143-488: The Leeds United Service Crew are a football hooligan firm linked to the English EFL Championship team, Leeds United F.C. The Service Crew were formed in 1974 and are named after the ordinary public service trains that the hooligans would travel on to away matches, rather than the heavily policed, organised football special trains. The Service Crew are one of the most notorious hooligan firms in
286-489: A FIFA World Cup match in France between Germany and Yugoslavia a French policeman was beaten to the point of brain damage by German fans. Following the incident, German police contacted many of the known 2,000+ German hooligans to warn them they would be arrested if they traveled to upcoming matches in France. A German fan was arrested in 1998 and charged with attempted murder and in 1999, four more Germans were convicted in
429-465: A Partizan traveling coach with stones and bricks resulting in one injured person. In December 2010, 30–40 Bad Blue Boys hooligans attacked a PAOK traveling coach with stones, bricks and flares setting the traveling coach on fire and inflicting injuries on several passengers. In November 2014, during a Euro 2016 qualifying game in Milan, Italy , hooligans from Croatia threw flares and fireworks onto
572-1206: A fancy dress theme for the final away match, including dressing as Vikings in 2004 in honour of Player of the Season Thomas Gaardsøe . In 2002–03 Albion's fans were voted the best in the Premier League by their peers, while in the BBC's 2002 "national intelligence test" Test the Nation , they were found to be "more likely to be smarter than any other football supporters, registering an average score of 138". Famous fans include goalkeepers Aaron Ramsdale and Ben Foster , comedian Frank Skinner , TV presenter Adrian Chiles , One Direction singer Liam Payne , comedian Lenny Henry , actress Julie Walters , The Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood , tennis players Ann Jones and Goran Ivanišević , television presenter Cat Deeley , DJ Dave Haslam , boxers Richie Woodhall and Tommy Langford , and guitarist Eric Clapton . The club has published an official matchday programme for supporters since 1905. The publication
715-781: A friendly match between Germany and Slovenia in Celje , Slovenia , damaging cars and shops, and shouting racist slogans. The German Football Association (DFB) apologised for the behaviour. As a result, 52 people were arrested; 40 Germans and 12 Slovenians. Following a 2–0 defeat to Slovakia in Bratislava , Slovakia , German hooligans fought with the local police, and six people were injured and two were taken into custody. The DFB again apologised for fans who chanted racist slogans. West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club ( / ˈ b r ɒ m ɪ dʒ , - ɪ tʃ / ), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion ,
858-408: A ' moral panic ' out of proportion with the scale of the actual problem. One of the main aspects to examine when trying to understand the root of hooligan violence is about the characteristics of sports teams. Chanting, flags, ties to the urban area, all these factors provide a base for "local patriotism", and thus, give way to the unnamed groups and organizations that hooligans identify with. This
1001-501: A 2008 study that "Involvement in football violence can be explained in relation to a number of factors, relating to interaction, identity, legitimacy and power. Football violence is also thought to reflect expressions of strong emotional ties to a football team, which may help to reinforce a supporter's sense of identity." In relation to the Heysel Stadium disaster one study from 1986 claimed that alcohol, irregular tickets sales,
1144-517: A 2–0 defeat to the West German side, and having already seen their team have two penalty appeals rejected by French referee Michel Kitabdjian , scores of Leeds fans ripped seats from the stands and threw them onto the pitch. Some of them clashed with the French police as they invaded the pitch. As a result of this incident, Leeds were banned from European competitions for four years – although this
1287-547: A 5th-place finish and the play-off semi-finals at the end of the 2023-24 season . In February 2024, the English Football League approved a takeover of the club by American entrepreneur Shilen Patel . Albion's main club badge dates back to the late 1880s, when club secretary Tom Smith suggested that a throstle (song thrush) sitting on a crossbar be adopted for the badge. The badge has been subject to various revisions since then. It has always featured
1430-651: A circulation in excess of 8,000 copies. The first West Bromwich Albion fanzine , Fingerpost , was published from 1983 until 1992, and was followed by several others, most notably Grorty Dick (1989–2005) and Last Train to Rolfe Street (1992–1995). Since Grorty Dick ceased publication in 2005, the club now only has one fanzine dedicated to it; 'Baggie Shorts' which is produced by the West Bromwich Albion Supporters' Club London Branch. Although known in their early days as "the Throstles" ,
1573-683: A club store in West Bromwich town centre. They also own the former Hawthorns Pub, a Grade II listed building behind the West Stand on the corner of Halfords Lane and the Birmingham Road. This has served as the official club fanzone with licensed bars, live music, fan favourites – such as mascots and children activities – as well as being shared with a high street food outlet. The pub competes with The Vine pub in Roebuck Lane,
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#17327880348051716-643: A football match in Australia. On 13 March 2005, Sydney United (who have a large Croatian following and were established by Croatian immigrants) and Bonnyrigg White Eagles (who have a large Serbian following and were established by Serbian immigrants) met in Sydney in the New South Wales Premier League . About 500 fans clashed, resulting in two police officers getting injured and five fans being arrested. Football NSW held an inquiry into
1859-471: A football match". By January 1987, the club's reputation for hooliganism was so bad that when they were drawn with non-league Telford United in an FA Cup third round tie, the Shropshire club refused to host the game at their Bucks Head ground; it was instead played some 30 miles away at the stadium of West Bromwich Albion . On 5 May 1990, Leeds travelled to AFC Bournemouth for the final game of
2002-405: A friendly match, both teams were pelted with stones, attacked with sticks, punched, kicked and spat at. One Preston player was beaten so severely that he lost consciousness and press reports at the time described the fans as "howling roughs". The following year, Preston fans fought Queen's Park fans in a railway station—the first alleged instance of football hooliganism outside of a match. In 1905,
2145-540: A futsal tournament organized by Omonia. Many were injured including an APOEL fan who was almost beaten to death. The rivalry between Omonia and APOEL has its roots in politics. APOEL fans are in their majority right wing whereas Omonia fans tend to be left wing. Communist symbols in the Omonia stand and right wing or even fascist symbols in the APOEL stand are not uncommon. The Limassol rivalry between Apollon and AEL Limassol
2288-403: A hawthorn branch: Rodney Dennys , the officer of arms responsible, may have been imperfectly briefed. The badge was re-designed in 2006, incorporating the name of the club for the first time. The new design aimed to safeguard and consolidate the club's identity. Prior to this, the main club badge rarely coincided with that worn on the first team strip. No badge appeared on the kit for most of
2431-600: A league fixture on 19 January 1889, Villa winning 2–0 at home, before a draw the next week ending 3–3. The two teams met in two further FA Cup finals in the 19th century, a 3–0 win for West Brom in 1892 and a 1–0 win for Aston Villa in 1895 . Birmingham City were relegated from the Premier League in 2011 and Wolverhampton Wanderers a season later, leaving Aston Villa and West Brom as the only West Midlands teams in England's top division. Without their respective main rivals and with Albion finishing above their nearest rivals for
