Preview: FC United visit Clapton Community Football Club

When FC United of Manchester make their first ever visit to Clapton Community Football Club it promises to be a special occasion where ‘brothers and sisters in arms’ meet to continue the fight against modern football. Ben Haley from the FCUM London and Southern Supporters Branch provides this preview…

“‘Adelante’ is the cry around the hillside. ‘No Pasaran’ the pledge that made them fight.”

For members of FC United’s London and Southern branch, many a homeward trip from Manchester and the northern shires has been enhanced by a singsong, usually led by the legendary Mickey O’Farrell.

The lyricist behind several FC United songs, Mickey’s repertoire also includes an impassioned rendition of Viva La Quince Brigada, Christy Moore’s ode to the Irish volunteers in the International Brigades, who fought in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.

It was with great interest then, that FC United followed the launch and success of Clapton CFC’s International Brigades inspired kit in 2018. The following year, it was even spotted at some of our own games.

Understandably, it’s the instinct of some supporters to want to ‘keep politics out of football’. But politics isn’t just about political parties, cronies and vested corporate interests. It’s about how we, as ordinary people, organise ourselves to make a stand for the way we think things should be.

As Pericles, the Greek politician and philosopher, apparently stated: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics, it does not mean politics will not take an interest in you.”

FC United’s own history is steeped in similar politics as our hosts. Perhaps conscious of Pericles’ warning from 2,500 years ago (or perhaps not), both sets of supporters campaigned hard against greedy owners, who did not have their best interests at heart.

But ultimately both had to break away from their clutches. Both fought hard to establish their own homes. Through their own unique circumstances, both clubs were essentially reborn. These rebirths, as fan-owned clubs, were, in themselves, political acts.

Since then, FC United and Clapton CFC have forged links with their local communities, and established thriving and successful women’s teams. Like the men’s teams, they meet for the second time today.

Earlier this year, FC United’s women launched a unique change kit, to celebrate women and their role in football. Its purple, green and white colours are those traditionally associated with the suffragette movement. A proportion of the revenue from kit sales goes to Manchester Women’s Aid.

In our own small ways, both our clubs and our co-owners have said “No Pasaran” to the corporate greed that dominates modern football, and to the indifference to our communities from many professional politicians. So, together, “Adelante” on Saturday and into 2023-2024.

For any Clapton or southern based FC United fans that fancy a trip to watch FC United, the FC United London and Southern branch travels north to matches several times a year (in varying numbers). We also meet around four times a year in pubs closer to home. The usual venue is The Horseshoe in Clerkenwell. Keep an eye on social media for details!

@FCUMLondon
facebook.com/groups/FCUMLondonandSouth