MY football-mad eight-year-old son is an enthusiastic Manchester United fan. His bedroom is covered in Man U posters, he regularly writes letters to the club and players, he has read every book ever written about his team and would wear his Man U strip day and night if he could.

Next weekend, he has the chance to see his dream team play in Leeds. But he is refusing to go. Why? Because he will be sitting in the Leeds supporters' stand and he is scared.

Charlie, who goes regularly to Elland Road with his brothers - both Leeds fans - just because he enjoys watching football, has seen what happens to rival fans sitting with the home side when they give themselves away.

"When Liverpool scored recently someone cheered and everyone started swearing at them and waving their fists. I'd probably get punched if Man U scored and I cheered by mistake," he said. And he is talking about the supposedly safe and friendly family stand, where every group includes children under 16 years old.

Of course, with all the authority of someone who knows as much about football as the average person does about nuclear physics or rocket science, I told him not to be so ridiculous. "These are reasonable people, families. You're only eight years old. No one is going to take offence over a child in a family stand who happens to support a different team."

Apparently I'm wrong. These football fans are clearly not reasonable people, at least not once they are part of the crowd.

His dad, who takes the boys regularly to see Leeds play, agreed with Charlie. "I would love him to go but he feels uncomfortable for good reason," he said. "It's just inconceivable that he can sit there and support Man United." When they saw Newcastle play before Christmas, rival fans who had sneaked into the family stand had to be escorted to another part of the ground by police for their own protection. One of the friends our boys had brought with them, a Newcastle fan, sat on his hands and bit his lip throughout the game, he was so scared of being caught out.

The atmosphere at these games is obviously highly charged, for adults and children alike. Once inside the ground, emotions run high and loyalty to the herd appears to turn many otherwise sensible, civilised people into aggressive thugs.

I can see why, sadly, there has to be such strict segregation. But I can't understand how anyone can justify terrorising children as young as eight to the point where they're scared of admitting they support the other team.

My boys keep telling me it's a beautiful game. But, from where I'm sitting it looks plain ugly.

A STUNNING model on the Paris catwalk this week carried the latest fashion accessory - a little naked black baby. I can only presume the designer, Jean-Luc Amsler, has no experience of real live babies. Those little naked cherubs may look really cute but you can be sure that, if you're wearing an expensive, dry clean only dress, the moment you take that nappy off, it's ruined.