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L’ex attaccante dei Celtic Vennegoor of Hesseling è , ufficialmente, un giocatore dell’ Hull City; l’ esperto olandese ha firmato un contratto di due anni con i “Tigers”.I primi provvedimenti di interdizione dagli stadi relativi a West Ham-Millwall di “Carling Cup”, disputatasi lo scorso 25 agosto, potrebbero colpire un primo gruppo di nove individui qualora la corte dovesse confermare, nelle prossime ore, la colpevolezza delle persone indicate come responsabili dalla polizia. Intanto si è appreso che un soggetto è stato anche identificato quale presunto accoltellatore del tifoso del Millwall aggredito prima del fischio d’inizio. Un tifoso degli “Hammers”, facente parte del gruppo che è entrato sul terreno di gioco, ha ammesso ad un tabloid il proprio gesto, smentendo, però, di essere un “hooligan”. Si sarebbe trattato, a  suo dire, di un gesto inconsulto ma privo di intenti violenti. Il match del Luton Town ( foto ) contro lo York City del prossimo 19 settembre è stato rinviato a causa della concomitante marcia in città della “English Defence League”, al cui interno militano molti “lads” ed ex delle tifoserie organizzate. Le autorità, infatti, ritengono di non potere garantire , contemporaneamente, condizioni di sicurezza per i due eventi. Sempre in tema,  l’ “HNH Norkfolk” propone ai lettori un viaggio all’ interno dei legami tra le “firms” ed i gruppi della destra radicale e lealista. Si tratta di un argomento controverso, spesso affrontato superficialmente dai media, tra l’altro divisi tra chi ritiene che uno stretto legame sussista e chi finisce per affermare che, alla fine, ai ragazzi di stadio interessi solo ed esclusivamente il calcio e ciò che  gravita intorno allo stesso.

 

Police seek banning orders for nine people charged in connection with football violence at West Ham against Millwall
Local Guardian
02 September 2009
By Jonathan Moyes

POLICE are seeking football banning orders for nine people who have been charged in connection with football violence which erupted when West Ham played Millwall.If successful, the banning orders would see them barred from attending any football ground in Britain.A total of 14 people have been arrested in connection with public order offences relating to the violence which occurred before, during and after West Ham’s second round Carling Cup tie against Millwall last Tuesday, August 25.Four of those have been bailed to return in October pending further enquiries while one person has been released without charChief Superintendent Steve Wisbey, who was in charge of policing at the match, said: “Police worked closely with West Ham United FC, British Transport Police, and Newham Council to minimise disorder.“Officers responded swiftly whilst missiles were being thrown as they tried to separate fans outside the ground after the match.“Incidents of this nature at a match are thankfully rare, but it would appear that a small number of supporters were intent on causing a confrontation.“We are committed to providing a safe and trouble free environment for fans who attend matches to support their teams.“A team of dedicated police officers are reviewing all the events that took place on the night and we continue to look at CCTV both inside and outside the ground to identify evidence of offences and offenders.“We will proactively seek to obtain football banning orders for those responsible so they will not be permitted in stadia throughout the country or abroad.”A 43-year-old, described by police as a ‘family man’, who was stabbed before the match, has now been discharged from hospital.The Millwall fan, from Eltham, south-east London, had arrived with ten members of his family, including two teenage sons aged 17 and 18.They initially headed to the wrong entrance of West Ham’s ground Upton Park and were making their way to the correct part when they were approached by a large group of Hammers supporters who chased them.The victim and his sons became separated from the rest of his family and were attacked by the group who threw punches and kicks.After being separated from his sons, the victim continued to be attacked by the group, receiving a stab wound to the chest.The group fled in various directions and he managed to make his way through an alleyway before collapsin.His sons, who were not seriously injured, found him and called the emergency services.A 20-year-old man was arrested in connection with the stabbing and he has been bailed to return in September pending further enquiries.The nine people charged by police will appear at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on Friday, September 4.

