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Civil crowds Action stays where it belongs on the field
Posted: Sunday October 31, 1999 07:41 PM
TWICKENHAM, England (CNN/SI) -- Having been part of a 70,000 strong crowd for each of the Rugby World Cup semifinals, I can't help thinking that soccer fans could learn a useful lesson from their rugby going counterparts. Next Saturday's grand final in Cardiff apart, games don't come much bigger than a World Cup semifinal. Yet despite all the tension that the two matches produced, there was not a hint of crowd trouble. Quite the opposite. For while the players of Australia and South Africa, France and New Zealand were rightfully breathing fire on the pitch, the supporters who'd come to witness the battle were united in their desire to enjoy the day in peaceful co-existence.
Not for the rugby fans the intimidatory atmosphere that often accompanies big time soccer matches. No abusive chants. No one was going to "get their bleeping heads kicked in", or invited to "come and have a go if you think you're hard enough." Instead, while sharing a healthy and passionate rivalry, the opposing fans also shared a drink, whisky in the case of a group of French and New Zealand supporters I came across near the turnstile, as well as a respect for fair play and the rights of others to root for the team of their choosing. Besides the whisky drinkers, I saw a French fan happily taking a photo of a group of All Blacks supporters dressed as the Grim Reaper, complete with scythe. I heard South African and Wallaby fans singing the Australian folk song 'Waltzing Matilda' together. While the match announcer's reminder to, "please respect both teams by not whistling or jeering when kicks are being taken," was greeted by applause not derision on both days.
After the games, the celebratory mood continued, with many of those I spoke to seemingly happy just to have seen two great matches, regardless of who won. Indeed, the consensus of opinion from the South African and New Zealand fans who'd just seen their teams miss out on the final was "good luck" to their opponents, "the best team won." Granted, the days of rampant soccer hooliganism are now predominantly in the past. But the violent atmosphere still prevails. Matches between arch rivals still frequently see fans simmering on the edge of an eruption, and occasionally they do explode, as happened last Saturday in Yugoslavia, when a 17-year-old fan was shot and killed by a flare during a riot between supporters of Red Star and Partizan Belgrade Somehow, you just can't see that sort of thing happening at a rugby match, where win or lose there's no such thing as a rugby hooligan, and a good day out, is all that matters. Terry Baddoo is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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