Football for all

Football, in particular, unites families and friends, young and old, male and female, who want their team to succeed.

The Christmas Day match of 1914 when British and German soldiers left the trenches of the first world war for a game in no-man’s land reflects just how sport can cross great divides.

In South Africa in the coming weeks as the World Cup gets under way there are hopes the tournament can help to heal further a country that was divided for so long.

Yet, while football can bring out the best in people it can also bring out the worst, as passion for the game can result in violence, particularly when alcohol has been consumed.

With this potential threat of anti-social behaviour in mind, police in Newark and Sherwood are taking steps to ensure football-related violence doesn’t mar the World Cup.

The tournament starts a week today, with about one in ten football fans expected to watch matches in pubs.

Potential trouble-makers — the sort known to the authorities and banned from travelling to South Africa for England matches — are being told to stay away.

Those who do watch in pubs are being warned they face £80 fines for unacceptable behaviour, with mini cameras in use to record possible evidence for prosecution.

It is a shame that extra police resources are needed to keep football fans in order, when the majority of people who watch football in pubs choose to for the atmosphere and social aspect, not to start fights.

Yet, it is encouraging to know the police are ready to take action to stop mindless idiots ruining the experience for everyone.

No one should feel intimidated or become an innocent victim caught in the crossfire because some people don’t know how to behave in public.

Hopefully, the police will be pleasantly surprised and they will be able to soak up a friendly World Cup atmosphere, allowing them too to keep an eye on the score as well as the fans.