THE scenes where a group of AZ Alkmaar fans attacked the families of West Ham following the latter’s 1-nil victory in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League semifinals is frightening.
West Ham players had to rush to protect their families; an abject security failure.
I personally know how frightening it is to be attacked by a mob more so when you are not in your hometown.
I experienced that during the semifinals of the 2010 Suzuki Cup in Indonesia. With the Philippines unable to host a home match in the two-leg home and away series, Indonesia was handed a massive advantage. And to think they were already favorites to advance.
Here’s what I do not get—the Merah Putih were going to win this so why were supporters of the Philippines attacked?
During the first leg, the bus we took to the Gelano Bung Karno was attacked by supporters prompting organizers to assign soldiers to be physically inside our bus for the second leg.
But during that first leg, the fans were banging on the walls of the bus. If that was to intimidate us, consider us done so.
I remember saying out loud, “No one looks at the fans. No one looks outside the window. No gestures or sarcastic smiles.”
Everyone complied and yet as the bus made its way inside the stadium, some fans were able to get in and attempted to open the door at the back.
Luckily, some stadium security was able to pull and beat them back.
During the game, their fans pelted Filipino supporters and were warned not to raise the Philippine flag.
I was personally chased by several fans for wearing the Azkals shirt. When the Philippines played Myanmar in Nam Dinh that was more than an hour’s drive from Hanoi in North Vietnam, this was after the Azkals’ shock 2-nil triumph over Vietnam, the defending champions.
The morning after our arrival, while the entire team went jogging the next day, we were trailed by a number of locals on motorbikes and bicycles who were all glaring if not goading us into a fight. We all looked down and quickly made our way back to the hotel.
Incidentally, we had zero security.
And that wasn’t even the worst. Malaysia, which Indonesia played in the finals, had its players brought to the stadium inside armored vehicles. Isn’t that a shame?
Passion is one thing, hooliganism is another. They should have been docked hosting a match or two to teach them a lesson.
And that wouldn’t even be the last for Filipino supporters. There was the abuse heaped upon them during a match versus Hong Kong in Hong Kong following the events of a botched hostage incident in Manila where several Hong Kongers were killed.
While I am passionate about the teams I root for, not once did I think of inflicting physical harm on any supporter of the opposing squad. Even when my teams lost. And I have felt utterly devastated after galling losses.
I am not stupid about these things. When people want to do wrong, they will always find ways. But in the case of the West Ham game, or even in the 2010 Suzuki Cup, the supporters must be placed in a safer area and protected.
Unfortunately, it took the shine off West Ham’s win and gave a black eye to the Dutch club, many whose supporters do not condone these actions.
Hopefully, club security and UEFA will come down hard on the guilty parties.
As much as I love the old era of sports where play was tough, I am glad that today they are family-oriented. There is just no place for that kind of violence.
They want violence, they can always go to the frontlines in Ukraine then let’s see how tough they are.