Polish Hooligans

Football violence exploded in Poland in the 1990's. The collapse of communism brought a failing economy and rising unemployment which made young men angry as they became disillusioned with life. This situation created an increase in the size of hooligan firms. Young men were looking to release there anger.

Wisla Krakow - Wisla Sharks

Poland to this day still has many problems with hooligans. The Polish government and F.A. have looked to England for the way they dealt with football hooliganism in the 1980's. One of the largest and most ruthless firms is Wisla Krakow's, Wisla Sharks. They have a reputation for using weapons such as knives and bats. In 1998 a knife was thrown by a Wisla fan from the stands during a Uefa cup match between Wisla and Parma. The knife hit Italian international Dino Baggio who required 5 stitches to a head wound.

Cracovia - Anty Wisla

Krakow is home to two football teams that are seperated by a small park and lie just 500 metres away from each other. The derby match between Wisla Krakow and there less successful neighbours Cracovia is the longest running in Poland, over 100 years old. Cracovia's firm is called Anty Wisla, such is there hatred of there local rivals. While most hooligans in Poland are against the use of weapons, Krakow is called the City of knives as the two local firms will stop at nothing to fight for the respect of there teams.

Derby Match

At the 100th anniversary of the derby between Wisla Krakow and Cracovia, the Wisla Sharks lined up hundreds of Cracovia scarfs that they had stolen off them during battles through the season and set fire to them inside the ground. There aim was to anger the Cracovia fans and let them know how many times they had been ambushed throughout the season.

Polish Ultras making a display

In Warsaw however there is different vibe to hooliganism. There is a no weapons pact. Firms from this part of Poland have signed up to the fair fight agreement and take part in pre arragned fights in the forest. The numbers each firm will bring is arranged in advance and fighting takes place away from the public eye

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Turkish Hooligans

Turkey is home to some of the world's most fanatical supporters. There culture is so strongly based on honour that people are prepared to kill to defend it. 80% of the Turkish population are below the poverty line and as with many other countries in the same situation, Turkey is a hotbed for football violence.

Fenerbahce and Galatasaray , who are both from Istanbul, are the two biggest clubs in Turkey. The Bosphorus Straits separates the two with Galatasaray on the European side and Fenerbahce on the Asian side of the city. Fenerbahce's firm are called KFY - Kill For You, who have a violent passion for there side and won't stop at anything to defend it. Galatasaray's firm are known as UltrAslan and they have members from all over the world. The UltrAslan brand has become so successful they have sold more tops than the club have sold team shirts. It was the hooligans who gave the brand to the club when they were 150 million pounds in debt, which stopped them from going out of business.

Galatasaray were involved in a violent clash back in 2000 when two Leeds United fans were tragically stabbed to death. The Turks claimed that drunken Leeds fans were being rowdy and pulled moonies on passers by, something which is a serious offence to Turkish customs. Leeds fans were attacked with iron bars, hatchets and knives. The two Leeds supporters were innocent parties caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In the UK there was a huge anti Turkey campaign and the media called for Galatasaray to be banned from european football. Those calls were ignored and Galatasaray went on to win the UEFA cup beating Arsenal in the final. There was more riots after the match had finished and four fans were stabbed as the hatred between English and Turkish fans became even stronger.

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Russian Hooligans

Russia has a fearsome reputation for football violence. The main hooligan firms belong to Cska Moscow, Spartak Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg. For many years the Russian military ruled football stadiums and was widely regarded as worse than hooligans for the vicious beatings they handed out to control crowds.

As a result many firms felt the best way for them to have a tear up was away from the stadiums and now more so than anywhere else, pre arranged fights take place in fields, car parks anywhere away from prying eyes of the authorities.

One of the oldest firms in Russia is Spartak's Gladiators who were formed in 1996. There main rivals are CSKA Moscow who are called Gallant Steeds. The rivalry between these two firms is such that it spills over into ice hockey and various other sports between the two sides. The most famous between the Gladiators and Gallant Steed happened at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon at a busy inter-section. The battle of 1905 street saw 200 CSKA up against 200 Spartak as people went about there everyday business. CSKA were victorious that day and even the leader of Spartak's firm agreed saying they weren't mentally prepared for the battle.

