Martin Keown cites the London Stadium as a venue he won’t visit because of security reasons.
Martin Keown has stated he won’t go to any West Ham matches, adding the London Stadium to his list of places he stays away from out of fear for his safety.
His remarks follow the frightening encounter between Roy Keane and Micah Richards from Sky Sports during the match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, which resulted in an arrest [The Guardian, 4 September].
The former Arsenal player claimed he evaluates each stadium before making a decision about going, and he singled out the London Stadium as having “less respectful” crowds than Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, and the Etihad.
On September 8 during a live interview on talkSPORT, Keown said: “Generally, people treat you with a lot of respect, but occasionally, when alcohol has been consumed and the wrong groups are gathered, you can get into trouble.
“I would encourage people not to enter those circumstances; I don’t currently participate in co-comms because I can’t guarantee that I will arrive there safely. I’m not sure I can get there, and if I evaluate it and decide it’s not a good location to go, I won’t.
“I’ve had the odd incident, but I must say people now, especially at Old Trafford, are very respectful,” he continued.
Maybe not if I visit the London Stadium, where you have been the target of insults. Amazing, Stamford Bridge. Really respectful. The Etihad is the same.
A distinction between aggression and hostility
Fans constantly desire hostility at their stadium. With a “us against them” mentality prevalent throughout the stands, it should be difficult for the opponent to enter, but this rapidly turns into a drawback if antagonism escalates to aggression, especially towards pundits.
That hostile environment should be directed at the playing surface, the 22 participants in the match, and not the pundits who are merely attempting to do their jobs regardless of prior allegiances or on-field disagreements.
Keown continued, saying there was “nowhere safe” for him to board a train after a match between Manchester United and Spurs at Old Trafford because of the problems.
