‘Hooliganism’ – disruptive or unlawful behaviour such as rioting, bullying, and vandalism.

For some of you, the term hooliganism in football will be fairly new. Nevertheless, hooliganism in football has existed since the birth of the sport. Incidents of violence amongst football fans have been recorded as far back as the 14th-century in England when Edward II banned the sport, as he believed it could result in social-unrest and treason. In days gone by, hooligans or ‘roughs’ as they were often referred to, would demonstrate violent acts upon referees as well as opposition players and coaches. In the 1960’s the culture became more of a dominant issue in the game. It is believed that the philosophy was instigated by prevalence of youth rebellion and moral panic at the time.

Hooliganism has since spread far and wide across the footballing community with of rebels teaming together with the primary purpose of intimidating and fighting opposing fans. A common misconception of hooliganism is that the violence only occurs between rivalling supporters or supporters of a neighbouring geographical location, such as Fenerbahce and Galatasaray. Indeed these types of rivalries remain to be the fiercest in the game but in modern football, gang violence occurs between sets of fans from all cities and countries.

Football gang violence has grown alongside the rise of digital technology. The increased popularity of mobile phones in the 1990’s meant it became much easier for casuals (newer term for football hooligans) to arrange fights between opposing fans throughout the season. Hooliganism in football has grown so much in centuries gone by that several films have been produced displaying the brutal truths and traditions surrounding the phenomenon, such as Green Street, The Football Factory, The Firm and Away Days. Such films are produced for the entertainment and education of an audience but sadly many people take the wrong message, resulting in increased violence before, during and after football matches. Not only have these types of film been popular amongst football fans, but football players also. In September 2014, new West Ham signing at the time, Enner Valencia, was being interviewed when a journalist asked what his motives were for joining the club. He replied, “I knew about West Ham mainly from watching films… And I know the supporters were very passionate”, he proceeded to speak of the time he watched Green Street and was amazed by the passion of their fans. Whether or not it is a good thing that a new player’s motivation to join the club was enhanced by the replicated behaviour of their fans in a violent film, you can decide. However, it is quite astonishing that an Ecuadorian player joining from a Mexican side with no connection to West Ham Utd has built a perception of the club simply through watching a film on hooliganism in English football.

An increasing presence on social media has meant firms have enhanced themselves in size and stature. Football fans from different countries have created a camaraderie amongst themselves, most of which are centred upon ancestry, tribalism, religion, political views and even the colour of their teams shirt. These relationships are supported and reinforced throughout leagues across the world, A prime example are Rangers, Linfield, Chelsea and Hamburg, four teams from different countries across Europe who share the same attitude towards Loyalism, proudly identifying themselves as ‘Blues Brothers’. Partnerships like this are provoked as a result of social media whereby football firms can engage and promote their beliefs to a much wider audience, even directly in the faces of their enemies. The fear of humility on a platform with such scale only urges these gangs to bolster their support and continue intensifying their rivalries by causing violence and demonstrating antisocial behaviour in public.

The recent Euro 2016 rioting has meant the limelight has been miserably shining on football hooligans from Russia and England. News broadcasters and social media have provided viewers with some rather ugly and highly disappointing scenes of fans brawling in the city of Marseille and even inside the ground. Both sides were issued a disqualification threat if their fans continued to cause trouble within the grounds; this was a statement to clamp down on violence between fans of all clubs. Some journalists have documented their beliefs that the motive for Russian hooligans to taunt and scrap with England’s fans were based around past political differences and current ‘behind the scenes’ government propaganda. Certainly a worrying thought, if true.

Sadly, hooliganism in football is a much deeper-rooted issue than is represented in the media. Football casuals have created a sport within a sport through traditions and rituals that have been passed down the generations. Clubs and countries now compete to see who are the biggest and toughest hooligans in the sport. The spectacle has rapidly expanded through centuries and has become somewhat normality in the game of football. It has been used for entertainment purposes in films, TV series and books, while some canny entrepreneurs have even created fashionable apparel aimed at football casuals, all of which are profiting heavily from an unacceptable and violent culture. Russia and England fans colliding at the Euros have seen many deported from the country and football bans have been issued to hundreds of fans, the youngest being 12 years old. This problem cannot be underestimated; in decades to come it could well be an accepted part of the sport unless clubs, police, government and football authorities show serious vigilance and take global action to stamp down on hooliganism.