Recently the BBC reported that three “Northern Ireland fans” would not be prosecuted for sectarian chanting. The story relates to a video that was posted on social media of people singing sectarian lyrics. I am sure that many football fans will have seen the video. At the time it was condemned by the IFA, and I, as a Northern Ireland fan, found myself dismayed.

I refer to these people as “Northern Ireland fans” in quotation marks because I do not believe them to be genuine Northern Ireland fans because that would mean supporting the team unconditionally, including the manager, Michael O’Neill, a Catholic, and the various players from a Catholic background. The incident has, quite fairly, raised questions of whether a Catholic can truly feel welcome at a Northern Ireland match. Ahead of the team’s next game, it is worth exploring this issue.

 

A welcoming atmosphere

After Euro 2016, Northern Ireland fans received the Medal of the City of Paris for their admirable behaviour during the competition. Fans of the Republic of Ireland received a similar honour. Yet we still seem to be let down by some at home.

On 9 September Northern Ireland will welcome Germany to the National Stadium for a Euro 2020 qualifier. When the two sides met in France in Euro 2016 the German fans were blown away by the atmosphere created by the Green and White Army. 2016 was right in the middle of the ‘Will Grigg’s on Fire’ craze. A quick YouTube search of the match will show many videos of Northern Ireland fans chanting and singing – several posted by German fans.

What made those videos even more remarkable is that it was a match Northern Ireland went on to lose 2-0, and would have lost by more had Michael McGovern, a former Celtic player incidentally, had not become a Northern Ireland legend with his string of brilliant saves. So, in the lead up to this match are Northern Ireland fans the excitable and energetic bunch we saw in France in 2016? Or the bigoted sectarian group we saw chanting in a pub?

I have been going to Northern Ireland matches regularly since 2004 and I can honestly say that I have only ever heard one person chanting anything remotely sectarian – and he was roundly condemned by those around him. This incident took place in August 2011 when Northern Ireland beat the Faroe Islands 4-0, and it was the occasion when Sinn Féin MLA, and then Sports Minister, Caral Ni Chuilin attended.

The significance of her attendance was reported in the news, and it appeared to be tentatively welcomed by Northern Ireland fans. It wasn’t exactly a celebration, but the general atmosphere seemed to be one of respect and appreciation that she had made the effort. The gesture was followed up a few months later by Peter Robinson attending a GAA match.

 

Breaking down barriers

I have seen some other traditional barriers begin to break down. I work as a youth and children’s worker and we had a new kid come into our youth club one night, so naturally I went over to chat to him. We started talking about football and he told me that he supported two football teams: Celtic and Northern Ireland. That was not something I had heard before. It turned out he had become a Northern Ireland fan though an IFA coaching scheme in his school.

I also used to work with a Cliftonville fan (a team known for its largely Catholic support base in North Belfast) but he had recently begun attending Crusaders matches (which largely draws its support base from Protestants in North Belfast, but also from further along the Shore Road and as far as Carrickfergus). He did so because his friend had signed for them. Whether or not he now regards himself as a Crusaders fan is irrelevant; the amazing thing is that he can feel comfortable attending the home ground of a team which is across the sectarian divide in the city.

It’s fine for me to observe about how Catholic supporters may feel at Windsor Park, but how are Catholic players received there? From my own experience, they are received and treated very well. Many fans would not know whether someone is a Protestant or a Catholic and many would not care, but we do still have that attitude in Northern Ireland were we want to know. Our community background may imply some form of shared experience, and Northern Ireland is such a small place that everyone seems to know someone who knows someone. I would say that many of us who live in Belfast wouldn’t have to ask too many friends before we find one who knows an Irish League footballer.

Before every match the team line-ups are read out and the fans ritually cheer the players, but some players get larger cheers than others. Steven Davis, Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley regularly get large cheers, as do Paul Smyth, Liam Boyce and Gavin Whyte.

 

Part of a bigger picture

It will come as no surprise that many Northern Ireland fans who regularly attend matches are also fans of Irish League football. Gavin Whyte and Paul Smyth played for, and won the league title, with Crusaders and Linfield respectively, before making their moves to English teams. Liam Boyce played for the Cliftonville side that won the league twice in a row before moving to play in Scotland. Many of these Northern Ireland fans remember watching these players play every week. Fans are rather proud that our league has produced players capable of playing for teams in the English leagues and who have become regulars in the Northern Ireland squad, especially a Northern Ireland squad that is doing well.

It seems to me that most fans do not care what the community background of a player is, so long as he wants to play for Northern Ireland and is a good player. Catholic players will be praised and criticised just as much as their Protestant counterparts, or those who were not originally born in Northern Ireland. Michael O’Neill is seen as a hero among Northern Ireland fans, I would be amazed if any fan did not approve of O’Neill being manager simply because of which church he was baptised in. The same can be said of any player representing Northern Ireland.

I am not saying you have to be a Northern Ireland fan, but if a perception of sectarianism is the barrier to you supporting Northern Ireland then I would like to challenge that. Don’t let your opinion of our fans be tainted by a foolish minority. People like them appear everywhere. We should not assume that Republic of Ireland fans are sectarian or anti-British because a small minority booed ‘God Save the Queen’ when their team played against Northern Ireland last year. Equally we would not assume that Chelsea fans are racist because a group of them racially abused a man in Paris. In short, there are people everywhere who let their teams and fellow fans down, but they are a very small minority.

Over the years the atmosphere at Windsor Park has changed significantly. It has become more welcoming and there is a genuinely positive atmosphere there. This is partly the result of the IFA’s active promotion of cross-community engagement. There’s still plenty to do, but the trajectory is very encouraging.

It is natural that international football brings up a political element. Can you support a team that you feel doesn’t represent your nationality? Well, we just have a look at the number of international football shirts you will see locally during the Euros. These football fans may be supporting a certain player, fair enough. In the past I have owned Spain, Holland and Brazil shirts, usually because I either really liked the group of players as a team or I was supporting a specific player.

We can – and should – apply this mindset to the game locally. It can be difficult, given our recent history, but let’s try to get to a point where our politics is not the defining feature of who we support. It will take a bit longer to get there yet, but in the meantime let’s not set things back by letting a silly minority to become the voice of Northern Ireland football.