The world of football hooliganism, or soccer as it’s called in North America, is exotic and perplexing to people outside of countries where it is common. But in Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia and Africa, violence by football team supporters has led to injuries, destruction of property, and even death.
And nowhere do they take their hooliganism more seriously than in England.
The sport of football/soccer began in England, so it should be no surprise that football hooliganism also first took root there when supporters of opposing teams began brawling with each other in the late 1800s. The violence increased until, after World War II, it became widespread and highly organized. Hooligans developed their own lingo by the late 1960s: hooligan gangs became known as “firms,” the firms were composed of lads, and the lads were always looking for a little aggro (aggression).
And once a brawl starts, make sure not to get nicked (arrested) by the coppers.
The firm rivalries generally followed those of their teams’ derbies (rivalries)—West Ham United and Millwall are among the most heated. The firms also have their own names. For instance, West Ham hooligans are known as the Intercity Firm and the Millwall lads are called the Bushwackers.
By the 1970s, English hooligans became intertwined with the skinhead movement and the violence at matches was often uncontrollable. Riots were a regular occurrence, pitch invasions were frequent, and matches often had to be called. But the turning point came on May 25, 1985, when Liverpool FC fans went on a rampage in Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.
About an hour before a match between Liverpool and the Italian team Juventus, Liverpool hooligans stormed the Italian fans, causing a wall to collapse, which killed thirty-nine people. The violence led to dozens of arrests of English fans, a nearly six-year ban on all English teams playing outside of England, and an aggressive policy by British law enforcement to combat hooliganism.
For the most part, the law enforcement strategy has worked… in Britain.
British football matches are now peaceful, as the hooligans arrange their brawls outside of the stadiums and law enforcement has compiled extensive lists of known hooligans. But as the British clamped down on their hooligans, hooligans in other countries stepped up to try to win the title of most violent fans.
At the EURO 2016 in France, Russian hooligans were particularly active, invading a pitch and attacking English fans—hooligans and normal fans alike—on the streets. Russian ultras (as hooligans are often called outside of Britain) beat two English fans into comas after a match in Marseille.
I guess even football hooliganism has a way of coming around full circle.