16th Apr 2008
Football hooligans and brand assasins
Three weeks ago a man was left for dead in Belfast city centre after being randomly attacked by a group of men who were reported to be wearing ‘Stone Island’ jackets. The hooligans were using the cover of an old firm derby and a Cliftonville - Linfield games to launch a spree of violence across the city centre. Press reports have linked them to Combat 18.
Last night there was trouble in Dublin when a tiny minority of Northern supporters got violent before the Setanta Cup fixture with St Pat’s in Inchicore. The front pages of all the local papers are plastered with the bloodied face of a man being arrested by Gardai. He is wearing a ‘Stone Island’ jacket.
This morning Linfield’s chairman did himself little favours on the radio when he came across confused and even contradictory. I have a lot of sympathy for anyone in that position, however this only underlines the need to consider carefully what you want to say and how you are going to say it before giving interviews, particularly live ones.
Another casualty of all this is the ‘Stone Island’ brand which is marketed as a premium brand on this island and available only in the best menswear shops. This small group is engaged by design or by accident in brand assassination. The likelihood of well to do men choosing a clothes brand which has become the uniform for a group of football hooligans reportedly associated with Combat 18 is zero.
Its hardly anything new. SI has been a favourite of football hoolies both here and more prominantly in England for quite some time now - since the 90’s at least.