The most active firm outside Moscow is Zenit St Petersburg. They come from the second biggest city in Russia. There firm is called musichall which back in 2004 was created by bringing together all the top fighters from Zenit's different firms. The aim was to create an elite crew which could knock Moscow's firms off top spot.

n Russia the majority of firms have signed up to a code of honour called fair play. The time and location for the fight is pre arranged, no weapons are used and the numbers taking part in each side are agreed in advance. The Russian hooligans say the fair play agreement shows respect for each other, your opponent, the enemy. These firms treat hooliganism like a sport with rules to be obeyed.

In 2005 firms from Zenit and Spartak met in a St Petersburg car park. There was over 200 on each side and because it was filmed, has become one of the most famous hooligan battles to date. There will be plenty of videos of pre arranged fights on this site so check the links to the right hand side.

Russia today suffers from inequality on a massive scale, even despite the vast reserves of natural resources the country has. The difference between the have's and have not's makes Russia an extremely unfair society. But the great irony is , it's the hooligans who have created a level playing field. They want a fair fight, it's the firms that are showing respect for each other.

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Italian Hooligans

Italian ultras are world famous for there passionate visual and vocal displays that they put on at football matches. The ultras organise choreography's involving banners, flares, smoke effects and fireworks to create electric atmospheres that are the envy of Europe.

But for all the good they do in creating these atmospheres there is a darker under belly to what ultras stand for. Ultra in Italian means beyond limit, they have a strong, deep and insane passion for there clubs. They are prepared to fight for the respect of there clubs colours and weapons including knives are commonly used.

In more recent years there has been a number of serious injuries and deaths as a result of football violence. The highest profile case being the death of a policeman at a game between Catania and Palermo. Police officer Filippo Raciti was struck in the face with a small explosive after trying to break up the fighting outside the stadium. The game itself was suspended after an hour due to crowd trouble. The police fired tear gas into the stands and the players were unable to continue. The violence broke out because Palermo fans were stopped from entering the ground until the second half. As a result the Italian football association called a halt to all matches while they undertook a review of the situation. Now football matches are played with tighter security measures in place. Although this hasn't eradicated the problem.

English fans have had there fair share of clashes with Italian Ultras. Most notably in 1985 when a European cup final between Liverpool and Juventus ended with the death of 39 fans (38 italians). In recent years Liverpool have been to Roma twice, where 5 Liverpool fans were stabbed in February 2001 at a UEFA Cup match and another 6 Liverpool fans were stabbed at a Champions League game the following season. In 2006 three middlesborough fans were stabbed and more injured as Roma supporters surrounded bars full of boro fans and attacked them. Then in 2007 Manchester United played Roma in a Champions League match and there fans took a beating from the Italian police inside the stadium.

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English Hooligans

England has the biggest following of supporters in the world, whether it be the national side who regularly take 100,000 fans to major tournaments or club sides in European competition. England also have a fierce reputation for violence with an unprecedented number of incidents spanning three decades.

England fans were well behaved until they got knocked out of the semi finals by Germany. Disgruntled fans roamed central London looking for trouble. Running battles with the police ensued.

During the 1970's and 1980's football hooliganism in England was rife with incidents kicking off up and down the country every weekend. When the hooligans went abroad they left a trail of destruction in there wake.

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Dutch Hooligans

Holland is one of the most tolerant and liberal countries in the world but has some of the most violent football hooligans. It all started back in the 1970's where one of the earliest confrontations happened when Spurs met Feyenoord in the UEFA Cup.

Ever since then firms were formed and they became more organised and violent. The biggest four hooligan firms in Holland belong to Feyenoord from Rotterdam, Ajax from Amsterdam, FC Den Haag and FC Utrecht. The rivalry between these firms is intense, with the biggest hooligan elements belonging to Ajax and Feyenoord who have the largest following. Ajax's F-Side and Feyenoord, who come from the second largest city in Holland, have been at the forefront of hooligan violence and have been at war for years.

Ajax Hooligans and Feyenoord Hooligans

In 1989 a match between Ajax and Feyenoord made world news after two homemade bombs exploded injuring nineteen, nine of them seriously. Ajax's stadium was turned into a war zone and it was a miracle nobody was killed. The growing reputation of dutch hooligans went global and the authorities started to look at measures that could be introduced to contain them. All seater stadiums and CCTV was introduced but this didn't change anything, the violence just went from the stadium into the streets.
In 1997 the top boy from Ajax was murdered when the F-Side clashed with hooligans from Feyenoord. They were not even playing each other on the day of the fight. They met on the side of the motorway just outside Amsterdam. Both firms were tooled up with stanley knives, baseball bats, hammers, bicycle chains and truncheons. Police seized an arsenal of weapons including molotov cocktails and electric stun guns. The F-Sides top boy was battered to death. The government conceded that hooliganism was out of control and called in the army to police football matches and help control the situation.

