Season 02/03 - August

Hull City - Middlesbrough - Friendly game - 02/08/2002

Source: BBC

Police attacked as football fans clash

More than 200 football hooligans threw missiles at police after trouble broke out at a pre-season friendly.
Hull City and Middlesbrough fans clashed just before kick-off on Friday evening outside Boothferry Park.

A Humberside Police spokeswoman said one man was arrested in connection with public order offences.

"At about 7.15pm we received a call to problems outside the ground at Boothferry Park," she said.

Riot gear

"There were approximately 200 football fans in altercations, about 100 from each side.

"Police officers were being pelted with missiles."

She said there was no trouble in the ground.

About 7,500 fans attended the match.

Middlesbrough and England defender Gareth Southgate scored the only goal.

Police in riot gear were stationed outside the ground after the match.

England: Soccer violence 'was orchestrated' - 12/08/2002

Source: BBC

Police and officials of Torquay United believe that violence outside the soccer ground during and following Saturday's match against Bristol Rovers was pre-orchestrated.
Police are holding five men, all from the Bristol area, in connection with the clashes in the Ash Hill Road area of the Devon town.

Officers had to call for reinforcements from other parts of the county after more than 80 fans fought in the streets after the match.

Devon and Cornwall Police believe the violence, which involved fans of Bristol Rovers Torquay United, Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City, was organised by groups using mobile phones.

While Rovers were losing the match 2-1, a group of visiting fans moved out of the ground to challenge Plymouth Argyll fans, who had arrived from 30 miles away.

Knives, fists and CS gas were used in what police describe as a "serious outbreak of public disorder".

"We've got clear evidence that there was a telephone conversation between the two parties," said Superintendent Barry Marsden of Devon and Cornwall Police.

"Near the end of the match a large number of Bristol Rovers fans left the ground, travelled some short distance to a pub where they met up with Plymouth Argyle fans and as a result a fight started.

"A small number of police officers were caught in the middle of it all.

Monday, 12 August, 2002, 10:16 GMT 11:16 UK
Soccer violence 'was orchestrated'

The fighting took place outside Torquay's stadium

Police and officials of Torquay United believe that violence outside the soccer ground during and following Saturday's match against Bristol Rovers was pre-orchestrated.
Police are holding five men, all from the Bristol area, in connection with the clashes in the Ash Hill Road area of the Devon town.

Officers had to call for reinforcements from other parts of the county after more than 80 fans fought in the streets after the match.

Devon and Cornwall Police believe the violence, which involved fans of Bristol Rovers Torquay United, Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City, was organised by groups using mobile phones.

One fan was in possession of CS gas so we were aware that other hooligans were possibly carrying this weaponry.

Supt Barry Marsden

While Rovers were losing the match 2-1, a group of visiting fans moved out of the ground to challenge Plymouth Argyll fans, who had arrived from 30 miles away.

Knives, fists and CS gas were used in what police describe as a "serious outbreak of public disorder".

"We've got clear evidence that there was a telephone conversation between the two parties," said Superintendent Barry Marsden of Devon and Cornwall Police.

"Near the end of the match a large number of Bristol Rovers fans left the ground, travelled some short distance to a pub where they met up with Plymouth Argyle fans and as a result a fight started.

"A small number of police officers were caught in the middle of it all.

Mike Bateson: 'Our real fans were in the ground'

"On Friday we did arrest two Rovers fans here in Torquay. One was in possession of CS gas so we were aware that other hooligans were possibly carrying this weaponry.

"Having had the fight break out, we were able to bring in reinforcements from other areas. As a result we were able to keep the two parties apart for the remainder of the day."

Mike Bateson, Chairman of Torquay United, said: "The problem is you're not dealing with football supporters.

"The real football supporters were inside the ground, watching the match."

Recent Home Office figures showed that football violence among lower division clubs was on the increase.

Plymouth Argyle was one club cited as having a growing problem.

