The Legacy of Brussels must live on!
Hibs fans have a lot to live up to, as Stuart Crowther
looks ahead to Athens 2001
HIBERNIAN FANS CREATED A LEGEND
in the 1950's to the 1970's just about everywhere football is played around
the world, as pioneers of the European game the club claimed a place in
history that can never be repeated - or deleted! And while the 1980's
were for the most part doom-laden years for Hibees, in 1989 another Hibernian
legend was born on the terracing at FC Liege.
That evening must surely have been the proudest
moment ever for Hibernian fans who were fortunate enough to have been there.
Hibs had just lost and were out of Europe in the 2nd round, but throughout the
90 minutes Scots and Belgians faced each other over a partition fence and
exchanged songs and greetings, building up to a moment some 30 minutes after
the final whistle when the barriers were not crushed by onrushing fans, but
opened to allow the two groups to shake hands, hug, exchange scarves - and
astonish two nations.
Hibs fans on one of their finest days (hibs.net)
The Belgians, who had only recently been
stunned by the events in their national stadium when a European final turned
into the riot that led to English clubs being banned from European
competition, were stunned by the charm-offensive of the Hibs fans. They
were won over by an outpouring of good-will that to this day they remember,
one Hibs fan in Brussels this week for the Scotland international being
welcomed back to the sight of his photograph from 1989 still hanging proudly
on the wall of a bar he 'adopted' all those years ago. Enough has been
written about that 1989 trip, and the return in 1992 when Hibs fans in their
thousands travelled for the clubs last tie in Europe against Anderlecht.
These days are gone now, and now another group of Hibees are about to launch
the charm offensive, this time on the people of Athens.
The importance that every Hibs fan knows their
role in maintaining the reputation of Hibernian can never be understated.
Only by each and every one of the estimated 1,500 Hibs fans acting as a true
emissary for the people of Edinburgh will the legend created by those 1989 and
1992 Hibees not only be underlined but enhanced. This is not of course
just a game of football, the football in fact is secondary - regardless of the
result, Hibs fans will enjoy their visit to the full, and do all they can to
integrate with their hosts and make a whole set of new friends at the same
time.
East Stand Stalwarts - legacy to live up to! (hibs.net)
But there will be small groups on both sides
who will seek to cause problems, that is unavoidable where football and drink
come together. What Hibs fans of the past have demonstrated is that such
minorities need not have any lasting effect on the enjoyment of the majority.
The odd noisy drunk in the group will be accompanied by enough sober-minded
Hibees to keep him/her in check, and that is what will make the trip so much
more enjoyable for everyone. And for those planning a long drinking
session on the day of the game, perhaps pacing things out a bit might be a
better idea. The Athens police are not known for suffering drunks with
anything other than refused entry to the stadium and at worse a night in a
Greek cell. It just is not worth it, so advice is pace the Ouzo with
frequent glasses of water! Remember also that one drink too many could
also cost dearly, as Jumbo Jet pilots are not known for allowing out of
control football fans back onto their aircraft.
Hibs fans have taken an unfair battering this
week, cast in the role as racist bigots by the authors of one SPL web site
seeking to copy the sensationalist style of the tabloids. Even a
mainstream journalist decided that the Hibee support were 'fair game', taking
a broad swipe at all fans for the sins of one. As in 1989 and 1992, the
tabloid press in particular will seek out the stories that allow them to
resurrect 'Hibs Casuals Mayhem' headlines, as in 1989 and 1992 such headlines
must be drowned out by the actions of the majority. We all have a part
to play in this, we all know what needs to be done - let's have fun in the
Greek sun, make friends and live up to the legacy of Brussels.
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