Two Bears meet the Free Lions - English lessons for Rangers fans?

Last updated : 07 April 2007 By ABB and MDC
Report on English Supporters' Embassy, Barcelona 28/03/07

Synopsis

Our remit was to gather information from representatives of the England support, a support that has had its own troubles in the recent past, and to look at ways the methods used by the FSF to reduce problems for travelling England fans can be applied to Rangers supporters who want to follow their team abroad.


SECTION 1

Supporters' Embassy and its Role

The England Supporters' Embassy is a voluntary organisation, set up and run by followers of the English National team affiliated to the FSF. They have been a feature at England games since the 1990s but, according to a representative at the recent game in Barcelona, encountered problems in the initial stages, being looked upon as do-gooders or assumed to be a particularly patronising group and struggling with the FA and the supporters travelling overseas: in recent times, as the commitment has been matched by their expertise and willingness to change the nature of a typical away day experience, so that has changed.

The FSF receive funding from the British Government and attract sponsorship. The Embassy they set up in Barcelona was generously sponsored by Nationwide. For the England - Andorra fixture in Barcelona the Embassy was situated in Las Ramblas, a central thoroughfare and an area popular with tourists and those England fans intent on enjoying the entertainment available. The main function was to distribute copies of their free fanzine entitled Free Lions.





The content of this fanzine provides invaluable information for travelling supporters. Directions to and from the stadium are provided in specific detail as is information regarding where to go in the city. The fanzine also provides further information for those who may run into difficulties on the trip, bringing together contact details for the British Embassy and emergency services, as well as other associated contacts. This tome has become such an integral part of England fixtures abroad that the fanzines, even though they are free, are now selling for up to £30 on internet sites. A brief tour of the city with volunteers brought home the popularity of the handout and the brand recognition amongst the supporters - only a handful of groups refused to accept the offer and many fans expressed delight in receiving their copy, validating the suggestion of credibility. Plenty of England fans approached those distributing to ask for extra copies, in several instances to take back copies for friends at home. It is also worth noting that articles in the fanzine are not only contributed by regular supporters but also by journalists from major national titles - this is testimony to the importance and the appeal of the offering but the enterprise prides itself on its independent nature and editorial.

Material as contained within this publication is of inestimable value for a supporter in a foreign country; a particular example being displayed below, RE Directions and travel arrangements to get to the ground:





This material is gathered by FSF representatives making a reconnaissance mission to the cities and grounds where England will play, enabling the FSF with the knowledge to pass on to the main body of supporters. Sadly, this is an area where Rangers FC are badly lacking and is a feature of trips abroad that should be implemented at the earliest possible opportunity.

With regard to the actual organising of the Embassy, this is done by the FSF in conjunction with the British Foreign Office and the local police force. Kevin Miles, international co-ordinator of the FSF and the man in charge of these embassies, insists that the change of control and involvement, such that the FA's involvement in discussions with police and international bodies is now often limited, has made a positive impact on the average England away tie. The Football Association, for obvious reasons, tend to view an away fixture, and the organisation thereof, strictly in terms of the fans given official tickets - those without FA sanctioned briefs do not come into their thinking and it was felt that the FSF attitude toward all England fans, official or not, was more realistic and provided for more effective and accurate descriptions and submissions when in contact with those in the host city.

This is an initiative by England fans for England fans; and such is the impact they are having that it was they, the FSF, who were attracting queries about public sales of tickets, what time the ground would be open for spectators and various other, often non-football related, matters. The FA hotel was only five minutes away, but the Fans' Embassy served as a conduit, a focal point for those England fans in the know.

One common problem, certainly in the early stages, was convincing volunteers to man the Embassy at trips abroad and it is clear that many who presently plan and co-ordinate the work of the Embassy see that work as a priority on the trip. For them there is no extended sightseeing or boozing, working office hours for both days of the trip and offering a 24hr help line for those who find trouble.

For those recently in Pamplona, and with memories of Villarreal, the attitude of the police and local organisations may have come as some surprise. To take a simple example: when leaving the nearest Metro station to the Estadi Olimpic (the cable car at Montjuic) one is presented with clear signs directing fans to the ground and simple instructions on the section to enter: those who took advantage of the free, pre-game shuttle buses are assisted on the way out by signs directing them down the mountain to the nearest open station. All the while the police presence is neither highly visible nor intrusive. Compare and contrast with the scenes upon disembarking the buses in Pamplona, with local police forcing fans to walk in tight lines and hitting out at random supporters. The effect of the FSF, and the Fan Embassy work with the local police, is here apparent - this is a credible organisation, with legitimacy derived from its work and offered by the fans and groups with which it is involved.


Suggestions for Rangers FC and Fans.

