Soccer Hooliganism: Origins, Incidents, and the Need for Prevention

Violence in soccer or football is otherwise referred to as soccer hooliganism. It is unruly and destructive actions mostly buy football fans. This is violence between fans of rival football teams. Violence in football can take place either before or after a match, but it is usually common after a match. In some cases the fights take place away from the stadium for fear of getting arrested (Sciolino, para 3). During the times when they erupt in the stadium, during or immediately after the match in the stadium or the surroundings, they are usually spontaneous.

These kinds of violence range from simple exchange of words to severe riots. During such violence, a lot of people have lost their lives while others are left with severe injuries that end up maiming them. Destruction of property is another serious impact of football hooliganism. In some cases, police officers have intervened, leaving some dead and others injured. There are situations where the rivalry goes on even in the pitch.

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Sometimes players get very aggressive and run into the pitch as the game goes on.

In other cases supporters hurl abuses to the players rendering it impossible for them to deliver.

The problem is worse when the supporters starts attacking others and tries to get to the players. There are cases where supporters go after the players immediately the game ends (Nicholls, p. 25). There are situations where the rivalry goes on even in the pitch. Sometimes players get very aggressive and run into the pitch as the game goes on. In other cases supporters hurl abuses to the players rendering it impossible for them to deliver. The problem is worse when the supporters starts attacking others and tries to get to the players. There are cases where supporters go after the players immediately the game ends (Mosely, p 18).

A football firm is an organised organisation to fight with fans of other football clubs. Some firms, mostly in Europe have been associated with racial hatred. Others have been associated with anti-racism. Violence in football has been shown in movie like I. D, Cass, Green Street Hooligans, and The Football Factory among others (Hill, para 6). Some critics of these films have argued that the depiction by the media fuels the situation. This paper investigates football hooliganism in Europe and seeks to find out how these can be reduced and how better to watch football without violence (Nicholls, p 52).

History of violence in football The very initial instance of football violence is not known. This is because a lot of football matches have taken place around the world for very many years. Nevertheless, football has been marked with chaos since its inception. Cases of football violence can be traced back to the middle ages in Europe. In the year 1314, Edward II placed a ban on football. This was because of the conviction that violence in football could culminate to social unrest. In the medieval period, soccer games involved conflicts between rival towns or villages.

These conflicts were used as methods for settling old scores (Sciolino, para 6). The actions that could be associated with football hooliganism emanated from England in the beginning of the 1960s. In the modern game, the initial accounted case of violence in soccer took place in 1880s in the United Kingdom (Nawrat and Hutchings, p 72). This was the period where fans would terrorise neighbourhoods attacking referees and opposing fans. In the year 1885, following a defeat of Aston Villa by Preston North End in friendly game, there was violence between the funs of the two teams.

In the year 1886, the supporters of Queen’s Park were attacked by those of Preston. This marked the beginning of football violence away from the stadium (Mosely, p 19). There is a history of rivalry between Millwall and West Ham United. During the time when Millwall was founded, it was believed to be the most powerful team in the region. The team was referred to as “the Lions of the South” after a while, another team, Thames Ironwork FC was established. The two teams continued to compete amid healthy rivalry. When the Thames Ironwork FC grew it moved out to play outside home and was later named West Ham United (Belton, p 2).

While the fame of Millwall was falling, its rival was rising in popularity. When the depression set in, workers failed to get paid and there was a strike. The two teams stayed for a long time without meeting and the tension between them cooled. The two clubs met for a number of health games. This did not last long because in the 1960s, there was new tension between the East and the South (Nawrat and Hutchings, p 82). There was increased violence in football, and when the two teams met, it was time for the two enemy gangs, the Krays and Richardsons, to settle scores.

The next time the two teams met, the chaos became more, this time with loss of lives from both sides. There were some aspects that were common between the two teams. They both had strong supporters that were very passionate about their teams. Both possessed the old London values. The supporters could be seriously hurt and still come back for more. There is thus a history of hatred between these two teams that went beyond the game. In its part, Chelsea and Millwall began meeting in the 1980s (Belton, p 24). Incidents of violence in history There have been very many recorded incidents of violence in football both inside and outside the stadium.

In 1984, a fan of Tottenham was shot dead and about 200 supporters apprehended after chaos erupted before the EUFA Cup final (Nawrat and Hutchings, p 94). This took place in Brussels in a match between Tottenham and Anderlencht. The following year at the same place, there was a disaster in the Heysel stadium. This was a major issue because it led to the loss of 39 lives before the European Cup finals between Liverpool and Juventus. The 1989 example is even worse that that of 1985 because in this case, 95 people lost their lives with more than 200 getting injured. This was during the English FA Cup between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

These series of clashes and conflicts continued all through the 90s up to date. However, it is apparent though that the rate of death decreased from the 80s moving on forward. All the recorded conflicts in the 1990s up to date, only one or two people died (Hill para 9). In 1995, a 17-year-old fun was killed after a match between Fenerbance and Galasaray. In 2006, a police officer shot dead a supporter and injured another in a UEFA Cup game. In the year 2007, there was a match suspended after is killed during clashes between supporters of Catania and Palermo (Nicholls, p 29).