Why antiquated anti-standing laws prove in football the customer is not king

By Ian Winwood

Published 14:28 12/08/11

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The crowd behind each of the goals at Wembley Stadium on Sunday may have been divided into red and sky blue, but one thing at least did unite them: the fact that they were all standing up.

The desire of a number of fans not to sit down during matches is one that the football authorities do not wish to seriously address. It’s as if it’s the game’s equivalent of bringing back hanging – people may want this, but it’s for their best that this wish isn’t granted.

The speed with which this argument is presented as common sense is startling. And the way the case for standing is dismissed without any debate at all is an insult.

It takes no time at all for the nuclear language to be dragged out of the Hallowe’en closet. A return to standing areas in grounds will lead to another Hillsborough disaster, is one of the things that opponents say, somehow without being dragged off to a mental hospital.

If you’ve ever thought this, ask yourself the following question. Was it terraces that killed the fans, or was it the fact that they were caged like animals.

Football fans may be an excitable and nostalgic bunch, but I don’t believe anyone has ever said “the game was so much better when we were behind bars.”

It is, though, interesting that the response to those that stand in seated areas has been to suggest punishment as the only solution. Liverpool have reduced the away allocation for their game against Manchester United by one thousand tickets, to discourage people standing during the game (this despite the fact that many of these tickets were in areas suffering from restricted views, yet had been sold at full price).

Will this stop the people that do have tickets from standing up? Probably not.

There is an old-fashioned phrase that states that ‘the customer is king’, a phrase that seems to apply to every area of life apart from football.

The phrase when it comes to football fans is ‘the customer is a potential psychopath who should be treated like a ticking time-bomb.’

So standing in seated areas will probably continue, much to the dismay of people (like me) who wish to sit in the seated areas. It’s not so bad if you watch your team at their home ground, because you can pick the area of the ground that best suits your needs. Away from home, though, it is much more problematic.

If customers wish to stand while watching games, then at least see if it’s possible to meet their needs. This has been done in Germany without anyone being killed or without the world coming to an end.

As it is, the issue of standing versus seating is just another example of those who take your matchday money not giving a damn about your enjoyment of the game.

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