Reporting is one thing, but until we get better at actually punishing people nothing will change. As I’ve said before, a small group of our fans racially abused Bristol Rovers players two seasons running at their place, and both times the stewards refused to do anything as “We didn’t hear it so there’s nothing we can do”. Until all clubs at all levels sort out their protocols there is only so far the issue can go in terms of improvement.
As Gary Neville was saying at the weekend, when this stuff happens in Bulgaria or any other Eastern European country everybody is up in arms and demands immediate sanctions, but when it happens here - and it now happens just as often - a lot of people are nowhere near as outraged and there isn’t such urgency to their demands. It very much goes from “How dare they, throw the book at them and sling them out, make them play behind closed doors if need be, the animals” to something much more like “That’s out of order, can’t believe it’s happening, they should get a banning order but let’s not punish everybody for the behaviour of a few”. It needs tackling as a serious and completely unacceptable act, not soundbites and platitudes.
