Suicide Squad (hooligan firm)
Encyclopedia
The Suicide Squad is a football
hooligan firm linked to the English
Championship
team, Burnley F.C.
The self imposed title is derived from previous behaviour at away games where the single minded involvement in violence against overwhelming odds could be described as suicidal. The name became synonymous with the group during the early 1980s and many of the original members, now in their forties are well known to the police and have a string of convictions for violence.
Although partially disbanded a new, more menacing group began to emerge. This group, considerably younger, named themselves the Burnley Youth. They would associated with the older Hooligan group known as the Suicide Squad, but refused to abide by the rules of the game. This group were more determined and less affected by the Police tactics, than their older colleagues. The Police began to receive intelligence reports from members of the Suicide Squad who were genuinely concerned that their younger brethren were "out of control" and were travelling to away matches with weapons. The level of violence and the circumstances surrounding these incidents strongly supported these concerns.
In November 2002, Burnley police
and the football club jointly established Operation Fixture, a scheme aimed at tackling football hooliganism in and around the club's stadium, Turf Moor
with more bans, more arrests and quicker convictions. The scheme also aimed to target racists
, with the example of a Burnley fan having given a Nazi salute
during a Worthington Cup
match against Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
.
On 7 December 2002 a 17 year old Nottingham Forest F.C.
fan was killed when Burnley fans attacked Nottingham Forest fans in Burnley town centre. Two days later a 19 year old Burnley fan, Andrew McNee, a member of the so called Suicide Youth Squad was arrested and charged with murder
. In July 2003, McNee was sentenced to seven years in youth custody after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter
. He was also banned from football matches for ten years. When passing sentence, the trial judge commented that the attack had happened, "for absolutely no reason, other than he supported a different football team and had the temerity to visit a public house the defendant and others believed he should have kept away from"; adding that football hooliganism was a "scourge on the sport" and said the courts should make it clear that anyone involved in violence would face harsh sentences. McNee was released from prison in 2006. Within weeks though he was fined £200 after pleading guilty to breaching his ten year football banning order. On 22 July 2006 police caught him outside Turf Moor when Burnley were playing Bolton Wanderers F.C.
, Burnleys first home game since McNee had been released from prison.
,
In July 2007, one of the founding members of the Suicide Squad, Andrew Porter, who wrote a book about his exploits with the firm was coming to the end of a three year ban from attending both England
and domestic matches. However, Burnley police
applied for a fresh banning order with the start of the new season only weeks away under Operation Fixture which had been introduced in 2002.
In May 2009, another founder member of the Suicide Squad, Philip Holmes, was banned for a further three years from English & Welsh football grounds. The ban follows a steady stream of incidents since Holmes' original ban expired in February 2007, including being the central figure in games against Stoke City & Sheffield United in the 2008-9 season..
The Suicide Squad featured in the television documentary series The Real Football Factories
which was first shown on the Bravo Television channel
.
On 18 October 2009, following the first FA Premier League
derby between Blackburn Rovers
and Burnley
, members of the Suicide Squad clashed at the Station public house in the Cherry Tree area of the town in a riot described by police officers as "like something out of Braveheart
". 15 months later, 12 members of the Suicide Squad received prison sentences totalling 32 years along with lengthy banning orders. Andrew Porter, aged 44, was discovered to have organised the riot, receiving the heaviest sentence; a five-year prison sentence along with a 10-year banning order. Porter had written a book - Suicide Squad: The Inside Story of a Football Firm - about his experiences as a football hooligan.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
hooligan firm linked to the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
team, Burnley F.C.
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
The self imposed title is derived from previous behaviour at away games where the single minded involvement in violence against overwhelming odds could be described as suicidal. The name became synonymous with the group during the early 1980s and many of the original members, now in their forties are well known to the police and have a string of convictions for violence.
History
Out of the terrace wars of the 1970s emerged a gang known as the Suicide Squad in a period which also saw Burnley's fall from the old Division One to Division Four and the threat of non-league football. This meant that the calculated, disciplined, organised operation that struck fear into opposing fans clashed with just about every rival mob in the country and became world renowned as one of the fiercest and most dangerous in Britain.Although partially disbanded a new, more menacing group began to emerge. This group, considerably younger, named themselves the Burnley Youth. They would associated with the older Hooligan group known as the Suicide Squad, but refused to abide by the rules of the game. This group were more determined and less affected by the Police tactics, than their older colleagues. The Police began to receive intelligence reports from members of the Suicide Squad who were genuinely concerned that their younger brethren were "out of control" and were travelling to away matches with weapons. The level of violence and the circumstances surrounding these incidents strongly supported these concerns.
