Over the years one has
often heard the phrase “rules are meant
to be broken” and, as attractive or maverick a mantra as this might seem, recent
events have brought me to the conclusion that, if one is intent of having rules, surely one has to adhere to them so as to achieve good and fair practice in any society, group, club
or even a football league.
So before my anarchic
friends start spitting at their monitors, let me explain my thinking.
As most people now,
the actual status of the ‘club’ that Vincent McBean runs is something of a
mystery, and purposely so. One is aware
of the various Limited Companies that he has opened, allowed to be struck off
through failing to file accounts, and then started again with a new one with
the same name.
Couple that with two more
McBean creations, the ‘Clapton Members Club’, and a mysterious supporters group,
the ‘Tons Members Club’ who no one has ever encountered, and it adds up to a
very complicated situation indeed.
THE ESSEX SENIOR
LEAGUE RULES.
So thank the footballing
gods for rule 2.13 of the Essex Senior League that requires all clubs to
publish on website and programmes etc its legal name and form. That is to
say that they are obliged to declare, as a minimum requirement, to publish whether
it is a member’s or a proprietary club, a limited company etc. This rule also
requires that if a part of a club is privately owned, they should declare it.
I was one of a number
of people who wrote to the secretary of the League asking that he enforces this
rule and was firstly disappointed that he chose not to respond personally but send a
generic email to Andy Barr, complaining of an ‘email bombardment’. I was also surprised by his refusal to accede to enforce a rule that is said to be a minimum
requirement. This refusal was all the more surprising as, in the mail, he
referred to possible legal proceedings which, as he will know, are unlikely to be
started without actual clarification of what kind of operation, and under what
guise, Mr McBean’s 'club' is officially being run.
As Dworkin once said. the correct interpretation of a rule is “the one
that puts practices in their best light, or makes of them the best that they can be.” In my opinion, an epic fail here.
It is circumstances such as this, where football is
unable to be consistent in its
application of its rules and where transparency is clearly in question. To address this, the Football Governance Bill is being put through Parliament. I wish Damian Collins MP every success with
his efforts to enact the Bill. The only people who have anything to
fear from its enactment are those using football for questionable
motives and others who support and protect them, tacitly or otherwise.
THE SAWBRIDGEWORTH
RULES.
Last weekend, we came
across more rules, this time, apparently, by order of the Football Association. Here is the sign that greeted spectators at
our away match with Sawbridgeworth Town FC.
This sign was probably
a product of the Essex Senior League meeting recently referred to by Vince
McBean on his website. However, there have been no fireworks let off at Clapton
matches that I have been to, and, in fact, the last ones that lit up the Spotted
Dog were from neighbour’s gardens at Dwali a couple of years ago. Flares? Pyro?
or whatever, I believe qualified undertakings were given to Mr McBean on that
front and the issue has been closed.
However, the banning
of food and drink was quite a surprise, so the idea of having to dispense
with my Greggs pasty and bottle of Dr Pepper at the gate was not the ‘Welcome
to Sawbridgeworth Town FC’ I was hoping for.
But, on a serious
point, what was the purpose behind the obviously newly commissioned sign? It was clearly aimed specifically at Clapton
supporters, 'purported' or otherwise (see below) But,
there have been no incidents involving drunkenness at any of the Clapton games that
I have seen over the past couple of years (if one excludes the infamous Clapton
groundsman) and neither sandwich, chomp bar or other tasty comestible has been
jettisoned pitchwards. I don’t recall
any kids becoming disruptive whilst having OD’d on sunset orange or other E
numbers, so why have the FA, who, according to the sign, expressly ordered this ban, taken such a heavy handed approach?
Someone should ask them, but don’t hold your breath for an answer.
It might be no
coincidence that Sawbridgeworth chairman, Mr Steve Day, is a member of the
Essex Senior League Management Committee and he may have thought this a way of
flexing his muscles in response to the embarrassment they must feel over their failure
to apply their own rules in response to our initial request for information.
So I admit to breaking
an FA order (if that was what it really was).
I did not dispense with my snacks and drinks outside or declare them at
the gate. I ate and drank my contraband
pitch side, alongside a band of locals who were happily imbibing of alcoholic
beverages whilst watching the game.
REF STOPS THE GAME
There was another
mysterious incident when the referee stopped the game, after his linesman
indicated that one of the Clapton followers, who was getting in position to
lead the singing, had held onto a pole behind the goal to support himself. Play was a long way away from the incident
and this was hardly a pitch invasion. But
the reaction of the officials to this incident smacked of them being briefed or under some kind of orders, instructions or a campaign, by whoever is instructing referees, to ‘clamp down on Clapton
supporters’. The referee even went to
have words with the Clapton dug out. That was ill-advised, no Clapton officials
in there mate, as our ‘owner’ was scheduled to be trousering the bar take at
the London Bari home match at the Dog.
However, if the referee wanted to be even handed in his pedanticism,
he could have equally instructed the home supporters to remove their drinking
vessels containing alcohol from the pitch side barrier. He didn’t.
THE FANS WIN THE DAY
But this is non–league
/ amateur football for pity’s sake and, in contrast to the idiocy of the
welcome sign and the fussy referee, the highlight of the day was the superb post
match exchange between the Sawbridgeworth and Clapton supporters in which everyone
joined in to celebrate their day. It was
an excellent victory for the home team and the visitors had enjoyed another day
of vociferously supporting one of the most popular non-league teams in the
south of England.
So the overbearing and
ridiculous sign was booted into the long grass by those who actually matter,
the supporters. It might be interesting
to see if that sign becomes a permanent fixture at Sawbridgeworth games or even if
the FA actually did make the specific order or why it only applies to
Sawbridgeworth.
As Albert Camus once
said “Integrity has no need of rules”.
Finally, I have read in
another email that was sent to an ex Clapton Chairman from the ESL Secretary in which he refers to ‘purported
Clapton supporters’. He should be
assured that I was a Clapton supporter long before he was ever involved with
Ilford FC and, more recently, his tenure at the Essex Senior League. It is also quite possible that the new breed of Clapton supporters, purported or otherwise,
might well outlast him.
Right, I'm up for the cup and I'm off to the Dog for our match against Waltham Forest. Come on you Tons.
