Being a sports fan, attending the games and showing your support is always appreciated by the members of the team, helping them feel loved and encouraged.
However, everything changes when that support turns into violence against fans from the opposite team.
If someone loses a match, the fans’ reaction should never be violence. Instead, the loss should be accepted.
The events that happened at La Corregidora stadium in the Mexican city of Querétaro gave everybody a glimpse of how the intense fans’ behavior can ruin it for everybody else. The game between the teams Atlas and Querétaro on March 5 resulted in a brawl because the latter was losing, so the fans became upset and turned violent against supporters of the rival team. The altercation left 25 people injured, three critically. As a result, the stadium is now closed to the public. The team Querétaro has been suspended and instigators are banned for life from attending any future soccer matches.
I believe this says so much about the mentality some of the supporters have, choosing violence because they didn’t accept the results and thinking that causing a riot was the answer. I think these competitions between fans on “who is better” is a problem that needs to be addressed among the soccer community. These events should be a safe space for the attendants. They should be treated with respect and not assaulted by supporters of the rival team.
Anyone who incites, or even takes part in, this violence should not be called real fans. They are violent individuals who use sports as an excuse to offend and hurt others when the results do not go their way. Getting violent will not solve anything. In fact, it makes everything worse. Those who decide to fight because their team lost are nothing but sore losers. It is dangerous to have a mentality like that, to think that rivalry between teams needs to get to that extreme where hurting others is OK.
If someone sees a multitude of people breaking the rules, they can be more inclined to do so as well. Instead, they should set an example for others by not participating. This type of behavior should not be glorified or seen as a competition on whose favorite team is better. It should be treated as violence and never imitated.
I believe there should be harsher consequences for those who incite these riots. It must be well known among the soccer community that these actions are unacceptable anywhere. Those who attend the event have to be well aware of any possible punishment they might get if they break the rules. It can deter potentially violent people from starting a fight.
Officials need to promote a healthier rivalry among fans. There should never be a competition about who gets more upset when their team loses. This only causes problems among the community and creates a mentality among the supporters that it is acceptable to behave that way. Preparation against violence should always be made for these sporting events. They should always be prepared for any scenario and follow protocol to avoid any injuries among attendees.
