There could be trouble brewing at Selhurst Park after Crystal Palace’s ultra supporters claimed that they’ve been unfairly targeted by the club.
Though the tag ‘ultra’ can often be used to frame supporters as hooligans, it can also define a fan as being particularly supportive, for example by enthusiastically singing throughout a match or by helping to make and display tifo banners.
Football grounds are great places to be when the atmosphere is really bouncing, and more often than not, it’s the ultra groups that get things started in that regard.
As an older style ground, the Selhurst Park stands remain close to the pitch and as a result, it means the stadium still retains that sense of fear for visiting teams whose players have to run the gauntlet at throw ins and corners in particular.
The club may well have shot itself in the foot, however, as Your Local Guardian have reported that the Holmesdale Fanatics group have had their megaphones, banners and other paraphernalia taken away and locked in a storeroom.
“Saturday’s banners towards Croydon Council were a result of continued unnecessary targeting of the Palace support over the last few months,” a statement from the group said.
“Banner stands have been ripped down, storerooms locked and previously allowed materials suddenly banned from entering the stadium.
“On top of this, display banners are still banned from being hung from the upper tier leading to a huge reduction in the number of tifos produced.
“Due to these restrictions, we found ourselves unable to access drums, megaphones and flags before kick-off forcing the group to stop its usual support.”
With much of footballing tradition being sanitised for the modern era, many of the vestiges of tradition have gone, never to return.
If clubs are now going to veto having a section of hardcore support, it really is the beginning of the end for modern football.