I agree that any attempts at showing respect would've been a complete mess had the games went ahead. Football fans (including most well-meaning ones) have simply lost the ability to stay silent for 60 seconds.
Football needs to reflect on this.
One of the worst things to happen to football in this regard was the "minute's applause". I'll explain why.
When someone dies the natural response is one of sorrow - or, if you weren't close to the deceased person you show tact and consideration towards the friends and family members that were. Clapping is not a natural response to death in everyday life. If you meet someone who's recently lost a relative you give a few kind words of support and condolences, then you give them space to speak and grieve. You don't clap.
Silence is a fitting response, as you're showing self-restraint in an effort to give the grieving people the time and space they need. It also gives you yourself the time to think about those people and the person they've lost.
During a minute's silence you're supposed to be taking a few quiet moments to think about the person who has died and what they meant. It's a period of reflection.
You can't do that if you're clapping like a seal. Surrounded by other people that are clapping like seals.
Our society took a wrong turn when we decided to go down this "minute's applause" route. I understand the argument: by clapping we're "celebrating the life" of that person, so it's a positive gesture. This is just a lazy untruth though, hiding the fact that it's just easier to clap mindlessly than to make the effort - and that the clapping and noise masks any uncouth shouting or noise that would otherwise ruin an actual minute's silence.
It's such a weak argument: A few idiots may be disrespectful and make some noise, so let's all just make some noise. Let's all respond to death in a completely unnatural and inappropriate way, because there may be one or two bad apples in the crowd.
The Messiness.
It's not just the principle too, it's also the practicality. I've been to football matches where fans aren't even sure what to do when there's a minute's respect. Where you can't even hear the announcement because some fans have started clapping and cheering before the announcer has even finished speaking. Then everyone else just joins in, as they clap turning to the person next to them to ask; "Who's died??"
Back before the advent of the minute's applause you'd hear the announcement begin and that would be the cue to stop talking to your friends and to start listening. Slowly silence would descend on the stadium as the announcer finished giving his or her short tribute to the recently departed. The referee's whistle would blow, distinctive against the sheer silence. Then there'd be 60 seconds of quiet dignified reflection. Finally capped by a rapturous burst of sound once the moment of respect had passed. The noise against the silence as stark as day against night.
Sure, the odd idiot would occasionally shout something and ruin things a little, but it only reflected badly on them, not on the countless standing in respect; and the shame of an entire stadium would aim in their direction. The basic tenet that you show respect to the recently departed being such a universal cornerstone of human culture.
The minute's applause has confused all this though. It's helped to uproot us from basic human behaviour. So now we just have a cacophony of noise and uncertainty when we're supposed to be marking someone's death.
We go to football matches precisely to make noise and have fun. The idea of the minute's silence is that for a moment we pause and reflect. It's a moment where we stop what we're doing to consider something more important. Now however there's often more noise during that minute's tribute than there is during the entire game - at some stadiums it's easier to reflect upon your own mortality when the player's are actually on the pitch.
I'm joking a little of course, but be honest, would the tributes at football stadiums have been anything other than a huge mess this weekend had games went ahead? The minute's silence would be announced and some people would be clapping, some people would be silent and some would start singing 'God Save the Queen'. All well-meaning no doubt, but it would've been a discordant muddle.
Not everyone wants to sing 'God Save the Queen' (or indeed King). There are many people that don't share the politics of such a sentiment. However, everyone regardless of politics can show 60 seconds of silent respect for a recently deceased human being. (The people that haven't at recent games - those that have booed and so forth really do need to do some self-reflecting. As a human being you should be able to show a moment's silence for another human being that's just died - even if they were your worst enemy.)
Whatever people's views and politics now would be a fitting moment to bring back some dignity and respect by bringing back the minute's silence. Not just for the Queen, but for all recently deceased people.
(a human being)
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