British football’s season of SHAME: Amid violence at West Brom vs Wolves and yobs making monkey gestures and mocking Bradley Lowery… has our game reached its lowest point since the 1980s?

The footage of a supporter with a blood-swamped head being led away by police during Sunday’s Black Country derby was like the poster for a horror movie. 

Unfortunately, the anarchy, tribalism, and rage which led to it is spreading its poisonous roots throughout grounds across the United Kingdom – and is spilling onto the streets. 

This is not a problem exclusive to British football. Legia Warsaw hooligans brought ugly mayhem to Aston Villa in November, with one police officer engulfed in flames. 

In August, a Greek fan was stabbed to death after violence erupted between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb fans. Thankfully we have not yet reached that stage. 

But the rise in disorder is worrying. If we are at a stage where footballers such as Kyle Bartley have to rush into the stands to shepherd his two children to safety, it has already gone too far. 

The season is barely half done and already the litany of incidents could fill a match programme.

Mail Sport looks back on some of the worst incidents of fan trouble so far. 

Police rushed to end the trouble as fans of opposing teams in the same sections clashed

Dunston vs Gateshead: July 21, 2023

Supporters were stunned when masked men drove two cars, including a hearse, on to the pitch as Gateshead took on local rivals Dunston in a friendly. 

Both vehicles span in circles while leaflets were thrown from the windows in apparent protest before men with balaclavas disembarked.

Some panicked fans fled, obviously fearful about what damage a car could do if a rogue driver decided to careen through one of the pitchside barriers.

The disruptors eventually abandoned their toys on the pitch and ran out of the stadium.

Their tomfoolery meant the game had to be abandoned after just 45 minutes with the score locked at 1-1, ruining the day for everyone else. 

Police arrived and escorted supporters out of the ground.

A man has since been charged in connection with the incident. 

Two cars entered the pitch as Gateshead took on Dunston in July, with one man throwing fliers out onto the pitch

Masked men leapt out of the hearse and climbed into the other car before it sped away from the field

Chesterfield vs Oldham: August 19, 2023

Chesterfield and Oldham fans clashed on the pitch after James Norwood bagged a 96th-minute equaliser for the away side in their National League meeting. 

Footage from the match shows fans from both sides throwing punches at each other as the horrific scenes spiraled out of control, with pyrotechnics also thrown on the pitch.

Worst of all, Chesterfield goalkeeeper Harry Tyrer was shoved to the ground by an Oldham fan.

Police investigated and a man was arrested in the wake of the bedlam.

Oldham’s statement read: ‘Oldham Athletic condemns any encroachment on to the field of play and the use of pyrotechnics.

‘As a club, we pride ourselves on the passion of our supporters but the behaviour of everyone representing our club must remain lawful at all times. We will co-operate fully with all investigations made.’

Oldham fans invaded the pitch to celebrate with their players and in front of the home crowd after a late equaliser against Chesterfield in August 

Sheffield Wednesday vs Sunderland: September 29, 2023

Sheffield Wednesday supporter Dale Houghton was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence after mocking Bradley Lowery, the six-year old Sunderland fan who died of cancer in 2017. 

During Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Hillsborough by Sunderland, Dale and his brother Drew laughed as the former held up a picture of the child to taunt Sunderland fans. 

Their sickening mockery of a tragic cancer victim tore at the heart of Sunderland fans, for whom Bradley was an icon of hope and determination while he lived. 

Bradley kept a smile on his face and had a heart-warming friendship with former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe while he suffered with neuroblastoma. 

A statement from Bradley’s family wisely noted that ‘cancer has no colours’. Yet in the name of football banter and tribalism, two fans had let their loyalties to their team overtake the need to be kind and sensitive to others.

Two Sheffield Wednesday fans cruelly mocked late Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery and taunted Sunderland fans

The six-year-old’s bravery became an important symbol for the Black Cats and saw Lowery strike up an enduring friendship with Jermaine Defoe

Crewe Alexandra vs Notts County: November 11, 2023

Police were called on to the pitch when a 98th-minute penalty decision provoked Notts County supporters. 

Furious fans in the stands allegedly tried to get on to the pitch to confront the match officials after a penalty was given against Jodi Jones for a handball. 

Projectiles were reportedly thrown at the officials, while derogatory chants could be heard from the away end. 

They had already been annoyed when the original referee stopped play and had to come off with a hamstring injury.

However, for it to reach a point where both linesman refused to run the line for a while because of the hostility, and for police to have to protect scared assistants Darren Wilding and Danny Gratton, shows it had gone too far. 

The game eventually restarted in the 109th minute once tempers had calmed and Courtney Baker-Richardson converted from 12 yards. 

Police had to come onto the pitch in a League Two clash between Crewe and Notts County

Officials were abused by travelling supporters for awarding the penalty that decided the game

Police arrive to support stewards and control tempers with the restart delayed as the linesmen were reluctant to officiate in front of a toxic crowd

Sheffield Wednesday vs Coventry, January 20, 2024

Coventry City midfielder Kay Palmer admitted he feels as if ‘things will never change’ after having to deal with monkey gestures from Sheffield Wednesday fans. 

