“It’s only banter”. Banter, banter, fucking banter. Anyone who uses the could be placed in a category anywhere between a fool and a racist. A word so socially acceptable among cretins that it is now believed by some to be a moral justification for almost anything, from mocking a rivals’ poor league position to starting a race-hate war.
“It’s only banter!”
Homophobia rears its Ugly Head again…
Saturday was set up to be a great day. The rain had subsided early on, and the sun had decided to put on its hat and head out for the day. Despite a cold and strong breeze reminding us that we are still heading steadily to the mildness of October, it was still a great day to watch football.
What’s in a Name?
Last week, numerous journalists around the country went into uproar as it was announced that my club, Leicester City’s stadium was being changed from the ‘Walkers Stadium’ to the ‘King Power Stadium’. “It’s selling the soul of football”, many claimed; as those cringe-worthy of words “Nothing is sacred in football anymore,” repeated like a broken record on Twitter timelines and opinion blogs up-and-down the country. But come on; are the journalists just very desperate for something to write about in the off-season, or is it really that big of a deal?
Are There Any Good Guys Left?
When I was younger, I looked up to Ryan Giggs. Being left-footed, stuck out on the left-wing and with the name “Ryan”, there wasn’t really many others who I could emulate whilst playing on the local park; and it wasn’t long before the nickname “Giggsy” stuck. For me, he was still someone I could look towards and admire as I got older – even if I wasn’t a Man United fan. Ryan Giggs was one of the good guys.
Kraków’s Forgotten Team
If you know your Polish Football, you will know of Wisła Kraków and Cracovia, the two biggest sides in Poland’s second city. But until the mid 1990’s there was a third team; a team that in the 1950’s could claim to be European Champions!
ART: Maradona v Belgium
This painting is taken from the famous image of Diego Maradona playing for Argentina in a game against Belgium. It is painted onto a 16″x20″ canvas board.
The Star of Wisła
Since the fall of communism in the early 90’s and the formation of many club “firms”, Polish football fans have earned quite a bad reputation on the rest of the continent. Fighting, Homophobic chanting and racism are all prevalent in the stands, and the problems run even deeper. I have delved into the situation previously with an article for IBWM highlighting the violent confrontations between Kraków’s top two clubs, but it’s to Poland’s second city we head to find a man who is on target to change some fans’ perceptions.











