5 instances when English fans turned to hooliganism

In the 1980s and 1990s, English fans would be associated with only one word - hooligans. Incidents of hooliganism have significantly come down in recent decades, but Sunday once again proved that the craze of a football match - the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy in this case - can bring out the worst in English fans.

It was England's first major final in 55 years, and the tickets were limited. But a large number of fans stormed into the Wembley Stadium. Security was massively outnumbered and could not stop the scores of ticketless fans from entering the stadium.

After their defeat in the Euro 2020 final, England were left disgraced not by their defeat but by incidents of their fans racially abusing their black players, vandalising the nearby surroundings of Wembley and mercilessly beating Italian fans and even security personnel.

The two sets of supporters also clashed at Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, setting off fireworks as police struggled to break up the frenzied crowd. On that note, let's take a look at five such instances from the past when England fans resorted to hooliganism.

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#5 UEFA Euro 2016

England and Russia fans clashed in their 1-1 draw in Euro 2016.

England's Euro 2016 campaign started with a 1-1 draw against Russia in Marseille. But much of the focus that day was on the skirmishes that happened between the England fans, Russian fans and the local police before and after the match.

Fans of the two teams rioted before the game in Marseille’s Old Port district and briefly outside the nearby Stade Velodrome in a third straight day of violence in the city. The police fired tear gas and water cannons at the fighting fans, but the violence did not abate.

The clashes started again moments after the final whistle when a large group of Russian fans in a stand behind one of the goals advanced on England supporters in a neighbouring area, throwing objects and breaking through a line of stewards. England fans ran for the exits in panic.

Police tried to control the violence but was largely unsuccessful. Authorities stated that at least five people were injured, and some fans walked through the city bare-chested and with blood dripping from their heads.

There is little doubt that the estimated 200 Russian hooligans in Marseille were highly organised and came for a fight. But the English were far from blameless themselves, and their role in the brutal skirmishes in the streets of Marseille with rival fans, locals and police was also heavily criticised by governing body UEFA.

#4 UEFA Nations League 2019

England fans clashed with the police in Portugal ahead of England's Nations league semi-final against the Netherlands in 2019

Another recent incident of hooliganism from England fans happened when they clashed with Portuguese police in Porto's Praca da Liberdade ahead of the Nations League semi-final between the Three Lions and the Netherlands.

The Liberdade square was a designated fan zone where Portugal fans watched their team play against Switzerland. But it was also filled with England fans who were staying in Porto for England's semi-final against the Netherlands the next day.

According to various reports, the violence started when England fans clashed with Portugal fans, who were celebrating Cristiano Ronaldo's goal in the match. England fans started throwing beer bottles and cans towards the Portugal fans, prompting a charge by the riot police. That dispersed the England fans beyond the northern end of the square.

There were some sporadic clashes around midnight when England fans gathered on the Rua de Candidos dos Reis and carried out minor acts of vandalism such as ripping bins from the stands.

The Football Association branded these scenes an embarrassment. An FA spokesperson said:

The FA strongly condemns the scenes witnessed in Porto overnight. Anyone responsible for these disturbances cannot be seen as true England supporters and are not welcome in football. They are an embarrassment to the team and the thousands of well-behaved fans who follow England in the right way.

UK police also condemned what they called 'completely unacceptable behaviour from fans, which included smashing a car window, forcing roads to be closed to traffic and singing political chants along the way.

#3 UEFA Euro 1996

England lost their Euro' 96 semi-final to Germany on penalties, sparking riots across the country.

Also known as the Trafalgar Square Riots, the incident occurred on 26th June 1996 after England lost to Germany on penalties in the semi-finals of Euro 1996 at the Wembley.

Almost 2000 hooligans, most of them drunk, took over Trafalgar Square in London. They pelted civilians and police with bottles, smashed windows of shops and overturned cars. More than sixty people were injured in the incident, and over 200 arrests were made on the day.

Several riots also took place in other parts of the country, including Swindon and Bedford, where looting occurred. In the West Midlands, hooligans threw bricks at a German supermarket, while in Brighton, a Russian student was stabbed five times by a hooligan, assuming he was German.

It was a largely peaceful and orderly tournament until that point. But the riots were a familiar flashback to the large-scale footballing violence in the country during the 1980s and added another shameful chapter in the history of English football.

#2 UEFA Euro 2000

England fans clashed with police and German supporters during Euro 2000.

After losing to Portugal in their tournament opener at Euro 2020, England faced Germany in a must-win game to keep their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage alive. But even before the match began, the English hooligans brought shame to their nation by sparking violent scenes in Brussels and Charleroi.

Travelling English supporters clashed with German fans, forcing police to use tear gas and bring in plain-clothed officers to wrestle them to the ground and make arrests. More than 900 fans were arrested by the police, and around 400 of them were eventually deported. The incident occurred just weeks after trouble in the UEFA Cup final between Arsenal and Galatasaray in Copenhagen, confirming pre-tournament fears about English hooliganism.

England did win the match 1-0, thanks to an Alan Shearer header, but that joy was short-lived when UEFA president Lennart Johansson threatened to kick England out of the tournament following the ugly riots caused by the travelling supporters. Johansson said:

Fans cannot be allowed to behave like this again and create havoc. The UK government owes it to everyone concerned to take similar steps to those taken in other countries to stop those troublesome fans from travelling abroad. UEFA will have to determine whether the presence of the English team in the tournament should be maintained should there be a repetition of similar incidents. We cannot afford a repeat of the fans' recent behaviour.

That didn't happen, but England were dumped out anyway, as they lost their final group game against Romania, capping a major embarrassment for English football.

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#1 UEFA European Cup 1985

Liverpool and Juventus fans clash on the eve of the 1985 European Cup final.

The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on May 29, 1985, in Brussels, Belgium, before a match between Liverpool and Juventus in the final of the European Cup. To this date, that day is remembered as one of the darkest days in modern football.

An hour before kickoff, a few Liverpool fans broke into the neutral's section, which was largely occupied by local Juventus fans living in the area. Missiles were thrown between supporters standing on terraces, separated only by a chain link and a poorly-policed line.

The barrage between supporters grew more intense until finally, the Reds supporters broke the barrier, causing the Italians to retreat. A perimeter wall blocked the exit of the Juventus fans, which eventually collapsed due to the sheer number of people and the general poor state of the stadium.

The incident resulted in 39 deaths, including 32 Italians, four Belgians, two Frenchmen and one Northern Irishman, while around 600 people were injured in the event.

Remarkably, the game was still played after an hour's delay, as officials feared there could have been more violence if the fixture was abandoned.

Following the disaster, UEFA banned all English clubs from European tournaments before allowing them back after the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The British government also introduced strict new laws to control and stop fans' unruly behaviour.

The Public Order Act of 1986 permitted courts to ban supporters from the ground, while the Football Spectators Act of 1989 introduced stricter rules about booze consumption and racial abuse.