New fan laws: What do we think?

bluebear42 said:Just a quick amateur question here, but could we actually try to gather signatures for a referendum so we can decide once and for all if we want this Sports Fan Act in America or not?

The official definition basically boils down to this: a referendum is when you take a proposed new constitution, constitutional amendments, some specific law or a major political decision (whether it's at the federal, state, or local level) and put it to a public vote where citizens decide with a simple "yes" or "no."

That’s what would give us the legal right to have our say on this legislation if we could somehow pull off getting a referendum on the ballot.

I honestly don't see how that would change a thing because those guys wouldn't give a damn about even one percent of the population, so why bother? You could send a petition straight to some cabinet minister and they'd just blow you off, so you really think they won't just ignore a whole referendum? Forget it, man, let's just keep fighting against those mafia types, the cronies, and all that other nonsense instead!!

Frank Kim26 said:In a situation like this, you absolutely need to hire a lawyer... without legal counsel, you're basically dead in the water.

If I could just build on what my friend said there—suppose he manages to work with an attorney to prove his innocence, which shouldn't be hard since he didn't do anything—would he then have the standing to file a lawsuit against the officer making these claims? Because perjury, even when committed by a cop, is a criminal offense and he really ought to be held accountable for it.

...I mean, I don't think I even need to spell out how 99% of those lawsuits against the cops end up going nowhere, so honestly, just forget about it; it’s simply not worth your time or the sheer amount of effort you'd have to pour into it..

I’d honestly rather drop a massive stack of cash just to prove some cop is lying through his teeth than pay a single cent for some bogus ticket they slapped on me.

Daniel Barrett11 said:I’d honestly rather sink every cent I have into proving an officer lied than just swallow the cost of a fine based on a false accusation.

From what I understand, if the government sues you and you actually win the case, they’re supposed to reimburse you for your legal fees...

Does this even fly in a normal country? Honestly, I’m starting to have some serious doubts here 🙄

After all the absolute chaos we've seen lately—first out in San Francisco, then down in Lubbock, and now over in Boston—I honestly think the new Sports Fan Act is way too soft. I mean, what kind of referee actually calls a match off after a third warning? At this rate, you could light up flares, start chucking stuff onto the pitch, accidentally nail a linesman in the head, and then just do the whole thing again in the second half without much consequence. It’s a joke.

People love to talk about how "strict" the rules are. If you want real strictness, you'd call the game immediately after the first flare hits the field and throw the person who threw it in jail for attempted assault. But let's be real: nothing is actually going to change.

wanderinghawk17 said:Honestly, after all the absolute chaos we’ve seen lately—first up in San Francisco, then down in Lubbock, and now over in Boston—I’m feeling like this new Sports Fan Act is way too soft. I mean, what kind of ref actually calls a match off after just three warnings? Basically, you could light off flares, chuck everything onto the pitch, accidentally nail a linesman in the head, and then go ahead and do the whole thing again in the second half and you’d probably walk away totally fine.

You can call it a strict law if you want, but real strictness would be stopping the game the second a single flare hits the grass and locking up whoever threw it for attempted assault. But nah, nothing’s ever gonna change.

Where are you even coming from, man? Seriously, did you land here from Mars or something? If you aren't feeling the flares and you don't vibe with how fans act, buddy, maybe just go watch some third or fourth division ball somewhere else where things are quiet.🙂

wanderinghawk17 said:After the circus we've seen lately (first San Francisco, then Lubbock, now Boston), I’d say the new Sports Fan Act isn't nearly tough enough. A ref calling a match off after just three warnings? Please. You could set off flares, throw everything onto the pitch, accidentally take out a linesman, and then do the whole thing again in the second half and still walk away scot-free.

You call that strict? It would be strict if they called the game after the first flare hits the field and locked up the guy for attempted assault. Nothing's actually going to change.

🙂

In which of those three incidents was there actually an issue with flares or throwing things on the field 😕

or do you know something the rest of us don't? 🤷

wanderinghawk17 said:After all the chaos we've seen lately—first San Francisco, then that small town in the Midwest, now Boston—I honestly think the new fan law is way too soft. A match stoppage after three warnings? Please. You could set off flares, rain debris onto the pitch, accidentally take out a linesman in the head, and then do the whole thing over again in the second half and still walk away scot-free.

