A Complaint re: Match Security
The following is the full text of a complaint I have made, addressed to the Cork City FC Club, regarding the behaviour of security and Gardaí at last night’s (24th August, 2007) fixture between Waterford United FC and Cork City FC in Waterford.
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing as a means of conveying a complaint regarding my treatment by security at the Regional Sports Complex, Waterford, last night, 24th of August 2007. As a Cork City fan and CC Official Supporters Club member, I hope that this will be the correct channel for my concerns.
I will provide some context surrounding the incident, before delving into a detailed account of the actions taken against me.
I arrived at the game at 7.50pm, my ticket already bought for me by my partner as I was to be late on my journey from County Limerick to Waterford for the game. I entered and stood near the outside of a row as I had a small bodhran with me and as a custom, the drummers amongst the Cork City supporters sit near the aisle to facilitate entry and exit. For the majority of the game then, I simply stood, watched the match, and supported my team.
The first indication that security were on some kind of high tension footing was toward the end of the game, namely the actions taken by security and Gardai to push past spectators quite aggressively in order to take from a group of spectators in high spirits about our impending emphatic victory, some children’s party sparklers.
Toward the end of the game, some supporter lit a high-visibility flare. While legal in the right circumstances, this was not one of them and rightly, the security and Gardai attempted to stop it and eject the supporter. Unfortunately, the manner in which they did so was both inept and dangerous. Aggressively pushing aside children and innocent spectators, the security and Gardai choose to eject 4 spectators, for what ever reason, including one that I can assert had nothing to do with the incident, and another who cannot possibly have because they were holding a megaphone at the time, making it impossible to also control a flare without doing oneself some damage.
Following this, the security attempted to dispose of the flare, but did so in a very dangerous manner. First, holding the flare upwards towards some flags, the security personnel very nearly set fire to the flags in question. Following that, they attempted to quench the flare by holding it down against the concrete floor of the stand, a very dangerous act which could have resulted in a small explosion or the flare shooting upwards, because flares do not simply burn, nor are extinguished without oxygen. They by a chemical reaction and the enclosed space would have merely accelerated this.
Pointing this out to a Garda nearby, Gardai Badge Number WK306, I was told to “shut up”, and “mind my own business”, and did I “have a problem”. Protesting, I was told I would be ejected should i continue to speak. Asking on what grounds, the Garda fell silent and remained standing beside me. I turned my attention back to the game, which was reaching its conclusion.
Following the final whistle, as I stood and applauded our team leaving the field, some spectator, very possibly the same person as the last time given security’s apparent random choosing of who to eject, again ignited a flare, this time leaving it lying on the floor. I know this because I was told afterwards, from my position at the edge of the aisle and with my focus on the players leaving the pitch I did not notice the flare, but did notice 4 security personnel including at least one female Garda passing me in the rows in front of me. Clearly this time the problem was under control. Some time passed and I continued to applaud the team leaving the field.
At this point, I was caught aggressively by the shoulder and told to move. Confused, I asked Garda Badge number WK306 why, knowing that at every game I had attended, “away” supporters are generally held back in the ground in the interests of safety until 15 minutes after the final whistle. WK306 then proceeded to push me from my aisle seat down 3 steps of the steep stand, my sober balance, drum in hand, succeeding where others may have had a nasty fall. Asking what he was doing, I was told “theres a fire”, and again I was pushed down steps.
At this point people in the general area turned their attentions my way, concerned at what he was doing, and several of them, including my partner and the Cork City Official Community Liaison Officer, made this concern known to WK306.
I asked him to stop pushing me down steps as it was dangerous, WK306 then said “I’ll push you to the end”, and proceeded to do so. Finding myself being dragged and lifted, with my hands held behind my back like some dangerous animal, by Garda WK306 and a security person, I asked what was going on and was told I was being ejected from the ground. I was dragged like this down the dozens of steps in the stand, and around to the communal/parking area. Not satisfied with simply removing me from the stand, I was dragged in this manner the full distance to the gate, despite my insistence that I would happily at this point in the car park to just walk from the ground rather than be treated in this manner before a crowd of confused onlookers. I was ejected just beyond the open gate and there I waited until the three people I was driving home had left the ground, as confused as myself by the entire sequence of events. WK306 also waited there at this point, apparently now unconcerned about the “fire” he had felt so important as to completely ignore whilst attacking a innocent spectator.
Before leaving, I asked Garda WK306 for the courtesy of telling me his name, of which he refused and pointed at his badge number. I gave him my name as a courtesy, knowing that I would be filing this complaint.
I very much feel that the behaviour of security personnel at this game was negligent, ignorant and at times downright dangerous, in particular those actions by Garda WK306 which could have resulted in a very serious, and very public injury, particularly had the victim been drinking before the game or a younger person, or less experienced at holding a drum. I trust that my concerns will be passed to the relevant parties concerned.
In the interest of transparency, I will also make this complaint public via my web domain.
Regards,
Gavin Golden,
Cork City Official Supporters Club,
www.gavingolden.com
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Tags: complaint, cork city, football, formal, gardai, waterford