Sunderland Football Club have suspended season ticket holders who have been persistently standing at the Stadium Of Light.
The above photo shows one of the seats at the stadium where a season ticket holder has been suspended. The actions are being taken to force Sunderland supporters to sit in their seats instead of standing.
“Naturally we want to ensure a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone at the Stadium of Light and we’d ask supporters to listen to requests from stewards and help us to eradicate persistent standing for the sake of all fans,” said Sunderland’s head of safety and security Paul Weir.
It’s not known yet how many Sunderland season ticket holders have been affected by the club’s decision to crack down on supporters who persistently stand.
My issue with Sunderland’s policy is that the enforcement of no standing is not consistent throughout the league. That’s not an issue that Sunderland can control, but the Premier League needs to do something about it league wide instead of just pretending it doesn’t happen. Large crowds of home supporters at clubs such as Manchester City, Stoke, Manchester United, Tottenham and several other clubs persistently stand. The Premier League needs to decide whether the policy of standing should be enforced or not. If the league is lax on the ruling, then the next logical step would be to allow safe standing in Premier League grounds. But that will never happen.
What are your thoughts about the topic? Should Sunderland be applauded or ridiculed for their decision? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
