Birmingham Zulus

Last updated

Birmingham Zulus
Founded byBirmingham City F.C Fans
Founding location Birmingham
Years active1982 onwards
Territory Birmingham area
EthnicityMixed Races (White, Black, Irish and Asian British)
Membership (est.)500+
Criminal activities Football hooliganism, riots and fighting
Rivals Aston Villa Hardcore

The Birmingham Zulus are a football hooligan firm associated with English football club, Birmingham City. The Zulus first appeared in the late 1980s and the name came from a chant of "Zulu, Zulu" which Manchester City fans aimed at Birmingham in 1982, due to their multicultural following.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The Zulus have many members from different ethnic backgrounds (in stark contrast to most other hooligan firms which emerged around the same time, were almost universally white, and contained followers of far-right organisations including the National Front), [1] Their main rivals are the fans of fellow Birmingham club, Aston Villa F.C. and there have been a number violent clashes before, during and after the Birmingham derby between the two clubs. They also have a strong rivalry with Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the two notorious firms clashing whenever the sides meet. A history also exists with the firms of West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United, Millwall, Sheffield United, Cardiff City, Stoke City and Leicester City. The Zulus maintain that they are defending their city from invading firms. [2]

History


In May 1985 the Leeds United firm, the Leeds Service Crew, travelled to St Andrews for the final game of the season, fans clashed with police leaving 200 injured including 96 policeman and a Leeds fan died, the violence started in the ground when Leeds fans ran out of their end and then the Zulus ran from the other side, Leeds fans ended jumping back into their own end leaving the Zulus fighting with police. [3]

In October 1987, police arrested 36 suspected Birmingham City hooligans in an undercover operation in which they uncovered knives, coshes and diaries and photo albums boasting of violent attacks on police officers and supporters of rival clubs.[ citation needed ]

In May 1989, 20 Birmingham fans were arrested and five police officers injured when fans invaded the pitch at a match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. It took seven mounted police officers to clear hundreds of Birmingham fans off the pitch. The referee took the players off the pitch for 26 minutes as baton wielding police failed to separate rival fans in one stand. [4] [ dead link ]

Following disturbances before and after a match in April 1999 between Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers the Zulus were the focus of a successful police operation against them, Operation Red Card. [1] [5] In February 2001, nine football fans were charged (seven with public order offences, one with drug possession and one with criminal damage) after Birmingham City and Cardiff City fans clashed in Cardiff before the Worthington Cup final between Birmingham City and Liverpool F.C. on Saturday 24 February. [6] Sixteen people were arrested as fights broke out in Cardiff, with one person assaulted and nine people taken to hospital with minor injuries. St. Mary's Street in Cardiff city centre was closed for two hours and the Philharmonic pub smashed up as rival fans rioted. Three other pubs close by were also forced to close. The local police raised fears that Cardiff City hooligans would seek confrontations with the Zulus, and that the two firms had been using the Internet to arrange fights. [6]

During the play off semi-final at Millwall in May 2002, violence erupted after the game. Sergeant Russell Lamb of the Metropolitan Police Service, a veteran of the May Day and Poll Tax riots, described this as the worst violence he had ever experienced.

Fifteen people were arrested in October 2002 in a series of dawn raids in connection with serious disorders committed in the Rocky Lane area of Aston before the game between Aston Villa and Birmingham City in September 2002. [7]

Fourteen Birmingham hooligans received banning orders in 2006 following violent clashes on 27 March 2004 in North London. [8] In February 2006 police were attacked as fighting broke out in Stoke-on-Trent after an FA Cup match between Stoke City and Birmingham City. The trouble in the Britannia Stadium started when a group of about 200 Birmingham fans tore down fencing separating them from Stoke fans. As fans left the ground, the police faced what a senior police officer described as "extreme violence" from both Birmingham and Stoke fans. [9] [10] In November 2006 a planned launch of the book Villains about the various Aston Villa hooligan firms, which included details of clashes with the Zulus, which was due to be held at Sensations Club in the Balsall Heath area of Birmingham, had to be cancelled due to threats that members of The Zulus would turn up and cause trouble at the event. The Zulus were said to have taken exception to the launch of the book and the presence of rivals on what they considered "their territory". [11]

