Aaron Cawley is banned. Or is he? He was banned after the Ipswich match for his part in that, but is he still banned? Assuming he is, a large number of things went wrong which have led to the current situation. [BTW, this thread is not about D Jones] a) Aaron Cawley was able to get hold of a ticket - suggesting he either has a fake membership or a friend or family member bought him one or he got one off another fan who had a spare to get rid of at the match. The ticket he has / had would name the specific member, but if he has handed the stub over or thrown it, little can be proved. In the old days, the best way to get hold of one was to meet the supporter's coaches and as long asyu had yourmembership card, you'd get hold of a spare. The scheme is therefore easily open to abuse, especially as cards no longer have photo id. b) Aaron Cawley was able to travel and be in the vicinity of a LUFC match on the day - he is meant to stay away but clearly there are no restrictions that keep him under surveillance during/before matches, despite his previous of breaching banning order c) Aaron Cawley was able to get in to the match somehow - he either has a fake membership card, borrowed one, or there was no checking. This used to be done by LUFC stewards. d) Supporters were able to get onto the pitch. Given that clearly the temperature was rising, the match wasthe first Yorkshire derby of is kind in 5 years, and there were 5000 Leeds fans there, the lack of stewarding and policing must be questioned. e) the one supporter that entered the pitch and confronted and attacked the goalkeeper was able to leave the pitch andget back into the crowd without being confronted by anyone. The tv camera followed him for a short while, but why weren't other cameras focused on him andhis mates for the rest fo the match, and why no undercover police going in and getting him? Maybe he was being watched for other purposes, leading to delay in arresting him? f) He was able to leave the ground and disappear, when the police (andeveryone else) knew who he was immediately, courtesy of social media. Do any of you know howeasy it is to disappear in the UK when you are young and without employment or responsibilities? It is very easy. Unless you have a big stupid tattoo on your neck stating LUFC in italics. What are the solutions to these things? I'm of the mind that these issues are so rare that we actually have a system that marries up regulation with freedom quite well, and that there are other systems available that allow the police to do their job and catch perpetrators when needed. There will alwys be loopholes for those determined to get round it, but we have to balance it with the needs and freedoms of the majority. Something that was missing in the 80s, and I would hate to go back to the methods of those times
Leeds fans standing firm against intolerance of others and any action by others that puts the club and supporters to shame.
Friends who were at the match have confirmed that Wednesday failed to check membership cards. Other sources suggest there were major failings in security (unverified), but this seems to be too common at Wednesday. Even their fans were critical on the tv of their security arrangements, suggesting the lack of safety happens there too often
