FIFA judges Hicks and Gillett to be 'offensive words'

Zebedee

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Couldn't make this up....

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The banner

Football fans have reacted angrily after a steward slashed up one of their "Save Liverpool FC" banners during the World Cup.

The supporters are displaying banners at every match with "Save Liverpool FC - Get Hicks and Gillett Out".

Nadeem Khan, 29, was at the Germany v Australia game with his wife and three-year-old daughter when a Fifa official accused him of being a hooligan.

The Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) said it was investigating.

A Fifa spokesman was not available for comment and the club would not comment.

Mr Khan, a member of the South African Liverpool Supporters Club, had displayed the banner, alongside a number of other banners from fans, on the second level of Durban Stadium just after kick-off on Sunday.

Save Liverpool FC is an internet-based campaign, which has thousands of members of members on social networking websites Facebook and Twitter.

Many want to oust the American owners after the club spiralled into £350m of debt.
'Educate people'

Half-way through the first half, Mr Khan said he glanced up to see three stewards removing his banner and as he approached them he claimed he was asked to follow them to the security office in the ground.

"I could not believe it," he said. "All the other banners had been left there.

"When I got into the office, they began to lecture me about football hooliganism and went through my mobile phone.

"I am not a hooligan, I was merely trying to show my support to the save Liverpool campaign, my young daughter and my wife were petrified.

"He cut my banner up with a Stanley blade and told me they would keep their eye on me. They've noted down my ticket numbers too.

"I was made to feel like a criminal."

Despite this, many other fans are still trying to show their banners at the matches, in a bid to tell people about Liverpool FC's financial difficulties.

The club is currently up for sale for £800m and the board is working with the owners and the Royal Bank of Scotland to find a suitable buyer.

Alan Cooper, from the Save Liverpool Campaign, co-ordinated the banner coverage over in South Africa.

"We want to educate people about what is going on at the club.

"Usually we would be worrying about which players our manager is buying.

"That is far from our minds - we don't even have a manager, the club is struggling with debt and we are worried for the future."

BBC story

The grounds given for removing and destroying the banner was that Fifa has rules on obscene and vulgar imagery and language on banners. Nadeem was also threatened with prosecution as a hooligan. Story with a bit more detail from Nadeem about what happened.

Play spot the anti-Hicks/Gillett banners this World Cup as you watch matches on TV. I(6)

More seriously, I can understand FIFA clamping down on ambush marketing. I can understand FIFA not wanting obscene language or imagery. But are they truly trying to clampdown on fans expressing thoughts via their banners?
 
Sounds like a case of power tripping. Don't really see the need censor such an opinion.
 
A bit ridiculous? They should see the Pompey protests a while back this season, far worse banners etc than that and nothing happened to them that I know of.
 
I dont see why this banner was destroyed and yet at tonights game there is a guy dressed as a hand with Handy Henry on the front.
 
Well this wasted 2 minutes of my life. So they slashed your banner, get over it.. Why do people have to cry about everything these days.
 
Well this wasted 2 minutes of my life. So they slashed your banner, get over it.. Why do people have to cry about everything these days.

....sigh.

Why should they get over it? I doubt you'll have anything worth while to reply with...
 
....sigh.

Why should they get over it? I doubt you'll have anything worth while to reply with...

What's with the new 'sigh' craze, it's even more annoying then facepalm.

I'm just saying he should should man up, FIFA are in charge and if they do not want his banner up then so be it.
 
What's with the new 'sigh' craze, it's even more annoying then facepalm.

I'm just saying he should should man up, FIFA are in charge and if they do not want his banner up then so be it.

Since when is one "fifa official" FIFA? Maybe the guy was power tripping or had something personal against the sign or the guy. Was it necessary to take a box cutter and destroy it and accuse a person voicing his opinion as being a violent instigator?

I think in this case, manning up means stand up for your rights, not crawl under a rock.
 
Since when is one "fifa official" FIFA? Maybe the guy was power tripping or had something personal against the sign or the guy. Was it necessary to take a box cutter and destroy it and accuse a person voicing his opinion as being a violent instigator?

I think in this case, manning up means stand up for your rights, not crawl under a rock.

Okay so I am the only one who thinks this has been exaggerated.. Fine, be naive, I really don't care. Although I'm sure if this was really a case of 'his rights' it would have a gone a little bit further than rant on an internet forum..
 
Okay so I am the only one who thinks this has been exaggerated.. Fine, be naive, I really don't care. Although I'm sure if this was really a case of 'his rights' it would have a gone a little bit further than rant on an internet forum..
It's an article on the BBC.....
 
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