Toronto FC Needs To Control Its Idiot Fans Right Now
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MLS News
Monday, 30 March 2009 12:08
Toronto FC fans were misbehaving yet again Saturday in Columbus. From the Columbus Dispatch:

Quote: The mutual frustration of a draw turned physical after the game. Unruly fans, including some from a contingent of an estimated 1,500 Toronto supporters, confronted one another and the police in parking lots to the south and east of the stadium. Multiple arrests were made and mace or pepper spray was used to break up at least one melee.

At least twenty Columbus police cruisers and a heli-copter were still patrolling the lots 45 minutes after the game. Columbus police said that some fans were ejected from the stadium and there were at least three arrests.

A security guard said that Toronto fans ripped a stadium railing from its bearings. Multiple rows of bleachers in the Toronto section were twisted and bent. Toronto fans also unfurled multiple vulgar banners that were removed by security. I am not pinning this one bit on Columbus or its fans, except to say that maybe the police should've done a better job of ensuring TFC fans didn't move en masse towards Crew fans. But the rest of my criticism goes towards TFC, and their escalating fan conduct problems.

When I envision the worst possible PR incidents for MLS and American soccer, I come up with these three items: MLS folds USA fails to qualify for World Cup MLS fans take part in hooligan-inspired violence that causes serious injuries to other fans or the police You'd surely agree that disasters one and two are fairly far off possibilities, but TFC is pushing us closer and closer to possibility No. 3.

TFC must immediately begin putting pressure on its supporter club leadership to stop the violence and property damage. If the supporters clubs won't show leadership here, then TFC itself needs to begin removing their privileges to force the issue. I am not sure TFC management takes this issue seriously enough. Where is the statement? Where is the plan to work with the supporters clubs to find the guilty individuals and discipline them?

I took a quick swing by the Red Patch Boys' forum and here are some comments from there verbatim and just because my grandparents might read it, I should warn you that some of the language is quite obscene.

Quote One
Quote: The part about the stadium damage is NOT true. That railing was already shaky and somebody simple took it off it's base. About 5 minutes before the game ended however some idiot decided to throw it over the stands and onto the tent below. Security/police saw the whole thing and immediately bust into the stands to grab the guy. But he didn't BREAK the railing to begin with, he was just stupid enough to decide to throw a 6 foot piece of steel down below. That was it. It's not as if TFC fans were running around the south stands ripping up seats or railings. Gawd newspapers piss me off. Quote 2
Quote: Icould give a flying ******** about the respect of the columbus fans. If your not going to be pssionate and emotonal about it the go watch pointy ball... I'm not saying we should go looking for fights but sure as shit if they come to me or anyone around me I'll give them trouble... I'm sure nobody went looking for trouble but thats what happens when you have 1500 fans who are passionate and emotional about their team. If a fan of the other side were to come up to me and want to shake my hand after a match i would... maybe even share a pint with him... but if he comes looking for trouble then trouble he will get!...

as for the railing that was pretty stupid... do it hink the guy should be skull ********ed and boot partied for it? no...who ever thinks this should be boot partied themselves... we are all brothers, and when your brother makes a mistake you help them, not skull ******** them.

alcohol+football= shit happens Quote 3
Quote: I witnessed a TFC "fan," i use that term loosely, rip a paper towel dispenser off the wall in the bathroom. I gave it to security and it was embarrasing. Quote 4
Quote: First off great job by the RPBs and the organization...Sorry about Flush and the shite with his brother...Have to say that I was REALLy disappointed by some TFC fans in the parking lot...some morons throwing full beers(cans and bottles) and hitting our own fans..also after the game some TFC moron attacking an old man and his granddaughter wearing Crew shirts who just happened to be walking by...F***ING DISGUSTING!!! If I ever see your ugly face at a match again mate I will kick the living daylights out of you! Quote 5
Quote: Some of you people are hilarious. "Oh Noes there was fights, and cops and shit was broken. Next time when Columbus comes into town now I wont be able to kiss there ass, trade scarves and show them around our city. Then we wont be called CLASSY FANS anymore OH NOES OMGZ" Grow a pair you pansies. Its football if you want to make friends trade scarves and jerk of on how classy you are to each other go coach house league baseball. I'm proud that our boys stood up for them selves. Those Columbus losers were asking for it. Some of you chicken shits must be drooling at the thought of texting security anything that dosent feel right for you. Are you lives so empty you want to be called classy and good fans by people you wont ever see again. I'am not a hooligan or a hooligan supporter but I call ********** when i see it. I should also add that there were plenty of folks on there expressing displeasure with the kinds of comments and actions posted above.

The fan who threw that piece of metal off the back of the bleachers should be a) charged with a crime, and b) have his season ticket stripped and face at least a season-long ban. What happens if that railing maims or kills someone? This isn't a slippery slope argument. This is violent and potentially lethal behavior on the part of Toronto fans.

I am sorry, this simply doesn't happen with other teams. Chicago's fans always travel in large numbers and I don't think they have these kinds of continuing problems. DC fans travel everywhere and I can only think of one incident that has ever caused an injury—and the guilty party in that incident was banned immediately after being identified by other DC supporters.

The onus is now on TFC management to make clear to the supporters clubs that there will be serious consequences if violent activity and property damage continues. If TFC management is ineffective at that, then the league should involve itself.

I suspect that Saturday was as close as we've ever seen to someone being killed or seriously maimed at an MLS match. We cannot allow for us to get that close again.

Below are some more photos I found on Flickr:

Source: Click Here

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