 

‘I was stupid… but I am not a West Ham hooligan’
London Evening Standard
02 September 2009
Peter Dominiczak

A football fan who invaded the pitch during a violence-marred match between West Ham and Millwall today apologised and denied he is a hooligan.

Richard Burgum, 29, said he was an “absolute idiot” for running onto the pitch twice as he watched his team West Ham at Upton Park in the Carling Cup match last Tuesday.The father of three, from Dagenham, now faces being banned for life from following the club after the invasions in the second half of the match.“I cannot believe that a few minutes of not thinking have caused all this,” he said.“I want to say how sorry I am and cannot apologise enough for my actions.”Mr Burgum’s picture became emblematic of the violence before, during and after the match, which was described as the worst football disturbances seen in a decade.One Millwall fan was stabbed and hundreds of police were involved in clashes outside the ground as organised gangs from both clubs clashed.Mr Burgum insisted today that he was not a violent hooligan.“I acted like an absolute idiot and I’m not at all proud of what I have done,” he said.“I can only apologise to the club, the fans and the players for letting them down. I lost it when we scored and ran on to the pitch to celebrate.”He was restrained by stewards and returned to the stand — but then invaded the pitch again and was rugby-tackled by a steward.Mr Burgum later handed himself in to police and is now on police bail.“It was a totally stupid thing to do and I accept what is coming, but what hurts most is I have been lumped in with the thugs who just went for a fight,” he said.“I have never been in trouble before, I am not violent or have a criminal record.“I live for football and now I stand the chance of never being allowed into a ground again or taking my boy to see West Ham.“I just did not realise the seriousness of what I had done.“I know this sounds naive but I honestly did not think I had done anything seriously wrong. Stupid, yes, but I wouldn’t harm anyone. I’m a fan, I love my team.”

 

Hooligans disunited
HNH Norfolk
02 September 2009
Nick Lowles

From HOPE not hate, where Nick Lowles reports on the mixed relationships between football hooligan gangs and the far-right parties:

Over the past few months there have been a growing number of football hooligan-led mobilisations around the country. Luton might have captured the most headlines in recent weeks but there have been protests in Birmingham and East London, with future actions planned in west London and Manchester.Some commentators have dismissed these gatherings as fascist events. This is inaccurate and misunderstands the relationship between football hooligans, nationalism and fascism.As reported in last month’s Searchlight there are a number of organisations currently active that derive from the hooligan world. The English Defence League (which was originally the English and Welsh Defence League), Casuals United, March for England and the SIOE.While there are undoubtedly fascists involved in these protests they owe more to the racist and nationalist mentality of hooligans than to any real fascist undertones.The British fascist right had its strongest influence on the hooligan scene during the mid-to-late 1970s. Racism was rife on the terraces and the revival of skinhead fashion and the birth of racist Oi music gave young violent working-class men a racist and political identity.By the early 1980s, this was on the wane, certainly within many of the gangs associated with larger city clubs. Changing football culture, the emergence of black players and probably most significantly the growing prominence of black football hooligans pushed the hardcore fascists out.Most gangs linked to London clubs, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester City and United, Leicester, Derby and the Sheffield clubs saw sizeable numbers of black hooligans emerge during the 1980s.There were of course exceptions. Leeds and Newcastle both had strong National Front influence within their mobs, as did many of the gangs linked to smaller clubs, where either there was little non-white population or there were deeply segregated communities and little Asian interest in professional football.

