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Away From The Numbers

All good things come to an end. Or so they say. AFTN has been around since 1989, first as a fanzine and then making the jump to a website and forum in 2003. We've been through the many ups and down at East Fife in those 12 years but policing the forum has become a giant pain in the ass in recent years. As such, we made the decision not to renew it when it expired.

The forum is no more and will remain as a locked archive until it is eventually deleted by the host. We're looking in to try to save some of the content as an archive.

This is not the end of AFTN though. The site will continue and will be revamped and return in its full glory for the start of the 2016/17 season. Maybe even sooner. There will be a comment sections and possibly even a new, registered forum. Check our Twitter (@aftnwebsite) for all the latest info and we'll also post in on the EFFC memories Facebook page.

Until then, have a last browse here, thanks for all your support over the years, and 'Mon the Fife.

GoF

 

East Fife
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EF fan banned for setting off flare

Football fan banned for setting off flare
man was on way to cup-tie
By Leanna Maclarty

Published: 08/02/2011

A FOOTBALL fan who set off a flare in Aberdeen city centre on his way to Pittodrie has been banned from all Scottish matches.

Thick yellow smoke filled the air around Guild Street when Stuart Bell, 19, pulled the pin of a smoke canister on January 8 – before a cup-tie between Aberdeen and East Fife.

At Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday, Bell was given a 15-month ban from all football matches organised by the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League.

He was also fined £400 after he admitted putting people in danger by recklessly setting off the flare, causing smoke to cover part of the road and a section of pavement covered in scaffolding.

Fiscal depute David Bernard said CCTV camera operators watched the East Fife fan walk from a cash machine towards the Criterion Bar on Guild Street.

“Police witnesses saw an item drop to the ground and almost immediately begin to burst into thick yellow smoke,” he said.

The scaffolded area of the pavement was surrounded by a large cloud of yellow smoke, the court heard.

Defence agent John Hardie said Bell, of 7 Linwood Gardens, Leven, Fife, immediately apologised to the plain-clothed police officers who arrested him.

The flare was supposed to be set off at Pittodrie Stadium but Bell decided it “was not a good idea” and pulled the pin in the city centre while being “egged on” by friends, the court heard.

It was a smoke grenade like those used in paintball activities, Mr Hardie said, and only emitted smoke.

Sheriff David Hall said: “This clearly was a serious matter. You were in the city centre before travelling out to Pittodrie. It is appropriate in the circumstances to make a football banning order.”



Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2126420?UserKey=#ixzz1DMhsF0uv

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Bit harsh.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

26 pound a month loss for the club. Why not just ban him from Pittodrie. Good job we didn't win!! He would have got jailed!!!

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Hope this thread doesn`t flare up into another argument!

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Tam
Hope this thread doesn`t flare up into another argument!



Flair enough.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

YELLOW

smoke ???

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

St Pauli Fifer

YELLOW

smoke ???


Should have been banned for life for that

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

if east fife play aberdeen again, they will sweep the flare with them

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

I honestly feel he should have been let off.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Ah hink this threed is aboot burnt oot!

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Dont let the smoke get in your eyes

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

He should have been banned for life,he could have caused a death or some serious injury,fans have been banned for life for calling player names and bb sticks out.if he had done it in the ground the outcome could have been worse,with loads of kids women and the elderly panicking,it is much more serious than verbally abusing players,refs and linesmen.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

No smoke without fire

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

zak
He should have been banned for life,he could have caused a death or some serious injury,fans have been banned for life for calling player names and bb sticks out.if he had done it in the ground the outcome could have been worse,with loads of kids women and the elderly panicking,it is much more serious than verbally abusing players,refs and linesmen.


To be fair zak, the person who was banned for calling players names was being racist. Should definitely be banned for that.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Racist abuse is bad and deserved to be punished. Colour calling is not abuse imho and the ones that take that to court are just using the system. I know weve all been over this before and it was a long thread. but do you really think Mr El-Haj-Douef cares about colour calling?? I bet he doesnt. Would he take someone to court to use that system??? I bet he would.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

15 Month ban & £400 fine. What a load of bullsh*t.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Heeeeeeeeey, did someone mention flares?

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

That is harsh. In the grand scheme of things it was a reckless act but the result was not a disaster. I know of many offenders committing far worse crimes again ana again and their conclusions were far short of what this fellow has received. Problem is the Sheriff will use his toy, football banning order, and raise his profile something a bit different from his every day offences! Thought defence would have argued he was on a shopping trip.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

He can still go to Highland League matches though?

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

zak
He should have been banned for life,he could have caused a death or some serious injury,fans have been banned for life for calling player names and bb sticks out.if he had done it in the ground the outcome could have been worse,with loads of kids women and the elderly panicking,it is much more serious than verbally abusing players,refs and linesmen.


But he didn't set it off in the ground so that's irrelevant.

The Bizzies were all over the station when we arrived and in the Criterium before the game, so it was a bit silly given their presence.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Why should someone buy a flare in the first instance? What were his thoughts and vision of what would happen if he used it in the ground, which of course, he must have been planning to do originally?

Having said that,he is most likely full of remorse and if so, the sentence need not have been so harsh.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Flares should be allowed in football grounds. They are smart.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

A total joke, if this had been an aberdeen fan in their own city they probably would have got a slap on the wrist. You see people that have been done for gbh, stabbings, drunk drivers etc getting less.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

MaRY_BaLe
Flares should be allowed in football grounds. They are smart.


yep, bags, stay-press and bomber jacckets all are cool
Bring back the perm.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

This flare is just as bad as a hoax call to the fire brigade.

Whilst the fire brigade are called to a hoax, someone else could be dying.

Whilst an East Fife fan is lighting a flare, a sinking ship's crew is one flare short and only able to wave their arms.

Leave them in the shop to prevent a national shortage of flares, or indeed an injury to others.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Does anyone know this guy, does he come to home games?

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

I think the sentence is a crime to be honest (pardon the pun). The laddie admitted that he'd been stupid straight away. If he's a regular on here tell him to get in touch with one of the moderators. I want a word with him.
We've all done stupid things.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Shame for the boy. just a bit of daftness and it wasnt a flare as you would use in a flare gun more a smoke bomb type thing. Lucky he never got a longer ban tho (or maybe no if we get relegated!!)

I would bet my house the actual owner of the flare was an Aberdonian. Maybe Donald Findlay could speak to him about an appeal next time he is brunching wi the Fifers

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

The ban would be nothing to worry about, will turnstyle operators at every ground in Scotland have big posters of his face?

Uneforceable surely, as long as he keeps his head down and behaves.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

That would be stupid, local police will have a photo of him and they will look out for him. Part of the order as well is normally you have to sign in at the local police station when there is a football match in your home town also not allowed to travel to any town where a game is being held.

Straight arrest for breaching the order he should keep his head down do the ban the come back simples.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Taggart
That would be stupid, local police will have a photo of him and they will look out for him. Part of the order as well is normally you have to sign in at the local police station when there is a football match in your home town also not allowed to travel to any town where a game is being held.

Straight arrest for breaching the order he should keep his head down do the ban the come back simples.


"at least theres no been a murder, jim"

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

haa thats mah pal stuart bell lol, hes got court next week its either community service or a short sentence, what a guy!

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

The last statement from Minififer really does say it all.

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Do you think Stuart would like to join the Trust ?

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

what happened was him and steven duff went to aberhill and were planning on setting it off during the game but they both bottled it outside the ground and stuart went to throw it like a fanny and set it off

Re: EF fan banned for setting off flare

Aberhill?