WHAT IS FOOTBALL HOOLIGANISM?


A football firm is an organized gang – mostly supporting a football club – that engage in fights with firms supporting other clubs. The fights mostly take place far away from the football grounds to make it as hard as possible for police and other law enforcement to interrupt. Football firm violence has in many countries replaced the more unorganized violence related to sports, though in the public eye both forms of violence are considered hooliganism.

Clothing

To avoid attracting the attention of police, many UK hooligans began to wear expensive European designer clothing in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Designers popular with UK football firms include Abercrombie & Fitch, Aquascutum, Burberry, Lacoste and many other. A BBC investigation in 2002 suggested that the most popular label of them all back then was Stone Island.

The culture revolving around the clothing style became known as Casual, and the wearers of designer clothing became known as Casuals.



UK football firms

England/Wales

* Arsenal - The Herd, Gooners
* Aston Villa - Villa Youth
* Barnsley F.C - Inner City Tykes/Barnsley 50
* [Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] - Zulu Warriors
* Bolton Wanderers - Cuckoo Boys
* Bradford City - Ointment
* Braintree Town - The Iron Crunchers
* Brentford - Brentford Casuals
* Brighton & Hove Albion - Headhunters
* Bristol City - CSF (City Service Firm)
* Bristol Rovers - GHS (Gas Hit Squad)
* Burnley - Suicide Squad
* Cardiff City - Soul Crew, Barmy Army
* Chelsea - Headhunters
* Chesterfield - CBS (Chesterfield Bastard Squad)
* Crystal Palace - Dirty Thirty
* Derby County - DLF (Derby Lunatic Fringe)
* Doncaster Rovers - DDR (Donny Defence Regiment)
* Everton - ECM (Everton Charming Men)
* Grimsby Town - CBP (Cleethorpes Beach Patrol)
* Hartlepool United - Blue Order
* Hull City - City Psychos, Hull City Service(HCS)
* Leeds United - Service Crew
* Leicester City - Baby Squad
* Lincoln City - LTE (Lincoln Transit Elite)
* Liverpool - Urchins
* Luton Town - MIGS
* Manchester City - City Guvnors
* Manchester United - MIB (Men In Black)
* Middlesbrough - Boro Frontline
* Millwall - Bushwackers, The Treatment
* Newcastle United - Gremlins, The Bender Crew
* Northampton Town - NAT (Northampton Affray Team)
* Nottingham Forest - Red Dogs, Naughty Forties, Trent End Boot Boys, Forest Executive Crew (FEC)
* Oldham Athletic - FYC (Fine Young Casuals)
* Oxford United - SMHS (South Midland Hit Squad)
* Peterborough United - Blue Division

* Plymouth Argyle - TCE(The Central Element)
* Port Vale - VLF (Vale Lunatic Fringe)
* Portsmouth - 6:57 Crew
* Preston North End - Paras
* Queens Park Rangers - C-Mob
* Reading - Reading Casual Firm
* Sheffield United - BBC (Blades Business Crew)
* Sheffield Wednesday - OCS (Owls Crime Squad)
* Shrewsbury Town - EBF (English Border Front), Shrewsbury Youth
* Slough Town - Rebel Chavs United
* Southampton - The Uglies
* Southend United - CS Crew
* Stockport County - EVF (Edgeley Volunteer Force)
* Stoke City - Naughty Forty
* Sunderland - Seaburn Casuals, HCC (Hylton Castle Crew)
* Swansea City - Jacks
* Tottenham Hotspur - N17s, Yiddos
* Tranmere Rovers - Stanley Boys
* West Bromwich Albion - Section Five
* West Ham United - Hammers, ICF (Inter City Firm)
* Wigan Athletic - Goon Squad
* Wolverhampton Wanderers - Subway Army
* Wrexham - Frontline
* York City - York Nomads Society