You can call it a strict law if you want. It would actually be strict if they called the game after the first flare hits the grass, or if they locked up anyone throwing stuff for attempted assault with intent. But nothing is going to change.

🤣

I just went through this new fan law and I’m totally lost on one thing:
it says we aren't allowed to "mask" ourselves in the stands, but what does that actually mean? Are we losing the right to rock our camo gear or throw on a bandana when the smoke from the flares gets too thick?

I guess nobody thought to clarify that part.😁

vividbison47 said:I was looking over this new fan law and I’m a little lost here:
it says you aren't allowed to "disguise" yourself in the stands—so does that mean we can't wear our scarves or put a mask on because of all the smoke from the flares?

I guess nobody really thought to ask about that... 😁

Honestly, this is just nonsense. You can't tell a person they aren't allowed to wear their favorite team's colors! It feels like we need to tear down the whole USSF and that entire group of people getting rich off everyone else's hard work.😠

vividbison47 said:I was looking through this new fan law and I don't get it:
it says you can't "disguise" yourself in the stands, so what? Does that mean we can't wear our band tees or pull a scarf over our faces when the flare smoke gets too thick??

I guess nobody bothered to ask them about that. 😁

The bans started hitting us way back in the first pro season, long before this law even existed. Specifically, at one game, two flares were lit, and four people got blamed for it. Two of them were actually detained just because they had scarves over their faces while the flares were going off (even though they didn't light them).

ruggedcanyon2 said:We started getting hit with bans way back during our first major league season, long before that fan law was even a thing. To give you the rundown, two flares were set off at one game, and they ended up wrongly targeting four different people. Two of them were actually detained just because they happened to be wearing scarves over their faces while the flares were going off, even though they weren't the ones lighting them.

Honestly, why are we even surprised? All the authorities care about is the raw numbers—how many people got detained or how many bans were handed out—it’s all just statistics to them. They don't give a damn whether you actually lit a flare or not, so you can try to sue whoever you want, but it feels like you're just shouting into the wind. At the end of the day, there isn't much else we can do besides keep fighting the good fight.☕

So, some American fan stormed the pitch and went after the ref. He already pulled his 30 days behind bars—which he did—but then there was this initial
fine he tried to appeal (appeal denied, obviously) and now he’s looking at a recalculated bill of about $1.3 million.

They haven't released the guy's name, but he owes that money directly to US Soccer (USSF). Because that match got interrupted by his little outburst, CONCACAF slapped the federation with an even steeper fine of roughly $1.6 million.

"What this gentleman did is basically the biggest assault on the integrity of American soccer we've ever seen. His attack on the official cost us $1.6 million in fines, not to mention the immeasurable damage to our reputation in the global football community," said Stjerne Hansen, the USSF general secretary, in a statement regarding the final ruling.

CONCACAF ended up awarding the match to Sweden as a 3-0 win, which effectively cost Dance their shot at qualifying for the 2008 tournament. On top of the cash penalty, they were also banned from playing two home games at MetLife Stadium.


Naturally, now the guy is whining—you know the drill: "Oh, I was drunk, oh, the fine is too high, oh, I'm going bankrupt..." and he's trying to negotiate
something.

I guess if fans actually had to pay for their own nonsense (instead of our national federation picking up the tab for them), we might actually see some order at
our stadiums. People who just want to enjoy the game will be able to; people who act like idiots will have to foot the bill...

...and oh yeah, here’s that little detail you conveniently glossed over: our soccer scene will only truly thrive once the big shots in charge stop treating people like punching bags in their VIP suites, bullying the cops, and throwing tantrums or making threats on national TV and during press conferences.
By the way, an American fan definitely pays the price for what we might call "misconduct."
Sometimes things get so out of hand that a guy ends up behind bars with absolutely zero evidence against him.
I mean, can your brain even wrap itself around that concept?

