Tolerate fans' exuberance

As a resident of Greater Manchester, I was in the city centre around 9am on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week at the time of the Rangers "invasion" (your report, 16 May). Before the match, the fans were noisy but not particularly aggressive and, as someone who is uninterested in football, I cannot see why we should not tolerate such occasional exuberance. If this happened every week, it would be different.

On Thursday, I was horrified at the amount of litter on the streets, but when I realised there had been more than 100,000 Rangers fans, it could have been expected. Most of it was discarded beer bottles and cans but the number of broken shop windows was low in the circumstances, especially considering the fans' natural frustration when the large TV screen failed just as the match began. By Friday morning the streets were clean.

While the criminal activity of a small minority should be condemned, and vigorously prosecuted, we should be more tolerant of those who have a slightly different lifestyle and way of enjoying themselves, provided they reciprocate by refraining from intimidating behaviour.

MARTIN D STERN

Hanover Gardens

Salford