Saturday 11 April 2009

Football - and more important things

Well, it's a big day for football - in serious as well as lighthearted ways. Firstly, Liverpool are playing Blackburn on the nearest day to the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster: poor stadium design coupled with aggressive, thoughtless policing led to the deaths of 94 people. The BBC broadcast a rightfully passionate, pointed program this morning which moved me to tears. It ended with a radio broadcaster (I didn't catch his name) ending his analysis later on that day with 'The gymnasium is today being used as a mortuary. And the sun shines'. That's top quality broadcasting.

The other wonderful part of the show was the section which reminded us why Rupert Murdoch, News International and The Sun are so utterly evil. While others mourned, the paper's front-page stories accused Liverpool fans of urinating on the police and robbing the bodies of the fans - complete lies from start to finish, but great for newspaper sales. It took 20 years to admit that the stories were untrue, and to this day Liverpudlians who support any of the local teams won't buy The Sun. I urge you to join in. It's too late for some of those fans, but the business model continues. Lies, slander and poison are the meat and drink of tabloid journalism, and none are quite so greedy as The Sun and its Sunday version, The News of the World. Liverpudlians are accused of being over-sentimental (they are a mix of Welsh and Irish), but in this case, staying bitter is absolutely the right thing to do. A proper inquiry was never held into Hillsborough and The Sun remains evil.

It reminded me of a period in which football was a matter of huge, mass emotion - sometimes violent, sometimes sentimental. Footage of the Liverpool team of the time reminded me of how much we've missed - so many Liverpool players spoke with Liverpool accents, shared surnames with the victims and some lost neighbours and friends - how many of the current Premiership players live anywhere near the average fan (who is more likely to be a middle-class high-earner anyway)? Hearing John Aldridge describe attending the funerals of fathers and their sons, of two sisters, was heartbreaking. On another level, these men remind me of a vanished (and probably quite unpleasant) time in other ways. Many of them speak the language of the fans, they don't have advisers, agents, lawyers and PR employees polishing every word, weighing every statement, looking out for themselves, or beating people up in nightclubs. These men were fans and from the people. On the other hand, safe stadia require massive amounts of money, and ticket prices are going to do it, so perhaps hugely expensive days out are the price we have to pay for safety.

On a lighter note, Stoke has the chance to strike a blow for honest football and the past today, by beating the arrogant, pseudo-galactico chancers of Newcastle United. If only it were MUFC we were sending down (as we did once in the 1970s), but anyone will do. One more win - or even a couple of draws - will do nicely.

5 comments:

Dan said...

It was indeed a very moving piece, especially the interview with John Alridge with his revelation about the doctor asking him to go and speak to a huge Liverpool fan who was in a coma. Aldridge promised him everything and then the doctor told him the life support machine was being switched off later. Heartbreaking.

Benjamin Judge said...

I remember watching a horribly unpleasant man on a documentary about the Sun and Hillsborough a few years ago. He worked for the Sun and was in Liverpool to try to repair relations. Or at least that was how the program was billed. He was there to boost sales.

Basically he offered the support groups/families/victims the money to fund an enquiry if (and only if) they would personally endorse the Sun.

They saw right through him (a total lack of any sincerity on his part may have tipped them off, a total lack of regret too) There was a particulaly nasty scene in which he sat in his hotel room saying something along the lines of "because of their principles they aren't going to get an enquiry and we won't improve sales in Liverpool, they are just not being realistic"

Never ever ever buy the Sun.

On a lighter note Voler can you please stop making silly little remarks about Manchester United. I can't bear to see you turn into a petty Premier League football fan/twat. All this sniping doesn't become you. "I wish we could send Man U down like we did in the seventies mah mah mah" You are so much better than that. I am not a Utd fan, I am a Walsall fan, but even if I supported Man City I would be able to see that what Ferguson has achieved at Utd has, along with Wenger at Arsenal made the Premiership what it is today. If the names Cantona, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Keane, Beckham, Solskjaer, Kanchelskis, Ferdinand, Stam, Ince, Butt, Parker, Rooney, Irwin, Hughes, Gary Neville, Schmeichel, Evra etc etc don't bring back fond memories to your mind and a warm feeling inside you then you don't like football.

Ewarwoowar said...

I'm trying to work out if Cynical Ben is being sarcastic about my beloved Red Army or not. Listing people like Ronaldo, Keane and Rooney makes me think you are being naughty!

If you're not, Ben, you can joint-marry me along with Emma.

Benjamin Judge said...

No sarcasm. I just love football. I'm afraid I am already married. Probably less complicated this way though.

Anonymous said...

I think 96 died though, correct me if I am wrong....