2574-468: A match between Birmingham City and Leeds United. Fans started fighting when Birmingham took the lead, and riot police were called in to stop Leeds fans pulling down fencing. It was estimated that more than 1,000 fans became involved in the ensuing riot, which saw seats and advertising hoardings being torn up and used as missiles, 96 policemen being injured and the collapsing wall also crushing several parked motor vehicles beyond repair. The Popplewell Committee
2717-422: A number of Preston fans were tried for hooliganism, including a " drunk and disorderly " 70-year-old woman, following their match against Blackburn Rovers . Although instances of football crowd violence and disorder have been a feature of association football throughout its history (e.g. Millwall 's ground was reportedly closed in 1920, 1934 and 1950 after crowd disturbances), the phenomenon only started to gain
2860-465: A number of forms: starting fires, unarmed and armed fighting, graffiti, hateful speech, and there are even violent acts committed against the players on occasion such as the throwing of bottles or bananas to physically harm or racially attack players. In 2014 in a match between Barcelona and Villareal, a fan racially abused Dani Alves, the Barcelona right back, throwing a banana at him insinuating he
3003-468: A person who is recording the incident can be seen stomping another person's head. Because of this, both countries were given a disqualification warning soon after. The match ended with 1–1. On 16 April 2017, during a match between Olympique Lyonnais and SC Bastia , supporters of SC Bastia invaded the pitch in an attempt to fight Lyonnais players. The match was then postponed. September 2022 saw OGC Nice and 1. FC Köln fans clash outside and inside
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#17327880348053146-735: A popular destination for visiting and home football fans year-round. The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; he leadeth me The quiet waters by. The official West Bromwich Albion Supporters Club was founded on 4 October 1951. In the years since then, over 30 branches have been established throughout the United Kingdom, and internationally in Jersey, Ireland, Spain, Malta, Croatia, USA, UAE, India, Thailand and Australia. There are also supporters groups for those with disabilities, for mental health support, Punjabi supporters, supporters in
3289-646: A record $ 571,000 fine, but it was reduced on appeal to $ 114,000. Galatasaray was initially fined $ 114,000 by UEFA, but it too was eventually reduced to $ 28,500. In May 2001, six PSG fans from the Supporters Club, were arrested and charged with assault, carrying weapons, throwing items on the pitch and racism. The six were alleged to have deliberately entered a part of the Parc des Princes stadium where French fans of Turkish origin were standing, in order to attack them. The six were banned from all football stadiums for
3432-406: A shift in the way people are expected to behave inside grounds. Offensive chants are still way too commonplace but actual fighting doesn't happen very often. The violence perpetrated by hooligans is somewhat of a dying phenomenon although experiencing some surges around 2015. The mid-1900s was when hooliganism was at its highest rate, however, police and clubs themselves have taken strides to prevent
3575-559: A succession of managers over the next few seasons saw Albion consolidate their Division One status without mounting a serious promotion challenge. The appointment of Gary Megson in March 2000 heralded an upturn in the club's fortunes. Megson guided Albion to Division One safety in 1999–2000 , and to the play-offs a year later. He went on to lead the club to promotion to the Premier League in 2001–02 . After being relegated in their first Premier League season, they made an immediate return to
3718-482: A team whose colours clash with their own. As long ago as the 1890s, and throughout much of the club's early history, a change strip of white jerseys with black shorts was worn. The away shirt additionally featured a large 'V' during the First World War. In the 1935 FA Cup Final , however, when both of Albion and Sheffield Wednesday 's kits clashed, a switch was made to plain navy blue shirts. An all-red strip
3861-490: A throstle, usually on a blue and white striped shield, although the crossbar was replaced with a hawthorn branch at some point after the club's move to the Hawthorns . The throstle was chosen because the public house in which the team used to change kept a pet thrush in a cage. It also gave rise to Albion's early nickname, the Throstles . The hawthorn bush is also a favourite bush of throstles, which were regularly seen on
4004-404: A variety of behaviors, some of which can be problematic’’. Using this information, it is clear that alcohol and sports have a strong connection. However, restricted usage of alcohol as seen in events such as the 2022 Qatar World Cup , was effective in reducing the level of hooliganism that has been previously seen in other major tournaments. The type of violence committed by hooligans can come in
4147-546: A version of the badge (on a roundel rather than a shield) was granted by the College of Arms to the Football League for licensing to the club. The badge was described in heraldic blazon as, "On a roundel paly of thirteen argent and azure a mistle thrush perched on a raspberry branch leaved and fructed proper." This is the only known occasion on which the branch has been described as a raspberry branch rather than
4290-538: Is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich , West Midlands , England. They compete in the EFL Championship , the second level of the English football league . The club was formed in 1878 and has played at its home ground, The Hawthorns , since 1900. Albion was a founder member of the Football League in 1888 , the first professional football league in the world. The club has spent
4433-419: Is more a matter of what team dominates over the city. Hooliganism in the case of Anorthosis is also politically linked, especially when the club plays a left wing team such as Omonia. Other incidents between clubs of different cities that are of the same political orientation are associated with intercity rivalries, particularly when a club from Limassol faces a club from Nicosia. Football hooliganism in France
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4576-454: Is not limited to clubs, the local patriotism referenced earlier can expand to a national level. As seen in the case of the 2016 Euros , violence began from several countries' visiting fans as well as the French host fans. The violence at these tournaments can be amplified to another level due to an increased degree of "patriotism". A major focus of hooliganism is rooted in politics. World conflicts and player actions regarding those can increase
4719-610: Is not limited to football but is seen in all sports, basketball, American football and so on. This can be seen in the treatment of players such as Colin Kaepernick in the NFL who has been isolated from the sport since his protests, being labelled as disrespectful towards the country. Football hooliganism has factors in common with juvenile delinquency and what has been called "ritualized male violence". Sports Studies scholars Paul Gow and Joel Rookwood at Liverpool Hope University found in
4862-496: Is often rooted in social conflict , including racial tension. In the 1990s, fans of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fought with supporters from Belgium, England, Germany, Italy and Scotland. There is a long-standing north–south rivalry between PSG (representing Paris and by extension northern France) and Olympique de Marseille (representing the South of France) which has encouraged authorities to be extremely mobilised during games between
5005-486: Is particularly associated with the supporters of clubs such as FK Sarajevo ( Horde Zla ), FK Željezničar Sarajevo ( The Maniacs ), FK Velež Mostar ( Red Army ), HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (Ultrasi) and FK Borac Banja Luka (Lešinari). Other clubs with hooligans as supporters include FK Sloboda Tuzla (Fukare), NK Čelik Zenica (Robijaši) and NK Široki Brijeg (Škripari). Many fans are associated with fascist ideologies, supporting and glorifying extremist movements such as
