Legia Warsaw fans fired flares and launched flares before the Europa League game at Aston Villa. Photo: Karl Resin/Reuters
Hooliganism remains a stain on football. It is simply too ingrained and stubborn to be completely removed.
England fans seem to be hunted and persecuted like never before in Europe; a scalp to be taken whether they want to fight or not. Trouble seems to follow wherever English clubs go in continental competition.
On Monday night, a group of Newcastle United fans were forced to defend themselves when a group of so-called Paris Saint-Germain ultras dressed in black hoodies, many with masks or scarves wrapped around their faces, attacked a Parisian bar where they were drinking.
Flares, glasses and chairs were thrown through the windows as Newcastle fans clung to the door to prevent the bar being stormed. French police had already been forced to close early “safe” pubs meant for them to drink because they knew PSG thugs were planning an ambush.
In Milan, Newcastle fans were harassed and attacked, leaving one fan hospitalized after being stabbed with a machete. When Milan played PSG last month, there were even more violent clashes that looked like a pre-arranged brawl.
There were fears on Thursday night that West Ham's trip to Serbia to face Bačka Topola could spark a repeat of the horror scenes we witnessed when David Moyes' side beat AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League semi-final last season. Then Dutch hooligans attacked West Ham fans driving through the stadium. The night gave West Ham fan Chris “Nollsy” Noll a cult following, blocking their path on the stairs and holding back the baying crowd, earning him the nickname “The Angel of Alkmaar”.
Thankfully, the game in Serbia was peaceful, but instead violence broke out at Villa Park, where Aston Villa were facing Legia Warsaw, when the visitors attacked police before the game, injuring three. Legia also caused problems during their clash with Leicester City in 2021 and have a reputation for being problematic.
Visiting Legia fans in In Warsaw they were not allowed to enter the stadium after the clashes. Photo: Paul Childs/Action Images
Some people argue that these attacks occur far from stadiums and often the night before rather than on the day of the game, so they cannot be directly linked to football, but the victims are fans, not tourists.< /p>
Of course, we shouldn't try to pretend that English fans are saints and never sin when it comes to hooliganism in Europe, but we also shouldn't ignore the fact that they are often antagonized, provoked and attacked without even starting or looking for trouble.
Many of us have been open critics of the behavior of England fans abroad, invading city centers and proudly taking over bars and pubs while engaging in offensive and jingoistic chants.
We also have our fair share of “spots” in the game, if you want to put it that way, but increasingly it seems that other countries are trying to control their hooligan element.
Hooligans remain a clear and present danger
This has been a problem for many years in the Netherlands, as well as in other European countries. The thing is, a lot of this goes unnoticed. Any fan of an English club probably has stories of being harassed or attacked in bars. It comes with the territory: if you're willing to travel to watch your team play in Europe, you know you're also walking around with a target on your back and have to be vigilant because it's not safe.
Locked in the stadium after the final blowing the whistle, sometimes for an hour, “for your own safety” so that the home fans can disperse is quite standard.
Perhaps we ourselves are to blame for this. Our track record of bullying – a disease we exported to Europe decades ago – is catching up with us. All those pictures of paralyzed, topless England fans taking over towns and city centers have also left their mark.
But one thing is clear: football hooligans have not disappeared, they remain a clear and present danger.< /p>
European football has great appeal and remains the most exciting match for many fans, especially trips abroad, but they must come with a warning. Just because you don't want to create problems, problems may well find you.
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