Hooligan issues

By Jason Moore WHEN is a hooligan not a hooligan? I ask this question because in some sections of the Spanish media every person who watches an England match is a hooligan. Unfortunately England fans do have this reputation but once again I have to underline that it is only a very small number who actually cause any trouble and it is pretty outrageous to label all fans as hooligans. And it doesn't stop there. Other countries also have football hooligans. It could be argued that it was England which started the ball rolling but unfortunately, many countries now have this problem and the word hooligan should not be just confined to the English. What I have seen in Magalluf, young people enjoying last Saturday's England game is similar to what I have seen on the Paseo Maritimo, young local residents enjoying a drink by the roadside and partying in their own way. Let's not give people unfortunate labels which they do not deserve. No-one can be proud of the few hooligans and it is a constant embarrassment but remember no-one likes being called names. I would urge many to remove the word hooligan from their vocabulary until they have a legitimate use for the word. They better hurry because judging by England's performance at the moment it is unlikely that there will be many more matches involving the national side!