5148-722: Is the Devon Derby (Exeter City vs Plymouth Argyle). Conflict may arise at any point, before, during or after matches and occasionally outside of game situations. Participants often select locations away from stadiums to avoid arrest by the police, but conflict can also erupt spontaneously inside the stadium or in the surrounding streets. In extreme cases, hooligans, police and bystanders have been killed, and riot police have intervened. Hooligan-led violence has been called "aggro" (short for "aggression") and "bovver" (the Cockney pronunciation of "bother", i.e. trouble). Hooligans who have
5291-527: The 1989–90 Second Division season. Victory in the game would give them the Second Division title and promotion back to the top flight after eight years away. Leeds achieved this with a 1–0 win, but the success was marred by a string of vandalism on town centre pubs and shops as well as a series of battles between hooligans and police officers. 104 people were arrested and 12 police officers were injured. Modern day crackdowns on football hooliganism and
5434-643: The Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium on 28 May 2007, but lost 1–0 to Derby County . The following season, Mowbray led the Baggies to Wembley again, this time in the semi-finals of the FA Cup , where they lost 1–0 to Portsmouth . One month later, Albion were promoted to the Premier League as winners of the Championship, but were relegated at the end of the 2008–09 campaign. Mowbray left
5577-500: The FA Cup , beating Birmingham 2–1 in the final. The "double" of winning the FA Cup and promotion has not been achieved before or since. Albion reached the final again in 1935 , losing to Sheffield Wednesday , but were relegated three years later. They gained promotion in 1948–49, and there followed the club's longest unbroken spell in the top flight of English football, a total of 24 years. In 1953–54, Albion came close to being
5720-657: The FC Timişoara -Dinamo match. 400 Bad Blue Boys rioted in the city centre and attacked local people. After the incident Romanian police detained a large number of Dinamo fans but the situation escalated again at the FC Timişoara stadium when 200 Bad Blue Boys tore down the pitch fence and attacked the police with chairs and bats resulting in several injured police officers. During the clash, Dinamo fans fired signal missiles at FC Timişoara fans resulting in severe injuries. In December 2010, 10–15 Tornado ( Zadar ) hooligans attacked
5863-484: The Football League started later that year, Albion became one of the twelve founder members. Albion's second FA Cup success came in 1892 , beating Aston Villa 3–0. They met Villa again in the 1895 final, but lost 1–0. The team suffered relegation to Division Two in 1900–01, their first season at The Hawthorns . They were promoted as champions the following season but relegated again in 1903–04. The club won
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6006-580: The Maksimir Stadium . Red Star was accompanied by 3000 Delije, the organised supporters of the club. Before the match a number of small fights broke out. Police reinforcements soon arrived with armoured vehicles and water cannons , focusing to separate the fans. Dinamo's player Zvonimir Boban kicked one policeman, defending a Dinamo's fan beaten by the police. The fighting lasted for over an hour and hundreds of people were injured. Ethnic tension between Croats and Serbs has also led to fighting at
6149-550: The Staffordshire Cup . Albion joined the Football Association in the same year; this enabled them to enter the FA Cup for the first time in the 1883–84 season. In 1885 the club turned professional, and in 1886 the team reached the FA Cup final for the first time, losing 2–0 to Blackburn Rovers in a replay. They reached the final again in 1887 , but lost 2–0 to Aston Villa . In 1888 the team won
6292-565: The Takeover Code, for him to make a mandatory cash offer for the remaining shares in both WBA Holdings Ltd and WBA Ltd. Later that year, Michelle Davies became Albion's first female director. She stepped down in 2010. Jeremy Peace announced in June 2008 that he was looking for a major new investor for the club, but no firm proposals were received by the 31 July deadline. On 24 July 2015, Jeremy Peace announced that his sale exclusivity deal
6435-567: The UEFA Cup quarter-final, where they were defeated by Red Star Belgrade . The team around this time was notable for simultaneously fielding three black players: Cyrille Regis , Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson ; and is considered to be an integral part of the acceptance of black footballers in the English leagues. In his second spell as manager, Ronnie Allen guided the team to both domestic cup semi-finals in 1981–82. The mid-1980s saw
6578-599: The Ustaše and the Nazis . In 2009, riots between supports of Bosnian Premier League club sides NK Široki Brijeg and FK Sarajevo left Horde Zla supporter Vedran Puljić (from Sarajevo ) dead from a gunshot wound. Hooliganism has also been present in lower leagues. Riots have been common in Jablanica because fans of different clubs tend to meet and clash there. A 2019 Euro qualifying match between Bulgaria and England
6721-548: The West Bromwich Building Society . Today the club's principal sponsor is Ideal Heating. Since June 2024, West Brom's kit has been manufactured by Macron . Previous manufacturers have included Scoreline, Influence, Pelada, Patrick , Diadora , Umbro , Adidas and Puma . The speed with which the club became established following its foundation is illustrated by the fact that it outgrew four successive grounds in its first seven years. The first
6864-531: The "Team of the Century". One national newspaper went so far as to suggest that the team be chosen en masse to represent England at the 1954 FIFA World Cup finals. They remained one of the top English sides for the remainder of the decade, reaching the semi-final of the 1957 FA Cup and achieving three consecutive top five finishes in Division One between 1957–58 and 1959–60. Although their league form
7007-502: The 1885–86 season, although at that time they were of a lighter shade of blue; the navy blue stripes did not appear until after the First World War. For the regional leagues played during the Second World War, Albion were forced to switch to all-blue shirts, as rationing meant that striped material was considered a luxury. Like all football clubs, Albion sport a secondary or "change" strip when playing away from home against
7150-488: The 1993–94 season, after local solicitors Coucher & Shaw were closed down by the Law Society of England and Wales . Unusually for a Premier League club, Albion were again without a shirt sponsor for the start of the 2008–09 campaign, as negotiations with a new sponsor were still ongoing when the season began. The longest-running shirt sponsorship deal agreed by the club ran for seven seasons between 1997 and 2004 with
7293-402: The 21st century. Despite their geographical location, fellow Black Country club Walsall are seen as lesser rivals, having played in a lower division than Albion for most of their history. Ranked by The Daily Telegraph in 2010 as the most fierce in the region, games between Aston Villa and West Brom are particularly ferocious. The two first met on 9 December 1882, in the second round of
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#17327880348057436-574: The Albion had two men sent-off over both legs. As of 1 September 2024 : In the club's formative years, West Bromwich Albion were run by a seven-man playing committee, and funded by each member contributing a weekly subscription of 6d ( six pence ) (2 1 ⁄ 2 p). Albion's first chairman was Henry Jackson , appointed in 1885, with the club becoming a limited company in June 1891. Other early chairmen of Albion included Jem Bayliss and Billy Bassett , both of whom had earlier played for
7579-438: The Championship under the management of Darren Moore , losing the Championship play-off semi-final on penalties. Slaven Bilić took over as boss on 13 June 2019, and led Albion to automatic promotion back to the Premier League during the 2019–20 season. Back in the Premier League, Bilić was controversially sacked on 16 December 2020, with Sam Allardyce named as his replacement the same day. After Albion were relegated from
