No this isn’t a view from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. It’s the obstructed view for away fans at Wisla Krakow’s stadium in Poland.

Tottenham Hotspur will be playing their second leg of their UEFA Cup first round match against Wisla Krakow on October 2nd. Spurs has warned fans to expect severely restricted views of the pitch from the away section. Judging by the above picture, Tottenham is doing its fans a favor by warning them ahead of time of the conditions at the Wisla Stadium.

It’s hard to believe that such awful conditions still exist at stadiums these days. Fences to segregate fans and keep them from invading the pitch were removed from English stadiums after the Taylor Report was published in 1989 and 1990.

Sometimes we forget how obstructed views, pens and security fences ruined our views of football matches in the 70’s and 80’s. I remember watching standing at the bottom of the terraces on Swansea’s North Bank, peering through the fence to see the action on the pitch. At the time, I thought it was normal but now that experience would be a rarity. Thankfully.