Booing Opponents At Sporting Events To Be Classified As A Hate Crime
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced today that the booing of opponents and officials at sporting events will soon be outlawed and officially classified as a hate crime.
The Minister said the implementation of the new rules will happen immediately and anyone caught committing a boo will also receive an automatic lifetime ban from attending matches in this country.
“Booing shames many of our sports and it’s time we cleaned the games up.” the Minister said. “You don’t hear fans booing at snooker for example and that’s exactly the sort of atmosphere we would like to see in our stadiums. Respectful silence as the players concentrate on their game and polite applause when they pot a goal or whatever it’s called.”
Minister for Sport Catherine Martin said she fully supports the ban on booing and told us it’s time soccer in particular caught up with the rest of society.
“I welcome the call for a ban on booing but I also believe it doesn’t go far enough. Cheering when your team scores for example can cause the players on the opposing team to feel self-conscious. I am therefore recommending that all fans in attendance at football matches applaud both team’s goals with equal amounts of joy and encouragement.”
The Minister also called on the FAI to replace the traditional pre-match players handshake with a 22-man group hug.