The rise of Dutch football hooliganism - ??/08/2002

Source: expatica.com

As the 2002-2003 football season kicked off, the antics of Dutch hooligans captured the limelight. Cormac Mac Ruairi gets the story behind Dutch soccer hooliganism and the government's latest crack-down efforts.

Soccer hooligans are posing a challenge to the new centre-right government's mission to push for a return of traditional normen en warden (norms and values) in Dutch society.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende wants to scrap the gedogen (tolerance) culture fostered by the last regime and the leading gedogen bogeymen are cannabis coffeeshops, violent street crime and (illegal) immigrants.

But as the 2002-2003 soccer season kicked off in mid August, the antics of Dutch hooligans captured all the media limelight.

A turbulent season kick-off

A game between two of the top football clubs — Ajax (Amsterdam) and PSV (Eindhoven) — was delayed for over an hour as PSV supporters blocked the team bus from leaving for Amsterdam on time.

The supporters were protesting against the so-called combi-kaarten, which are all-in-one combined tickets offering users a train ticket and stadium entry.
Dutch football association KNVB chief Henk Kesler reacted furiously, saying compensation would be sought from PSV.

"Either Eindhoven approved of the protest or did not have the will to act against it. Both positions are reprehensible," he said. PSV chairman Harry van Raaij denied the accusation, saying the protest had been initially good-humoured.

But a hooligan decided to send Kesler a threatening letter and bullets in the post. Guus Hiddink, PSV's manager and former coach of South Korea's World Cup side, also received a bullet and death threat.

Earlier this year, Former Dutch international and current coach of Sparta Rotterdam, Frank Rijkaard received a similar threat.

How bad is the problem?

Hooligan supporters of the 18 clubs in the top division and other minor teams have orchestrated a number of riots and fights at football stadiums around the country in recent years. Back in 1997 an Ajax supporter was killed during a fight between Ajax and Rotterdam supporters.

Shortly before Holland hosted the Euro 2000 soccer finals, a riot by Feyenoord Rotterdam hooligans prompted nervous police to open fire with live ammunition.
In March this year commercial TV station SBS 6 had to suspend its live coverage of an Ajax-Utrecht match after hooligans threatened camera personnel. Ajax fans also fought with police in the city's Leidseplein after a cup win.

And they feel it is their right. Ironically, hooligans often criticise the media for reporting adversely on their antics instead of concentrating on the football. The website of one group in The Hague carries the following complaint:

"The witch-hunt on 'football villains' continues relentlessly. The newspapers are full of articles with people writing that we are destroying football. Look, I don't want to say that we are angels but, don't the papers understand that what they do damages football even more. Many people don't even dare to go to a football match due to the exaggeration by the press..."

Who are these soccer hooligans?

Most are white men in their early 20s who claim to be their team's biggest fans. Taking their cue from their British counterparts, they like to wear designer label clothes rather than the more traditional Doc Martin boots and bomber jackets.

They consider themselves part of a loose European movement of "hools", but they draw most of their inspiration from UK groups. Their websites — some of which are quite professional — use English words.

The groups often refer to themselves as "hard core", "bhoyz," a "front" and "fanatics." They want to go "toe-to-toe" with the hools from other Dutch clubs or German clubs and take photos of all violent incidents to prove the superiority of their own team and city. The imagery they use is on a par with (adolescent) heavy metal fans: the devil, fire and the logo on one website drips blood when you click on it.

A website made by a supporter of football club NEC Nijmegen explains that there was little or no organised soccer violence until 1974 when hooligans from UK club Tottenham ran amok in Rotterdam.

"The Feyenoord guys learned the lesson quickly and organised within six months of Tottenham's visit." Soon "sides" of hooligans were being established in all Dutch cities, the hooligan cheerleader wrote.

Holland's top three teams Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV have some of the best-known hooligan gangs but the cities of Nijmegen, Den Bosch and Utrecht have their troublemakers too.

In April, Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen ordered that a trainload of Utrecht supporters be sent home from Amsterdam after their chanted "Hamas, Hamas, send the Jews to the gas" in response to taunts from Ajax fans.

