Football grounds the world over are the scene of some pretty shitty behaviour. There sometimes seems to be an unnecessary amount of bitterness and hate in the beautiful game, with fans forgetting that it’s just that – a game.
But, now and again, something happens that makes all the anger and bullshit melt away. Something like this.
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Jelle ten Rouwelaar is goalkeeper at Dutch side NAC Breda, who play in the second-tier Eerste Divisie. Sadly, his mother recently died at the age of 61.
During his side’s most recent game, against Go Ahead Eagles, his fans began to applaud in the 61st minute in tribute to ten Rouwelaar’s late mum. They then broke into a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, leaving the goalie clearly moved. That’s no surprise – not only has he recently lost a parent, he’s also learned that his fans are a bunch of solid-gold human beings.
The footage is enough to remind even the biggest cynic that football can still be a force for good. Sure, there’s a lot of bullshit connected to the sport at the highest levels, but there are also moments like this, when football becomes an expression of our shared humanity. Or, if that’s a bit flowery, these are wonderful scenes.
