Updated: 29/09/09
Which ancient tradition dating back to the Middle Ages in England is practiced by men, women and children alike all over the world, even today? People of ‘honour’ and ‘pride’ dedicated to what they believe. Thousands of lives claimed; cuts and bruises endured by thousands more for the sake of the game. No I am not speaking of war. Well, not the war we are told of from our Great Grandfathers or the teachers in our schools. I am speaking of the war between the fans of the beloved game: football. I speak of the ancient tradition known as football hooliganism.
Having no legal definition for the term, 'football hooliganism' was a term created by the media, especially through tabloids in the 60’s. The general definition is disorder or intentional violence caused by fans, usually due to being tied to specific football clubs. In a nut shell, over-the-top dedicated meatheads jacked up on hormones making up for something they are in short supply of. These are the people responsible for tarnishing the international game though through history it seems it has become a part of what most expect from football. To some, football isn’t football without some poor sod’s head being bashed in. They confuse the issue of violence and accept it in the football world as it is part of the football ‘culture’, though these people wouldn’t wish upon it to happen in the real world. Well newsflash, you’ve been in the real world since you were born. Doesn’t matter where it is, violence is violence.
Though seemingly simple-minded people, the nature of the violence in regard to the hooligan’s actions is complex. Primarily a football hooligan’s actions are instigated through football club rivalry or often you find these hooligans to be a part of gangs or more commonly known as ‘firms’. Basically every football club has one of these firms, jam-packed with a bunch of nutters with a few screws loose in their heads. These groups are lead by a sort of ‘ring leader’, or you may say the biggest muppet of them all. These hooligans are not always just restricted to inter-group fighting though. Often the police, regular fans at the game or even the players themselves come into the line of fire. Some poor fans may be trying to remember why they came to the game in the first place. Football violence doesn’t always just happen at the game either. Organized meetings between firms are carried out at pubs, malls and railway stations to name a few. Transport police in England reported that they made 601 football related arrests on the railways in 2008, the northern part hosting most of them. There are other factors that create violence around a game, factors that would suggest that sometimes it isn’t organised at all. For example, a bad result in a football match or aggressive policing at the game. I would suggest these guys watch fight club and see to it that they keep their business elsewhere.
Sadly, football violence is a global thing and it is different in every country. Some practicing more outrageous actions than others. In 2008, a Congolese goalkeeper was reported to have started chanting fetishes to weaken the opposing team. This eventually caused a fight between the two teams and the crowd ended up getting involved. A rather unusual incident but it ended with the same sad result many other riots and conflicts provide: the death of many fans. This one incident in Congo ending with 11 people being killed and several others injured. Most people in the football world should remember or at least have heard about the tragic Heysel disaster. It was the night of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus. An hour before the game had even began Liverpool fans breached a wall separating the two club’s fans and started attacking the Italian supporters. The riot caused a retaining wall on the terrace to collapse causing fans to be crushed instantly. The end product? 39 killed, around 600 injured and Liverpool slapping themselves and all English football clubs with an indefinite ban from all European competitions, eventually being lifted 1990-91. These bad sports are committing murder and I mean that when I say it but what do they get? A few arrests here and there. No REAL sentences being given. The families of these casualties being served a platter of sorry-about-it. You have to ask the question, is there enough being done about it?
Punishment is always served for the stupid actions of the world’s hooligans but it hasn't always produced results. The real problem lies in the method of preventing hooliganism for good. In 1988 when football hooliganism was at its worst, the British Government devised a few plans to prevent hooligans from travelling and bring in an identity card system for all fans so they could target the trouble makers. The FA had the decency of stopping the Uruguayan premier season for the year due to a riot. It hurts me to say it and I apologise but maybe back then they should've stopped football altogether or maybe postpone a world cup until they thought it was safe to say the problem was resolved. With these hooligans being allowed to run rampant without having any authoritarian action to fear, nothing will be fixed. Though today it seems that prevention developed over the decades has generated a massive decrease in violence around football altogether. Local governments and football clubs are working together with the fans and the security has been tightened and the police force increased. I think it is important to work with the fans. Local areas in every country have been doing this for a while and it’s definitely made a change. With the fan’s working together, the support of non-violence will eventually spread. No self-proclaimed hooligan likes taking orders from the ‘Man’ right? So why not one of their own?
I reckon there will always be problems with football hooliganism for a few years yet. The brilliant game tainted for a few more seasons. Let's just hope the world's governments start to take this more seriously. I mean they're allowing acts of terrorism, right? I say let's get the UN on it.
The English Football Association of ’88 was right when they predicted this:
''These thugs will systematically take over and destroy any sport or social
gathering.''
I look forward to the day that people realise what they’re doing is pointless or if they can’t, at least keep it away from our game.
Whatever happened to loving football for what it is?
