| It is football time again. Currently, the qualifying
rounds are being played to decide which countries will send teams to the 2010
World Cup. Soccer is becoming more and more popular on a worldwide scale and
these qualifying matchs are causing much excitement. The game is popular at club level as well. Many fans go every week to support their team, whether the event is a home or away one, hoping to get a result. They all hope an attacking game, with a lot of goals being scored. Obviously, they do not want to see a boring, defensive match where the players are aimlessly passing the ball to each other. Sadly, not all the action always takes place on the ground. All too frequently, there is action in the stands, too. Football supporters, most of whom declare their loyalty by wearing their team's colours, in the form of shirts, are not known for their team and behaviour. They are often very noisy, shouting noisy encouragement to their team and singing deafening songs. There is much rivalry between supporters. Mostly, this is good-natured, but trouble can easily arise. Fans get angry if they feel that a referee has made a wrong decision, perhaps giving one of their team a red or yellow card unfairly, or perhaps failing to notice a foul (犯规) committed by a member of the other team. When trouble breaks out in a football crowd, it can be difficult to control. Stadium officials often seat the opposing fans in separate parts of the ground as a precaution against fighting. However, preventing trouble is more difficult outside the ground. In the worst cases, riot police have to be called in. Unfortunately, there are some fans who enjoy this violent aspect of football. These football hooligans (流氓) really enjoy a running battle with the police, and call up other people to throw stones and bottles at them. They regard football not as a sport, but as an excuse for troublemaking. Inevitablely, their behaviour spoils the reputation of the game. |