Mail Sport columnist Chris Sutton has decried rowdy fans ‘crossing the line’ when watching football matches in pubs, on the eve of Euro 2024.
With the European Championship on the horizon, England supporters in their numbers will be weighing up where to watch the Three Lions’ opening game against Serbia on Sunday evening.
But in a study conducted by Roku, an overwhelming number responded that their decision was likely to be informed by the conduct of their fellow pubgoers.
Nine out of 10 fans have avoided watching games in pubs due to badly behaved spectators, and the impact on weighing up whether it is in fact worth it to watch matches in public has been a big one.
72 per cent of fans surveyed shared that they were likely to watch England matches from the comfort of their own home, with only 21 per cent committed to watching the games in the pub.
With just three days to go until England’s first group-stage match, the team are preparing for Euro 2024 action in Germany
Fans too will be working out exactly how they are going to watch the competition from home
A staggering one in three polled had expereinced aggressive fans, and when asked to describe their ultimate pub turn-offs, fans cited other supporters talking non-stop rubbish, 24 per cent of those asked noted pint-throwing, and one fan even described having seen ‘a man running naked through the bar wearing a St George’s flag’.
With that behaviour in mind, the streaming platform has created The Quiet Lion, a fan experience at Croydon pub The Porter and Sorter, in a bid to tempt hesitant spectators back to their locals.
With a view to luring punters back to the pub – an overwhelming 84 per cent who said they would return to watch matches there if disorderly behaviour was reduced – The Quiet Lion aims to replicate the best of being at home alongside the camraderie only found in a crowd.
It’s All Kicking Off co-host Sutton threw his weight behind the idea, suggesting that the experience would appeal to fans looking to ‘appreciate’ the match in front of them.
Mail Sport columnist Chris Sutton has partnered with Roku’s The Quiet Lion pub experience
‘There’s nothing wrong with passionately supporting your team, but some fans are crossing into performative, over the top behaviour that gets in the way of people who want to watch the game and appreciate it,’ Sutton said.
‘Checking out The Quiet Lion, it’s clear that there is a world where sociably watching the game in the pub can still exist without getting a pitcher of beer over your head when the ball goes in off someone’s knee for an equaliser in a group stage game…’
Also included in the experience is the opportunity to trial ‘Headphone Mode’, which allows fans to listen to an audio stream of the game or watch the television and listen to the audio unimpeded.