When English teams play abroad in Europe, we’re used to various criticisms being thrown their way and this week it’s Manchester City’s turn.
They were in Madrid on Tuesday for the Champions League quarter-final first leg clash with Real Madrid and it seems that means they were open targets for the same old lazy attacks.
ABC provide the coverage, labelling a group of fans who gathered in the city’s Plaza Mayor a ‘hooligan party’.
They say the square was ground zero for drinking throughout the day, with thousands of Manchester City fans gathering, ‘beer in hand’, waving flags and scarves and having a nice time ahead of the game, which finished 3-3.
They were joined by a small contingent of Borussia Dortmund fans, who are in the city for the clash with Atletico.
All in all things have been calmer than previous years, with everyone keen to avoid a repeat of 2022 when Real Madrid, Atletico, Chelsea and Manchester City fans all converged and altercations were plentiful.
That’s been celebrated by local businesses and hoteliers, but that’s not stopped the usual lazy insults from being thrown around regardless.
ABC use the old hooligan tag despite there not actually being any evidence of hooliganism while one waiter, Oswaldo Gómez, was happy to tell the newspaper “they don’t eat, they just drink” and that work is “much busier than normal.”
They explain that the lack of incidents may have been helped by an increased police presence thanks to the threat from ISIS, before then adding this had not stopped the ‘hooligans’.
Indeed they use the word throughout the piece, labelling a large group of fans which was escorted by police later in the day before the game as a ‘hooligan avalanche’.
It’s all unfounded, undeserved nonsense from the paper, who really should have a look at themselves and question the need to use such inflammatory, unnecessary language to describe Manchester City fans or any others.