7722-624: The Division Two championship once more in 1910–11, and the following season reached another FA Cup Final , where they were defeated by Second Division Barnsley in a replay. Albion won the Football League title in 1919–20 for the only time in their history following the end of World War I , their totals of 104 goals and 60 points both breaking the previous league records. The team finished as Division One runners-up in 1924–25 , narrowly losing out to Huddersfield Town , but were relegated in 1926–27. In 1930–31, they won promotion as well as
7865-585: The Football Association. In 1996, the club became a public limited company , issuing shares to supporters at £500 and £3,000 each, under the Chairmanship of Paul Thompson. The shares were quoted on the Alternative Investment Market , but the club withdrew from the stock exchange in order to become a private company again in 2004. The name of the company thus reverted from West Bromwich Albion plc to West Bromwich Albion Limited,
8008-462: The Football League in 1888 , making the derby the joint oldest in English league football. The rivalry came to prominence when the two clubs contested the league title in 1953–54, and during the 1990s it intensified to new heights among supporters, with both clubs languishing in Division One for much of the decade and only local pride at stake. Moreover, in 2002 Albion came from being 11 points adrift to overhaul Wolves to gain promotion. The rivalry
8151-666: The Hapoel fan was attacked, and in the chaos, one fan was shot dead and another seriously injured. In response, the French Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy held a meeting with the president of the French Football League, Frederic Thiriez to discuss racism and violence in football. The director-general of the French police, Michel Gaudin, insisted that measures against football hooliganism had reduced racist incidents to six that season from nineteen in
8294-595: The Hawthorns is the highest of all the 92 Premier League and Football League grounds. The Hawthorns is certificated under the highest UEFA pitch surfaces which means it is ready to host almost any competition if required. The stadium's West Stand has the potential to be developed over the Halfords Lane at the back of the stand to allow for an upper tier, bringing the capacity of The Hawthorns to around 30,000. West Bromwich Albion own retail outlets around The Hawthorns, including its Stadium Megastore and seasonally
8437-553: The Nice stadium, which delayed the start by 55 minutes, 39 were injured with around 50 Cologne fans attacking the home end throwing pyrotechnics. In 2022 there was chaos at the UEFA Champions League final with dozens of arrests and hundreds of injuries, mainly to Liverpool fans who were locked out of the stadium and being attacked by Parisian gangs. French police did not go to their assistance, and instead also attacked
8580-404: The Premier League at the end of the 2020–21 season, Allardyce resigned from his position. The club endured disappointing results back in the Championship during the tenures of Valérien Ismaël and Steve Bruce , who left the club in the relegation places in the 2022–23 season. Former Marcelo Bielsa assistant Carlos Corberán was named as successor on 25 October 2022. He guided Albion to
8723-677: The Service Crew became one of the most notorious firms in European football, and in doing so nearly brought the club to its knees. The first high-profile incident that Leeds hooligans were involved in came on 28 May 1975 at the European Cup final against Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes in Paris , France . When striker Peter Lorimer had a goal disallowed in a game which ended in
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#17327880348058866-647: The Smethwick Mob. Albion and Wolves contest the Black Country derby , one of the longest standing derbies in world football. It is considered one of the fiercest rivalries in English football. A 2008 survey found it to be the most intense rivalry in the country, with one in four fans from both clubs claiming that their rivalry went much deeper than football. The two sides have played each other 160 times, with their first major clash being an FA Cup tie in 1886. Both Albion and Wolves were founding members of
9009-543: The Staffordshire Cup: Villa hosted a 3–3 draw in front of 13,900 fans, while in the replay West Brom won by a single goal with an attendance of 10,500. On 3 January 1885, they met for the first time in the third round of the FA Cup: a goalless draw at West Brom was followed by a 3–0 victory for them away at Villa. The following year, both teams became founder members of the Football League. They met first in
9152-478: The Stripes by supporters. A number of different colours were trialled during the club's formative years however, including cardinal red and blue quarters in 1880–81, yellow and white quarters in 1881–82, chocolate and blue halves in 1881–82 and 1882–83, red and white hoops in 1882–83, chocolate and white in 1883–84 and cardinal red and blue halves in 1884–85. The blue and white stripes made their first appearance in
9295-532: The UK, [h]igh-profile outbreaks of violence involving fans are much rarer today than they were 20 or 30 years ago. The scale of trouble now compared to then doesn't bear comparison – either in terms of the number of people involved or the level of organisation. Football has moved on thanks to banning orders and better, more sophisticated policing. And while it is too simplistic to say that the higher cost of watching football has pushed unsavoury elements out, there has been
9438-746: The attack. The main defendant, Andre Zawacki, was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to ten years in jail. The other three defendants were convicted of grievous bodily harm and given jail sentences of between six months and three-and-a-half years. In 2001, Markus Warnecke, the German fan who was accused of leading the attack, was found guilty and jailed for five years and banned from France for ten years, and from all sports facilities for five years. Some football hooliganism in Germany has been linked to neo-Nazism and far right groups. In March 2005, German football fans fought with police and rival fans at
9581-403: The back of their shirts in the abandoned season of 1939–40, and names on the back of their shirts from 1999–2000 . Red numbers were added to the side of Albion players' shorts in 1969. BSR Housewares became the club's first shirt sponsor during the 1981–82 season. The club's shirts have been sponsored for the majority of the time since then, although there was no shirt sponsor at the end of
9724-623: The club and was replaced by Roberto Di Matteo , who led the club back to the Premier League at the first attempt, but was dismissed in February 2011 and replaced by Roy Hodgson . Hodgson guided Albion to an 11th-place finish for the 2010–11 season. Then followed an eight-season continuous run in the Premier League . It included an 8th-place finish in 2012–13 under Steve Clarke , and 10th-place finishes under Roy Hodgson in 2011–12 and Tony Pulis in 2016–17 . In August 2016, it
9867-506: The club before Lai replaced him with associate Li Piyue after the club's relegation in the 2017–18 season. Lai himself took over as Chairman on 2 February 2022. The 2022–23 season saw increased scrutiny of the club's ownership, and the practices of majority shareholder Guochuan Lai. The club's financial situation began to receive national media attention, having already been commented on frequently in local press. Supporter action groups and in-stadium protests by fans to raise awareness of
10010-496: The club found themselves in the third tier, which had been renamed Division Two . In 1992–93, Albion finished fourth and entered the play-offs for the first time. Albion's first appearance at Wembley for over 20 years – and their last at the original stadium – saw them beat Port Vale 3–0 to return to the second level – now renamed the First Division . Manager Ossie Ardiles then joined Tottenham Hotspur , however, and
10153-589: The club to avoid bankruptcy once more in 1910 by paying the players' summer wages from his own pocket. He remains Albion's longest-serving chairman, having held the position until his death in 1937. The club's longest-serving director was Major H. Wilson Keys, during the period 1930–1965, including 15 years as chairman. He became vice-president of the Football Association in 1969. Sir Bert Millichip served as Albion chairman from 1974 to 1983, after which he chose to concentrate on his role as chairman of
