A fan's banner asking Lionel Messi for his shirt

Raghav Maheshwari

Twitter slams the recent influx of ‘can I have your shirt’ banners in football

Vast sections of stadiums are nowadays seen swarming with overly-enthused fans who animatedly wave their placards over their heads, all of which bear cringy requests for jerseys sported by the footballers. 

Of late this trend has only gone from bad to worse which is a source of great agitation for a plethora of football aficionados, who shared their disgust over this disgraceful practice.   

https://twitter.com/jessx173/status/1456170948512653312

Although every fan dreams of receiving as precious a memento as their superstar’s matchday jersey, an influx of such sightings has left supporters disgruntled, with many of them questioning the loyalty of these fans.

Telltale photographs surfaced over social media making claims that such “football-fanatics” often belie their intention of making a quick buck under the garb of possessing prized memorabilia, selling the jerseys off for a fortune. 

The Twitterverse fumed in anger demanding a ban on such ‘plastic’ fans, who, in their gluttony to attract the attention of the cameramen, kills the vibe at stadiums, blocking the view of the field with crass posters consequently ruining the experience for the genuinely passionate turn-out.   

Some may even go as far as involving their kids in their charade, forcing them to pose with emotional messages to manipulate players into giving their jerseys to them.

The conclusion thus drawn from the consensus was that barring the benefit of charitable causes, this obscene activity of pleading for kits needs to end right away as they only drag the name of this beloved game through the dirt.    

https://twitter.com/bririley_70/status/1456991176293289992