MLS pulls false alarm over Timbers flags

By Forrest Tucker 

Black and red flags waved as the supporter’s section bounced up and down, shaking the old concrete they stood on. From across the pitch, we could hear Barra Brava, District Ultras and the Screaming Eagles, all DC United supporters' groups, singing and chanting inside RFK Stadium. DC United’s diehard fans could be as entertaining as the match itself. Their colorful flags and banners, called tifos, are a major entity of soccer culture. In my experience watching American soccer, tifos and flags were always about badgering the opposition and showing club pride. They were never about politics.  

But, in Portland, Oregon, things are different for fans of the Timbers. The Timbers Army has displayed the Iron Front, a symbol strongly linked with Antifa, at their home matches for years. These displays were surprising because my MLS experiences have always been apolitical. On the other hand, it is not unexpected. As the Portland Tribune reported, 74% of Portlanders consider themselves to be socially liberal. 

Their anti-fascist stance took a hit when Major League Soccer decided to ban political signage this year and deemed Antifa a political organization. The Timbers Army was told that they could no longer display the symbol. After a protest and backlash from the Timbers Army and their Seattle rivals, MLS announced that they would no longer prohibit the display of the Iron Front in September. 

The about-face has prompted me to wonder if the new rule was in the best interest of fans or the MLS brand. Professional soccer leagues, including MLS, should operate in the best interest of fans and their soccer culture. 

The ban was unnecessary because the Iron Front flags were not causing anyone trouble except the MLS, who were wary of the symbol being seen on a television broadcast. The flags were not inflicting pain to the fans inside the stadium like Antifa does to people in city streets. Furthermore, have Timbers fans been holding any Antifa rallies inside Providence Park? Nope. Additionally, the Timbers Army only occupies one end of the stadium so the whole arena is not cloaked in Antifa symbols. At the end of the day the Iron Front is just a symbol and MLS executives pulled a fire alarm when there was no fire. 

Not only does the decision come across as needless, but as careless given the political climate in Portland. The new Fan Code of Conduct rule did not catch flames until four months after the season began when Providence Park was able to reopen after renovations. Even though the rule had been in effect, the Timbers Army was not at their ground flying this flag. Now they were in attendance and Portland, a very liberal city, had experienced a violent demonstration involving anti-fascist protestors and far-right groups in June. The protests in June should have been the first and last warning sign to abandon the rule before it became an issue. Instead, MLS kept the rule in place throughout more violent protests in August and dug themselves into a deeper hole. 

Acting in the best interest of fans and their soccer culture also extends to an August incident in Seattle involving the Proud Boys and Seattle Sounders fans wearing the Iron Front symbol. As the Seattle Times reported, “a cluster of 11 men and one woman who pledged allegiance to the Proud Boys organization… awaited the Sounders supporters outside the southwest end of CenturyLink field.” The Proud Boys were small in number and only taunted the fans, but something more serious could happen in the future. MLS argues that they have no jurisdiction over what happens outside stadiums. But they should, especially in cities where supporters have strong political opinions. If MLS does not want to be political then they should ensure that their fans are nowhere near any opposing views on their way to the stadium and vice versa. A heightened interest to ensure fan safety would accomplish this goal more than banning political signs. At the same time, it would protect the art and culture of soccer that fans love. 

Proactivity could have saved MLS by lifting their political signage ban before the fiasco surrounding it started. Now they have a chance to avoid more negative feedback. Fans who spend time and money to watch their club deserve a league that will protect them and promote their best interests no matter what team they support.