WONDERS OF THE PYRAMID: Football must stamp out this fireworks craze before tragedy strikes… near misses in the past 18 months need to bring about change to keep fans safe
- There have been a number of incidents of flare use at Football League matches
- One couple spoke to Mail Sport about their ‘scary’ experience at an away game
- Big debates on Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal on It’s All Kicking Off podcast
It is only a matter of time before fireworks and pyrotechnics at football matches have horrific or even fatal consequences.
There have been plenty of near misses in the last 18 months, such as causing a disabled fan to have a seizure and Carlisle’s goalkeeper narrowly avoiding a firework thrown at him.
Many EFL clubs repeatedly put out statements discouraging fans from bringing such items into stadiums, but it feels more can be done to stop supporters ruining the fun for everybody. Yes, they look nice and can add to the atmosphere, but they can cause serious harm as well.
That was the case for Jeff and Jo Newall, MK Dons supporters who last season had a pyro thrown towards them while celebrating their team scoring at Oxford.
What should have been a joyous moment soon turned into a hugely stressful event.
There has been an increasing trend of flares and pyrotechnics being used by supporters across the EFL. (Pictured: Northampton Town’s Fraser Horsfall disposes of a thrown flare)
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‘We live in Milton Keynes and have been to every home and away match for over 13 years now – we’re pretty stupid people!’ Jo tells Mail Sport. ‘I am a wheelchair user and Jeff is a white cane user, he has five per cent sight in his good eye.
‘We always have to sit in the wheelchair area, which at Oxford is actually really good, we’ve been loads of times, but it is on a raised platform with our fans behind us.
‘We were all enjoying ourselves and having a really good afternoon when some idiot from behind us threw a pyro.
‘I didn’t realise what happened at first because it landed on the Tarmac immediately in front of where we were sitting and billowed out pink smoke. Pyros have always made us cough and splutter and we’ve always thought they were idiots.
‘But Jeff with his sight didn’t know what was happening. He was coughing badly, his eyes were itching and that developed into a full-blown seizure, meaning he ended up in the emergency room. It was so scary.’
The Newalls have had no contact from Thames Valley Police since that incident.
Just to their side was a young man who is unable to speak or move his limbs. Imagine if the pyro had fallen on him instead that day.
Dons chairman Pete Winkelman said at the time: ‘It’s one of the worst stories I’ve heard for a long time and it has happened to us, by us.
‘We don’t want it here. It’s a criminal offence. You can’t go to football for at least three years all for a moment of trying to celebrate.’
Sticking with MK Dons, goalkeeper Michael Kelly – then at Carlisle – had a firework thrown at him during the Cumbrian derby at Barrow last season. The pyrotechnic landed in the penalty area and exploded next to him as he was shaping up to take a goal-kick.
‘Something came fizzing right past my head, I didn’t have a clue what it was,’ the Irishman tells Mail Sport. ‘Then it blew up and I quickly found out it was a firework.
One fan celebrates with a blue flare after Callum Lang scored for Wigan against Plymouth
Stricter punishments need to come in to force to act as a deterrent for those possessing flares
‘It was a lucky escape for me. I didn’t realise it was a firework at the time, I just thought, ‘Jesus Christ!’.
‘Fans, often young lads, will think that a pyro is a good way of creating an atmosphere but when stuff like that happens it kills it for everyone. You spend your hard-earned money to watch us play football and then some idiot tries to ruin it for everyone.
‘I think we need to make the stadium safer for everyone, tougher bans for those with pyros, because if you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. It could end a different way with a player losing a hand or getting burned. There’s kids in the stands as well and this could scare them off.’
To mark Bonfire Night and as part of their Love Football Protect The Game campaign, the EFL are ramping up awareness of the danger of fireworks at football matches.
Of 1,800 disabled football fans recently surveyed, 31 per cent said they had been impacted by the use of flares and pyrotechnics
The EFL’s head of security Bob Eastwood told Mail Sport: ‘Using pyrotechnics is not only dangerous but it is a criminal offence that will lead to police action for any identified as being involved in their use.’ Pyros burn at 2,000C.
Level Playing Field, an organisation which helps disabled supporters in football, said: ‘Fans should not have to choose between supporting their team and feeling safe. These selfish acts will continue while pyros continue to be glorified.’
Stricter punishments – even for those just in possession – are needed, as is more awareness. As Dons fan Jo adds: ‘We would like to meet with that person to tell them the consequences of their actions. It was horrible for us. I want them to know how serious this is, it is so scary.’
A couple spoke to Mail Sport about dangers they faced at a game after a flare was thrown
Tigers are roaring and Philogene is flying
I was visiting a friend in Hull last weekend and he offered me a ticket to their game against Preston at the MKM Stadium.
Given it was a rare chance for a ground tick – 73 of 92 and counting – I took him up on the offer and was impressed by Liam Rosenior’s young side.
They beat Preston 1-0 and totally dominated Ryan Lowe’s team, who started the day fourth in the Championship table.
Jaden Philogene was the stand-out player for the hosts, and not just for his match-winning strike, which will be hard to beat for the October goal of the month prize.
Jaden Philogene (right) is proving to be one of the bargains of the summer as he thrives at Hull
Philogene was snapped up for £5million from Aston Villa and it already looks to be one of the bargains of the summer.
Up top Liam Delap, on loan from Manchester City, was excellent. At just 20, he is a unit that bullies defenders and his positive first touch constantly outfoxes opposition players.
Hull were guilty of trying to walk the ball into the net but Rosenior has them playing a lovely brand of football that will certainly see them at least challenge for the play-offs.
On the road again…
Wherever you go, we will follow. That was the message from one Middlesbrough fan on X this week, who by Saturday night – or perhaps Sunday morning – will have racked up roughly 1,520 miles supporting his team this week. Hats off to each of those loyal away supporters.
After a long trip to Exeter was ultimately rewarded with a comeback win in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, Boro will travel back down to Devon on Saturday to play Plymouth in the Championship.
The seven-hour drive home would go a lot quicker with three points in the bag.
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