Premier League buries head in sand over fan violence

There's always shock and outrage, anger and finger-pointing after a high-profile incident. It takes nothing to jump on a bandwagon. For those up high, there's usually a microphone or TV camera close by and they can politick to their heart's content.

But for the actual stakeholders – the ritualists – they know different. They know there's a dark undercurrent to attending Premier League games now, and its been that way for quite a while.

The violent scenes at the London Stadium during Wednesday night's EFL Cup clash between local rivals West Ham and Chelsea may come as a shock to some. But this had been brewing.

Even before West Ham's controversial and well-documented move from Upton Park, their fans had pushed the boundaries. In May, a section of the club's support attacked Manchester United's team bus as it made its way to the stadium. There was excess damage. One police officer and one member of the public picked up minor injuries.

It was the final top-flight game at the iconic East End venue before the switch and excuses were made to that effect. Emotions were running high, etc. But it had nothing to do with that. It had to do with a dangerous, nasty and growing portion of society – angry, violent, toxic opportunists.

Of course, within weeks, Euro 2016 arrived and there were some like-minded England fans, with their sunburns, flip-flops and v-signs, in Marseille on the eve of the tournament. They serenaded the masses with some catchy chanting about dead German soldiers and ISIS. And when the fan violence kicked off, there were many who expressed their shock and outrage and anger. They didn't see it coming, they said.

It's not quite skinheads, the National Front and Nazi salutes, but surely all of this isn't a coincidence? Concern is growing regarding where English society is heading. With its growing suspicion of immigration, an apparent desire to strengthen its border controls and European Union citizens' currently residing in the U.K. facing an uncertain future, the entire thing is a damning indictment of where the country is and how far its fallen.

Brexit itself – essentially a declaration of how the U.K. didn't need or want anyone but themselves – is a perfect reflection of the current, dangerous mindset of violent soccer fans. There's no interest in anything other than inflicting abuse on others. Why? Because they can. And because they're really answerable to no one. And this isn't just about West Ham and Chelsea, though the latter has a remarkable and vile recent past regarding fan behaviour.

Lost in the hysteria and hyperbole which has followed the scenes in London was some footage, also from Wednesday night, that showed Manchester City fans appearing to smash toilet urinals and sinks to smithereens inside Old Trafford where the teams met in another EFL Cup tie. Back in September, there had been clashes between both sets of supporters on the Manchester streets after City's 2-1 derby win.

The line has long been crossed. Where before it was goading from the terraces – some quick-witted chants or ripostes – abuse is now rife. On Wednesday, one West Ham fan circulated a song sheet before kick-off with a bizarre, homophobic ditty about John Terry. Deliciously, such behaviour came on the same day that the results of a survey carried out by BBC Radio 5 Live showed that 82 per cent of soccer fans polled said they'd have no problem with an openly gay player on their team.

Are we really expected to believe that? The Premier League, after all, does have an immense track record in being an open and progressive place, doesn't it? If it's not monkey gestures aimed at Patrice Evra and Danny Welbeck and Romelu Lukaku, it's the disgusting chorus of vitriol levelled at Eva Carneiro when she was Chelsea's first-team doctor. But, many are disconnected from reality, as evidenced by that survey.

Last weekend, one Valencia fan threw a plastic bottle at Barcelona players during a La Liga game and the club was told by the Spanish Football Federation that they would face a stadium closure if something similar happens again. The club was slapped with a 1,500 euro fine too. But the headlines rumble on. The coverage continues. The criticism keeps going. All because of one idiotic soccer supporter.

There was something similar in Toronto when a fan hurled a can of beer on the Rogers Centre field, towards Baltimore Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, and was later charged with one count of mischief by police after the incident left social media users in a tizzy and hell-bent on finding the perp. Some even crafted their own videos relating to the incident and uploaded them to YouTube, such was the uniqueness of it all.

But the Premier League is somewhat different. Going by the reaction to Wednesday night's violence, you'd have thought such behaviour came from nowhere. But because of the regularity of West Ham fans' misdemeanours since the start of the season, it's actually a small miracle they weren't playing Chelsea behind closed doors. Some 23 fans had already been banned by the club for various incidents before the EFL Cup fixture.

One victim at the London Stadium was an eight-year-old girl. She was at the game with her Dad and was pelted with coins. Afterwards, a TV reporter asked her some questions and, between monosyllabic answers, she stood there, dazed, bemused and a little terrified, wondering why faceless strangers abused her and ruined a special night.

But she'll be a while waiting for an answer. The Premier League merely try their hardest to dig, squat and bury the problems.