Football Hooligans: Difference between revisions

** Football hooliganism was so bad in Britain that following the Heysel disaster mentioned above (during which 39 Italian fans died largely as a result of the actions of English hooligans), for five years English teams were no longer permitted to play in games in the rest of Europe. In addition the already poor reputation as unruly louts that most British fans had, matters weren't helped by an unpleasant strain of [[Misplaced Nationalism|bigoted xenophobia]] that such games tended to produce.

* Manchester 2008. After a screen failure during the UEFA Cup Final between Scottish side Rangers and Russia's Zenit St. Petersburg, Rangers fans starting rioting throughout the city. Rangers would lose the Cup final (and the league that season). It was scenes of chaos, and seemed to have given Rangers a horrendous reputation in other countries, especially combined with other scenes in Spain. It should be noted that their rivals Celtic saw their fans awarded by FIFA for their behaviour during the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, showing how much the fans contrast.

** [[Hunter S. Thompson]] noted in his 1974 ''Rolling Stone'' article "Fear and Loathing at the [[Super Bowl]]" that in the relatively early years of [[American Football|pro football]] (i.e. the early to mid [[The Sixties|'60s]]), the main reason ''anyone'' went to a football game was to get drunk, get high (if that was their thing), and brawl. The construction of new stadiums and change in target demographic (brought about in part by televising the game) put an end to this (to Thompson's dismay).

** Massachusetts in particular is known for [[American Football]] hooliganry; after one Super Bowl, there were cars turned upside down and set on fire in Boston, and at least one murder.