Ban Them!!

They should be banned. This is seemingly the only way to prevent scenes like the ones we saw last night at the Second City Derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City in the League Cup Quarter Final.

But it’s not just the fans that I believe should be banned from grounds up and down the country. Birmingham City FC should also face repercussions for last night’s violence. A club, however unfair it may seem, is represented by its fans and their actions and must be held accountable when these sorts of incidents take place.

Last night Blues fans rushed the field and began to riot, throwing missiles into the away stand including bottles and flares. Chairs were pulled out of the stands and fans clashed with police inside the ground. If a club cannot control their supporters inside their ground and keep the stadium safe for supporters then action has to be taken against the club as well as the fans who commit such acts. Birmingham City FC must be held accountable for their failure to keep St Andrews safe yesterday.

Football continues to have the black cloud of hooliganism hanging over it, and the British football authorities have to take action to remove this sort of violence from our game. If banning Birmingham from the remainder of this years League Cup will do this then its action that must be taken. Docking points for Premier League fixtures and removing clubs from domestic and European competitions is not something anyone in football wants to see. But if that is what has to be done then surely the FA must act accordingly.

Last night has hurt not only Birmingham City FC but also the England 2018 bid. With last minute lobbying taking place yesterday and today, last nights scenes are not going to sit favourably with the FIFA executives as they look to cast their deciding votes for the hosts of World Cup 2018 and 2022.

Only once British Football is clear of fan violence can we look to be given the opportunity to host tournaments such as the European Championships or the World Cup. Last night showed that we may still not be able to keep a football ground safe for fans, which is surely a major priority for Clubs, and if we cant do that then major changes have to take place in order to keep football safe.