Scotland

* Aberdeen - ASC (Aberdeen Soccer Casuals)
* Airdrie Utd - Section B (inherited from the village's former club Airdrieonians)
* Celtic - CSC (Celtic Soccer Casuals)
* Dundee - DUC (Dundee Utility Crew)
* Falkirk - Falkirk Fear
* Hearts - CSF (Casual Soccer Firm)
* Hibs - CCS (Capital City Service)
* Motherwell - SS (Saturday Service)
* Morton - M.S.C. (Morton Soccer Crew)
* Partick Thistle - NGE (North Glasgow Express)
* Raith Rovers - K.S.C (Kirkcaldy Soccer Casuals)
* Rangers - ICFG (Inter-City Firm)
* St Mirren - LSD (Love Street Division)



German football firms

* Alemannia Aachen - Asoziale Randgruppe
* Arminia Bielefeld - Ostwestfalenterror
* Bayer Leverkusen - Mad Boyz, Young Boys
* Bayern Munich - Service Crew
* Borussia Dortmund - BorussenFront
* Borussia Mönchengladbach - Sturmtruppen, Alte Borussen
* MSV Duisburg - Forever DU
* BFC Dynamo - Koma Kolonne
* Eintracht Braunschweig - Alten Kameraden
* Eintracht Frankfurt - Adlerfront, Brigade Nassau
* Fortuna Düsseldorf - First Class Fighters
* Hamburger SV - HH Ultras
* Hannover 96 - HauerClub Ohne Ende

* Hertha BSC Berlin - Hertha Frosche, Endsieg
* Karlsruher SC - Destroyers, BadenKorps
* Kickers Offenbach - Anti-Sozial-Front
* 1. FC Köln - Streetfighters, Ultras CCCA, Northside Boys
* FSV Mainz 05 - MZ-Army
* 1860 München - Chaoten
* 1. FC Nürnberg - Red Devils
* FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt - EF-Parolis
* Rot-Weiß Essen - Essener Löwen
* Schalke 04 - Gelsenszene, ULTRAS GELSENKIRCHEN
* VfB Stuttgart - Commando Cannstatt
* SV Waldhof Mannheim - City Boys, Kurpfalzfront
* Werder Bremen - Mad Crew, CityBoys

Other football firms

Various teams from former Yugoslavia have strong and organized hooligan elements amongst its factions of fans. Many Greek and Turkish teams have also powerful elements of hooliganism amongst its fans. Polish hooligans (called szalikowcy, pseudokibice, or kibole) are likewise very strong. In Spanish-speaking countries hooligans are known as barras bravas ("wild gangs"), and they are particularly strong in South America and Mexico.

Argentina

* Boca Juniors - La 12
* River Plate - Los borrachos del tablón


Belgium

* R.S.C. Anderlecht - Brussels Casuals Service
* Standard Ličge - Hell-Side, WCF (Wallon's Casual Firm)

FC Bruges - Bruges Casual Firm

Bosnia and Herzegovina

* FK Zeljeznicar - The Maniacs
* FK Sarajevo - Horde Zla
* FK Radnik - Incident


Chile

* Colo Colo - Garra Blanca
* Universidad de Chile - Los de Abajo


Croatia

* Dinamo - Bad Blue Boys
* Hajduk - Torcida
* Rijeka - Armada
* Osijek - Kohorta
* Cibalia Vinkovci - Ultras


Denmark

* Brřndby IF - South Side United, Suburban Casuals
* FC Křbenhavn - Copenhagen Casuals
* Odense BK - Odense Fight Club
* Aarhus GF - Ultras White Pride
* Aalborg Boldspilklub - Boys Republic Ultras Aalborg