Hooligans often chant anti-Jewish slogans when their team faces Ajax. That is because Ajax, which is the club to hate, has had a long association with the city's Jewish community. And Ajax supporters sometimes refer to themselves as Jews and use the Star of David symbol.

Recently, the police unit that deals with soccer violence claimed that hooligans are increasingly using hard drugs, making them harder to control. Riot police have noted that the eyes of rioters are often "glazed over" and their pain threshold is higher.

What are the authorities doing about the problem?

New sports minister Clemence Ross said recently that she was investigating whether the 1,000 hooligans currently banned from stadiums can also be required to report to police stations during matches.

"The minister will hold discussions with municipalities, the football authorities and police in September to develop ways of dealing with hooliganism," the ministry said. "We are looking at the laws in operation in Britain and will see if similar regulations are needed here."

"Football matches are a family event and we will not let a small number of people spoil that for everyone else. But there has to be a co-operative action against violence."

The KNVB is currently experimenting with a digital supporters ID card. The ID, the size of a credit card, is scheduled for trial by Den Bosch football club starting in September. It uses laser technology and includes digital information about the holder's fingerprints and personal details.

The KNVB hopes to introduce the card on a nation-wide basis to prevent banned hooligans getting into stadiums. If the reaction by PSV supporters to the combination stadium-train ticket is anything to go by, the supporters ID card will face stiff opposition.

Scotland: Police smash Capital football riot gangs - 29/08/2002

Source: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com

POLICE said today they have smashed some of the city’s worst football hooligan gangs amid fears the problem is once again on the rise.

After a two-week intelligence operation, five men have been arrested in connection with serious trouble that flared following the season’s first Edinburgh derby between Hearts and Hibs.

Senior officers are now vowing to continue the crackdown against an estimated 20 more so-called "soccer casuals", warning they know exactly who they are looking for.

The latest arrests mean that police have charged a total of nine people in connection with a running battle between up to 40 rival fans following the match on August 11.

Hooligans caused mayhem in Lothian Road in the wake of Hearts’ 5-1 victory over Hibs.

Innocent bystanders were struck by missiles as the thugs threw bottles and traffic cones .

CCTV operators who monitor the city centre alerted police to the running battles and officers raced to the scene .

Four men were arrested at the time and have already appeared in court in connection with public order offences.

In a planned operation, police mounted an early morning operation last Saturday and arrested a further five men in connection with the incident.

However, officers said they could be hunting for up to 20 further football casuals who caused mayhem after the game on Sunday, August 11.

At the beginning of last season, police warned a new generation of football hooligans were being spotted at Scottish Premierleague matches.

Casual crews such as the CCS (Capital City Service), who were linked to Hibs, and the CSF (Casual Soccer Firm), linked to Hearts, caused violence in the 1980s and 1990s, but the problem seemed to disappear as those involved grew older.

However, almost a decade on, police have said they fear the casuals have re-emerged.

Chief Superintendent Charlie Michie, commander of C Division which takes in Tynecastle stadium and the West End area of the city, vowed to continue to root out the thugs .

Mr Michie said: " We know exactly who is involved and a number of ringleaders have been charged and more will be in the future, " he added.

The chief said the force had identified an increase in violence among football casuals during last season and had drawn up plans to tackle the problems head on.

"We have gathered significant amounts of intelligence on these people who have no interest in football.

"Many of them are mature individuals who are sad and misguided and we will make Edinburgh an unwelcoming place for those types ."

The Chief Superintendent also vowed that all of the thugs involved in the derby day violence would be traced .

A spokeswoman for the force said: "Five men have been arrested and charged in connection with an incident on Lothian Road on August 11.

"The men, two of whom are aged 36, a 34-year-old man, a 33-year-old man and a 24-year-old man, have all been charged with public order offences and a report submitted to the procurator fiscal."

That same day, about 50 hooligans smashed up the Polwarth Tavern, in Polwarth Crescent, before the game. Windows were smashed and bottles thrown as the pub, popular with football fans, came under attack .

Violence also marred the Hearts-Hibs derby in March when police were forced to use dogs and CS spray to subdue rioting football hooligans .

