The headlines are predictable. A tragedy in Mexico City, World Cup related, and the usual suspects are dusting off their security protocols. But let us not pretend that this is about ‘safety’.
This is about the hubris of modernity. We have built colosseums for the masses, temples of globalised entertainment, and now we are shocked when the scaffolding of civilisation groans. London officials wringing their hands over stadium safety?
Spare me. The problem is not a lack of stewards or reinforced barriers. The problem is that we have confused spectacle with substance.
The Roman games ended not because the seating collapsed but because the empire rotted from within. You want safer stadiums? Build a society that does not treat thousands of strangers as a commodity.
Until then, expect more blood on the pitch.