10296-419: The club to their last major trophy to date, the 1968 FA Cup , when they beat Everton in extra time thanks to a single goal from Jeff Astle . Albion reached the FA Cup semi-final and European Cup Winners Cup quarter-final in 1969 , and were defeated 2–1 by Manchester City in the 1970 League Cup Final . The club were less successful during the reign of Don Howe , and were relegated to Division Two at
10439-464: The club's history, although the Stafford knot featured on the team jerseys for part of the 1880s. The West Bromwich town arms were worn on the players' shirts for the 1931 , 1935 and 1954 FA Cup finals. The town's Latin motto, " Labor omnia vincit ", translates as "labour conquers all things" or "work conquers all". The town arms were revived as the shirt badge from 1994 until 2000, with
10582-537: The club's history, and the club badge features a throstle perched on a hawthorn branch. Albion has long-standing rivalries with its traditional local rivals Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers . Albion contests the Black Country derby with the latter. The club was founded as West Bromwich Strollers in 1878 by workers from George Salter's Spring Works in West Bromwich, in the Black Country . They were renamed West Bromwich Albion in 1880, becoming
10725-465: The club's more popular nickname among supporters came to be the Baggies , a term which the club itself looked down upon for many years but later embraced. The phrase was first heard at the Hawthorns in the 1900s, but its exact origins are uncertain. One suggestion is that the name was bestowed on Albion supporters by their rivals at Aston Villa , because of the large baggy trousers that many Albion fans wore at work to protect themselves from molten iron in
10868-475: The club's off-field issues took shape during the season, but were briefly paused in April 2023 as the club's fans supported the side's promotion push. On 15 February 2024, it was announced that Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father, philanthropist Kiran C Patel had reached an agreement to acquire an 87.8% stake in the club, under the name Bilkul Football WBA. Shilen Patel would also be named as
11011-477: The club. Indeed, from 1878 to 1986 there was always an Albion player or ex-player on the club's committee or board of directors. Bassett became an Albion director in 1905, following the resignation of the previous board in its entirety. The club was in deep financial trouble and had had a writ served upon them by their bank, but Bassett and returning chairman Harry Keys rescued the club, aided by local fund-raising activities. Bassett became chairman in 1908, and helped
11154-558: The concessions. In addition, bottles are typically plastic, as to avoid the threat of fans hurling them at other fans or even players. In some cases, specifically in major tournaments, more extreme measures have to be put in place to help reduce the chances of violence. For example, at the 2016 Euros, officials recommended a complete ban on alcohol. In the event that violence results in riots that go out of control, police utilize tools like tear gas and water cannons in an attempt on crowd control. This can sometimes lead to increased violence from
11297-439: The disinterest of the organisers and the "'cowardly ineptitude'" of the police had led to the tragedy. Gow and Rookwood's 2008 study, which used interviews with British football hooligans found that while some identified structural social and physiological causes (e.g. aggression produces violent reactions) most interviewees claimed that media reports (especially in newspapers) and the police's handling of hooligan related events were
11440-430: The duration of their trial. On 24 November 2006 a PSG fan was shot and killed by police and another seriously injured during fighting between PSG fans and the police. The violence occurred after PSG lost 4–2 to Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv at the Parc des Prince in a UEFA Cup match. PSG fans chased a fan of Hapoel Tel Aviv, shouting racist and anti-Semitic slogans. A plainclothes police officer who tried to protect
11583-406: The emergency services and armed forces, and LGBT people. Albion's "club anthem" is The Lord's my Shepherd , a setting of Psalm 23 . The song originated following a rare Sunday game in the 1970s and has been sung at matches ever since. Supporters of the team celebrate goals by bouncing up and down and chanting "Boing Boing". This dates back to the 1992–93 season, when the team was promoted from
11726-502: The end of 1972–73, but gained promotion three years later under the guidance of player-manager Johnny Giles . Under Ron Atkinson , Albion reached the 1978 FA Cup semi-final but lost to Ipswich Town . In May of that year, Albion became the first English professional team to play in China, going unbeaten on their five-game trip. In 1978–79 , the team finished third in Division One, their highest placing for over 20 years, and also reached
11869-592: The events. Both clubs denied that the fight was racially motivated or that there was any ethnic rivalry. Croatian hooligans are also notorious for staging large illegal pyroshows at stadiums, where signal flares and smoke bombs are hurled onto the pitch causing postponement or cancellation of the match. A large incident occurred in 2003 in Rome during the Hajduk-Roma match when 900 Torcida fans threw signal flares at Roma fans resulting in various injuries and clashes with
12012-503: The explicit objective of causing violence. Another important distinction is that of alcohol driven violence and violence committed by hooligans. This can be a hard difference to notice as hooligans are regular citizens just like the other fans. Notably, game days can be seen by fans as an opportunity to get drunk, this is supported by a study from Michael Ostrowsky who draws on other research: ‘‘[f]ans who have been plied with alcohol are more likely than their sober counterparts to engage in
12155-435: The factories and foundries of the Black Country . Club historian Tony Matthews, however, suggests that it derives from the "bagmen", who carried the club's matchday takings in big leather bags from the turnstiles to the cash office on the halfway line. Other theories relate to the baggy shorts worn by various players during the club's early years. The official club mascots are named Baggie Bird and Albi ; both are based on
12298-632: The fans and then blamed them for the situation. A UEFA report blamed UEFA for poor security and French police for being heavy handed in attacking, rather than defending, the Liverpool fans. The 18-year old supporter of FC Berlin Mike Polley was killed by several shots fired by police in Leipzig during clashes between supporters of FC Berlin and police before the match between FC Sachsen Leipzig and FC Berlin on 3 November 1990. In June 1998, after
12441-464: The field and the game had to be briefly suspended. In August 2023, an AEK Athens fan was stabbed to death when around 100 Dinamo Zagreb hooligans clashed with local fans in one of the city's suburbs. The two sides of supporters attacked one another near the AEK stadium, throwing stun grenades, stones, incendiary devices and other objects. Police made 96 arrests throughout the night until the early hours of
12584-676: The first match at the stadium, on 3 September 1900. The record attendance at the Hawthorns was on 6 March 1937, when 64,815 spectators saw Albion beat Arsenal 3–1 in the FA Cup quarter-final. The Hawthorns became an all-seater stadium in the 1990s, in order to comply with the recommendations of the Taylor Report . Its capacity today is 26,688, the four stands being known respectively as the Birmingham Road End, Smethwick End, East Stand and West Stand (Halfords Lane). At an altitude of 551 feet (168 m) above sea level,
12727-471: The first team in the 20th century to win the League and Cup double . They succeeded in winning the FA Cup , beating Preston North End 3–2, but injuries and a loss of form towards the end of the season meant that they finished as runners-up to fierce rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league. Nonetheless, Albion became known for their brand of fluent, attacking football, with the 1953–54 side being hailed as