Chelsea was an enigma. No club has had such a long link to the far right – from the NF and British Movement of the 1970s to Combat 18 in the 1990s. And yet, despite this, they also had black hooligans and they were generally accepted. In fact, the one falling out that the Chelsea Headhunters had with Combat 18 was when the nazi activist Mark Atkinson left a threatening message on the windscreen of Big Willy, a leading black hooligan.The relationship between hooligans and fascists was even more fraught at Millwall, which will surprise many given that this was where the British National party had its first electoral breakthrough in a council by-election in 1993. Millwall has always had black hooligans. Even back in 1977 when Panorama documented the infamous Millwall “F-troop”, one of the central characters was a huge black hooligan called “Tiny”.In 1993, shortly after Derek Beackon’s election victory, Combat 18 went round some of the Millwall pubs trying to recruit. They were given short shrift by the Millwall hooligans. To Millwall Combat 18 was too associated with Chelsea and they were also willing to accept anyone within their ranks as long as their loyalty was to southeast London and the club.A bigger clash between hooligans and fascists occurred in April 1994 when England was set to play a “friendly” in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on the anniversary of Hitler’s birth. British and German fascists hoped to join together to attack a Turkish demonstration in the city the day before. Tony Covelle, the leader of the Chelsea Headhunters and seen by many as the most important hooligan on the England scene at the time, would not consider the idea. He was English and the Germans were their key enemy.Fortunately, the game was eventually cancelled after a campaign led by Searchlight and our German friends.

Loyalism has always been a bigger unifier for British football hooligans. During the late 1980s and more importantly during the early 1990s loyalism became central to hooligan nationalist identity. The IRA was bringing its campaign to the British mainland and English hooligans heavily adopted the loyalist cause.In January 1993 over 600 people, including hooligans drawn from 22 gangs around Britain, met to disrupt the annual Bloody Sunday march in central London. Their intention was later to travel to Kilburn, an area with a large Irish community, in an attempt to kick off trouble with local people. Only the intervention of police and the arrest of 396 hooligans and loyalists prevented this from occurring.The far right has never enjoyed this level of support. Hooligan gangs linked with Aston Villa, Oldham, Charlton, Swansea and Mansfield all had rightwing connections but they were easily the exception than the rule.In more recent years the rise of the BNP has been mirrored by a growth in political hooliganism.The Oldham riots stemmed from weeks of hooligan incursions into the predominantly Asian areas of the town. The first was when 450 Stoke City hooligans rampaged through Westwood a few days after the pensioner Walter Chamberlain had been attacked by four youths.Over the following few weeks Oldham hooligans, one of the most rightwing gangs in the country, were joined by small groups from Stockport, Shrewsbury and Huddersfield in a bid to whip up trouble. Eventually, on 26 May 2001, the hooligans succeeded. After a day when 80 hooligans and nazis had been frustrated by police a group of ten hooligans ran down a predominantly Asian street attacking people and property in what a judge later said was the “trigger” for the Oldham riots.A week later the rightwing hooligans attempted to do it again, though this time they were stopped by Searchlight intelligence and police intervention.A week after that Oldham and Everton hooligans tried to link up with Combat 18 in an attempt to disrupt the England v Pakistan cricket match at Old Trafford. The plan had been for an Oldham hooligan to run onto the pitch during play and place a Combat 18 flag in the middle of the wicket. The hope, according to Combat 18, was for maximum media attention and a violent reaction from the Pakistani supporters in the crowd. Once again the 40 thugs failed because of Searchlight intelligence.However, these incidents have been the exception. There is certainly a growing anti-Islamist feeling among many hooligans but this is probably just a reflection of attitudes in wider society. More hooligans are undoubtedly supporting the BNP but again this should not be of any great surprise given the growth of the fascist party in many parts of the country and the profile of the typical BNP voter. But this does not mean we are likely to witness an explosion of hooligan-based racial disorder.The appalling turnout of hooligans in Birmingham in early August is testament to this. In smallish towns such as Oldham and Luton a local incident can quite easily incite a violent response from thugs and racists. However, there is no sign that hooligans will properly mix together for a political cause.Football rivalry means that Watford hooligans, who might live only a few miles away, will never mix with their Luton counterparts and the return of the football season will refocus some hooligans on their traditional pastimes. In addition, heavy policing and the threat of arrest, football bans and possible prison will keep many away. It was interesting to witness the robust police response to an anti-Islam protest in East London in summer. Having been kettled for several hours and generally given a rough time, many of the hooligans who attended are hardly likely to come out again.Finally, there is the very nature of hooligans themselves. They are a generally undisciplined, lazy group who prefer drinking and talking a good fight to involving themselves in a political battle. And those who do will be nervous about the role of the BNP and other fascist groups. Even at Luton, where the heart of the current hooligan mobilisation has emerged, there are growing voices of discontent about the presence of the BNP.The organisers of the English Defence League and Casuals United have announced their intention to hold several more protests across the country, including in Manchester, Dewsbury and Bradford. Whether these go ahead remains to be seen but the dangers lie less in the big cities than in the smaller conurbations where tensions already exist.Hooligans will not travel in large numbers across the country and they will be even more put off by the threat of arrest and football bans. However, in places like Luton, Oldham and West Yorkshire there are more than enough people to cause trouble without the need for outsiders. With the prospect of violence and communities tearing each other apart very real, HOPE not hate will be campaigning to get these events banned.

