| Subject: Editorial: The boo boys |
Author:
Son
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Date Posted: 09:15:34 02/26/03 Wed
Don't get me wrong, sometimes fans have to boo their team. If a team is underperforming, or players are simply not trying then not only do the fans have a right to show their disgust they have a duty to do so. There are times to boo and hiss which can actually affect a team in a positive way, though in other instances this reaction can have negative consequences for a club.
Last week, the boo boys were popping up all over the place, but most notably in Milan. It was quite strange really as both Milan teams were booed at different times of the week. First the boo boys targeted AC Milan. The team, albeit uninspired, pulled out a 1-0 Champions' League victory over Lokomotiv Moscow. This was not enough to stop some of the crowd from jeering the team. This is where the negative reaction is uncalled for.
AC Milan are in the thick of everything this year, near the top of Serie A, well placed in the Champions' League, and in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. Not to mention that their performances this season in Italy and Europe have drawn praise from around the continent as Carlos Ancelotti's men have been said to be playing some of the best and most attractive football around. Why the booing then? It is tough to say why. Perhaps, some wanted a 5-0 win over Lokomotiv, which would be quite difficult for any club as Lokomotiv are no world power yet they are no pushover either. Milan fans were wrong to boo their team, in fact taking into account the team's performances this season the booing becomes down right ridiculous.
Inter Milan were the victims of the booing too, more specifically players Dominic Morfeo and Stephane Dalmat. Christian Vieri supported his team-mates and said that the booing was not deserved towards these players or the team. Inter along with Milan have had a good season and are still in the hunt for the elusive Scudetto and are in Champions' League contention. Morfeo responded to the booing by stating that the real Inter fans in the curva weren't booing but others were to blame those who "are nagged at by their wives from Monday to Friday and who let off steam at the stadium on Sunday." It is hard to disagree with Morfeo, can these fans really boo when their team is doing so well?
Inter president Massimo Moratti came to the support of the fans and said that to be booed means that the fans expect a lot from you and that it is a sign that the fans think you can do much better. Perhaps this is true. Let us agree with Moratti for a moment. Looking at Inter's match against Piacenza however, we see that the booing started early on and that players like Morfeo and Dalmat were literally hurled abuse at from the outset. In this case a player can be only negatively affected by such actions. The fans must understand that the players are not robots, that once in a while even the high-priced superstars will not be at the top of their game, they will mis-hit a pass and miss a few chances.
The problem with the recent booing is that it came about too quickly. Fans pay the price for admission, and thus they have a right to express their feelings. Being serious though, both Milan sides did not deserve the booing. If Morfeo and Dalmat were under-performing for an extended period of time then maybe the jeers could at least be explained. Booing after one half of play is a waste, and the players may be adversely affected by this. Booing can bring down a player's self-esteem and confidence and they may play worse rather than better because of it. The question begs, why didn't the fans cheer the players they thought were not playing as well? This would surely have been a better tonic than boos, jeers, whistles, and hisses.
Morfeo and Dalmat are strong characters and both should rebound from this incident with little problem. But Moratti is wrong when he supports the fans. The jeers from the fans do not show respect to the players, quite the opposite. This spontaneous and unjustifiable booing of the players shows a disrespect from the fans toward their players and club.
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