The Archive

If fans want to enjoy football on their feet and can do safely, there is no need for draconian stewarding, says Michael Glenister

Travelling fans who hanker after standing areas in the all-seat era often mutter bitterly before grudgingly taking their seat. Around a hundred Cardiff City fans defied this habit and took part in a boycott of the closing stages of their fixture at Leeds United on October 30. Their gripe seems to have focused on the ejection of a number of their fellow supporters for persistent standing. At £36 a ticket, it is easy to see why Cardiff fans may have felt aggrieved that they were not allowed to enjoy the game standing up.

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Taking their lead from the Bundesliga, Celtic fans are campaigning for the return of standing areas, reports Mark Poole

Terracing could soon be returning to top-flight British football. Celtic are conducting a feasibility study into installing safe standing areas at Celtic Park, following a proposal from the Celtic supporters’ trust. The board seem well disposed to the proposal and Neil Doncaster, the Scottish Premier League chief executive, says it is an option he “would like to see explored”. Unlike in England and Wales, Scottish law doesn’t prohibit terracing, but SPL and SFA rules would have to change before any top-flight clubs could bring back standing areas.

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Right-wing politicians are trying to win votes by demanding the allegiance of non-Jewish players, Shaul Adar writes

With general elections expected next year, the Israeli political system is in turmoil. For members of the Knesset hoping to make their mark before the primaries, this is almost their last chance. Joining the attack on the democratic values of the state seems to be the best way to make an impression. In the last month there has been a deluge of law proposals designed to limit the freedom and integrity of the Supreme Court, press, human rights organisations and top non-Jewish footballers.

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Nassos Stylianou reports from Cyprus, where teams have been successful in the European competitions this season despite their tiny budgets

“This time, we are not here just to have fun.” So said APOEL Nicosia coach Ivan Jovanovic in August, after his team had booked their place in the Champions League group stages for the second time in three seasons. However, as Jovanovic and his players received a heroes’ welcome as they passed through the airport following the draw with Zenit St Petersburg that saw them qualify to the last 16, they were certainly enjoying themselves.

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Jon Spurling goes back to Boxing Day 1963, when 66 goals were scored in the First Division

As Christmas 1963 approached, weathermen warned a shivering nation to expect a recurrence of what had happened 12 months previously. The winter of 1962 was the worst since the big freeze of 1946, when the snow began on Boxing Day and wiped out football for virtually the next two and a half months. The occasional game was played here and there, but most were played out in the minds of the newly created Pools Panel, who met each weekend in a secret London location and guessed what each result might have been.

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