It should have been one minutes silence.

[Carborundum]

I have arrived late and not realised the silence was happening.  A well meaning "Come on You Whites" to clear the tonsils approaching the top of the stairs would have been very embarrassing, so I prefer the applause approach.

[andyk]

The Continental tradition is to clap, as a sign of remembrance and dignified respect.
I remember attending a funeral in Italy, many years ago, and being a bit shocked as the coffin was carried into the church with rapturous applause ringing around the chapel.

[b+w geezer]

The Continental tradition is to clap, as a sign of remembrance and dignified respect.
I remember attending a funeral in Italy, many years ago, and being a bit shocked as the coffin was carried into the church with rapturous applause ringing around the chapel.

That's very interesting and may help to explain.

[ffc73]

Agree with the OP and the responses

But I must say, without wishing to be too harsh or political, IMO it wasn't really appropriate to do anything at all. 500 people died in the African mudslide last week, 10 US navy sailors have gone missing this morning in a boat accident, and none of them got or will get a minutes silence/applause despite us having players from both those regions in our team. Personally getting a bit sick of all the empty gestures about terrorism.

+1

+2

[toshes mate]

The action of celebrating (as distinct from mourning) the death of someone is not uncommon, but I don't think it is quite the same as when lives are deliberately ended prematurely as happens in terrorist actions or natural disasters.   It is really hard to get a balance but personally I believe silence in remembrance of tragedy is preferable to applause.  I also agree with b+w geezer's comment about celebrating the deceased's contribution to whatever walk of life they were in justifies itself.  I really don't understand why people believe they need to show they care about unrelated deaths, although I do understand, as Lighthouse says, that close personal mourning is very, very different for each and everyone of us.

[AnEssexFan]

It should be a minutes applause when celebrating someone's life/career/achievements, but it should be a minutes silence when mourning something such as those killed in a terrorist attack. It felt really awkward clapping on Saturday.

[Fulham hammy end ultras]

i was a bit dissapointed whn some of the fans used the bloody clappers to applause . Am I the only one getting angry by that?

[Woolly Mammoth]

For a Terrorist attack or a situation where people have been murdered killed etc, for me a minutes silence is the only appropriate way.
But for me clapping is not my way for any one that's passed away, I just do not feel comfortable with it. Unless on exceptional circumstances like for instance when a comedian or an entertainer who brought laughter and pleasure into people's lives and would have appreciated that kind of send off.

[toshes mate]

There is much profundity in what you have just written, Woolly.  What would the individual deceased have liked as a send off?  Do we ever bother finding out?  Is silence or applause all we should ever do?

[Neil D]

The Continental tradition is to clap, as a sign of remembrance and dignified respect.
I remember attending a funeral in Italy, many years ago, and being a bit shocked as the coffin was carried into the church with rapturous applause ringing around the chapel.

Earl Spencer's funeral oration was also applauded by normally very formal and correct Brits.  Sometimes doing nothing doesnt seem enough.  I'm not a fan of the royal family so wasn't moved one way or the other in that case but I have applauded on several occasions at the end of the Last Post at Ypres because it is moving but the organisers don't like it.

[Fulham1959]

Agree with the OP and the responses

But I must say, without wishing to be too harsh or political, IMO it wasn't really appropriate to do anything at all. 500 people died in the African mudslide last week, 10 US navy sailors have died this morning in a boat accident, and none of them got or will get a minutes silence/applause despite us having players from both those regions in our team. Personally getting a bit sick of all the empty gestures about terrorism.

Its a really difficult one. I do think football did it this week because it was Barcelona. Did we do it for Berlin or Nice? I cant really remember but I dont want to sound harsh but a minutes respect for various reasons (including terrorism, ex players and others) seems to be happening maybe every 3 to 5 games. Not a lot in many ways, but is it too much? When do you reach the point of it becoming just another thing we do at the start of a game? 

There is a place for it dont get me wrong. And on main point (clap or silence) it depends on who or what the minute is for.

That totally reflects my thoughts.  By having 'the two minutes' so frequently the whole thing just becomes devalued and thus, almost meaningless.

[Baszab]

At one of the games in Spain at the weekend they played some sombre  music while everyone stood in silence - was a moving experience