IMUSA News
Searching for sedition
30th January 2010
We have been contacted by a number of members letting us know about the severe delays in gaining entry to the ground caused by each fan being extensively searched before they are admitted.
The delays caused by these searches are adding to people's discontent and the club only has two choices here.
That is, to employ more people to do these searches so that the delays are reduced or stop doing all but the usual security 'pat down' that has up until now been considered appropriate for ensuring safety at a football ground.
These additional searches are aimed at stopping the anti Glazer protests being seen by the TV cameras.
With upwards of 30,000 people now wearing the Green and Gold of the protest movement it is hard to see what effect these searches can possibly have and what further signs of sedition they think they can be suppressing.
Fans who have been affected by this problem are asked to contact comms@imusa.org if they wish to add their name to the portfolio we are preparing for presentation to the club and football authorities.
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Farce of a football frisking
Des Kelly, The Daily Mail, 30th Jan 2010 
Security measures are largely a pointless ritual; mostly for show, partly for deterrent, but we endure them because someone always tells us: ‘It’s for your own good.’
Which is why we wait in line for hours to remove our shoes, even though the X-ray machines won’t detect plastic explosives.
It is why we allow someone to stare at blurred pictures of our genitalia on a monitor, ignoring the fact that these security measures will still miss the one lunatic in 1.5 billion airline passengers determined to blow up his underpants.
Take that worthy concept of ‘enhanced security’ to a football match and it’s even more farcical.
At Old Trafford on Wednesday night, every one of the 75,000 crowd was frisked on entry to the stadium, regardless of the idiocy involved.
I watched a man who must have been 60, dressed in a cashmere overcoat and his office suit, being patted down as if he’d flown into Washington DC from Kabul on Jihad Airlines.
A friend arrived at the grandiose ‘Platinum Club’ executive lounge with two children aged 10. The boy had his hair slicked down with Mom Spit and had been made to wear a shirt and tie; the girl had her best dress on, because they were in ‘the posh seats’.
But the kids were stopped by security. ‘You can’t come in here with those,’ they were told. So what did these potential young offenders have - knives, bottles? No, Manchester City scarves, which were confiscated. The 10-year-olds were also warned not to celebrate if City scored or they would be evicted.
A great day for the club Taliban, I’m sure you’ll agree.
I was frisked (no charge) to ensure I was not carrying projectiles. I then walked into a lounge where I was handed a commemorative coffee mug, which would have made a terrific dent in Craig Bellamy’s head had I been so inclined.
As it turned out, a coin thrown by an idiot struck Bellamy. Many more incidents like that, and nets will start going up behind the goals, just as in Italy.
The only other option is for football clubs to take all your money away at the turnstiles. Oh, too late.
