Tag: fans

Posted on by

UEFA apologises to fans for UCL final chaos

UEFA apologises to fans for UCL final chaos

UEFA have issued an apology to the fans who were affected by the events surrounding the Champions League final after ticket fraud and crowd trouble marred the showpiece event at the Stade de France in Paris.

The match was delayed by more than 30 minutes after officers forcefully held back people trying to enter the Stade de France while riot police had also sprayed tear gas on fans, including women and children.

– Notebook: Fans not to blame for UCL final fiasco
– Macron ‘sad and sorry’ after UCL final chaos

“UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final… on a night which should have been a celebration of European club football,” it said in a statement on Friday.

“No football fan should be put in that situation and it must not happen again.”

Much of the blame was placed on Liverpool fans by France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin but he acknowledged police were caught off-guard by several hundred local “delinquents” who turned up to cause trouble.

Europe’s soccer governing body had commissioned an independent report earlier this week.

On Friday they outlined its scope as they look to establish a timeline of events, examine operational plans, assess roles and responsibilities and the response to events inside and outside the stadium.

“The Review will engage with UEFA and all relevant stakeholders, including, but not limited to, fan groups… the finalist clubs themselves, general spectators, the French Football Federation, the police and other public national and local authorities, and the stadium operator,” it added.

Also on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron told local media that ticket holders who were blocked from entering the Stade de France by security personnel must be reimbursed “as fast as possible.”

“I have a thought for the families who have been pushed around, who have not been able to access the seats they had paid for. This is why I hope that we can compensate them as soon as possible,” Macron said in the interview.

“I have asked the government to clarify what happened, to determine the responsibilities and to explain them in detail to our compatriots, the British and the Spanish.”

Real Madrid had demanded answers from organisers over measures taken to protect supporters while Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan had reiterated a call for an investigation, saying they had written to UEFA and raised specific questions.

Real Madrid won Saturday’s final 1-0 to win a record-extending 14th European Cup.

Posted on by

New bill would fine unruly fans at youth sporting events

New bill would fine unruly fans at youth sporting events

ST. PAUL, MN. (CBS 3 Duluth) – Unruly fans at youth sporting events across Minnesota could face large fines if a recently-proposed bill makes it through the state congress.

With a shortage of referees, a Minnesota lawmaker is presenting a bill he hopes will make a goal.

“This has been a bill that since I’ve been in the house, I’ve been trying to get activated,” said Rep. John Huot. “Because I’m a referee also.”

Huot presented a bill Tuesday that expands on current legislation, which imposes a fine of up to five-thousand dollars for assaulting an official during youth sporting events.

“What it really is saying is we need to take care of the kids that are playing and keep them safe,” he said.

Huot said he’s seen an uptick in disturbances in the past few years.

The new bill would include all types of interference, such as intentionally entering the field of play or causing any object to enter the field of play and creating a disruption.

“When you’re on the floor with the players, it’s about their experience, their safety,” Huot said. “It’s not about the wins or losses, but a great experience.”

Executive Director of the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association, Bob Nygaard, said while he hasn’t experienced many issues in the Northland himself, he thinks it’s important to set the standard that it will not be tolerated.

“We’ve got to change the culture,” Nygaard said. “It’s again sad that it’s gotten this far, but at the same time it’s heartening that we get a chance to maybe turn this around and get this back to what it really is: it’s about kids playing sports.”

Nygaard said it means a lot to see politicians take a stand for youth athletics.

“This has to stay focused to the player,” said Huot. “This the player’s experience on the court or on the field, and that’s what it’s about. It’s only about the player.

The House Public Safety committee approved Huot’s bill unanimously on Tuesday afternoon.

Copyright 2022 CBS 3 Duluth. All rights reserved.

Posted on by

From dish soap to catfish, fans throw the darndest things at sporting events

From dish soap to catfish, fans throw the darndest things at sporting events

A few weeks ago, at the PGA Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament, Sam Ryder scored a hole-in-one.

It was on the famous, or infamous, 16th hole. The par-three hole is surrounded by bleachers holding up to 17,000 very rowdy fans. Most fans spend the entire day there and as each golfer hits they yell, cheer and jeer at their effort.

When Ryder’s ball fell into the cup they covered the green and area in beer cans, not all empty. They repeated the dangerous act the next day after another ace.

Over the years a number of articles have been thrown onto play surfaces for a number of reasons.

In the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, Florida Panther forward Scott Mellanby killed a rat in their dressing room with his hockey stick. Fans brought plastics rats to the following games and threw them on the ice after every Florida goal. It was reported the team would collect the rats off the ice and resell them to fans before the next game.

In 1952 a Detroit Red Wing fan who owned a fish market spirited an octopus into the game. When the Wings scored their first goal, he threw it on the ice. He explained it took eight playoff wins to win the Stanley Cup in the days of the six-team NHL and the octopus has eight tentacles. The custom continues today even though it takes 16 wins.

Fans of the Nashville Predators, a geographical rival of the Red Wings, recently started to throw catfish onto the ice. The NHL announced that if it continued the team would be assessed a delay-of-game penalty. Now an occasional fish flies over the boards prior to games.

On promotion nights teams give out a variety of items to entice fans to the game. At one time frisbees were popular until a hockey game in the Western Hockey League game unwisely handed them out before the game. The team had an extremely bad game and by the end every Frisbee handed out was thrown on the ice by disgusted fans.

One item that is permitted to be tossed on the ice by all hockey teams is hats. In 1940, the story goes, a haberdasher in Toronto, Sammy Taft, offered the Maple Leaf players a new hat for a three-goal performance. The term “hat-trick” grew from his offer.

In those days practically all men wore fedoras, a fairly expensive heat gear. There was obviously no inclination to throw them on the ice. That practice really started when younger fans in their ball caps, which most had many of, started throwing them on the ice after a third goal by a player.

Today the Teddy Bear toss has become a regular for most junior and minor pro hockey teams. It started to give local first responders teddy bears to give children at accidents or traumatic scenes. Today the tosses, usually in December, supply charities the toys for Christmas hampers and other handouts.

One unique event that was popular locally in the Miller Bowl lacrosse bowl days and later the Civic Arena era was the blanket toss. Often a minor lacrosse or hockey team would carry a blanket around the rink or bowl during an intermission and fans would toss coins into the blanket to help the team financially.

At the Petes first game, in November 1956, each patron was given a sample can of a new liquid dishwashing detergent. The Petes won that first game in overtime and needless to say many of those cans, including mine, ended up on the ice in celebration. That ended that pre-game practice!

Don Barrie is a retired teacher, former Buffalo Sabres scout and a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame. His column appears each Saturday in The Examiner.