FC Den Haag Hooligans

FC Den Haag's hooligans are called North Side, which comes from the end of the ground that they congregate in. Den Haag is an old fashioned football club. They have been dubbed the Millwall of Holland and there main rivals are Ajax. There hatred dates back to the late 1980's where Den Haag through bombs and flares into the Ajax end. The game was stopped after 45 minutes as police fought running battles with fans in all four sides of the ground. It kicked off big time and footage show numerous motionless bodies being carted out of the stands.
The hatred took a new twist in 2005 when Den Haag Hooligans set fire to Ajax's supporters club in the middle of the night. A year later 70 of Ajax's firm attacked Den Haag's clubhouse, stabbed two of there firm as well as burning down there clubhouse they tried to set 2 of Den Haag's firm on fire. This led the police to block the motorways between Den Haag and Amsterdam, the government declared a state of emergency.
FC Utrecht Hooligans

FC Utrecht firm is Bunnikzijde, again after the side of the ground they are situated. There younger firms members have been brought into the hooligan world in Holland at a time when weapons are used in every single fight. They don't know any different but because of the security at matches today they are forced into pre arranged battles away from the stadiums. The viciousness of these battles has left the media repeatedly stating that more football related deaths are inevitable in Holland. Despite the governments attempt to stamp out football violence it doesn't seem to be going away
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Balkan Hooligans

 The Balkan section of this site will look into the hooligan elements of Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. These countries are rife with extreme violence that is not usually associated with western hooligans.

In December 2007 a plain clothed Serbian police officer from the elite Gendarmerie Unit - Nebojsa Trajkovic (42) (pictured above) - was identified in the stands by hooligans from Red Star Belgrade’s notorious “Delije” (heroes) firm who attacked him with broken chairs and attempted to set him on fire with flares. The entire incident was broadcast live on TV. The terrified and badly injured policeman was forced to fire warning shots into the air to save himself from the mob.
Eventually colleagues managed to get to him and save his life. The fighting continued both inside and outside the stadium. Several hooligans have been arrested and charged so far. They face charges ranging from public violence to attempted murder.
Officer Trajkovic suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns (non scarring) to his face and body, as well as lacerations, bruising and mental trauma. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Football hooliganism is a massive problem in Serbia, where an under-funded and partially reformed police force are up against hordes of unemployed and angry young men - the lost, disinherited “war generation” that is bearing the brunt of Serbia’s economic and social hardships.

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Celtic Hooligans

Celtic Soccer Crew

Celtic and there bitter rivals Rangers share the City of Glasgow in Scotland. There hatred of each other runs deeper than football. Religion divides the two clubs with Celtic being from the Catholic half of the City and Rangers from the Protestant half. Celtic was founded in 1888 by an Irish Catholic priest and over the years it has maintain it's links with the Irish Republic.

Celtic v Rangers

Sectarianism is deep rooted and has often spilt over into full blooded violence, and on some occasions even leading to murder. The hatred between the two clubs goes back to the day they were founded and generation after generation are brought up to hate there bitter rivals. Celtic call Rangers supporters 'huns', which derives from Hanoverian, protestant monarchy from Hanover, Germany who came to the British throne in 1714 with King George 1st.

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West Ham Hooligans ICF

West Ham's firm is known as the ICF - Inter City Firm - which derived from there use of the rail network to travel to meets with rival firms. The ICF would leave a calling card after they had caused some agro on an away trip, which usually involved fighting opposition fans and smashing up there pubs.

The Inter City Firm's reputation has been immortalised by the films and books that have been devoted to the subject. Films such as Alan Clarke's The Firm which follows the leader of the ICF in a brutal look at football violence and urban frustration, and Rise Of The Footsoldier which follows the life of Carlton Leach and his rise up the criminal underworld beginning with West Ham's hooligan element.

Cass Pennant

Cass Pennant is the most well known figure to evolve from West Ham's firm writing many books and being the subject of his own movie in the film Cass. Cass Pennant's story is remarkable given the level of racism that was prevalent during the 1970's and 80's in Britain. Cass managed to rise to the top and become one of the generals of the ICF despite being black. His story involves prison for football hooliganism as well as being shot 3 times after building up one of the biggest door firms in the roughest parts of the London nightclub scene.

