Club Statement

Talk about anything to do with Cheltenham Town, CTFC 500 Club, League 1, ex players & Managers

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little mo
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Joined: 26 Dec 2012, 17:27
FA investigating now.
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
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bigdavejambo wrote:

i have heard much much worse chants at football grounds over the years
Just because you may have heard more extreme homophobia in the past doesn’t mean blatant homophobia in the present is any more acceptable or legal.

Anyway, I get it. You’re a homophobe who thinks someone being gay, or rumoured to be gay, is something to mock and be negative about.
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Lord Elpuz
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Joined: 20 Jul 2011, 19:35
Thankfully we live in very different times to the days of hearing “much worse chants at football grounds over the years” and that statement itself proves as a society we are clearly moving on from the days of blatant discrimination, because not only is it reprehensible, it is illegal under the Equalities Act of 2010.

It is the idiots of this world that don’t understand the law or the reasons why the law came into being. Ridicule and persecution of fellow human beings is unacceptable anywhere.

Unfortunately we have a few mindless idiots following CTFC at the moment who think it is acceptable to ignore the law in order to create “atmosphere” and they behave like a wild mob which they wrongly believe shows “passion and commitment” to the Team.

The stewards need to do more and should film the culprits (most people carry mobile phones with cameras these days) at close quarters before removing them from the stadium, in order to get them permanently banned from football grounds. We have to show that we aim to stamp this out completely - and not just because the Football League is investigating.
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
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Made the national media now.

Here is the Guardian story: https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... l-campbell" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

At least this article highlights how our own fans condemn it and raised the issue. At most clubs fans don’t have the class or guts and it would go unreported.
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Hubert Parry
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Now it's on the home page of BBC sport.
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Shade
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Location: Cheltenhamshire
I wish it was reported that it was so few people chanting that the vast majority, including Campbell himself I suspect, didn't even hear it, just so as to make it clear it is an extreme minority.

Did we ever find out what Ashmore supposedly heard being chanted at him?
little mo
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Sol Campbell is married with 3 kids. But even if he was gay he should not be subjected to abuse for it.
Robin
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Shade wrote:I wish it was reported that it was so few people chanting that the vast majority, including Campbell himself I suspect, didn't even hear it, just so as to make it clear it is an extreme minority.

Did we ever find out what Ashmore supposedly heard being chanted at him?
Exactly Shade so far all we have is two people claiming to hear something from what I can tell so it was more an isolated incident involving a relatively small number of individuals. Anyone reading the headlines would perceive it very differently no doubt.
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Shade
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Location: Cheltenhamshire
I've just been told that the person that started the chant is a friend of a friend, a Newcastle fan that rarely ever goes to Whaddon Road. Apparently he thinks it's mental that he started a chant about "never having seen Sol Campbell with a bird" as a bit of fun and now it's all over national media.
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Lord Elpuz
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Robin wrote:
Shade wrote:I wish it was reported that it was so few people chanting that the vast majority, including Campbell himself I suspect, didn't even hear it, just so as to make it clear it is an extreme minority.

Did we ever find out what Ashmore supposedly heard being chanted at him?
Exactly Shade so far all we have is two people claiming to hear something from what I can tell so it was more an isolated incident involving a relatively small number of individuals. Anyone reading the headlines would perceive it very differently no doubt.
Sorry to stoke the fires that some would like to extinguish as if it was meaningless ... I stand to one side of the goal in the PRE and heard it sung twice within about 15 minutes of both renditions - and I can assure you that there was most definitely more than one person singing it - probably about 15 or 20 young lads. Lots of people around me also heard it and began berating the singers, because it was unacceptable.

The same group came storming through the lower end of the stand in a long line when Raglan scored the winning goal. They all ran from behind the goal to try and celebrate with the players near the corner flag - without care or consideration for elderly fans or young children that stand at the front. One even got ejected from the ground as he may have jumped the barrier. They’re out of control and will bring the wrong kind of attention to the Club.

[They can be seen in the Club “Fan Cam” footage about 1:48 into the clip streaming down from the top left of the picture https://twitter.com/ctfcofficial/status ... 68993?s=21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]
Last edited by Lord Elpuz on 30 Jan 2019, 13:23, edited 1 time in total.
Jerry St Clair
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Shade wrote:Apparently he thinks it's mental that he started a chant about "never having seen Sol Campbell with a bird" as a bit of fun and now it's all over national media.
Then he needs to have a word with himself.

The only motivations for such a chant would be either an observation on Campbell's attractiveness to the opposite sex or an implication that he's gay laced with homophobia. The first is utterly juvenile, the second is pathetic, offensive and possibly illegal.
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
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Shade wrote:I've just been told that the person that started the chant is a friend of a friend, a Newcastle fan that rarely ever goes to Whaddon Road. Apparently he thinks it's mental that he started a chant about "never having seen Sol Campbell with a bird" as a bit of fun and now it's all over national media.
The fact he thinks homophobia is a bit of fun says it all.
RedMark
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Joined: 27 Jul 2018, 08:36
Shade wrote:I've got an angry shouty man sat next to me in the CF recently. He's going to be told to shut it soon. Did my bloody nut in on Saturday shouting all kinds of c!#p, some of it getting very borderline. People who can't control their emotions shouldn't be allowed out in public. They're an embarrassment to themselves and the club, but they put it down to that's what being a football fan is all about.
I think anyone who shouts racist, homophobic or sexist abuse should be banned from attending.

