December
Newsfile

Newsfile Archive

Cardiff City fans are planning a show of support for the club and Sam Hammam before Saturdays clash with Peterborough. 

The supporters and club have been slaughtered throughout the UK media over the past week as the press have decided that every Cardiff City supporter is a hooligan and they have become judge and jury and found Cardiff City guilty of everything before the FA and FAW have had a chance to look at the events at Ninian Park. 

Some of the sensational headlines like “Warzone” are so insulting to the majortity of the 22,000 crowd that witnessed second division City beat Premiership leaders Leeds United. 

The media, fuelled by the histrionics of David O’Leary, yes him of the vile outbursts on the touchline, I hope the FA look into his comments aimed at the referee when Alan Smith was sent off, have painted every angle a bad one for Cardiff City. Very few of them mention that’s two sets of supporters were involved in coin and bottle throwing and mention that the trouble outside the ground came from Leeds fans clashing with police. 

On a day when Man Utd invaded the Villa Park pitch three times and a weekend where violence erupted in Stoke and Liverpool only Cardiff got a slating. 

Maybe its because we smacked the Premiership in the face by beating their superstars, who knows. 

Now I’m not backward enough to think that there was not a problem. There was, it could have been much much worse. The people who were throwing things, as I say from Cardiff and Leeds, should be identified and banned. Cardiff City in association with the South Wales Police have a duty to stop these people from entering a football ground again. 

The pitch invasion, was in the majority a celebration. Cardiff fans had just witnessed a major cup upset and ran onto the pitch. Gates were opened in my opinion to avoid a Hillsborough situation.  

The section of supporters who then turned towards the Leeds fans are the ones who have given the club this bad press. While no punches were thrown the threat was there and for that I am saddened. The Police did their job and quickly moved between the two sets of fans and forced the Cardiff fans back. A chase back across the pitch ensued with innocent people being knocked out of the way. 

Only 4 people were arrested, the police felt they had the matter under control and they must be as amazed as most fans to see the over reaction printed and talked about in the media, much of it from people who were not even there. We have been called a third world country, a disgrace to football and calls for us to be thrown out of the cup, replay the game someone says, Why? We beat Leeds fair and square. 

Sam Hammam was blamed for inciting a riot. What rubbish. 

Cardiff City last Sunday had problems at Ninian Park. Last night a fan was stabbed outside Stamford Bridge, bottles were thrown at Les Ferdinand and Jimmy Hasselbaink. There were more arrests at Villa Park on Sunday than at Cardiff and the Man Utd manager ran 10 yards onto the pitch and Adam Crozier has already said they were just celebrating and will not pursue the matter. 

Double standards are at play here. The media have been appalling in certain areas of the reporting. 

Again I will say that there were problems. Cardiff must now find and ban the “throwers” locate the thug element who were intending to riot but never actually got around to it. 

Cardiff must think again about stewarding and policing at matches. Policy’s about crowd control will be looked at. 

We are not alone in crowd problems, Ninian Park is a very intimidating atmosphere for away fans and maybe it will have to become less so to dilute some of the tension. 

To finish. I am not defending any wrong doers. They deserve to be caught and punished. I am though disgusted by the over the top reporting that has made our club out to be a bigger enemy that Osama Bin Laden. 

On Saturday the City fans will stand and sing “You’ll never walk alone” to show solidarity. This will take place at 2:55pm, just before kick off.