Behind enemy lines: English fan violence in Europe

By Theo Chapman

In the alleys of European cities, English football fans navigate a treacherous landscape of violence and uncertainty. As they follow their clubs across the continent, the excitement of the game is overshadowed by the looming threat of aggression. Despite the devotion of fans like Harvey Attfield, who braves the dangers to support his team, the reality of fan violence casts a dark shadow over the beautiful game. Theo Chapman explores the experiences of English supporters abroad, shedding light on the challenges they face and the urgent need for solutions to ensure their safety

Darkness begins to set over the South of France. A familiar murmur seeps out of the pub door and onto the street, where 21-year-old Harvey Attfield is sat drinking with his friends. Unnoticed by the group, a convoy of masked figures on motorcycles skim by, snapping pictures as they do so. It’s not until they pass a second time that Harvey notices. He prods the person closest to him and nods to the street corner, where the riders are lurking - only now, they’re not alone. Over 40 men, dressed all in black, round the corner, brandishing baseball bats and poles as they do so. With dawning realisiation of the situation that’s about to unfold, there’s a mad scramble towards the entrance, where heavy-duty shutters clang shut, mere seconds before the mob reaches the door. 

“Well, that was close,” Harvey says. 

Such incidents are far from isolated occurrences. Whenever English fans journey across Europe to back their teams, a disturbing trend of violence against them emerges. Despite precautions, people find themselves unnerved - often forced to prioritise personal safety over supporting their club. 

This wasn’t an option for Harvey, though. A devout supporter of Brighton since birth, he refused to miss the chance to witness his team in action on the European stage. It was the first time in the club’s history that they had qualified for a European competition, so of course, he had to be there. 

“We’d never got into Europe before, so I felt obliged to go. I wasn’t sure if we would ever get there again – so I wanted to make the most of every second of it,” he says. 

As far as away fixtures go, Brighton found themselves pitted against some historically great teams during the group stages – Marseille, AEK Athens, and Ajax. Regrettably for Seagulls’ supporters, these matchups came with a notorious reputation for fan violence, prompting certain fans to opt for the safety of home viewing over risking being there in person. 

Having managed to secure tickets for the opening away fixture against Marseille, Harvey had travelled out to watch the game with a group of his friends - undeterred despite their pub being stormed the evening prior. Exercising caution, the group spent the lead up to the match in a designated area, cordoned off by law enforcement - exclusively accessible to English supporters. Yet, amidst the excitement of the match, they had momentarily disregarded the looming threat of a potential assault. 

“We were going back to our Airbnb that evening, and as we walked down the same street where they’d all gone for us the night before, a group of them [Marseille fans] jumped out on us with their belts wrapped around their knuckles. Luckily, the French police had anticipated it this time - it must happen quite often,” he says.  

After qualifying for the next round, Brighton were drawn against European powerhouses, Roma – and for Harvey, an anxiously anticipated trip to Italy awaited. He wasn’t just nervous about what would happen on the pitch, but off it too. 

“When my mate booked the Airbnb and put it in the groupchat we have, I was tense. We knew the middle [of Rome] was really dangerous, so when I put the location into google it felt like a weight off my shoulders to find out it was in a residential area near the Vatican. There was lots of relief,” he says. 

Harvey and his friends had a trouble-free time, despite the ominous stories told about Roma fans, but the same cannot be said for other Brighton supporters - two of whom were surrounded and stabbed on their way home from a bar in the city.  

Andy Le Goubin, one of those who was stabbed, said in an interview with the Athletic: What are the authorities going to do to try to stop this happening? There are a lot more measures that could have been taken, checkpoints on popular walking routes. There was no police presence anywhere. There is more that could have been done.” 

And he’s not wrong, either. A study exploring the ramifications of football related violence suggests a staggering increase of up to 63% of fan violence on days marked by ‘high-rivalry games’ - such as European games. 

Photograph: Sami Abdullah

So why does this number keep getting bigger? 

Well, the absence of police presence can certainly contribute to the violence – but sometimes even when law enforcement is present, there have been troubling accounts of officers themselves instigating or condoning unlawful behaviour. Harvey’s firsthand experience highlights the inadequate measures taken by authorities to safeguard English fans: “The police kept us in for three hours after the Marseille game. They crammed us all into the stairwells in 30-degree heat and gave us no access to provisions, like water or toilets.” 

“Before the Roma game there were like four police vans at the meeting point,” he says.

"They were watching people go round selling cocaine right in front of their noses- they just didn't care."

“The plain clothes officers they’d bought were just drinking coffee at a coffee bar.”

Harvey’s determination to stand by his team in the European competition epitomises the unwavering dedication some supporters have, despite risks to their own personal safety – but other fans aren’t that confident.  

Although their group managed to make it behind the shutters that night in South France, sometimes that’s not an option. While some may find temporary refuge from the storm of violence, for many, such protection remains elusive - painting a sobering picture of the challenges faced by English supporters abroad.