However people shouting in support of the team, or shouting at the ref are perfectly entitled to do so - and they are entitled to do so with passion.

Some fans like to get involved and are vocal. In my view the atmosphere at Whaddon Road is at its best when supporters are passionate and vocal. The manager and players also thrive on hearing support from the crowd; and often fans are called the 12th player for the effect they can have.

Others prefer to watch more quietly. Both are entitled and welcome to do so. However lets not start shutting up or discouraging people who are just passionately supporting their team. Otherwise we will loose loyal fans, and end up with an atmosphere akin to a library rather than a football ground.

We all love football but can enjoy it in different ways. I want everyone to feel welcome at Whaddon Road.
Si Robin
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asl
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Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 09:37
Plenty of witnesses on here, it seems. Hopefully, they'll contact the police as requested.
paperboy
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Joined: 05 Jul 2011, 22:56
Lord Elpuz wrote:
Robin wrote:
Shade wrote:I wish it was reported that it was so few people chanting that the vast majority, including Campbell himself I suspect, didn't even hear it, just so as to make it clear it is an extreme minority.

Did we ever find out what Ashmore supposedly heard being chanted at him?
Exactly Shade so far all we have is two people claiming to hear something from what I can tell so it was more an isolated incident involving a relatively small number of individuals. Anyone reading the headlines would perceive it very differently no doubt.
Sorry to stoke the fires that some would like to extinguish as if it was meaningless ... I stand to one side of the goal in the PRE and heard it sung twice within about 15 minutes of both renditions - and I can assure you that there was most definitely more than one person singing it - probably about 15 or 20 young lads. Lots of people around me also heard it and began berating the singers, because it was unacceptable.

The same group came storming through the lower end of the stand in a long line when Raglan scored the winning goal. They all ran from behind the goal to try and celebrate with the players near the corner flag - without care or consideration for elderly fans or young children that stand at the front. One even got ejected from the ground as he may have jumped the barrier. They’re out of control and will bring the wrong kind of attention to the Club.

[They can be seen in the Club “Fan Cam” footage about 1:48 into the clip streaming down from the top left of the picture https://twitter.com/ctfcofficial/status ... 68993?s=21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]
I was nearly pushed over by them a few weeks ago, but just put it down to youthful exuberance.
...and at least it meant we had scored.
Robin
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Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 11:19
Sorry but we should not mix homophobic chanting and young lads running down the front to celebrate a goal. Let's keep both topics separate please.
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
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Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Updated Club statement confirming the stewards failed to act and that the Club are assisting the police in identifying the culprits.

https://www.ctfc.com/news/2019/january/ ... eld-match/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Fuller
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Joined: 27 Jun 2012, 09:23
RegencyCheltenhamSpa wrote:Updated Club statement confirming the stewards failed to act and that the Club are assisting the police in identifying the culprits.

https://www.ctfc.com/news/2019/january/ ... eld-match/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
One thing's for sure.
People who have put their heart and soul into supporting and running our club for years shouldn't have to put up with this c;@p.
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longmover
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Just as a point of reference the 'incidents' at Millwall seem to have slipped off the front pages.
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Lord Elpuz
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Robin wrote:Sorry but we should not mix homophobic chanting and young lads running down the front to celebrate a goal. Let's keep both topics separate please.
No need to apologise ... unless you know for sure that this same group of lads were not also involved in the ‘chanting’? ;)
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
Posts: 29757
Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
I wonder how long this tag will stay with us? Here we are listed alongside unwanted company in the opening paragraph of an article in the Guardian online this evening:

“Perhaps the most depressing thing about reports that some Southampton fans had been filmed making aeroplane gestures at Cardiff players in reference to the tragic death of Emiliano Sala was that they were hardly surprising. There seems to have been a constant trickle of similar stories this season: violence after Watford’s game against Everton; Islamophobic abuse of Mohamed Salah at West Ham; homophobic abuse of Sol Campbell at Cheltenham; Chelsea fans abusing Raheem Sterling; a banana on the pitch in the north London derby, and more it seems on a weekly basis.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/bl ... ns-arrests" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Hubert Parry
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Joined: 22 Jul 2011, 09:09
It is very unedifying. Identifying as LGBTQ+ myself, I have been particularly wary of homophobic chanting at football grounds and at WR in particular over the years. Thankfully, it has always been rare and isolated but the stewards do very little to police such behaviour, leaving it to brave witnesses to challenge any unsavoury chanting or abuse. In this case, it is unfortunate that Cheltenham got caught out as I rather think it is pretty awful everywhere - hence why there are no openly gay or bisexual professional male footballers in this country, when statistically an entire squad('s worth) in each league could be!
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