Southampton fans’ Sala gestures were sickening –

Southampton fans’ Sala gestures were sickening –


By Cheryl Gibbs

Tributes at Cardiff City Stadium for Emiliano Sala.

CHERYL GIBBS

Friday 15th February 2019


I was appalled to read the news about the Southampton Football Club fans who made aeroplane gestures at the Premiership match last weekend after it was confirmed that they had found the body of Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala.

It was one of the most indecent things I’ve heard lately and it disgusted me that this took place just up the road from where we are. I know there’s this whole Portsmouth versus Southampton rivalry that runs throughout both cities but this isn’t why I’m writing this.



I have never got involved in that because it goes far back beyond most of our years to our grandparents’ generation. Apparently it is to do with some historical feud between the two cities that dates back to the war and, let’s be honest, most of us have no clue as to the real rift between the two cities. But when I read about this I was shocked – it was absolutely appalling behaviour. Surely they were football fans themselves having been ticket-holders to a game, so why did they not know better?



I was encouraged by Southampton Football Club’s response to their indecency and I thought their ban was a good example to others so they don’t make the same disgusting gestures. What happened to Emiliano and of course the pilot, was nothing short of tragedy. I’ve read a lot about this incident and so many people talk about what a fantastic footballer Emiliano was and how he had so much to live for. But if you strip all that back he was just a man, a son and a well-loved individual who at the age of 28 years old had so much to live for.


I was humbled by the actions taken back in his home country of Argentina. And when Caen and Nantes, in France, paid tribute by warming up in T-shirts with the slogan ‘play for Sala’ with each Caen player’s shirt having the striker’s name of their back. They also did a minute’s applause at the 14th minute of the game to commemorate his squad number at Caen. It’s small gestures like that, that go a long way, not the crude gestures made by small-minded fans who should have known better.

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Do journalists not proof read articles, Cheryl he played for Nantes not Caen

Do journalists not proof read articles, Cheryl he played for Nantes not Caen

He also played for Caen along with Ngolo Kante.

Do journalists not proof read articles, Cheryl he played for Nantes not Caen

He also played for Caen along with Ngolo Kante.

I stand corrected my bad

Do posters not proof read posts

All Caens players wore the name Sala for the night in memory of Emiliano after the league allowed them to

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=087_iQCw_ho&feature=onebox