Brexit no need to bother

[Steve Kerswell]

Well it seems after last night display both on and off the field, we don't need to consider the referendum. Most of Europe will now want us out ! Send them all home, and let's deal with it. I thought the meaning of sport was to help one another's culture etc . Tear gas should be dyed and anyone found dyed should be punished. Proud to be British, no, not at this moment. FFS.

[James Doulton]

It seems that it was Russian gangs that initiated most of the trouble. How did the Russians get fireworks or flares into the ground? According to the BBC, the Russian FA are facing a big fine and the English were mostly victims.

[Steve Kerswell]

disagree ! its always the English involved when football is played. Ban the whole corrupt thing. Something hard has to be done, to many political correct idiots blaming others, its always the English, always blaming the others. Maybe a few shot dead would make them realise their ways.

[Adrian Southgate]

Football as a sport seems to be able to reduce the intelligence level of the spectator to near neanderthal levels,

Am I the only person who thinks its just glorified tribal warfare?

[Adrian Southgate]

Inappropriate flippancy.

[Dave Taylor]

Up in the North we have Rugby League, every year we all get together, This year Newcastle, all supporters are mixed throughout the Stadium, Beer is served for consumption on the stands all day. There is plenty of friendly banter, but no violence between supporter, No street rampage and very little Police presence.

Typical Southern comment

[Adrian Southgate]

Too specific,

I'm fully aware that there are huge logistical issues involved in solving this problem and I personally would gladly see the game banned. Never going to happen. If you ban alcohol they will find a way round it. If you ban specific people they will circumvent it... 

[Steve Kerswell]

Few moons back I went to Assen, to see Carl Foggarty win the world superbike title, against an Italian Franco Chilli, thousands and thousands of bikers from Britain went, thousands and thousands of Italian fans turned up. The campsite was chaos, the racing was very close, to close at times, crowd trouble??? Nope, Italians fired off flares, screaming and shouting, fighting, nope. And if there ever was a cause for a fight it was the last corner collision between the two stars. But, nothing, great party by all afterwards. We never needed to fight we were there for the racing, like the rugby fans, like the formula one fans, the cricket fans. Lots of loud banter but all in good jest. Oh, and there was lots of drink, some even supplied by the event, Corona beer if I remember correctly.

[James Doulton]

I agree that football seems to be special in the way that it draws out the thugs from society. But the problems have reduced in the UK considerably over the last decade or two, such that 'normal' people go to matches nowadays. I know a number of people who regularly attend football matches and take kids with them. It is nothing like the old days.

There are two guys from my software team at work who have gone to Euro 2016. They go to most England games and they have the sort of time that you describe - they drink with the locals and with opposition fans and generally have a good time. In recent years it has been the Russians who have been the thugs. In this country we only hear about football violence if it involves English fans but the Russians have caused havoc at recent tournaments, which is why they have been fined again this time.

On the subject of tribalism, I think it is the chanting that causes the trouble. If you get a crowd of people walking down the road, wearing scarves, tee shirts etc, that is not intimidating but if they are all chanting in unison then suddenly they are very scary. The also feel different because they are now a unified group, an army. They draw a hostile reaction and they react like an army.

[Adrian Southgate]

I think its all linked. The tribalism attracts those that seek to lead but don't have the social skills or talents to do that in the real world. They act as an influence on the others around them, the sheep willing to join the mob, and it is a mob not an army James. An army gives them WAY to much credit.

Funny thing is, if those same people had been around in 1914 -18 in the trenches then they may very well have ended up as decorated war heroes.

[Patrick Buchfink]

"football seems to be special in the way that it draws out the thugs from society" ... This is pretty much, what I was thinking!

With my current age of 23 I'm counting my self yet to the young generation. I'm no football addictive guy, but a lot of my friends are. Problems with violence are not limited to national events. In my opinion they evolve from what happens in local events. There is much hostile thinking in local events. I heard of events where people were scared to be the referee, since these clubs where known for threatening and outrages. For some people football and hostility goes hand in hand. The importance and attention, that national football events have these days, are projected on them. In my eyes this results in the tribalism.

[Steve Kerswell]

I really don't understand the mentality of it, and why football, which I thought was about scoring goals, mistakenly by all accounts, attracts this element of support. It's boring to watch, boring to the point that even the post mortem is boring, held by boring people, why are people attracted to it ? Politics seem exciting at the moment :-)) Anyway, in or out?? Still Sat firmly on the fence, one leg either side, singing Jerusalem :-))

[James Doulton]

I have tried both sides but I am now firmly in the Remain camp. 40 years ago I would have stuck with the Commonwealth but the UK made its choice and we cannot get back because the world has moved on.