AS if watching English fans being attacked by foreign police officers was not depressing enough, the disturbances that blighted Manchester United's recent Champions League match with Lille could also have negative consequences for the future of the game in this country.

The sight of terrified fans attempting to haul themselves over metal fencing inevitably led to a series of comparisons with the Hillsborough disaster, and as long as those tragic scenes from Sheffield continue to resonate with the footballing authorities, the debate over the re-introduction of terracing will remain largely non-existent.

A refusal to discuss the issue is understandable given the enduring emotional trauma that accompanies any conversation in which Hillsborough is involved.

But it is wrong to assume that terracing is inherently dangerous and life-threatening. And just because Manchester United's supporters had an unpleasant experience in France, it is also wrong to deny that a limited return to terracing could be the cure to some of football's current ills.

In a week in which even the Prime Minister has been drawn into a debate over dwindling attendances and soaring ticket prices, the re-introduction of terracing has been like the elephant in the corner of the room. Everybody knows it is there as an option, but nobody dares to acknowledge its existence.

Standing areas have become football's greatest taboo, yet they would lead to reduced admission prices and enhance the level of atmosphere at a stroke.

Fans, who increasingly choose to stand at away games anyway, would be given a choice they are currently denied.

Those who would like to watch their football standing up would be able to do so. Those who would prefer to sit down - or who, like disabled supporters and children, do not really have a choice - would no longer have their view restricted by fans who refuse to remain in their seats.

The potential for arresting the current decline in attendance is enormous. The price of a standing ticket would have to be less than a seated one, and working-class supporters who have turned their back on the game might be persuaded to return to an environment that evokes the experiences of their youth.

A return to standing areas would have to be strictly controlled. But it is not as if terracing is entirely without precedent in the modern game. Most lower-league grounds have terraces, so if the practice is deemed to be safe at that level, the concern in the Premiership must relate to the number of people in a specific section of the ground.

Last week's problems at Lens intensified when Manchester United fans with tickets for various parts of the ground were shepherded into one self-contained section.

The crush that resulted was terrifying, but it was also entirely avoidable.

Modern ticketing technology allows for the installation of turnstiles that can identify a certain type of ticket at an instant. If that ticket is for a standing section, the supporter in question should be allowed to enter. If it isn't, they should be turned away immediately. Provided there is no room for confusion - and there needn't be - clubs will be able to guarantee the attendance in a standing area does not exceed its capacity.

Similarly, a blanket ban on fencing would guarantee the existence of an escape route if anything did go wrong. Nobody wants to see supporters streaming on to the pitch, but the Hillsborough disaster would not have happened had supporters not been penned in.

The German authorities have accepted as much, demolishing their fences but permitting a number of carefully-controlled standing areas that have helped make the Bundesliga the most-watched league in Europe.

Even Lord Justice Taylor, in his post-Hillsborough report, conceded that standing areas were not inherently unsafe.

Today, a host of footballing figures are attempting to make the game more appealing to the average fan. A phased re-introduction of terraces would be a good place to start.

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