I LIKE football. Call me old fashioned but there are few things I enjoy more than the buzz of screaming from the terraces in support of my team.

This is Britain in the 1990s. We are about to enter a new millennium - men can travel into space, members of communities worldwide can contact each other on the Internet. . .yet Blackburn Rovers fans are forced to live in fear of harassment from a bunch of Burnley thugs.

As I said, I enjoy football and relish in the rivalry between the players on the pitch, and with friends off the pitch. However, when honest, law abiding supporters (of any team, I hasten to add) have their reputation damaged by louts behind such schemes as Bastard Watch (Citizen August 8), team loyalty has gone too far.

The Citizen uncovered the horrific situation facing the Blackburn supporters in an exclusive recently. We revealed the targeting of so-called "Bastard Fans" on the Internet - no doubt a highly effective use of modern technology.

As much as I enjoy football, and no matter how loyal I am towards my chosen team the fact remains that football is purely and simply a game.

Twenty-two men kicking a ball around a pitch may raise the passion in the majority of us, but when the final whistle blows the score is not going to result in any dramatic change to the world as we know it.

Famines will not end, wars will not cease, poverty will not be overcome and disease will not be banished. Several hundred people (including the players) may have battered egos, but the world will still turn.

And anyway, whatever happened to freedom of speech? Surely in a (relatively) intelligent society, grown men and women should be free to openly express opinions and desires without fear of repercussion?

So please, football thugs - stop this madness. . .and get a life.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.