In this age of Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter, practically anything that you do in public can be recorded and broadcast across the globe within seconds. That’s part of the reason that, so far anyway, Euro 2016 has been an incredibly immersive experience for those of us who weren’t fortunate enough to get our hands on tickets to France.
Whether it’s videos of Irish fans changing an elderly French couple’s car tyre, or Irish and Swedish fans having a street party in Paris, practically everything that gets on during these championships is filtering out in one way or another.
And it’s not all great.
Of course, the running clashes between Russian and English hooligans in the opening days of the tournament will sadly prove to be some of the most enduring images of Euro 2016.
The embarrassment continued for England (and Wales, judging by the pictures) in Lille yesterday evening after a video emerged of fans appearing to mock young children who had been begging nearby by throwing coins into the air.
English fans are mocking at gipsy children throwing them coins pic.twitter.com/vWMuGrq0QV
— Max Allanazarov (@KyKyPyKy22) June 14, 2016
There's no doubt going to be some highly differing viewpoints with regard to that video. For some, it's another perfect example of the utter lack of class that English fans travelling abroad have come to be known for. For others, it's merely some idiotic lad-ish behaviour that, although embarrassing, is seen throughout Europe from all manner of nationalities.
Make of it what you will.
However, what's perhaps even more interesting is the reaction of English fans to videos like that. There's an incredible persecution complex that's coming to the fore from England fans this summer who seem as keen to point out that they're not as bad as everyone is making them out to be as they are to actually follow their country at a major tournament.
Max Allanazarov, a Russian sports journalist with the agency TASS, shot that video and has been accused of peddling anti-English propaganda by some Twitter users while others suggested that, due to the narrative underway in this tournament already, if this was Irish fans they would be congratulated for their generosity.
@KyKyPyKy22 your bias, your anti English. Posting made up negativity shit
GROW UP— Huddle (@Silverfumar) June 15, 2016
@KyKyPyKy22 @mohammedali_93 says a Russian journo. Stop the propaganda against the English please and accept YOU are in the WRONG.
— Mad Crazy Life (@Mad_CrazyLife) June 14, 2016
Barry Glendenning, the Irish journalist who works for the Guardian also shared the footage and some of the responses he received said an awful lot about a mindset that many English fans seemed to have developed over the course of the past couple of weeks.
@KyKyPyKy22 And if the Irish were doing it it would be heartwarming, eh Barry?
— Paul Day (@DBD365) June 14, 2016
@KyKyPyKy22 this guy has dedicated his timeline to watching England fans behaviour. I'm sure he'll get his story eventually.
— Joe Daniels (@_JoeDaniels_) June 14, 2016
But yep, blame the Russians 😂😂😂
— Barry Glendenning (@bglendenning) June 14, 2016
Ultimately, though, this just serves to highlight the negative light that the small minority of misbehaving football fans has on the country they follow. The reputations of English and Russian football fans will take some repairing once this tournament has finished and, unfortunately for everyone, videos like this one do nothing to help fix their reputation.
And one thing's for certain, trying to suggest that the negative light that's been cast on English fans is entirely as a result of Russian propaganda is doing no one any good.