Jose Edwards16 said:Some Danish fan stormed the pitch and went after the ref. He already served his 30 days in jail, then got hit with an initial
fine which he tried to appeal (appeal denied), and now he’s looking at a recalculated bill of about $270,000.

The guy's identity hasn't been released, but that money is owed directly to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). Because that match was interrupted by this specific incident, UEFA slapped the federation with an even heavier fine of roughly $320,000.

"This gentleman's actions represent the single greatest assault on the integrity of American soccer history. His attack on the official cost us a $320,000 penalty, not to mention the immeasurable damage to our reputation in the global football community," stated Stjerne Hansen, the USSF General Secretary, in a release regarding the final verdict.

UEFA officially recorded the match as a 3-0 win for Sweden, which effectively cost Dance their chance at qualifying for the Euro 2008 tournament. On top of the massive fine, they were also banned from playing two home matches at MetLife Stadium.

Of course, now the guy is whining: "Yeah, well, I was drunk, okay? This fine is way too high, I'm gonna go bankrupt..." and he's basically trying to negotiate
something.

I guess when fans actually have to pay for their own outbursts (instead of our national soccer federation picking up the tab for them), we might finally see some order at
our stadiums. People who just want to enjoy the game will be able to; anyone who decides to act like a total idiot will have to pay the price....

...just get lost, you cop, drop dead☕

Jose Edwards16 said:Some Danish fan stormed the pitch and went after the ref. He did his initial 30 days in jail, then appealed the primary
fine, lost the appeal, and now he’s staring down a bill for about $300,000.

They haven't dropped the guy's name, but that cash goes straight to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). Because this idiot interrupted the game, UEFA slapped the federation with an even bigger fine—around $350,000.

"This guy's move was the biggest hit to the integrity of American soccer history. His attack on the official cost us a $350,000 fine and an immeasurable amount of damage to our reputation globally," said Stjerne Hansen, the USSF general secretary, in a statement regarding the final ruling.

UEFA handed Sweden a 3-0 win by forfeit, which basically knocked Dance out of the running for the Euro 2008 tournament. On top of the money, they were banned from playing two home games at MetLife Stadium.

Now the guy is whining. "Oh, I was drunk, the fine is too high, I'm gonna go broke..." just trying to cut a deal.
something.

Bottom line: when fans actually pay for their own screw-ups instead of our soccer association picking up the tab, we'll finally have order at our stadiums. People who want to watch the game can watch; people who act like idiots can pay the price.

Agreed. Honestly, seeing how some people fight for abortion bans makes me think we should be encouraging them more. Especially when you spot the red flags early on.

Jose Edwards16 said:I was reading about this absolute lunatic who stormed the pitch during a match and went straight for the referee—just total madness. Apparently, the guy was slapped with thirty days in jail, which he served without much fuss, only to be hit with a lifetime ban immediately after. It’s just one of those things that makes you wonder about the state of sportsmanship these days; I remember seeing something similar back when I was attending games in Chicago years ago, where a disgruntled spectator tried to jump the barrier, and the security response was almost as chaotic as the incident itself. But this? This is a whole different level of instability. You serve your time, thinking you've paid your debt to society, and then the governing bodies come down on you with a permanent ban like they're handing out life sentences. It’s relentless.
The penalty he tried to appeal—which, mind you, was rejected quite decisively—has been recalculated, and now he’s looking at a bill for roughly $275,000. It’s one of those situations where you think you've fought the good fight, only to realize the math has shifted against you in the end.

The identity of the fan remains a mystery for now, but that specific fine has to be wired directly to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). It’s a bit of a mess, really, because since the match was cut short due to that whole incident, UEFA slapped the federation with an even heavier penalty—something in the neighborhood of $320,000. It reminds me of a situation I dealt with years ago back in Chicago when a local venue had to shell out a fortune after a crowd dispute; once those governing bodies get involved, the costs just spiral upward, and they aren't exactly known for being lenient when things go sideways on the pitch.

