Red on Red

With all the current interest in Liverpool FC’s potential new owners being Chinese, or even possibly being backed by the Chinese Communist Party, this picture piqued my interest. It's from the second leg of a Europa League third round qualifying match between Liverpool FC and FC Rabotnicki.

[Heady European Nights at Anfield with nine (or 8.5) Macedonian Rabotnicki supporters. Pic courtesy AFP/Getty Images.]

Aside: (from observations of pictures of young football "fans")
Isn’t it unnerving that parents or guardians can label their children at so young an age as a “Reds supporter”, “Red Devils fan”, “die-hard member of the Toon Army”, “Pompey fan”, “Blue”, or any other football team fan? It is a huge shame that such kids have not been given a choice in declaring an allegiance to a team, if any.

For instance, is Karan Chainrai really a Pompey fan? What happens to him and his "support" when (and it is only a matter of time) his father Balram Chainrai sells Portsmouth FC?


This—can it be called fanatical indoctrination?—is perhaps somewhat similar to Richard Dawkins’ outcry against labelling children with the religion of their parents (i.e. a Catholic child, a Muslim child, etc). It is simply absurd.

Wouldn't it be more sensible to be able to choose to support a sports team for reasons other than the fact that one's parents or guardians are already supporters (or owners)?