Here are the three types of hatred marring football in Britain

It is not the sort of verdict fair-minded lovers of the national game would like to hear, but recent incidents have prompted campaigners to declare that, “hate is alive and well within football” in England.

What’s more, it is not just white-on-black hatred; anti-Semitism is growing, too, and there are also fears of increased homophobia among spectators.

Two black Brentford players, Ivan Toney and Rico Henry, said their families were abused at Goodison Park in their game against Everton.

The incident came hours after two Burnley fans were arrested for making what were officially described as “discriminatory gestures”, that is, Nazi salutes, towards home fans in a game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Police said the men were ejected from the Burnley crowd section on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and questioned.

The anti-racism charity, Kick It Out, said, “We have been made aware of a spate of new anti-Semitic and racist comments and gestures linked to several clubs … these events again highlight that hate is still alive and well within football.”

The London club, Tottenham, is known to have a large number of Jewish supporters. In recent years, some of them adopted the word “Yid,” meaning Jew, so as to nullify the derogatory meaning of the word often used against them.

“Yid” is inoffensive to Jews but acquired racist connotations in Europe under Nazism in the 1930s.

Tottenham asked its supporters to drop their espousal of “Yid,” as in “We are the Yid army,” saying it was time to move on.

A boost for the good side of football came in mid-May when the Caribbean-born ex-footballer, Shaka Hislop, was awarded the Freedom of the City of Newcastle. Hislop , who played in goal for Newcastle United, helped found Show Racism the Red Card, which has grown into the UK’s biggest anti-racism education charity.

The irony here is that only last April, a Newcastle fan was fined £300 for making a Nazi salute when Tottenham visited Newcastle.

As for homophobia fears, these arose when Jake Daniels, aged 17, a professional with Blackpool, announced he was gay – the first British footballer to do so since 1990.

Daniels said he had known his sexual orientation since he was six, he was tired of lying and he wanted people to “know the real me”.

“Off the pitch, I have been lying about who I really am. I’ve known my whole life that I’m gay and now I’m ready to come out and be myself,” he said.

Asked about negative reactions from spectators at grounds which Blackpool, would visit, he said he expected it and was not afraid.

With celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne coming closer – the main events are set for June 2 to 5 — there has been anxiety about the state of her health.

She has missed a number of recent events, including the state opening of Parliament, due to ongoing mobility issues, and she has looked decidedly frail since the death last year of her husband, Prince Philip.

However, the 96-year-old monarch looked bright and happy last Sunday when she attended a night-time celebration of the nation’s story in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

A 90-minute show involving a thousand performers, 500 horses and stars such as movie actor Tom Cruise, was described as “a musical and theatrical romp across the centuries called ‘A Gallop Through History.’”

Using a stick for support, the Queen walked to her seat in the royal box for the performance, which was broadcast live on television.

Events are planned throughout the summer and across the nation for the Platinum Jubilee, starting with a national holiday and the traditional Trooping of the Colour in London, with more than 1,400 parading soldiers.

Observations from (cynical) seniors:

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.

God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found around every corner of the world. Then he made the earth round.

There is no such thing as a grouchy old person. The truth is once you get old, you stop being polite and start being honest.

If you find yourself feeling useless, remember it took 20 years, trillions of dollars and four American presidents to replace the Taliban in Afghanistan with the Taliban.

So you’ve been eating hot dogs and hamburgers all your life, but you won’t take the vaccine because you don’t know what’s in it?

Notice on a church door: “It is possible that on entering this church, you may hear the call of God. However, it is not likely that he will contact you by phone. Thank you for turning off your phone.

”If you would like to talk to God, come in, choose a quiet place and talk to him. If you would like to see him, send him a text message while driving your car.”