 

Luton Town have yet to announce a new date for the match

Luton Town Football Club has cancelled a home game on police advice because a protest march is planned for the town on the same day.

The game against York City, due to take place at Kenilworth Road on 19 September, will be rearranged.The English Defence League, one of four groups banned from marching in Luton, is planning a protest on the same day.Bedfordshire Police said it advised the Hatters to cancel because the force cannot police both events.A spokeswoman added that the potential protest was classed as a large event and officers would be unable to provide support within the town centre and at the Kenilworth Road ground.A statement on the club’s website said a new date has yet to be finalised and apologised to fans for any inconvenience.

It is disappointing that a football match is getting dragged into this political issue Kevin Lennon, Loyal Luton Supporters ClubK

One of Luton Town’s fan clubs said it was disappointing that Bedfordshire Police felt it could not cope, particularly as it had dealt with far higher profile matches at Kenilworth Road.”I think it’s fair to say that all the fans I have spoken to are very disappointed and in some cases angry that the police are asking our game to be postponed,” said Kevin Lennon, chairman of the Loyal Luton Supporters Club.

“The new owners of the football club have been making great inroads into community integration issues over the past year or so and it is disappointing that a football match is getting dragged into this political issue.”He believed the game would require a “minimal” police presence, with the game against York expected to attract up to 7,000 Luton fans and no more than a “few hundred” away fans.

Ban on processesions

Last month, the police and Luton Borough Council were granted a three-month banning order on public processions by four organisations or associated groups.Protest plans by March for England, UK Casuals United, United People of Luton and the English Defence League had increased tensions in Luton, they said.Police have the power to ban public processions and search people and vehicles for offensive weapons if they believe serious violence may take place.A statement on the English Defence League website said it planned to march in Luton on 19 September “against the ever growing population of Islamic extremists, and the home of some of the most unsavoury Al-Qaeda supporters in the UK”.It added: “This demonstration has been banned by the Home Office.Angry scenes broke out on 10 March when a small number of Muslims held an anti-war protest during the homecoming parade of British troops.Seven people are due in court later this month charged with public order offences in relation to the protestA further 12 people have been charged in connection with another disturbance in Luton town centre on 24 May and are due before magistrates at a separate hearing.

 

The Dutchman scored an average of one goal every two games for Celtic

Hull have confirmed the signing of Netherlands striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink on a two-year deal.

The 30-year-old international had been a free agent since 2 July after being released by Celtic.Hull chairman Paul Duffen claimed the Tigers had beaten some big clubs to bring the striker to East Yorkshire.“We’ve wanted an experienced, top-drawer striker who scores goals and Jan has scored prolifically in top leagues in Europe,” Duffen said.”It’s what we need. We didn’t score enough goals last season. Going forward we have a lot of new talent and Jan will play his part in using his experience to settle them down.”We’ve been looking at Jan since July and are really pleased we’ve turned his head. He’s been looking at other big clubs in Europe but the Premier League is where he wants to come and play with us.”

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