It was thought that hooligans from Aberdeen and Chelsea were among those involved in the initial fighting, as well as about 40 football casuals from Hibs.

Doncaster Rovers - Grimsby Town - 12/08/2003

Source: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.u

POLICE QUELL FOOTBALL CLASHES (14/08/2003)

POLICE in riot gear were drafted into Doncaster to avert trouble between rival football fans before Rovers' Tuesday night game against Grimsby Town.

Around 150 Mariners supporters gathered in the town centre after arriving on trains up to five hours before kick-off.

Police said there were confrontations with some Rovers fans but these were quickly contained by officers and there were no injuries or damage to property. Further sporadic clashes after the game were also swiftly dealt with.

Six Grimsby fans and three Rovers supporters were charged with public order offences and invading the Belle Vue pitch.

The nine men have all been bailed and are due to appear before Doncaster magistrates tomorrow.

Insp Bill Davidson of Doncaster police said there was "considerable police presence" both in the town centre and at the ground, including officers from Humberside. The police operation had gone well, nipping any potential trouble in the bud.

He commented: "In all 1,500 Grimsby fans came to Doncaster and the vast majority behaved very well and came to enjoy the football. Officers from Humberside were with us to identify any ringleaders when they arrived, which they did."

Newly-promoted Rovers scored a surprise 3-2 win in the first round Carling Cup match although the game was ill-tempered with two Grimsby players sent off.

Luton Town: Hatters fans figure high in list of shame - 14/08/2002

Source: http://www.lutontoday.co.uk

Number of Luton Town supporters arrested soars
'League of Shame' tables have named Luton Town Football Club as one of the worst clubs for football violence.

Newly-published figures for Division Three revealed the club had 42 fans arrested during the 2001-2002 season.

And in an re-run of the final standings in the race for the league title, Luton were second only to Plymouth Argyle with 47 arrests, with Mansfield Town in third with 34 arrests.

The number of arrests, based on league games only, is more than three times the number of arrests made in the 2000-2001 season when 13 fans were arrested.

The overall number of arrests in division three fell from 381 to 275.

Bedfordshire Police football liaison officer Pc Peter Palmer said that of those arrests, nine banning orders had been made.

Another three are still awaiting court action and could also result in banning orders, barring them from watching the Hatters at home and away.

Pc Palmer put the rise in arrests down to the club's successful promotion-winning season.
He said: "Luton did well last season so there was a big increase in crowds and a big increase in travelling support.

"They get a bit more excited, which means more incidents of spontaneous disorder.
"There was the 'high' of the season.

"But there is also a small hardcore who are interested in disorder, and being top of the league encourages disorder."

"The year before was a season in the doldrums with nothing to get excited about.

"We always anticipate that if we do well the number of arrests will rise."

He added: "We were prepared to deal with this sort of behaviour all through the season.

"We had preparations in place and we made arrests.

"We are prepared for whatever happens."

This season the Hatters will face several clubs with a known hooligan problem, including Cardiff City and their notorious Soul Crew.

There are also local derbies with Northampton Town and Peterborough United.
But the Town play what could be their biggest game of the season on September 10 when they face the old enemy, Watford, in the Worthington Cup.

Pc Palmer said: "There are certain high profile key fixtures and we gear up for those and police them accordingly.

"We know the hooligan elements of the supporters and have identified them.
"They will be taken out and stopped from causing disorder.

"We will deal with troublemakers very firmly and effectively and will not hesitate in getting more people banned."

The Hatters kicked off the new season on Saturday with a 3-2 defeat by Peterborough.
According to Pc Palmer there were around 40 Peterborough fans who arrived early looking for trouble.

There were a number of clashes, around the Midland Road and train station area of Luton, which were separated by police. Three arrests were made.

Pc Palmer said: "Overall we got more or less what we expected, and we were quite pleased with the way the day went."

Hearts of Midlothian - Hibernian - 11/08/2002

Source: https://www.youtube.com

Carlisle United - Hartlepool United - 10/08/2002

Source : YouTube