The Shields Gazette has reported that Northumbria Police have released pictures of twenty men they want to speak to in connection with a mass brawl which took place outside Revolution bar on Low Road, Sunderland, before West Ham's game against the Black Cats last month. The fight, which is believed to have been arranged in advance by hooligans representing both clubs, took place less than an hour before kick off at the Stadium of Light.
Yesterday, officers arrested five people- all Sunderland fans- on suspicion of violent disorder. These arrests form part of a full scale investigation into the violence outside the bar; and the Metropolitan Police are investigating the West Ham fans suspected of being involved. Chief Superintendent Kay Blyth, from Northumbria Police, said that "the overwhelming majority of fans at this game were there to support their team and have an enjoyable afternoon out. However, anyone taking part in violent disorder before, during or after football matches will not be tolerated and this action demonstrates the tough stance we will take in anyone suspected of being involved in such behaviour."
The Sunderland Echo today also reported the story and posted CCTV footage of the men involved, which can be found here- http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/crime/do-you-know-one-of-the-19-police-hunt-fans-after-sunderland-vs-west-ham-violence-1-5404443
This latest story only goes to show that football hooliganism is anything but dead in this country; with the Hammers topping the Premier League table for football banning orders between November 2009 and November 2010; and reported incidents of violence inside the ground at an away game at Stoke City in April 2009 and outside the ground before the match at another away game at Tottenham Hotspur in December 2009- in addition to the trouble before, during and after the now infamous Carling Cup match against local rivals Millwall in August 2009. These are only the cases which have been reported in the mainstream media; eye-witness accounts from fans tell a very different story about the extent to which hooliganism is still a problem for this club. The fact is that although football violence-related arrests have dropped considerably in recent years and with increased policing, it is now much more difficult for hooligans to meet up undetected and fight, this is a problem which is clearly far from solved- both for West Ham United and for football.
By Alex Shilling
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