His team was tied 1-1 at the time. The game was reaching its final stages and under the floodlights they missed the opportunity to take the lead.
That’s when Sheffield United fan Tony lost his temper and shouted something at Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner that he could never take back.
“We just missed a shot. The goalkeeper picked the ball up from behind the goal and made a little gesture to the visiting fans. Nothing bad, nothing that should upset me, but I lost my cool for ten seconds. I Start yelling: “Go on, you bastard. “
“That was 10 stupid seconds. Two guys in front of me immediately turned around and said, ‘You shouldn’t be shouting like that, you shouldn’t be saying that.’ “I know they’re right. “I know,” I said. “I’m sorry. ” I knew it was wrong and that I might end up in trouble for it.
The next day, Tony, who is in his 50s, was reported by his fellow Sheffield United fans. They had his seat number at Forest City Stadium that day and a description of his appearance. The club contacted him and he immediately admitted he had committed homophobic abuse.
A letter informed him that he was banned from Bramall Lane pending an investigation and he was summoned to the police station to determine whether he should face criminal charges or if there was another way to deal with it.
All of this brought Tony to the attention of Kick It Out, English football’s largest anti-discrimination organisation, and led to him being recommended to attend fan education seminars as a form of out-of-court restorative justice.
Matt Turner was the target of “Tony’s” homophobic insults. (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Tony is not the fan’s real name. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the impact the publicity would have on his family, but agreed to be the first perpetrator of the Kick it Out anti-discrimination program to speak about how it works, what he learned and the importance of education. .
“I didn’t realize Kick It Out had been running since the 1990s,” he said. “I thought this was a new thing and only involved racism. Up until now I had never really thought about other types of discrimination. I was never wise about it. But I realize now that I need to get educated. I’ve learned Lessons learned, but I also learned more.
We meet in Sheffield and early on, Tony bends down to show something to Alan Busch (Kick It Out’s Fan Education and Engagement Manager).
“Look at this,” he said in his thick Sheffield accent.
He pulled up his pants to reveal he was wearing a pair of rainbow socks.
“They were a gift. It was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done. My daughter is gay. So is my stepdaughter. They bought me socks for Christmas.
He first met Bush last September four weeks after the Forest game, which led to police involvement.
It was a two-hour seminar at the City Ground, Forest’s stadium, and Tony made it clear from the start that he was there to listen and learn.
Busch introduced him to the various forms of discrimination that taint the game and spoke at length about the impact hate crimes can have on their victims.
Busch explained the story of a Tottenham Hotspur supporter who was largely involved in the Pride Lily LGBTQ fans group and stopped attending a game because of homophobic chants.
He and Toni used slides to talk about the racist abuse suffered by England internationals Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford, as well as Blackpool’s Jack Daniels and The late Justin Fashanu’s experience as a gay footballer. They talk about the Rainbow Blades, Sheffield United’s LGBTQ group, why it needs to exist and how its members would feel if they heard one of the club’s supporters shouting gay slurs.
Sheffield United captain Oliver Norwood wore a rainbow armband against Burnley this season. (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Bush then explained the consequences for those who break the law, threatening lawsuits, prison sentences and travel bans.
“Throughout the meeting, (Tony) became more and more aware of the wrongdoing of his actions,” Bush said. “When we learned about hate crime legislation and the consequences, he was surprised to see the different outcomes it could have had for him and how it would have changed his life.”
This is Bush’s specialty. Kick It Out referrals come from the police or football clubs and Bush’s job is to meet offenders one-to-one and pass on his recommendations to the clubs involved. In the past three years, he has given more than 200 lectures.
“The important thing to remember,” he told Tony, “even if you call it a moment of madness, it’s still a hate crime. It caused harassment, alarm or distress. As a result, you could be taken to court and prosecuted Banned from football matches. You could lose your job and suffer various other consequences.
There’s no doubt that Busch’s deep roots in football culture help. He dresses like a fan because that’s who he is. He has been traveling to Newcastle United, home and away, since the stands opened at St James’ Park. He’s a big guy – short hair, Fred Perry shirt, vintage Adidas sneakers – and it’s easy to see why the average guy on the street can identify with him more easily than the suit-clad Premier League executives.
