Two years ago, while driving peacefully on the Casablanca-Marrakech highway, I witnessed a shocking scene that remains etched in my memory. A van that had just overtaken me had its back door wide open, teeming with teenagers, some seated directly on the floor, their feet dangling perilously close to the road. A sudden acceleration or brake could have sent them tumbling out onto the highway, a certainty of death, especially if another vehicle was following closely behind. Disturbed by what I had seen, I sped ahead, knowing there was a police checkpoint at the toll station. Upon arrival, still outraged by the spectacle, I informed the officers about the reckless driver endangering the lives of many young individuals. One officer scratched his head and asked, "Tell me, sir, were your illegal passengers dressed in green?" When I affirmed that they were supporters of a football club, he stated, "Well, we will let them pass. We have orders not to stop them. We cannot risk having hundreds of other vans stop at our level, and their occupants attacking us. There are only three of us here; what could we do against a thousand unruly youths?"
This incident highlighted a critical issue concerning the identity and responsibility of sports supporters. Two years later, last Thursday, I found myself on the Casablanca-Rabat highway, facing the same alarming scene: dozens of vans filled with youths in green driving recklessly with all doors open, and once again, those children were sitting at the back, feet dangling dangerously close to the road, exposed to the whims of a sudden brake. Unfortunately, this time, the aftermath was disheartening; I learned the following day that these supporters had caused severe damage at the magnificent Moulay Abdellah complex, with ripped seats, a vandalized press box, and damaged facilities.
This experience made me reflect on the passive attitude of the police officers from my previous encounter, which reminded me of some readings from the past. In his 1895 work, "The Crowd Psychology," Gustave Le Bon argues that individuals lose their conscious personality in a crowd, merging into an irrational, impulsive, and easily influenced "collective soul." Decades later, José Ortega y Gasset described the "mass man" in his book, "The Revolt of the Masses" (1929), characterizing him as mediocre and conformist, someone who tends to "do as others do." This indicates a possible solution to the problem of hooliganism: supporters must be consistently reminded of their individuality. To begin with, they should possess a supporter card bearing their name, photo, and a QR code indicating their eligibility to enter the stadium.
At the stadium entrance, security personnel should address them by their first and last names, making direct eye contact. You might find this suggestion absurd, and that is your prerogative. However, I believe that any measure reminding supporters that they are individuals before becoming a mere number in a crowd can help prevent them from engaging in hooliganism. Furthermore, there should be zero tolerance for any violations regarding the transportation of supporters. If the law appears not to apply to the group, an individual supporter may conclude that no laws apply to them when they blend into the crowd, emboldening them to cause destruction within the stadium. No, we must uphold the law. Those vans packed with youths speeding down the highway with open doors must be systematically stopped and immobilized.
After all, the transition from the chaos of the past to the modern order we enjoy today is due to the fact that the state no longer engages with tribes but with individuals.
As reported by fr.le360.ma.