12870-613: The first team to adopt the Albion suffix; Albion was a district of West Bromwich where some of the players lived or worked, close to what is today Greets Green . The club joined the Birmingham & District Football Association in 1881 and became eligible for their first competition, the Birmingham Cup . They reached the quarter-finals, beating several longer-established clubs on the way. In 1883, Albion won their first trophy,
13013-541: The heavy use of CCTV at grounds have, as with other firms, largely curtailed the activities of the Service Crew. While hooliganism continues at Leeds United, the nature of it has changed since the 1970s and 1980s. Improvements to security in Elland Road as with all grounds in England have led to confrontations more usually taking place away from stadiums. On 28 April 2007, during the Championship game at Elland Road with Ipswich Town , about 200 home fans spilled onto
13156-460: The history of English football. In 1985, when football hooliganism was rife in England, the BBC Six O'Clock News had a special report in which they listed the worst football hooligan gangs creating mayhem across England and Leeds United were listed amongst the worst five clubs. The club distances itself from any activities the Service Crew are involved in. During the height of the hooliganism,
13299-648: The hooligans. Despite Belgian football hooliganism peaking from the 80s to the 90s, it did not disappear even after the establishment of stringent anti-hooligan measures by police and governments. Fights inside the stadium are growing rare, but have changed slowly and morphed into organized fights in the wilderness and nearby cities. Royal Antwerp , Beerschot , Club Brugge and Anderlecht are notorious for hooligan fanbases. Other teams known for having violent supporters include Standard Liège , Charleroi and Racing Genk . Football hooliganism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
13442-644: The incident, to determine whether the officer involved should face criminal charges. Before a home match against Sochaux on 4 January 2006, two Arab youths were punched and kicked by white fans outside the entrance to the KOB. During the match racist insults were aimed at black players and a PSG player of Indian origin, Vikash Dhorasoo was told to "go sell peanuts in the metro". In the recent years, following UK's example, France's legislation has changed, including more and more banning of violent fans from stadiums. The threat of dissolution of fan groups has also tempered
13585-521: The incidents of violence, the knockout phases, finals, competitiveness (derby matches), small score boundaries and the pride levels were some of the potentials for the violence among sports spectators. Months after the work being conducted, the State Legislature of Pernambuco decided to abolish the sanction to allow alcohol intake in stadiums. Writing for the BBC in 2013, David Bond stated that in
13728-400: The late 1970s through to the mid-1980s, an embroidered WBA logo was displayed, a common abbreviation of the club's name in print. Not until the early 21st century did the full club badge appear on the team's shirts. West Brom have played in navy blue and white striped shirts for the majority of their existence, usually with white shorts and white socks. The team is occasionally referred to as
13871-505: The latter becoming a subsidiary of West Bromwich Albion Holdings Limited. Jeremy Peace took up the post in 2002, after a rift between previous chairman Paul Thompson and manager Gary Megson forced Thompson to quit the club. In September 2007, Peace acquired additional shares in West Bromwich Albion Holdings Limited, taking his total stake in the company to 50.56%. This triggered a requirement, under
14014-456: The lease on Stoney Lane expired, the club needed a bigger ground yet again and so made its last move to date. All of Albion's previous grounds had been close to the centre of West Bromwich, but on this occasion they took up a site on the town's border with Handsworth and Smethwick . The new ground was named The Hawthorns , after the hawthorn bushes that covered the area and were cleared to make way for it. Albion drew 1–1 with Derby County in
14157-418: The level of hooliganism, and today, violence at games has decreased significantly not only in the amount that's taking place, but in the level of the conflict as well. One example of anti-hooligan measures are some of the new rules that stadiums have put in place regarding alcohol. Some stadiums do not allow fans to bring their alcoholic drinks up to their seats; they are only permitted to the lower levels near
14300-508: The level of hostility from hooligans. For example, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement had a profound impact on the world, and even drew entire leagues and nations players to take a knee for the cause. This upset fans across the globe, booing the players who kneeled and in some cases inciting violence. Fans often take the stance that players should stick to their job rather than intermingling with politics. This type of reaction
14443-659: The main causes of hooliganism. Political reasons may also play in part in hooliganism, especially if there is a political undertone to such a match (e.g. unfriendly nations facing each other). Other deep division undertones in a match such as religion , ethnic , and class play a part as well in hooliganism. As an attempt to explain the hooliganism phenomena in Brazil, Nepomuceno and other scholars at Federal University of Pernambuco have assessed 1363 hooligan incidents before and after an alcohol sanction enforced during 8 years. While alcohol presented low evidence of contribution to
14586-451: The majority of its existence in the top tier of English football, where it has played for 82 seasons, most recently competing in the Premier League in 2021. The club has been champions of England once, in 1919–20 , and has been runner-up twice, in 1924–25 and 1953–54 . Albion has reached ten FA Cup finals and won the Cup on five occasions. The first win came in 1888 , the year the league
14729-590: The match. Football hooliganism in Croatia has seen riots over inter-ethnic resentments and the politics that were reignited by the breakup of the Yugoslav federation in the 1990s. Two of the best known hooligan firms are Torcida ( Hajduk Split ) and Bad Blue Boys ( Dinamo Zagreb ). On 13 May 1990 (before the breakup of Yugoslavia) , Serbian club Red Star Belgrade was in Zagreb to play Dinamo Zagreb at
14872-593: The media's attention in the late 1950s due to the re-emergence of violence in Latin American football . In the 1955–56 English football season, Liverpool and Everton fans were involved in a number of incidents and, by the 1960s, an average of 25 hooligan incidents were being reported each year in England. The label "football hooliganism" first began to appear in the English media in the mid-1960s, leading to increased media interest in, and reporting of, acts of disorder. It has been argued that this, in turn, created
15015-724: The morning. 102 Croatian fans were charged by the police who suspect links with the 'Bad Blue Boys,' hard-line supporters of Dinamo Zagreb. Football hooliganism in Cyprus has been an issue for the past few decades and incidents are generally associated with the 5 major Cypriot clubs. Anorthosis Famagusta FC fans have been involved in many incidents on most occasions involving their ultras group "Mahites". The two clubs in Limassol, AEL Limassol and Apollon Limassol have also been involved in numerous incidents, especially in recent years. Supporters of APOEL FC and AC Omonia Nicosia ,
15158-458: The new Second Division , with the origin of the chant still unclear. The Liquidator instrumental by the Harry J. Allstars has also been popularly played in the stadium and sung to since the late 1960s. The reggae song "West Bromwich Albion" by Ray King is another club anthem popularly played before matches. In recent years fans of the team have celebrated the end of each season by adopting
15301-525: The night before the match. In October, two Newcastle United players were hit by missiles at Elland Road and the FA ordered another inquiry. On 11 May 1985 (the same day as the Bradford City stadium fire ), a 14-year-old Leeds fan (Ian Hambridge) attending his first ever game died at St Andrew's stadium when fans were pushed by police onto a wall which subsequently collapsed following crowd violence at