Nor does it take long to spend time in Busch’s company to realize that he cares deeply about his job. He is trained in hate crime procedures and works as an anti-social behavior officer in London.
Alan Bush runs the Kick It Out education course for banned fans. (kick it out)
“At the end of the meeting, he asked me what I was going to do when I was allowed to play again,” Toney said. “I told him, ‘When we score, I sit there quietly and then I jump up, which is not usual for Sheffield United fans’.
“But Allen said, ‘I don’t want you to be like that. You can jump up and shout as long as it’s not racist, it’s not about people with disabilities or gender reassignment or religion and belief.’ You realize football is not just about white people and straight people. Men’s Patent. This is for everyone.
Of all the people who attended the “Kick It Out” recovery seminars, Busch remembers only one occasion when he found it difficult to get the message across to someone — a man who shouted anti-Muslim words at an opposing player.
Only one person re-offended, a member of the England Supporters’ Traveling Club. The man was banned from football for three years, and when that ban expires, Bush will likely see him again. However, the vast majority of people reacted positively. Many offenders cannot explain why they do what they do.
As far as Tony was concerned, it didn’t seem to matter whether the player he insulted that night was straight or not. The slur was just a thoughtless insult that he could have used on any opponent at the time. He did not drink and did not consider himself homophobic.
“He couldn’t give a concrete answer for his actions,” Bush said. “He kept saying it was stupid, he wasn’t thinking, maybe it was just a ‘joke’.” But he couldn’t find any real reason that satisfied him. His main reaction is that what he did was wrong and he wishes he could turn back time.
In a way, he was lucky. The person who reported Tony didn’t want to go to court. “All the worries were coming over me,” he said. “Your name was in the newspaper, your address was in the newspaper, you were banned from football matches… you were publicly humiliated.”
Instead, we can find a glimmer of positivity in Tony’s story. If the purpose of Kick It Out is to educate people and make football a better place, Tony proves it can be done.
Tony talks about passing on what he has learned to his friends sitting next to him on the Sheffield United pitch. He admitted what he had done and told them not to make the same mistake again. This goes beyond football, too. “I work with gay people,” he said. “Before I took this course, I might have joked with them a little bit, but now I don’t. Because it’s not a joke, is it? So I’ve brought that into my workplace as well.
Bush concluded that the man sitting before him “needed no prompting in the learning process to demonstrate genuine remorse, understanding and empathy.”
“I felt Tony was being honest with us when he talked about how ashamed he was of his actions,” Bush said. “My gut feeling, from looking into his eyes for more than two hours, is that he is deeply sorry for the hurt his words may have caused. Community solutions and out-of-court restorative approaches are the right solutions this time.
Sheffield United fans gather at Bramall Lane. (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
Overall, the sport may need more specially trained experts like Busch who can pass on their knowledge in this area. After all, more and more people are now heeding Kick It Out’s message and reporting discrimination. Last season, a record 1,007 reports were filed. That number is still rising, making this role even more important.
Elegy also began to fall within Busch’s remit, and although he was acutely aware of the need for punishment, he was convinced that the club should not issue lifetime bans for all different types of infractions. “I hate that word,” he said, “because there’s no turning back.”
It would be best for those involved with Kick It Out to educate the offenders and ensure that when these people are allowed back into the stadium, they have changed their mindset and have a better understanding of what is and is not acceptable of.
Tony is a perfect example: a self-proclaimed “old-school” guy who now also says he “appreciates underrepresented groups in today’s society and understands why respect is important.”
He was allowed back to Bramall Lane after signing an “ABC” (acceptable behavior contract) and said he wanted to meet the fan who reported him. He wanted to apologize properly.
He also did something that no one in the relevant Kick It All class had done before: He emailed Bush the next day and asked if he could go back and see him again. To Busch, this must be a sign of a job well done.
“Thank you for inviting me to the Kick It Out conference,” it read. “I’m passionate about learning as much as possible from subject matter experts like you. I found this course to be informative and eye-opening.
“I learned a lot, from the difference between misogyny and sexism, to what is socially acceptable and what is okay to say, shout or yell.
“I have access to a wealth of information, and I am more aware of the impact comments can have on others. Once again, I deeply apologize for my ignorant comments.
(Top photo: Catherine Ewell/Getty Images)