The Inter City Firm's biggest rivals have traditionally been other London firms such as Chelsea's headhunters, Millwall's Bushwackers and Spurs Yid Army. Although firms like Manchester United's red army who had the largest numbers in the height of Britain's hooligan problem always used to have big tear ups. Below is a video of police footage during a patrol before a match between Millwall and West Ham. The Inter City Firm turned out in massive numbers for the match in Millwall and attacked a pub that Millwall fans were drinking in. Large scale disorder broke out as the police lost control of the situation and described the scene as "West Ham taking liberties at Millwall, they come to Millwall's ground, they smash there pubs up and to them it's a victory".

In 1985 West Ham played Manchester United at Old Trafford and the ICF were out in force for the trip to the North West of England. The video below shows narrated footage of the events leading up to the game and how the hooligans give the old bill the slip. The ICF's organisation skills come into play to give the police and opposition the act of surprise to catch them out.

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Chelsea Hooligans

The Chelsea Headhunters are a notorious football firm from West London who follow Chelsea Football Club. They were portrayed in the film The Football Factory , which culminated in a massive tear up between the Headhunters and Millwall's Bushwackers firm.

The Chelsea Headhunters were also brought into the public eye back in 1999 when undercover investigator Donal MacIntyre infiltrated the firm and recorded for a television documentary. The documentary provided damning court evidence that led to the conviction of one of there top boys Jason Marriner. He was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment for his part in organising football violence against other firms. Donal MacIntyre was placed under police protection for fear of retribution after stitching the headhunters up.

The Headhunters have a long and distinguished past with many incidents spanning decades. However since the introduction of all seater stadiums and better policing at matches, incidents inside stadiums are almost non existent.

Chelsea v Millwall

In 1995 Chelsea were knocked out of the FA Cup by Millwall at Stamford Bridge where trouble erupted again. The hardcore element of Chelsea's support launched a pitch invasion but were beaten back by riot police on horses. Millwall's players were attacked as they left the pitch including Dave Mitchell a former Chelsea player. Missiles rained down on police before the Headhunters moved outside to continue the mass brawl.

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Millwall Hooligans

Millwall have been involved in more hooligan incidents than any other club in Britain. There reputation for disorder at matches is unparalleled. Millwall's chant "No one likes us, we don't care" is a jibe at those who criticise there club at every opportunity.

There are three incidents in Millwall's history of violence that stand out from the rest. In 1978 Millwall played Ipswich Town in an FA Cup match at The Den that led to a full scale riot breaking out. Fighting broke out around the stadium before the match, coaches carrying Ipswich fans to the match came under heavy attack as Millwall's firm pelted them with bricks and rocks. The fighting continued on the terraces and spilled out onto the pitch. All sorts of weapons were used on the day including bats, iron bars, knives and bottles. The club had it's ground closed for two weeks and was barred from hosting FA Cup matches for two years.

Luton Town v Millwall 1985

In 1985 Millwall played away to Luton Town in the FA Cup. The game was marred in violence as Millwall's away support ran riot. The game was suspended after just 14 minutes as overcrowding on the terraces led to an overspill on the pitch. The game was halted for 25 minutes until order was resumed. The atmosphere at the game was described as hostile and at the final whistle all hell broke loose. Millwall's traveling supporters along with hooligans from other London firms broke out onto he pitch as the violence ensued.
Over 700 seats were ripped up and used as missiles. 81 people were taken to hospital with injuries, 31 of which were policeman. This included a policeman who had a concrete slab smashed over the back of his head and had stopped breathing. One of his colleagues came to the rescue and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation and was attacked while the violence continued around him. The scenes were some of the worst ever seen at a football match in the UK and Millwall was fined a record £7,500 for there role in the carnage. Luton Town banned all away supporters from there ground for 6 years after this incident. Below is footage of the incident as reported on British television.

More recently in 2002 Millwall played Birmingham City in a play off semi final at The New Den. Millwall lost the game 2-1 on aggregate and didn't take the defeat too well. A riot broke out on the streets around the stadium as the bushwackers fought running battles with the police. The supporters threw bricks, rocks and fireworks as 45 police officers were injured in the sustained attack lasting an hour before it was brought under control. About 900 fans were involved in the incident as buildings around the ground were damaged and two cars were torched, police made 7 arrests. Experienced officers on duty that night said it was some of the worst violence they had ever seen.

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