15444-500: The outward rivalry and violence of a number of fans. Known violent fans under ban sentences are to report to the nearest police station on nights of game, to prove they are not anywhere in proximity to the stadium. On 11 June 2016, during a Euro 2016 match in Marseille between Russia and England, violent conflict broke out between the fans and left 35 injured. Both threw numerous items at each other and engaged in physical combat. Even
15587-414: The physical violence, the behavior of these fans is extremely in-orderly and leads to conflict breaking out. In some cases, hooliganism involves extreme ideological pathways such as Neo-Nazism or white supremacism . These extreme beliefs which they take on can further invigorate the violence. Hooligans intentions are usually not focused on the match itself, despite club rivalries or pride often justifying
15730-791: The pitch after Michael Tonge ’s equaliser and assaulted Wednesdays’ keeper Chris Kirkland . The perpetrator was subsequently sent to prison for four months and handed a life ban from attending future matches in England. Football hooliganism Football hooliganism , also known as soccer hooliganism , football rioting or soccer rioting , constitutes violence and other destructive behaviors perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism typically involves conflict between pseudo-tribes, formed to intimidate and attack supporters of other teams. Certain clubs have long-standing rivalries with other clubs and hooliganism associated with matches between them (sometimes called local derbies ) can be more severe. An example of this
15873-545: The pitch and forced a 30-minute delay after a late Ipswich equaliser all but sealed Leeds' relegation to League One . Around 100 of them ran toward the South East stand where the away supporters were located. In January 2008 thirteen Leeds United fans were handed football banning orders totalling 45 years after they pleaded guilty to affray in connection with the pitch invasion. On 19 October 2012, Leeds United played Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough . One Leeds fan entered
16016-590: The police and Dinamo fans with signal flares and stones. A large riot occurred in 2008 in Prague prior to the Sparta Prague -Dinamo match. Riots were ignited with the support of Sparta's ultrafans to Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić. Approximately 500 Bad Blue Boys rioted in the city centre, breaking into shops and attacking police with chairs, signal flares and stones. Approximately 300 Bad Blue Boys were detained and eight police officers were injured. Prior to
16159-438: The police office of murdering the fan. They cited bias in the French press who had only given a "one-sided" account of the incident. French President Jacques Chirac condemned violence that led up to the shooting, stating that he was horrified by the reports of racism and anti-Semitism. French Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin called for new, tougher measures to deal with football hooligans. Prosecutors opened an inquiry into
16302-706: The police. Another incident occurred in Genoa in 2007 when masked Torcida fans attacked the police with bricks, bottles and stones. Rioting continued in the stadium when Torcida fans threw chairs into the pitch and made Nazi salutes. A riot occurred in 2006 in Osijek during the Osijek-Dinamo match. Several clashes between the Bad Blue Boys and Kohorta occurred before the match in which one Osijek fan received several stab wounds after which Osijek fans attacked
16445-487: The popularity of football increased, Albion rented the Four Acres ground from the well-established West Bromwich Dartmouth Cricket Club. But they quickly outgrew this new home and soon needed to move again. From 1885 to 1900, Albion played at Stoney Lane ; their tenure of this ground was arguably the most successful period in the club's history, as they won the FA Cup twice and were runners-up three times. By 1900, when
16588-467: The pre-stadium estate and local area. As late as the 1930s, a caged throstle was placed beside the touchline during matches and it was said that it only used to sing if Albion were winning. In 1979, an effigy of a throstle was erected above the half-time scoreboard of the Woodman corner at the Hawthorns, and was returned to the same area of the ground following redevelopment in the early 2000s. In 1975,
16731-536: The previous season. Gaudin also stated that 300 known hooligans could be banned from matches. The fan who was shot, was linked with the Boulogne Boys , a group of fans who modelled themselves on British hooligans in the 1980s. The group's name comes from the Kop of Boulogne (KOB), one of the two main home fan stands at the Parc des Princes. The KOB themselves held a silent memorial march attended by 300 and accused
16874-456: The riots some Bad Blue Boys provoked local Romani people by giving Nazi salutes. A large riot occurred on 1 May 2010 at the Maksimir stadium when the Bad Blue Boys clashed with the police resulting in many arrests and one critically injured police officer. After the match violent clashes continued in which one Dinamo fan was shot by police officers. A large incident occurred in 2009 prior to
17017-437: The same division, but Albion were in the same division as Wolves for 11 out of 14 seasons. This had led to Aston Villa supporters now considering Birmingham City to be their fiercest rivals. A less-heated rivalry also exists with Birmingham City, with whom Albion contested the 1931 FA Cup final, as well as a semi-final in 1968. A number of hooligan firms associate themselves with Albion, including Section 5 , Clubhouse and
17160-484: The second season in a row, the historic rivalry was rekindled to pre-1990s competitiveness. At the end of the 2015–16 season , Aston Villa were relegated, leaving West Brom as the only West Midlands team in the top flight for the 2016–17 season . After Albion's relegation at the end of the 2017–18 Premier League , the teams faced each other in the Championship. In the 2018–19 EFL Championship play-off semi-finals, Villa controversially knocked out Albion on penalties, after
17303-479: The start of Albion's longest and deepest decline. They were relegated in 1985–86 with the worst record in the club's history, beginning a period of 16 years outside the top flight. Five years later, the club were relegated to the Third Division for the first and only time. Albion had spent the majority of their history in the top-flight of English football, but when the Premier League was founded in 1992
17446-401: The throstle depicted on the club crest. Historically, Albion's greatest rivals were Aston Villa from nearby Birmingham . The two clubs contested three FA Cup Finals between 1887 and 1895 (Villa winning two and Albion one). More recently, however, some Albion fans tend to see Wolverhampton Wanderers as their main rivals, particularly as between 1989 and 2002 Albion and Villa were never in
17589-422: The throstle moved to the collar of the shirts. Albion's first regular shirt badge appeared in the late 1960s and early 1970s where it was blue. Although it featured the throstle, it did not include the blue and white striped shield of the club badge. A similar design was also used during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the mid-1970s, a more abstract version of the throstle was used on the club's shirts, while in
17732-455: The time and money may follow national teams to away matches and engage in hooligan behaviour against the hooligans of the home team. They may also become involved in disorder involving the general public. While national-level firms do not exist in the form of club-level firms, hooligans supporting the national team may use a collective name indicating their allegiance. Hooliganism can create a high level of violence at football matches. Outside of
17875-501: The top flight in 2003–04. In 2004–05 , Megson's successor, former Albion midfielder Bryan Robson , led the team to a last-day "Great Escape", when Albion became the first Premier League club to avoid relegation having been bottom of the table at Christmas, as well as bottom on the final day of the season. They failed to avoid the drop the following season, and Robson was replaced by Tony Mowbray in October 2006. The club competed in
