Skip to main content
The Morning Star 2026 Conference
The hooligan firms of the future
JON TAIT paints the sinister picture of a potential return of violence to football, that hasn’t been seen on a large scale for many years
Football fans knock over bins and throw bottles ahead of the England vs Russia France Euro 2016 match, in Marseille, France, in June 2016

YOU can see them on the terraces that still exist in the lower end of the Football League.

Gangs of lads dressed in Stone Island and CP Company. Black hoods hiding their eyes, face snoods pulled up.

They stand around the crush barriers in groups of five or six here and there — the hooligan firms of the future.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Smoke from flares thrown by fans fills the field before the soccer derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was called off Sunday after pregame disturbances led police to deem it unsafe to proceed at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025
Features / 22 October 2025
22 October 2025

The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was based on evidence of a pattern of violence and hatred targeting Arabs and Muslims, two communities that have a large population in Birmingham — overturning the ban was tacit acceptance of the genocidal ideology the fans espouse, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE

Australia's Hunter Paisami during the Autumn International match at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, November 20, 2021
Men's Rugby Union / 25 June 2025
25 June 2025
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins applauds the fans after the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, May 10, 2025
Men’s Football / 11 May 2025
11 May 2025

RAHMAN OSMAN speaks to fan favourite Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins about bringing his childhood dream to life on the pitch

Lord Alf Dubs on stage addressing the crowd during a rally in Parliament Square, London, after taking part in the Refugees Welcome March, September 2016
Features / 6 May 2025
6 May 2025

A recent Immigration Summit heard from Lord Alf Dubs, who fled the Nazis to Britain as a child. JAYDEE SEAFORTH reports on his message that we need to increase public empathy with desperate people seeking asylum