1: An adoption of the working model demonstrated by the FSF, in terms of literature and fanzine, including detailed maps of the ground that Rangers are playing in to be issued to travelling supporters along with clear, unambiguous directions regarding the part of the ground they are supposed to occupy, thereby avoiding any repeat of the fiasco that resulted in Osasuna.

2: Rangers FC, in conjunction with fans' groups, to offer initial support to set up Supporters' Embassies in places where large travelling supports are expected. Part of the problems encountered by the FSF were that Embassies for individual supports for games in Europe were harder to set up and maintain as opposed to ones for England games

3: The suggestion, first made by the Rangers Supporters' Trust in 2003, that supporters' representatives make preliminary visits to European stadiums Rangers will be visiting to be implemented at the very first opportunity; and, furthermore, said supporters to liase with the local police and to work to provide literature for the travelling supporters



SECTION 2

Behaviour of Fans Abroad

England as a national football team has suffered unwanted press coverage in recent years due to the behaviour of elements of their support. Partly through the actions of the FSF, the behaviour of the support has improved dramatically in the recent past, although there are undeniably some obstacles to overcome.

A key phrase used by members of the FSF in determining how supporter behaviour has improved was 'isolation'. This takes on a number of forms. According to FSF figures there are currently over 3,500 banning orders in effect in England, prohibiting the recipient of such an order from travelling when England are playing outside of home territory. Again, according to the FSF, this has achieved a success rate of 97%. A breaching of a banning order can lead to a six-month jail sentence.

FSF members felt this had a huge influence in improving behaviour of supporters as a whole and played an important role in isolating potential hooligans from the decent supporters who travel for legitimate footballing reasons. It is here worth mentioning that the figure of over three thousand does not relate solely to those convicted due to football related violence or misdemeanour, but the existence of such a considerable figure, and the importance of the banning orders in practical and metaphorical terms, was keenly stressed by Miles.

When beginning discussions with the home police force, accustomed to the notion of hordes of English barbarians invading, it was found to be very helpful when explaining that the great majority of such people were now not the fans to be expected. The behaviour of the Rangers support is not at a level of the worst excesses of the England support of years gone by but this can serve as an example of how best to deal with offenders who continue to indulge in behaviour that is detrimental to the safety of their fellow fans and the image of the team - yet one should not be complacent about the potential effects of FBOs (nor the civil rights implications) and it should always be stressed that the aim is to bring more people into the Rangers family and to educate: only those who continually decide that the group is less important than their own, I will do as I wish mentality, should be detached.

Much useful information and opinion was gained from speaking to and discovering the city with an associate of the FSF, Dr Clifford Stott (a leading academic and expert on crowd dynamics) who felt that policing methods were often detrimental to the chances of a trip passing off peacefully. It had been noted that past experiences showed the local police force did not move to isolate those indulging in mild examples of anti-social behaviour, allowing the situation to develop, get out of hand and then when (over) reaction came it often meant innocent fans were caught up in the developments.

It was felt that behavioural parameters have to be set with regard to what is acceptable in other countries and that dialogue with the police c an help to alleviate any potential problems. Also suggested was the belief that the dynamic of a group of supporters abroad, their 'social identity', was often dependent on the attitude of police - heavy handed police reaction to a situation could result in those targeted behaving in a manner instinctive and excessive, and often quite contrary to the way they would ordinarily conduct themselves. Research into fan behaviour at recent major championships tends to suggest that the concept of 'hooligans' causing trouble is often misguided - Home Office figures for Euro 2000 demonstrated that only 30 of the 965 England fans arrested were previously identified as such, and, more importantly, the level of trouble seemed largely dependent on police attitudes toward certain fixtures where their policy was markedly different. A Netherlands Police study into policing at the 2000 Championships demonstrates the key difference in police profiles and risk categorisation and can help to explain why certain games saw huge disorder, England V Germany saw almost all of the arrests, while other ties where large pre-identified numbers of troublemakers were present passed off almost without incident.

With regard to self-policing, the meaning of this concept has to be properly defined and carefully considered. It is not realistic to expect individuals to approach others who are indulging in anti-social behaviour or actions likely to bring the club into disrepute with the authorities. Self-policing takes the form of group dynamics setting behavioural guidelines and isolating those who do not comply. By way of example, at the European Championships in Portugal in 2004 a large group of England fans had congregated in one particular area of a local town and an incident occurred which involved a group of about a dozen England fans hurling bottles at a party of passing Portuguese. After their arrest and release they attempted to rejoin the rest of the England fans, believing a heroic reception was in order. However, they were ostracised by the larger body of the support that chose instead to happily mingle with the locals. The culprits from earlier found themselves cut off from the rest of the support. This is a prime example of self-policing and a particularly effective method. The group at large sets parameters and isolates those who do not comply.

