Hooliganism in European Football

Violence in football has existed long before the sport became organized. The earliest manifestations of this were sporadic bursts usually targeted towards referees and authority. Since the 1960, there has been intensive growth in organized hooliganism amongst British supporters. This trend gradually spread across many European nations especially Italy, Holland and Germany. By the early to mid-1970s, the major European teams had extremist supporters producing intense and persistent club rivalries. Club teams experience more zealous support due to their localized disposition. Fans believe that regional clubs "represent" them more intimately: they may feature indigenous youth products and their matches are usually more accessible and frequent compared to national sides. On the international stage, feuds are usually brief and fueled by concurrent political issues. The more prevalent of these include England vs. Argentina (culminating at Mexico 1986) Brazil vs. Argentina, Scotland vs. England and Mexico vs. Honduras.

During the mid-1980s, Italian Ultras (ultra fans) pioneered what is considered to be fanatical or hooligan support. Their organized theatrical (often illegal) methods involve chanting, displaying colossal banners, breaking seats, fireworks, smoke bombs and even releasing small explosives all done at pivotal points of a match. Ultras transform matches into spectacles but at times their behavior advances to downright violence. Nearly all significant clubs have had their tour bus damaged and some form of violence brakes out at about 10% of all European club matches. In the more developed nations, strict security measures have impelled hooliganism outside of the stadium.
Hooligan groups are driven by various motives. Some express neo-nazi and racist inclinations but that is frequently done to shock the enemy team and to produce a more hostile environment.