"That gentleman's actions constitute the most egregious assault on the integrity of American soccer in its entire history. His blatant disrespect toward the referee has cost us a $2.2 million fine, not to mention the immeasurable damage done to our reputation within the global football community," stated Stjerne Hansen, the General Secretary of the United States Soccer Federation, following the announcement of the final ruling.

Because of that messy situation with UEFA, they ended up handing Sweden a 3-0 win by forfeit, which effectively killed any chance Dance had at qualifying for the Euro 2008 tournament. It wasn't just a blow to their standings, either; on top of the hefty fine, they were slapped with a ban preventing them from playing their next two home matches at MetLife Stadium. I remember sitting in my living room when the news broke, just staring at the screen in disbelief because you rarely see a penalty hit a club that hard, essentially stripping away their home-field advantage right when it mattered most.
I was reading this piece earlier today regarding the recent fallout within our national soccer landscape, and honestly, it’s enough to make one want to take up knitting instead of following the beautiful game. It seems we are once again circling the drain of institutional incompetence, much like that disastrous season my local high school team had back in the late nineties—though at least there, the coaches weren't being investigated by federal authorities. The core of the issue, as I see it, is the absolute lack of accountability within the United States Soccer Federation. You have these figures at the top acting as if they are untouchable, maneuvering through legal loopholes like they’re playing a game of Monopoly where they own all the properties on Boardwalk. It reminds me of a situation I dealt with years ago when I was trying to settle an estate in Chicago; the bureaucracy was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and the people in charge seemed more interested in protecting their own interests than actually following the rules. And don't even get me started on the financial mismanagement. We hear these whispers of corruption and shady dealings involving major stakeholders, and while some might call it "business as usual," I call it a slap in the face to every American who buys a jersey or spends their hard-earned money on a ticket. It feels less like a sports organization and more like a collection of suits trying to outmaneuver one another in a boardroom. If we want to compete on the world stage against teams from Sweden or any other powerhouse, we need stability, not a revolving door of scandals and litigation. There’s a certain level of exhaustion that sets in when you realize the people tasked with growing the sport are often the very ones stifling its potential. It’s a heavy realization, one that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, much like that overpriced coffee I had this morning that tasted more like burnt beans than anything remotely drinkable. We deserve better leadership, transparent governance, and a federation that actually respects the fans rather than treating them like an afterthought in a grand scheme of greed.

And now, predictably, he’s playing the victim. It’s always the same old song and dance with these types, isn't it? He starts wailing about how he was just having a few too many drinks—as if being intoxicated is some sort of valid legal defense—and then suddenly, the punishment is "far too harsh" and he’s on the verge of total bankruptcy. It’s a pathetic performance, really. Now he’s crawling around, trying to cut a backroom deal to make the whole thing go away. Typical.
Something.

Look, it’s quite simple, really. Once fans are actually held financially accountable for their own misconduct—rather than having our national soccer federation step in to clean up their mess and foot the bill every single time—only then will we finally see some semblance of order in the stands. It’s this endless cycle of negligence that frankly exhausts me. I remember sitting in a stadium back in Chicago years ago, watching a group of rowdy types cause absolute chaos, and instead of facing any real consequences, the league just quietly settled the fines behind the scenes. It’s the same pattern here. We have a governing body that acts more like a shield for bad behavior rather than an authority, and until that dynamic shifts so that the individuals responsible are the ones paying the price, nothing is ever going to truly change.
Regarding our stadiums—look, it’s pretty simple. If you’re there to actually enjoy the game and soak up the atmosphere, you’ll have a blast. But if you decide to act like an idiot or cause trouble? Well, you're going to pay the price for it. Simple as that.

Exactly. And what would actually happen here? You’d see some massive crowd-funding campaign where everyone chips in to bail him out, and even his own teammates would probably step up and offer to cover half his legal fees. But in this country? If he ever got caught, the media would paint him as a bigger villain than Markovic, Mamic, Srebric, Svagusa, Kerum, Grgic, Fiorentini, Sanders, Sinovcic, Kosorica, and Kalmeta combined. It's just how things work around here.

Hey guys, anyone know for sure if they serve regular beer or just the non-alcoholic stuff at the Medvescak games?