The Southsiders are known for their clever taunts and chants, and things have kicked off to a new level this year with the additions of new supporter groups throughout the stadium. Last night we saw something a little different as Montreal and Vancouver played out the second tie of their NCC Semi Final. A flare made its way to the pitch.
If you look on the Southsiders forum board it is an act that is being outright condemned by the entire assembly and accusations are being thrown about as to where the "flare bitch" made their way from. While a flare is a big deal and caused significant damage to both the pitch and the L.E.D. sign boards, the interesting part of the situation is that it has drawn far more attention than the outright display of bigotry that was being sung by our loudest group of fans. As these groups add more members to their numbers and control of their actions becomes more difficult to regulate, the question begs to be asked: who will throw the first banana? And when they do, will anybody care?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
While calling Ali Gerba fat or accusing him of eating all the pies is flat out funny - even the most rotund of supporters seemed to get into the act - things crossed the line from insensitive to ignorant and then from there, it was no turning back.
The thought of racism in a Canadian stadium seems outrageous and we like to think "not here" and "we're not like that" but casual racism was just the tip of the iceberg in last night's match.
It started fairly early on in the game, with occasional calls from ignorant xenophobes to "Separate" and other such lovely patriotic sentiments, and from the press box I could not quite make out what was being sung. It was obviously a rendition of the usual "We're Blue... We're White" but it was followed by Muuuun treee alll...
As I found myself sitting in my usual seat for the second half, I finally caught on to what was actually being sung. I would have to imagine a chant of "get off the pitch you black monkey" would not be deemed as appropriate by the fans, but somehow in one of the most open minded and accepting cities in the world unmitigated homophobic chants of "We're Pink... We're Black... We take it from the Back..." are acceptable social commentary. In either case we would see a blatant disregard for an individuals equality rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. One is offensive and easily condemned while the other is sung with much laughter and joviality.
I can't recall a previous situation where the CSA has had to deal with this issue in such a public display as a Nationally Televised event, but I would have to imagine that this would set a precedent if any action is taken in regards to this.
A while back I came across this fantastic public service ad with regards to Homophobia in the English FA.
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If it is condemned in England why should it be acceptable here?
While the chants are directed at players and their feelings are of little concern to most supporters, are the feelings of their fellow fans? The negative connotations associated with homosexuality in sport are offensive in the real world, so why should they be accepted in the stadium? Last night was a hiccup, I am sure. The flare issue will likely be dealt with swiftly, but it seems as though the bigotry will go unpunished for the time being.
It is easy to say that if you do not like the actions of the group, simply leave. It could even be argued that this sort of thing is confined to the one end of the stand. While these actions do occur at one end of the pitch, the loud voices that the Southsiders pride themselves on echo through the stadium, onto the concourse, and into the night. Children are everywhere in the stadium and are we then telling them that this sort of behaviour is acceptable?
It's not what we've come to expect from the group that brought us all time classics like "Boundry Road" and "If You Love The Caps Stand Up."
Just food for thought.