The abuse occurred during Coventry’s 2-1 win at Hillsborough earlier this month. 

Palmer was gracious enough to admit that a ‘couple [of] fans doing monkey chants don’t define a fan base’, but he shouldn’t have had to go through it and was upset at the final whistle. 

Play was stopped when Palmer informed referee Anthony Backhouse of the abuse but he played until the final whistle, at which point he was comforted by team-mates and manager Mark Robins.

Sheffield Wednesday confirmed a racist gesture had been made by someone in the stands, with the club stating they were ‘shocked and saddened’ by the incident.

‘Both clubs roundly condemn any form of discrimination and abuse, and underline that there is no place for this kind of behaviour in football or our wider society,’ a statement read.

Coventry manager Mark Robins said: ‘There’s no place for any type of racism in society, let alone on a football pitch or in a stadium. Kasey has been okay, but that’s not to say that it hasn’t impacted him because I think it has.’

Racism is not a mere taunt that a football player easily forgets. Vinicius Jr, one of the world’s biggest stars, suggested he could even leave Real Madrid and all its trappings after persistent racial abuse from the stands, extending death threats.  

Footage emerged showing Coventry City star Kasey Palmer being racially abused by a group of Sheffield Wednesday supporters

The footage shows  Sheffield Wednesday fan making monkey gestures towards Palmer

The 27-year-old appeared upset at full-time where he was comforted by team-mates and manager Mark Robins

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough, January 23, 2024

The police are being kept busy by football fans as, once again, they’ve been prompted to investigate after fan trouble. 

A violent brawl broke out between fans in the streets of London following Chelsea’s 6-1 win over Middlesbrough in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. 

Despite the chaotic screams and violent punches, there appeared to be little intervention from police during the video clip, which was posted to X.

The few stewards present seemed to be slow to intervene, but the trouble was quickly dispersed as fans took it upon themselves to force the travellers back.

In the footage, some Chelsea fans appeared to taunt visiting Middlesbrough supporters after it appeared that some present were looking for a fight.

Several scraps between fans broke out, before a group of men and women draped in Chelsea colours stepped in to the fray to break up an attack on one of their fellow supporters.

An investigation has been launched by police after a violent brawl involving Chelsea and Middlesbrough fans shocked the streets of London on Tuesday night

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE 

Final thoughts 

The events of the past weekend are a grim new chapter in this season’s hooliganish spiral.

The havoc at The Hawthorns, where play was suspended for 30 minutes after fights broke out between West Brom and Wolves fans, will naturally make the most headlines.

The fire in the belly that extends to the fists is written off too easily as passion. This is dangerous, as away fans infiltrated the home sections and were subsequently attacked for their celebrations when Wolves’ second goal went in. 

Were they foolish to put themselves in that situation? Yes. Does it warrant being assaulted? Never. 

Around 50 police officers with batons and stewards waded into the morass and held back fans, as if having to quell a medieval rebellion. Six people have since been arrested. 

But that wasn’t all. We also saw York City and Hartlepool fans in the streets, though York will lodge a complaint of how police treated supporters. 

Testimonies claimed that some young fans were left ‘in tears’ at the ‘ridiculous overreaction’ from police, and the club’s owner, Matt Uggla, posted on X: ‘Seen some worrying stuff about how the police treated York fans and it’s pretty disgraceful.

‘A dog fully biting someone when all he’s definitely just trying to do is get through the station. Will sit down Monday and make sure we make a complaint. Poor from the police.’

Clashes between York City and Hartlepool United fans broke out after a match on Saturday

Aberdeen’s Europa Conference League game with HJK Helsinki was at risk of being abandoned after the Scottish fans decided to pelt the opposing goalkeeper with snowballs

It’s clear that no matter who you are, or where you are, you cannot guarantee your safety. 

Police have arrested a man after a bottle was launched at Manchester United’s team bus on the way to Anfield in December. So much for a team bus being the last sanctuary you have before entering the cauldron of opposition turf. 

Whether player or fan, adult or youth, inside a ground or beyond its reckless borderlands, if you are attending a football match, you are taking a risk, no matter how remote it might seem. 

The methods of troublemaking are becoming more creative. Aberdeen’s trip to HJK Helsinki in the Europa League was stopped, and abandonment threatened, after the Red Army started pelting snowballs at Finnish goalkeeper Niki Maenpaa. 

A comical, childlike infringement, perhaps. But if players are feeling the need to complain to officials because they feel harassed or unsafe, and that has a direct affect on the experience of other fans who have paid good money to be there, enough is enough. 

The 1970s and 1980s were the peak of football hooliganism in the United Kingdom. For the sake of players, staff, fans, and officials, the beautiful game is best left beautiful rather than bloodied.