Authorities are approaching the start of the English football season this weekend with caution, due to recent riots that have unsettled towns and cities across the country.
Starting Saturday afternoon, dozens of teams in the English Football League, which is below the Premier League, will begin their first games, including in cities that have experienced recent unrest. The disturbances followed a knife attack that resulted in the deaths of three children. Officials have attributed the violence to far-right groups—some connected to England’s long-standing football hooligan scene—who are believed to have orchestrated the unrest, which included the burning of mosques and immigration-related sites, as well as attacks on police.
Tommy Robinson, a well-known anti-Muslim provocateur with a history of criminal convictions, including football-related offenses, has been accused of inciting the unrest by frequently posting on social media about the situation.
At some gatherings, crowds were heard chanting his name—a pseudonym taken from a notorious Luton Town Football Club hooligan from the 2000s.
The anticipation of thousands gathering for Saturday’s games in towns and cities such as Middlesbrough, Hull, and London has raised concerns that unrest might resurface after two nights of relative calm.
Over 80,000 fans are anticipated at Wembley on Saturday for the FA Community Shield match between Manchester City and Manchester United.
‘Tarnish’
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, an enthusiastic football fan, acknowledged on Friday that the start of the new season has added to the challenges faced by the police. “Whatever the challenge, we must rise to it,” he told UK broadcasters.
The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) reported that police forces across the country are working together to ensure that “all relevant intelligence” is shared before the football games.
A UKFPU spokesperson mentioned that they are being updated on recent arrests related to the unrest and are considering banning those individuals from football stadiums. Football Banning Orders, issued by the courts, can prevent individuals from attending matches or even approaching nearby areas following football-related convictions or police requests. These orders have recently been expanded to include online hate crime related to the sport and convictions for Class A drug offenses.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) which oversees the UKFPU, urged people not to “taint football with the violence we’ve witnessed.” He emphasized that “Football brings communities together,” and while some violent individuals may attach themselves to the fringes, this does not reflect the entire sport or all clubs.
‘Crossovers’
Mark Doidge, an academic at Loughborough University who has studied football fan cultures in the UK and Europe, noted that English football usually demands “a major police operation,” but officers now have significant experience managing such events.
He downplayed any connection between the recent unrest and football fans, as well as the idea that English football was being used to recruit individuals to the far-right.
“While there is some overlap in demographics—where some fans may also align with far-right views—not all fans are far-right, and not all far-right individuals are fans or attend matches,” he told AFP.
“There doesn’t appear to be any organized activity occurring at football matches, and no protests have been scheduled for the stadiums.”
Doidge observed that some fans might spontaneously chant or protest regarding recent events, which could create divisions among other fans and introduce an unpredictable factor for the police.
“If confrontation comes from fans of the same team, then this might be something that they haven’t prepared for,” he added.
Meanwhile, some football clubs in towns that have recently experienced rioting have spoken out against the unrest.
“We utterly condemn the violent and racist scenes we have seen on the streets of Middlesbrough,” Steve Gibson, chairman of the northeast English town’s club said in a joint statement with its local MP and mayor this week.
“We in Middlesbrough have a proud and inclusive history. Over the centuries our town and our football club have welcomed people from across the world.”