In November 2002, Burnley police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and the football club jointly established Operation Fixture, a scheme aimed at tackling football hooliganism in and around the club's stadium, Turf Moor
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of Burnley Football Club, which has played there since moving from its Calder Vale ground in 1883. The stadium, which is situated on Harry Potts Way, named so after the club's longest serving Manager, has a capacity of...
with more bans, more arrests and quicker convictions. The scheme also aimed to target racists
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, with the example of a Burnley fan having given a Nazi salute
Hitler salute
The Nazi salute, or Hitler salute , was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany usually accompanied by saying, Heil Hitler! ["Hail Hitler!"], Heil, mein Führer ["Hail, my leader!"], or Sieg Heil! ["Hail victory!"]...
during a Worthington Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
match against Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
.
On 7 December 2002 a 17 year old Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
fan was killed when Burnley fans attacked Nottingham Forest fans in Burnley town centre. Two days later a 19 year old Burnley fan, Andrew McNee, a member of the so called Suicide Youth Squad was arrested and charged with murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. In July 2003, McNee was sentenced to seven years in youth custody after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
. He was also banned from football matches for ten years. When passing sentence, the trial judge commented that the attack had happened, "for absolutely no reason, other than he supported a different football team and had the temerity to visit a public house the defendant and others believed he should have kept away from"; adding that football hooliganism was a "scourge on the sport" and said the courts should make it clear that anyone involved in violence would face harsh sentences. McNee was released from prison in 2006. Within weeks though he was fined £200 after pleading guilty to breaching his ten year football banning order. On 22 July 2006 police caught him outside Turf Moor when Burnley were playing Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, Burnleys first home game since McNee had been released from prison.
,
In July 2007, one of the founding members of the Suicide Squad, Andrew Porter, who wrote a book about his exploits with the firm was coming to the end of a three year ban from attending both England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and domestic matches. However, Burnley police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
applied for a fresh banning order with the start of the new season only weeks away under Operation Fixture which had been introduced in 2002.
In May 2009, another founder member of the Suicide Squad, Philip Holmes, was banned for a further three years from English & Welsh football grounds. The ban follows a steady stream of incidents since Holmes' original ban expired in February 2007, including being the central figure in games against Stoke City & Sheffield United in the 2008-9 season..
The Suicide Squad featured in the television documentary series The Real Football Factories
The Real Football Factories
The Real Football Factories is a documentary series shown on the Bravo TV channel in the UK and created by Zig Zag Productions. The show looks at the in-depth life of football hooligans and hooligan firms. Interviews are conducted with past and present hooligans.The presenter of the show, Danny...
which was first shown on the Bravo Television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
.
On 18 October 2009, following the first FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
derby between Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
and Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, members of the Suicide Squad clashed at the Station public house in the Cherry Tree area of the town in a riot described by police officers as "like something out of Braveheart
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
". 15 months later, 12 members of the Suicide Squad received prison sentences totalling 32 years along with lengthy banning orders. Andrew Porter, aged 44, was discovered to have organised the riot, receiving the heaviest sentence; a five-year prison sentence along with a 10-year banning order. Porter had written a book - Suicide Squad: The Inside Story of a Football Firm - about his experiences as a football hooligan.
See also
- CasualsCasualsThe casual subculture is a subsection of association football culture that is typified by football hooliganism and the wearing of expensive European designer clothing. The subculture originated in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s when many hooligans started wearing designer labels and...
- Football hooliganismFootball hooliganismFootball hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
- List of hooligan firms
- HooliganismHooliganismHooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....
- Millwall BushwackersMillwall BushwackersThe Millwall Bushwackers are a hooligan firm associated with Millwall F.C..-Background:The original firm associated with Millwall was known as F-Troop....
Further reading
- Porter, Andrew (2005). Suicide Squad: The Inside Story of a Football Firm, Milo Books, ISBN 978-1903854464