Many of the FSF representatives were clearly of the opinion that appearing to preach to people often resulted in the opposite effect. They believed that subliminally attempting to change behaviour had a far higher success rate and achieved this through the use of slogans, involving supporters in initiatives and encouraging them to participate in campaigns - ticket prices etc - that directly affected them as football fans. The fanzine, for all its uses, was not an organ to use as an instructor on behaviour, more a guide to how best to enjoy each trip and to emphasis the positive aspects of identity associated with the England support.

One striking aspect of the England support in recent times, and it is a clear break with the recent past, is found in the choice of flags and songs/chants. While it would be disingenuous to report that the repertoire about the city after a few refreshments in the early hours was angelic it is 100% accurate to state that the English support at the stadium would find no problem with UEFA/FIFA observers - the schizophrenic nature of support, decrying the manager and the players on one hand and establishing firm support for the national cause on the other, may have been a slight culture shock for some but it is clear that the support, en masse, are well on the way to eliminating some of the baser expressed elements. Union Flags were in very short supply - the flag of St George, perhaps first seen so widely at Euro 1996, is now the only flag of any note. Harmony between supporters of rival club teams will never be an exact science, but the sense of identity, of shared expression and belief, was clear to witness.


Suggestions for Rangers FC and Fans.

Perceived hooliganism may not be something about which Rangers have to worry too much, but expression of cultural identity is a focal point just now and it is not unreasonable to use the experiences of the England fans to analyse the challenge that Rangers must face. It is essential that the support is allowed and encouraged to celebrate their own identity and heritage but to do so in a way that will not bring the club into disrepute. It is worrying that the evidence suggests that Rangers fans in Pamplona were expected by the Police National to give more problems despite the lack of any visible hooligan problem at Ibrox in the last 20 years than the huge numbers of English supporters arriving in Barcelona.

1: The Club recognises that a large proportion of the support come primarily from a Scottish Protestant background and see Rangers FC as being integral to their identity; and the recognition of this should be openly given whilst welcoming all into the Rangers Family whatever their background or beliefs.


2: The Club to assist in the eradication of derogatory chanting, while at the same time establishing parameters enabling supporters to retain their legitimate displays of identity and to encourage/defend such expression and displays against all unwarranted agents.

3: The Club to actively back the supporters in promoting their heritage as a means to eradicating issues that will compromise the well being of the Club and support - a commitment to a museum and/or greater social understanding of the place/importance of the club and the fans must be a priority.

4. The Club and fans groups to work more closely together with external authorities to ensure the safety and rights of fans travelling abroad are upheld.



Conclusion

The England support has made massive gains in recent years. There has been a movement in the mainstream support to eradicate hooliganism and this has been successful to a large extent even if there are some small instances of disturbances. Indeed, one Middlesborough supporter stated he regularly took his 10 year old son abroad with the English national team now, something he would not have contemplated doing even 5 years ago. Women are also a common sight at England games now, with many active in the FSF. But it should be noted that this improvement is not an overnight sensation - from almost 1,000 arrests at 2000 European tournament, the England support have gone through one further European championship and one Euro-based World Cup with the numbers of arrests plummeting to under one hundred. Although the game in Barcelona was very interesting and offered much in the way of comparison and ideas to adopt, there are limitations to consider - there was no home support of any note to throw into the mix and the delights of the location may have altered the grand mixture of those who chose to make the trip. That said, the system employed by the FA, whereby people are granted 'caps' for attending games home and abroad, does ensure that official tickets are offered first to those at the top and both fans and fan groups were hugely complimentary about the welcome afforded them in the previous fixture in Israel, where only the result soured the experience.

The FSF have developed a system toward foreign trips which now affords them credibility and legitimacy. The identity of the English support is largely focused on the positive and the steps taken to encourage a social norm where the group as a whole come to agree and demonstrate the ways in which that identity should be expressed is definitely something to consider. A hostile press and the negative approach of foreign police have, to a large degree, been tempered, controlled and in many cases overhauled. The relationships between fan and police, previously often displaying a shared sense of apprehension of what was to come, have been improved as a direct result of fan organisation, governmental assistance and the successful application of good working practices developed over the last decade.
The experiences at the England - Andorra game show a support that has regained a sense of who and what it is and the role it sees itself playing with regard to support for their team and what they can do with each other as a support. With the overlap there is for support for both Rangers and England - there were many England flags with Rangers regalia on them and several England fans wearing Rangers colours, in several cases due to the large numbers of English residents of Scotland who have adopted Rangers as their Scottish team - then the experiences of the England support and how they have won their own particular battles with regard to behaviour and foreign perception (the FSF were of the opinion that is something that has also improved a great deal in recent years) is something that should be drawn upon by those with Rangers at heart.

ABB and MDC