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Hello. We’re talking today about a football fan who died following the club he loved. His family want to know if his life could have been saved.
Plus: Pep Guardiola for England? And come check out the Subbuteo World Cup.
A tragic death: West Brom fan Mark Townsend collapsed while watching with nephew
Mark Townsend was a devout fan of West Bromwich Albion, a 146-year-old club based in one of England’s traditional industrial heartlands. Aged 57, he followed them home and away. His suit at his wedding was cut from West Brom’s blue and white colours.
On September 28, he died after suffering a suspected heart attack during Albion’s away game at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium. He had gone to the match with his nephew, Matt, who was with him when he collapsed.
As Mark’s brother, Steve, said later, there might have been no saving him. But an investigation by The Athletic, relying on the testimony of witnesses from the away end at Hillsborough, has highlighted concerns with the speed of the medical response on the day, all of which leave friends and family wondering if Mark’s death could have been avoided.
Life as Mark knew it was about to change. He was close to retiring and he and his wife, Marion, were preparing to move to Ireland, where they were building a new house. Instead, those who knew him will spend the run-up to Christmas mourning his loss — and seeking clarity about what happened.
Hillsborough history
Hillsborough’s past as a football ground is long and dark. It was the scene of the worst tragedy in the English game, a disaster that claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans.
That occurred in 1989, but last month, The Athletic highlighted existing safety concerns with the ground, many related to the Leppings Lane end of the stadium where Liverpool’s supporters were fatally crushed.
West Brom fans who were in Mark’s vicinity say it took at least nine minutes for him to be assessed by a medic. Wednesday say the gap was four minutes, but only after a steward had radioed for help. Some in the Albion crowd have spoken of a struggle in quickly alerting stewards to the emergency.
Other claims included:
- The battery on the first defibrillator used on Mark going flat after two shocks.
- Claims it took 20 minutes for oxygen to be administered.
- The logistics of Hillsborough making it difficult to carry Mark from the away end.
Lessons to learn?
A review of the incident is underway. Responding to questions about Mark’s treatment, a spokesperson for Wednesday said: “Without compromising the review, it can be confirmed that advanced paramedic care was at the scene applying emergency treatment within three minutes of the control room being notified, just over one minute after the nearest steward was alerted.”
There were other issues that Wednesday and Lambda Medical, the company that provides medical services at Hillsborough, failed to address.
The final image of Mark, top, with Matt is deeply touching: a selfie of him at his happiest, just as the Championship match on September 28 was about to kick off. His family believe they owe it to him to establish whether his death could have been avoided — and if so, to ensure others are protected in future.
News Round-Up
- Joel Matip announced his retirement on Saturday, a few months on from his exit from Liverpool. Matip, 33, won just about everything there was to win at Anfield. Having joined on a free transfer from Schalke in 2016, the defender ranks as Jurgen Klopp’s best-value signing pound for pound.
- Spain have released Lamine Yamal from international duty after he complained of a hamstring issue in a Nations League victory over Denmark. Barcelona’s next three games include Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga — they need him fit.
- Nottingham Forest will pay a fine of £750,000 ($980,000) over a social media post attacking the integrity of a Premier League referee last season. It’s rare to see a financial sanction so high and the Football Association wanted it to be more severe.
- Five former employees of NWSL side San Diego Wave have filed a discrimination lawsuit against the club and the league.
- After losing two defensive midfielders, Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, to injury, Leeds United are considering taking Cheikhou Kouyate as a free agent. He’s 34 but has bags of experience on the back of 10 years in the Premier League.
Coaching questions: Who will be in charge of England at the World Cup?
The more Lee Carsley speaks, the more it sounds like he’s trying to talk himself out of the England job. Last week, he admitted he was mentally prepared for a return to the under-21s job and yesterday, after a 3-1 win over Finland, he said England required “a world-class coach who has won trophies”.
