(Paul Stafford, currently studying in Guadalajara in Mexico, provides us here with a genuine insight into the psyche of the Mexican football supporter and has certainly made me realize how much work we have to do to eradicate our unsavoury image abroad - Howard Borrell)
Picture this: an airborne white, plastic chair makes its way steadily through the air towards the head of a rival fan. Add the sound of war, crossed with the sound of somebody killing a pig, and then add the smell of spilled lager, chips and cigarettes to boot. This pretty much sums up the view of the average Mexican when it comes to the English football fan.
Granted, films like "Football Factory" or "Green Street" have not really helped our image, but when I hear "ah, you're a hooligan then", when I tell a Mexican that I'm English, without having even brought up the subject of football, it seems a little strange to me.
This however, got me thinking. No matter where I go in the world, English football is revered. Games are played live on Mexican television every week, including the Chesterfield vs. West Ham League Cup match roundup. I have never seen nor heard of a Mexican League match being played on English television (but there probably is a good reason for that). The world has all these preconceived ideas about the English football fans, but how do the Mexican fans compare?
To look at the fans of one nation, you need to look at society. Traditionally a working mans sport, football is therefore a sport of the masses. This is more or less the same the world over. People of South America and Mexico have Latin blood in them; therefore hot tempers are not uncommon. Add this to a history of uprising, revolution and mass protest in Mexico, and one can see that at a football game, there surely must be the potential for riot.
In the English game, our fans can be just as hotheaded as the most scorched of them, but the difference between the two countries, is where that anger is directed. In England, these days at least, anger is reserved mainly for the referee, the opposition teams' players and manager, and when performances dip, as they inevitably must do, at our own players and manager.
In Mexico, however the fans are notoriously well behaved during games, despite the misconceptions. In England the post-match celebration will usually take place in a pub or a curry house whereas Chivas, who are the big team in Guadalajara, and most successful team of late in Mexico, have their own area of the city that they retire to. If Chivas happen to win a game then the Minerva, one of the biggest round-abouts in Guadalajara, has to be closed off for the evening whilst fans celebrate their team's victory as though it were their cup final. The fans here will slide into a drunken oblivion and any violence, often directed at rival fans from teams Atlas and Americas especially, almost always takes place well away from the football pitch.
This is typical of the 24/7 diehard adoration for football that seems to exist out here in Mexico. In England, many people manage to detach themselves from football until match-day comes around. Here, if there is any game on television it is not uncommon to find a crowd of people stood outside a shop or bar with a television, desperate to simply get a glimpse of some football.
Probably the best example that I can find of this constant diehard mentality hails from El Salvador in the year of 1969, involving two countries, and their military forces. What has become know as the 'Football War', erupted after an international World Cup qualifier between El Salvador and Honduras:
Months before, Salvadorian refugees were escaping their own, troubled country and seeking solace in Honduras, but were badly treated there too. El Salvadorians attacked visiting Honduran fans at the World Cup game as a result of the tension, and this finally escalated to the point where the government of El Salvador attacked Honduran soil. The war, which only lasted four days in military terms, left relations between these two countries severely frayed for the next decade.
In reality, fans of most Central American countries just as in England are, in general, sensible and sporting and it is only the smallest, insignificant minority that ruins that footballing outlook for the rest. This also extends to other issues such as racism, which only seems to have become a problem here in Mexico since the 2006 World Cup. Mexican football authorities have, however, been quick to stamp this out by imposing hefty fines upon the club whose supporters are caught making racist remarks towards players. The question is, would this type of punishment work in England, and would it transfer itself to violence also? Would it be a good, effective idea to impose a fine upon clubs whose fans are caught fighting or inciting violence? Then again would this just drive violence farther away from the football grounds and into public areas? These are certainly issues that should be addressed by the Football Association.
In Mexico attending a game is a much more relaxed affair but out in the street you need to take more care not to stumble into the wrong area as football remains an almost tribal activity, which is in direct contrast to the gentrification of the Premiership. With the correct measures, the mixture of alcohol and excitement does not need to transform into something ugly, violence can be avoided at games and hopefully fans here can slowly but surely help to change the negative overseas opinions that, unfortunately, still prevail.
by Paul Stafford