The Netherlands

* Ajax Amsterdam - F-Side, AFCA Youth
* Feyenoord Rotterdam - SCF, FIIIR
* FC Utrecht - Bunnik Side, FCU Youth, UHF
* ADO Den Haag - North Side
* PSV - Oostfront
* FC Groningen - Z-Side
* NEC Nijmegen - HKN (HazenKamp Nijmegen)
* Vitesse Arnhem - Rijnfront Arnhem
* Fortuna Sittard - Vak N
* Sparta Rotterdam - Castle Maniacs
* FC Omniworld - OmniArmy
* FC Den Bosch - M-Side, Young Vandals


Poland

* Legia Warsaw - Teddy Boys, Turysci'97
* Wisla Cracow - Sharks, Devils, Wisl@cy 01
* Cracovia - Jude Gang, Lowcy Psow (Dog Catchers), Anty-Wisla
* Lechia Gdansk - Green Animals, Chuligani Wolnego Miasta
* Widzew Lodz - DHW, Destroyers
* Ruch Chorzow - Psychofans
* LKS Lódz - Galera Warriors, Crazy Cannibals


Russia

* CSKA Moscow - Red-Blue Warriors, Kids
* Dynamo Moscow - Blue-White Dynamite, Patriots
* Lokomotiv Moscow - Ultra Loko, Vikings
* Spartak Moscow - Flint's Crew, Gladiators, Mad Butchers, Clockwork Oranges
* Torpedo Moscow - West 5 Action Group, Supporters Group, Troublemakers
* Zenit Saint Petersburg - Jolly Nevsky, Coalition, Crazy Fans, Nevsky Front


Serbia and Montenegro

* Partizan - Juzni front, GROBARI 1970, Grobari Srbija, Young Boys, Acatraz
* Red Star - Delije Sever, Belgrade Boys, Ultras, Heroes, Ultra Boys, Brigate
* Rad - Nucleo, Gvozdeni odred, 101%
* Zemun - Taurunum Boys, Boys '95
* Vojvodina - Red Firm, Firma, Stara Garda


Sweden

* AIK - FB (Firman Boys), YB (Young Boys), BB (Baby Boys), YYY (Yngre Yngre Yngre)
* Djurgĺrdens IF - DFG (Djurgĺrdens Fina Grabbar), DYG (Djurgĺrdens Yngre Grabbar), DMG (Djurgĺrdens Mindre Grabbar)
* GAIS - GM (Gärningsmännen), GY (GAIS Yngre)
* IFK Göteborg - WM (Wisemen), GYD (Gothenburg Youth Division), YCG (Youth Crew Gothenburg)
* Hammarby IF - KGB (Kompisgänget Bajen), BBS (Bajen Baby Squad)
* Helsingborgs IF - FL (Frontline), HBGY (HBG Yngre)
* Kalmar FF - KF (Kalmarfamiljen)
* Malmö FF - SBC (Sky Blue Crew)
* Västerĺs SK - VC (VSK Casuals), VYC (VSK Youth Casuals)
* Örebro SK - ÖB (Örebroderskapet)
* Linköpings HC (Hockey) - CC (Cluben Casuals)



Relations with extreme political groups

Football firms, especially southern and eastern European firms, are often linked with extreme right political groups. The firms of the following teams are well-known for their relations with extreme right political groups: Chelsea (Headhunters) (although chelsea's most famous hooligan 'One-Armed Babs' was mixed-race), Oldham Athletic (Fine Young Casuals), Real Madrid (Ultra Sur), Lazio Roma (Curva Sud), Ferencvaros and Berlin club BFC Dynamo (Koma Kolonne).

Other firms are known for their multicultural make-up, like the firms of Arsenal (Gooners), Tottenham Hotspur (N17s, Yidd0s), West Ham United (Inter City Firm), Ajax Amsterdam (F-Side) and Feyenoord Rotterdam (SCF). In the past there have been some occasions where Feyenoord supporters have shown up at demonstrations and get togethers of Neo Nazi groups to invoke clashes. In Minsk, Belarus, one of the popular footbal teams, FC MTZ-RIPO, draws its support from antifa groups.