Frightening rise of the new breed of hooligans
POLICE fear a new generation of hooligans are leading an unstoppable rise in violence at football matches across England. Today Sportsmail reveals a catalogue of brutal hooliganism derbies across the country, with rival fans using bottles, hammers and knives to attack each other. Police bosses claim there has been a ‘significant increase in disorder’ and warn that unless the Premier League step in to help finance match-day policing, trouble will continue to rise. Last season West Midlands Police reported masked Birmingham fans attacked police with metal brackets, scaffold poles, breeze blocks and glasses. And Greater Manchester Police say the ‘sons of known troublemakers’ are starting to wreak havoc of their own. Police spotters at a Merseyside derby described one group as ‘the most drunken and abusive they had encountered for many years’. Mark Roberts, the country’s head of football policing, said: ‘There has been an increase in youth risk which is concerning.’
A shocking catalogue of brutal hooliganism at major games in England can be revealed today. Police reports obtained by
Sportsmail paint a disturbing picture which includes rival fans using bottles, hammers and knives to attack each other at fixtures across the country.
in the week unruly England supporters came under fire for their loutish behaviour in seville it appears serious problems exist on home soil. Police bosses claim there has been a ‘significant increase in disorder’ and have told this newspaper a new generation of hooligans is plaguing the game.
The country’s national lead for football policing, Mark Roberts, has also warned that if Premier League clubs do not pay more towards the bill, trouble will continue to rise.
our diary of a season reveals travelling Aston Villa fans were ‘picked off all over the place’ following their match with Birmingham last october. West Midlands Police’s debrief also revealed that masked Birmingham fans attacked officers with metal brackets, scaffold poles, breeze blocks and glasses. one smashed a police carrier with a claw hammer. Following a postmatch probe, police made 44 further arrests.
Before a Manchester derby, city centre residents watched United and city fans hurl missiles, including road signs, at each other before using planks of wood as weapons in broad daylight.
At a Liverpool clash with Everton, spotters described one group as ‘the most drunken and abusive they had encountered for many years’. inside the ground, they claimed Everton fans mocked the hillsborough and heysel disasters. After the final whistle, 10 to 15 fans fought in the street.
coins and bottles being thrown appears to be a regular occurrence. outside, officers at a Manchester United versus Liverpool clash police found a discarded pepper spray.
Arrests have fallen significantly in recent seasons but Roberts, deputy chief constable of south Yorkshire Police, believes that is a misleading statistic.
‘in the past two years we have seen significant increase in disorder, particularly inside the stadium, and increases on attacks on stewards,’ he said.
‘There has been a reduction in police at games as forces simply can’t afford to subsidise clubs in the way we have in the past. The reduction in arrests is often pointed to as a positive indicator, but in this instance it’s not — it reflects the fact that over half of games are police free or spotter only, so we do not have resources available to make the arrests.’
new police figures show incidents of disorder rose 1.8 per cent in 2017-18 following a 36 per cent hike the previous year. Reports of serious disorder climbed 24 per cent from 70 to 87, while the number of fixtures where some form of violence or disorder was reported increased by 37.9 per cent.
hate crime reports rose by two-thirds, while reports of missile-throwing went up 25 per cent and breaches of segregation lines used to keep rival fans apart increased by 14 per cent.
During trouble at England matches in spain and holland, a depressing number of youngsters appear to have been involved. And Roberts believes there is a new generation of trouble causers. ‘There has been an increase in youth risk which is concerning,’ he said.
Roberts believes clubs, who currently pay for policing in the footprint of their stadium, should provide more help. ‘Unless there is a more evenhanded way of funding the policing of football, we will continue to see these increases,’ he said.
‘We cannot subsidise a multibillion pound industry to the detriment of local communities. A fraction of what football clubs pay agents would enable us to manage the demands of football without impacting on our core roles. The cost of one Premier League goalkeeper would probably cover the additional funds we need.’
chief superintendent graeme openshaw oversees matches in greater Manchester. he also believes a growing number youngsters are becoming involved. ‘it is a problem that has never gone away, although it involves a very small minority of fans,’ he said. ‘city’s group in particular is a new generation. in some aspects it is the sons of known troublemakers who see their behaviour and then start to do it themselves.’
however, Amanda Jacks, a caseworker from the Football supporters Federation, does not agree. ‘To say that the fact arrests are down suggests people are getting away with things is a little disingenuous,’ she said. ‘Police have the power to scour CCTV and invite those involved to attend a formal interview which may well lead to criminal charges. Police may summons individuals to court too. it is not right to suggest people are getting off scot-free.’