I totally agree, how can booing your own team possibly be helpful.

 

[Topper]

I totally agree, how can booing your own team possibly be helpful.

Well I certainly do not think it is meant to be helpful. By definition booing is a sign of disapproval and has been for a few hundred years, , I do think we are as a nation becoming a bit over politically correct in this type of matter. Why suddenly should a bit of booing upset grown men who earn millions of pounds a year I do not know. If we were talking about racist chanting then that is a different matter, but we are talking about the paying public (notice I refrain from the word supporters) who want to criticise a player for making a mistake. If there is another method of showing disapproval of a mistake by a player that the crowd should be using then what is it? I have in this instance to agree with Kevin Miles.

 

[rolfw]

Sorry but what is the point in going if all they want to do is boo, the guy made a mistake, but was then booed every time he touched the ball. Unless I've misunderstood the meaning of the word supporter (and these people were wearing England colours from the what I hear), it just strikes me as infantile and counter productive, fortunately it was a minority at the match, but a substantial one, who think it's a great idea to help the opposing team.

I have to say that it wouldn't surprise me if the amount of players "retiring" early from English international football or making themselves unavailable increases in the coming years. Why play (risking injury) for a moronic fickle mob and a hostile, rude press, when they can save their energy for their league team and be properly supported.

Don't get me wrong, I think the wages in football have now reached a ridiculous level, but that's another story altogether.

 

[Topper]

So what is the recognised method of disapproval when a mistake is made?. Are people just supposed to ignore the mistake and the next time he touches the ball shout out well done Ashley?. If what happens now is not acceptable to the FA and the viewing public, a protocol needs to be created which allows their disapproval to be known without booing. Perhaps the FA should issue them with Kenny Everett style giant hands and they can wave them around when displeased. People go and pay good money to be entertained and will consequently will find any excuse to turn it into a pantomime, unfortunately that is what all the money has made the sport into a giant pantomime which the vast majority of the British public have grown to ignore leading to a complete lack of nationalistic pride not only on the part of the fans but also the players.

 

[rolfw]

Sorry, we are going to have to agree to disagree here, I can see no value whatsoever in booing a player every time he touches the ball after he has made a mistake, humans make mistakes, even very highly paid ones.

This is symptomatic of the scummy attitude we seem to be developing in this country these days, "I've paid for a ticket, so I can behave how I want".

If you don't want to support your team, leave it for people who do, don't go to the match, watch it on the TV or in the pub, then you can boo 'til your heart's content.

 

[Topper]

We have to disagree sometimes but I ask the question again, what method of disapproval by a spectator would be deemed acceptable in the eyes of yourself and the FA?

If you are saying no disapproval should be voiced by the spectators, then that is IMHO unrealistic, what I am saying is that if the FA do not want that kind of behaviour then they have to outlaw it in some way otherwise it will not disappear and will just perpetuate.

As a final note if any of the professional players thought that was dissent from the fans they ought to take time out and visit a few amateur league games and they would soon learn what dissent was and a completely new vocabulary as well

 

[rolfw]

I'm not saying that there should be no disapproval at all, of course there should, but for this section of so called fans to boo every time one of their own players touches the ball is moronic (particularly after one mistake) and will not spur him or the rest of the team on to a better performance.

It would appear that a percentage of the crowd only turn up to have a go, fortunately the majority of the rest of the crowd considered what they were doing was ridiculous and applauded to counter the abuse.

 

[Zorba]

I buy a ticket ,i want my team to win.Cole makes a mistake,i have a go for that mistake but encourage him and praise him for making up for his mistake later on in the game. If he plays bad all through the match,then i will shout at him to pull his act together(or similar words).But not booing. I have been shouting at Ballack(at the tv screen) for a whole game because sometimes all his passes go nowhere,but then he will score a good un and we are mates again.
I am a Chelsea fan,I know we can play bad and still win but its still frustrating.
But the boys that booed Cole were probably not Chelsea fans and when Rio f*cks up it's not Man U fans. We love to see players from rival teams cock it up,as long as we don't lose.