I never got into football because of the culture. As a small kid I grew up down the road from the Chelsea grounds and every weekend it was hordes of rowdy fans and police on horseback.
The early 80s was rife with hooliganism and then as I got a bit older I remember hanging about in parts of south London with friends and there being so many stories of firms beating people up, slashing faces etc. All this generated a constant fear of those associated with football. It’s kind of stupid but it’s the first impressions I got.
Jump forward to some Euros and World cups during the early 00s and I remember watching and listening to groups of Italian football fans use some of the worst racist language as players of colour were on screen. Keep in mind these were white collar types who presented themselves well.
Finally, I have never understood how a game where there will almost inevitable be a winner and a loser can stir up such virulent emotions in people who watch for the outcome as if their life depended on it. It’s madness. This can apply to other sports but in Football it’s inherent.
I do like watching the euros and World Cup because it’s a bit of fun but I don’t lose sleep over any of it. In fact my fondest sports memory is when France won the World Cup in 98. Living in France during that time it was a pretty mad moment for the population as a whole. That wave of happiness and kindness came from a game of two halves.
I caught about 2 minutes of the first England game, when Denmark equalised. I find the ebb and flow of the game particularly hard to deal with and have never really enjoyed watching it or playing it. Diego Maradonna did have a…hand ( )…in putting me off for life when I was a kid as well. Cheating twat.
Did a MSc Mathematical Economics. Can’t stress this enough, but it’s really never too late to go back to university. I hesitated it for so long on it but I’m so glad I set myself the challenge and persevered. For anyone considering something like this (e.g. going back to university as a mature student) feel free to reach out.
Now do some financial economics stuff in the City.
Folks posting Berra videos and praising the crowd vibe of Wimbledon. There was a photo of a Heroin board collection alongside a video of a lady hoarding her own shit and I couldn’t tell the difference.
It’s the wild west these days.
)…in putting me off for life when I was a kid as well. Cheating twat.
