These strands of football fan are commonly known as football hooligans, but what does that mean exactly? A football hooligan is, essentially, a spectator at football events who engages in violence and all-round disorderly behaviour, generally described as 'hooliganism'. They normally operate in gangs and tend to seek out conflict with groups who identify with the opposing team. Violence and destruction among football hooligans can sometimes break out inside stadiums during games, but, due to the unlawful nature of the acts, the gangs often attempt to stage skirmishes in discrete locations, so as to avoid detection by police.
Hooligan gangs do not necessarily adhere to any sort of politics, but a large number do identify themselves with extremist ideologies, both on the right and left wings of the spectrum. The word 'hooligan' itself is of British origin and it is used to describe a young man who engages in noisy or violent behaviour, usually as part of a gang.
There are a number of theories regarding its etymology and it is commonly associated with the Irish surname Hoolihan due to the similarity in pronunciation. Football hooligans tend to form gangs in order to perpetrate acts of disorder and violence. These gangs adopt different monikers to establish a facade of notoriety and mark them out against their rivals. In the United Kingdom gangs of hooligans often use quasi-militaristic terms such as 'firm', 'crew' and 'squad' to describe themselves.
The problem the British police face is this: the profile of your average soccer hooligan has changed. Gone are the skinhead gangs, so easily identified. It is this widespread and blurred cross-section of society that makes it ever harder to control the problem. You can liken it to gang warfare except they now live in a fully digital age, so they can arrange their business in cyberspace and over mobile telephones, making pre-emptive policing of it an almost impossible task.
Cocaine is the choice of the modern-day hooligan. For the law-abiding England supporter, travelling to an away game comes at the cost of having to look over their shoulder for potential trouble, being prepared for heavy-handed policing and having to steer clear of city centres, just in case. The vast majority of fans who travel to watch England just do not want to be associated with the trouble that some elements cause.
Sometimes, though, you have to manage your trips in a different way, be sensible with your plans and stay outside the city, at the same time as trying to enjoy the country you are visiting. The ESTC, run by the Football Association, now has 15, members, all of whom must submit themselves to police checks before being allowed to join. The big problem for the FA, however, is that fans cannot be stopped from travelling unless they have a conviction that has led to a banning order.
They can impose tough measures on members of the ESTC, but fans who just to go to a foreign city, drink, cause trouble and watch the game in a bar? They slip through the net. Even those detained while causing trouble abroad can escape a banning order if the local police fail to use their powers to the full. Prior to the Nations League finals, a campaign called "Don't Be That Idiot" was promoted by the FA with the aim of persuading those intent on trouble to think again.
Harry Maguire, the England defender who watched Euro among the travelling supporters, added his backing to the initiative, telling fans it was "time for them to show off the pitch, and us to show on the pitch, that we're a country moving forward. Judging by the violence in Porto, that message fell on deaf ears, and despite their efforts, with the banning orders and tightly policed Travel Club, Conniford admits that the FA's powers are limited.
We ban people just for being obnoxious, we just don't want it. But if you have been banned by the FA, you can still travel. The only way to stop them is taking their passport away, but you can only do that with a banning order. That is the fear ahead of Prague this weekend. It is easy to get to, alcohol is in plentiful supply and the game is being played on a Friday night so unlike the clash against Bulgaria in Sofia on Monday, those making the short journey to the Czech Republic -- roughly a minute flight from London -- do not have to race back to work the following morning.
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