In the post-pandemic lock down period there have been numerous reports in the media of an alarming rise in football hooliganism that has many commentators asking if we are returning to the dark days of the 1970s and 80s once again. In this article we look at the background to these scenes of unrest and ask why it is happening once more.
The Euro 2020 Final at Wembley
If you are looking for a date when England first became aware that its hooligan problem was coming back then you won’t have to search for long.
It was hoped that the 11th July 2021 would live long the memory of England fans for their men’s team landing their first major trophy since 1966. Sadly, that was not to be as Gareth Southgate’s men were beaten agonisingly on penalties after a tense 1-1 draw. The pain of losing on penalties was not the only dark shadow to loom over London that summer evening as scenes of serious disorder on Wembley Way were recorded across media channels and reported the next day.
Hordes of ticketless fans gathered outside the stadium from early morning, drinking in the sun, and according to many accounts, taking class A drugs including cocaine. By mid-afternoon the atmosphere was aggressive and anti-social, and with inadequate police numbers to control the crowds, things started to take a turn for the worse.
There are numerous accounts, and footage on social media, of thousands of fans who stole tickets or stormed the gates to get into the ground. And it is believed that the only reason serious injuries and disorder that would have stopped the match were avoided, was the COVID-19 rules on reduced capacity. As it turned out there were many spare seats to accommodate the un-ticketed fans, though fights still broke out where they occupied seats that fans with tickets should have been sitting.
Whilst many of us watching on TV were unaware of the scale of the problem on the night, the reports in the media over the following days left no doubt that England had done serious damage to its reputation in international football. The spectre of hooliganism was back, making its way onto the front pages and even into popular culture, from social media to online games featuring football hooligans.
Trouble In the National Game
The Euro 2020 final showed disorder on a huge scale, but further reports show it is happening every week in grounds across the country. Back in January this year (2022) the UK Policing Football Unit reported that in July to December 2021 there had been 802 football-related arrests in England. That represents a 47% increase on the same period for the previous year and the highest number recorded in the six years since the UKPFU started recording statistics on unrest.
The same report highlighted trouble at 48% of games in the Premier League, EFL and National League, up from 34% for the same period in the previous year.
Many of these incidents will, of course, go unreported. But in the last two years there are a few that stand out.
- In last season’s FA Cup fourth round clash between Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, Cameron Toner, a Leicester fan, ran onto the pitch and punched a Forest player when the team took a 3-0 lead.
- Before a friendly between Spurs and Rangers played just a few weeks before the start of the 2022/23 season a running battle broke out between both sets of fans and the police.
- In January 2022 Lucas Digne and Matty Cash of Aston Villa were both hit in the head by missiles during a game against Everton at Goodison Park.
- In the same month, Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger was hit by missiles in a game between Spurs and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
These are just a few examples of trouble inside and outside football grounds that are just the tip of the iceberg where hooliganism is concerned. But what are the wider causes? Here we highlight what are considered to be the main reasons for violence in football in the 2020s.
Post Pandemic Release
Certainly, in the wake of unrest at Euro 2020, many pointed to this being the first opportunity many young men had to gather collectively after one and a half years of lock down and social distancing. Al the pent-up energy and frustration finally had an outlet and things went off in a big way. This is an argument that makes sense to all of us who experienced the mental pressure of those many months of forced confinement.
Social and Economic Unrest
Right now it is right to also consider the impact of the economic downturn and cost of living crisis. The period of some of the worst hooliganism of the 1970s and 1980s took place during times of mass unemployment, recession and the break-up of industrial communities in the midlands and North. Whist we are not seeing unemployment right now we are seeing suffering hardship caused by excessive inflation and energy bills. Pressures like these can lead to civil unrest and violence like that seen at football matches.
Class A Drugs
Class A drugs, and notably cocaine, are regularly cited as one of the catalysts for trouble at football matches. The wide-spread use of the drug throughout the UK at relatively cheap prices, has ensured that it has found its way into football crowds too. And in a report commissioned by the Football Association into the trouble at Euro 2020, cocaine was identified as a key driver of disorder, allowing it to continue for much longer that it otherwise would have done, and at a more intense level.
Social Media
Finally, you could also consider the contribution of social media to the hooliganism phenomenon. Those involved like the infamy of sharing videos on Twitter and You Tube in which they are involved in disorder, even if it is with masks over their faces. The social media phenomenon therefore becomes another driver for the hooligan element. Social media also unfortunately provides a forum from which so-called ‘fans’ can abuse players, sometimes racially, after games without fear of punishment.
These are just some of the causes for the increase in unrest at football matches, both national and international in recent years. Right now this period of trouble may be reaching its peak. Some are hoping that it will burn itself out as the frustrations of the pandemic period are left behind. However, with much economic hardship and societal pressures on the horizon over the winter months, this may be an over optimistic assessment.
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