18018-492: The trophy for the first time, beating strong favourites Preston North End 2–1 in the final. As FA Cup winners, they qualified to play in a Football World Championship game against Scottish Cup winners Renton , which ended in a 4–1 defeat. In March 1888, William McGregor wrote to what he considered to be the top five English teams, including Albion, informing them of his intention to form an association of clubs that would play each other home and away each season. Thus when
18161-545: The two most successful and most popular clubs in the country are notorious for hooliganism. The most violent cases of hooliganism in Cyprus usually involve the two teams. In May 2009 APOEL fans entered the Omonia stand and engaged in fistfights with Omonia fans eventually throwing one down the stand stairs. 6 months later in November fans of the two teams clashed close to the GSP Stadium when APOEL fans tried to hijack
18304-444: The two teams. Violent fights and post-game riots including car burning, and shop windows smashing have been a regular fixture of PSG-OM games. In 2000, the bitter rivalry turned particularly violent when a Marseille fan was seriously injured by a projectile. On 24 May 2001, fifty people were injured when fighting broke out at a match between PSG and Turkish club Galatasaray at the Parc des Princes stadium. PSG were initially given
18447-585: The university of Munich analyzed violent crime in Germany from 2011 to 2015 and how much of that can be attributed to football. It found that on the day of the game, violent crime increased by 17% and during major rivalry games, violent crimes increased by 63%. The first recorded instances of football hooliganism in the modern game allegedly occurred during the 1880s in England, a period when gangs of supporters would intimidate neighbourhoods, in addition to attacking referees, opposing supporters and players. In 1885, after Preston North End beat Aston Villa 5–0 in
18590-504: The violence. They engage in behavior that risks them being arrested before the match, denied admittance to the stadium, ejected from the stadium during the match or banned from attending future matches. Hooligan groups often associate themselves with, and congregate in, a specific section (called an end in England) of their team's stadium, and sometimes they include the section's name in the name of their group. In other parts of Europe and
18733-600: The world these groups are known as Ultras , in Hispanic America as Barra Bravas and Brazil as Torcidas Organizadas . However, it is important to not mix up hooligans with these as they do not necessarily depict violence in the same manner as hooliganism. These are Supporters' groups with the primary objective of fanatically supporting the club through chants, flags, displays and organizing trips to away games . Due their fanaticism, many of those groups frequently become embroiled with hooliganism, but do not have
18876-536: Was set up to investigate both the fire at Bradford City 's Valley Parade (which was not hooliganism-related) and the riot at the Birmingham City versus Leeds United match, but the higher number of fatalities in the former case meant that it received much more attention. The fighting between Birmingham City and Leeds United fans was described by Justice Popplewell as more like "the Battle of Agincourt than
19019-462: Was Cooper's Hill, where they played from 1878 to 1879. From 1879 to 1881, they appear to have alternated between Cooper's Hill and Dartmouth Park. During the 1881–82 season, they played at Bunn's Field, also known as the Birches. This had a capacity of between 1,500 and 2,000, and was Albion's first enclosed ground, allowing the club to charge an entrance fee for the first time. From 1882 to 1885, as
19162-405: Was a monkey; this is a known racial stereotype against black people. Violence can also come as a result of a player's poor performance. Fans and in particular hooligans hold their mistakes to them, ridiculing them in any way possible. Andres Escobar was a Colombian defender whose own goal error lead to the elimination of Colombia in the 1994 World Cup. Subsequently, he was murdered. A study from
19305-495: Was adopted at the end of the 1950s, but was dropped following defeat in the 1967 League Cup Final , to be replaced by the all-white design that was worn during the club's FA Cup run of 1967–68 . Since then the away strip has changed regularly, with yellow and green stripes the most common of a number of different designs used. In the 1990s and 2000s a third kit has occasionally been introduced. Albion players – along with those of other Football League teams – first wore numbers on
19448-423: Was announced that long-term owner Jeremy Peace had sold the club to a Chinese investment group headed up by Lai Guochuan . By this time, the club had begun to fall into a state of torpor, and were relegated at the end of the 2017–18 season, ending their eight-year Premier League stay. Pulis and his replacement Alan Pardew were both sacked during the season. Albion finished fourth in their first season back in
19591-434: Was called off after a potential buyer was unable to fulfil the terms of sale. In July 2016, Peace announced that he had found a buyer in the form of a Chinese investment group headed by Lai Guochuan . The figure agreed upon is believed to have been in the region of £175 million – £200 million. The takeover was successfully completed on 15 September the same year. John Williams was originally appointed Chairman of
19734-555: Was entitled Albion News for many years, but was renamed Albion from the 2002–03 season until the close season of 2013, when it was renamed back to Albion News . It won Premier League Programme of the Year in 2002–03 and Third Division Programme of the Year in 1991–92. In 2007–08, it was awarded Championship Programme of the Year by both Programme Monthly and the Football Programme Directory. The programme has
19877-531: Was founded, followed by wins in 1892 , 1931 , 1954 and most recently in 1968 , the club's last major trophy. Albion also won the Football League Cup at the first attempt in 1966 , and has reached a further two finals. The club's longest continuous period in the top division spanned 24 years between 1949 and 1973, and from 1986 to 2002 it had its longest spell out of the top division. The team have played in navy blue and white stripes for most of
20020-422: Was further heightened after the sides met in the play-offs in 2007. A 2004 survey by Planetfootball.com confirmed that the majority of both Albion and Wolves supporters consider the other to be their main rival. In February 2012 the Baggies beat Wolves 5–1 away from home, with Peter Odemwingie scoring a hat-trick. The game became known as the 'demolition derby', and remains the highest scoring Black Country derby of
20163-590: Was later reduced to two years on appeal. Leeds were the first English football club to be banned from a European competition. In the 1982–83 season , in the club's first game (at Grimsby on 28 August) in the Second Division after relegation, some Leeds fans went on what was described in The Sun newspaper as "an orgy of drinking, looting and fighting" in Cleethorpes , where 600 Leeds fans had stayed
20306-661: Was less impressive during the 1960s, the second half of the decade saw West Brom establish a reputation as a successful cup side. Albion entered the Football League Cup for the first time in 1965–66 and, under manager Jimmy Hagan , won the final by defeating West Ham United 5–3 on aggregate. That was the last two-legged final and, the following year, Albion reached the final again, the first played at Wembley . They lost 3–2 to Third Division Queens Park Rangers after being 2–0 up at half-time. Albion's cup form continued under Hagan's successor Alan Ashman . He guided
20449-410: Was suspended twice to remove fans that had been taunting black English players. Raheem Sterling said that he had heard masked groups making monkey sounds and performing Nazi salutes and throwing objects onto the pitch. After the match Bulgarian police officers were called in to escort the English fans to the safety of their hotels protecting them from the hooligans that had been removed earlier on during
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