Without being harsh, that isn’t him. Carsley’s cautious tone in discussing the full-time post reflects the fact his caretaker stint has been less than conclusively impressive. After Thursday’s confused defeat to Greece, they got the better of Finland — albeit aided by an inexplicable miss while they were leading 1-0 (above). Nonetheless, this doesn’t feel like a long-term fit.
Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, meets the “world-class coach who has won trophies” criteria perfectly. He is out of contract at Manchester City next summer, the prospect of him leaving is increasingly real and if like Klopp he intends to redress his work-life balance, international football could be for him.
Managing England is often regarded as ‘the impossible job’ and if nothing else, hiring the planet’s top dog would put that reputation to the test. It would also juice up the cast of coaches at the next World Cup.
Mauricio Pochettino will be there. His USMNT adventure got off to a neat start on Saturday after he spent the week trying to infuse his players with confidence. If Pep got involved, all we’d need is Klopp to take Germany’s reins and 2026 in the United States would be like the Premier League’s glory years.
- Having beaten Panama 2-0 on Saturday, Pochettino will be down on numbers for tomorrow’s friendly against Mexico. Christian Pulisic is one of five players who have left his camp.
Quiz Answer
Friday’s question was no cinch: which four England players have appeared under seven or more England managers (including caretakers)?
The four were Gareth Barry, David Seaman, David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand. Barry topped the list by playing for eight — the first of them Kevin Keegan and the last Roy Hodgson.
Ask Me (Almost) Anything: Pogba and performance-enhancing drugs
Over the weekend, The Athletic invited readers of TAFC to fire questions my way. Thanks for all your input and well done for avoiding any about my lack of hair, or my wife.
Teddy C made a topical point on the back of our story about Paul Pogba’s doping ban being cut from four years to 18 months. He wondered why more isn’t written about performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in football.
It’s a fair thing to ask because, as Pogba’s case proves, the sport cannot be immune to doping (intentional or otherwise) when many others are affected by it. But there are two points to make in response: first, if PEDs were obviously prevalent, you’d see greater coverage of them and a reason I think they’re not so widespread is because football is a team game.
Naturally, PEDs can aid a player’s physique, but in terms of overall success, can they influence results in the way they do in individual pursuits like, say, cycling or boxing? I’m not naive in thinking football is squeaky clean, but perhaps the temptation (and the willingness to risk the consequences) isn’t there in the same way.
Around The Athletic FC
- Mario Cortegana does brilliant stuff on the Real Madrid beat for us. His column on Spain’s limp approach to tackling the racism aimed at Vinicius Junior is not to be missed.
- I’m used to crowds booing their own team — I covered Leeds in League One, for goodness sake — but Arsenal Women getting the bird after just four minutes of Saturday’s defeat to Chelsea? There must be trouble in paradise.
- You can tell Michael Cox had this up his sleeve for ages — the Noble Prize for not quite winning (or taking a very long time to win) a full international cap, inspired by West Ham United stalwart Mark Noble never appearing for England. It amazes me that Paolo Di Canio didn’t play for Italy’s senior team.
- I don’t know whether it was the “Warhammer for full-kit w***ers” line or the sign saying, “Please do not urinate in the showers, sauna or steam room.” But anyway, I was rapidly consumed by Adam Hurrey’s trip to the Subbuteo World Cup.
- The esports industry is expected to turn over £3.3billion in 2024. Surprise, surprise — the world’s top footballers have spotted the investment potential.
- The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast — and our gurus Michael Cox, Liam Tharme, Mark Carey and Michael Bailey — looked at the Premier League’s promoted clubs and assessed their chances of survival. They’re not alone in worrying about Southampton.
- Most clicked in Friday’s TAFC: Oasis designing Manchester City a best-selling kit.
Catch A Match (Times ET/UK) 📺
(Selected games)
Nations League, Group A2: Belgium vs France, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fubo, ViX/Viaplay; Italy vs Israel, 2.45pm/7.45pm — ViX, Fubo/Viaplay; Group A3: Germany vs Netherlands, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fubo, Vix/Viaplay; Group B4: Wales vs Montenegro, 2.45pm/7.45pm — ViX, Fubo/BBC.
(Top photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