In September 2007 five Birmingham hooligans were jailed for up to eight months and one given a suspended sentence for their part in violence at a match in which a steward lost the sight in one eye. The previous month, Birmingham City fans had started ripping up seats in the away end and throwing them as well as coins and a lump of concrete during a match against Cardiff City at Ninian Park in Cardiff. One missile hit a steward in the face causing him to lose the sight in his left eye. [12] In a statement to the court, the steward said, "They paid no regard to the terrified men, women and children around them." Other stewards were also hit and families with children fled the ground as the violence broke out. One Birmingham City fan was struck on the head with a £2 coin. He said, "The behaviour of our fans was appalling." [13]

They are known to clash in particular with Millwall, Stoke City, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City and West Ham United.

Aston Villa arrived at St Andrews on 1 December 2010 for the League Cup Quarter Final Birmingham beat their rivals for the first time since March 2005 after the match. Birmingham fans invaded the pitch to confront the Villa fans and missiles and flares were thrown by both sets of supporters leaving 14 people injured.

The Zulus have also seen offshoot gangs created such as the Brew Crew and the Junior Business Boys [1] They have featured in the 2005 film Green Street . The match shown in the film is supposedly between West Ham United F.C. and Birmingham City with a fight after the match between the Zulus and the Green Street Elite (GSE), the name used in the film for the Inter City Firm (ICF). The Zulus were also featured in a minor role in the 1989 film, The Firm. The Zulus have also been featured in the documentary series The Real Football Factories on Bravo.

Related Research Articles

Millwall F.C. English association football club

Millwall Football Club is a professional football club in Bermondsey, South East London, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the Millwall area of the Isle of Dogs in 1910. From then until 1993, the club played at what is now called The Old Den in New Cross, before moving to its current home stadium nearby, called The Den. The traditional club crest is a lion rampant, referred to in the team's nickname 'The Lions'. Millwall's traditional kit consists of blue shirts, white shorts, and blue socks.

Football hooliganism Disorderly, violent or destructive behaviour perpetrated by spectators at association football events

Football hooliganism or soccer hooliganism is disorderly, violent or destructive behaviour perpetrated by spectators at association football events.

The Chelsea Headhunters are a notorious English football hooligan firm linked to the London football club Chelsea.

Noel Blake Jamaican footballer

Noel Lloyd George Blake is a retired footballer and current coach. He was formerly the head coach of the England national under-19 football team. He played in the Football League for Aston Villa, Shrewsbury Town, Birmingham City, Portsmouth, Leeds United, Stoke City, Bradford City and Exeter City, and in the Scottish Football League for Dundee.

In English football, the Second City Derby or Birmingham Derby, is the local derby between the two major clubs in the city of Birmingham – Aston Villa and Birmingham City, first contested in 1879. Villa play at Villa Park while Birmingham play at St Andrew's, the two grounds separated by roughly 2.4 miles (3.9 km). It is known as the Second City Derby based on Birmingham being referred to as the second city of the United Kingdom. The two clubs are generally regarded as each other's most fierce rivals.

Leeds United Service Crew

The Leeds United Service Crew are a football hooligan firm linked to the English Football League team, Leeds United A.F.C. The Service Crew were formed in 1974 and is 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 the history of English football.

The Muckers

The Muckers are a football hooligan firm linked to the football club Blackpool F.C.. They take their name from the word mucker, a colloquialism meaning good friend.

Section 5 are a football hooligan firm associated with EFL Championship football club West Bromwich Albion F.C. Whilst Albion have had several other firms since the 1960s, including Clubhouse and the Smethwick Mob, Section 5 is the largest, with activity peaking in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Millwall Bushwackers are the most notorious football firm associated with Millwall Football Club. The club and fans of Millwall have a historic association with football hooliganism, which came to prevalence in the 1970s and 1980s with a firm known originally as F-Troop, eventually becoming more widely known as the Millwall Bushwackers, who were one of the most notorious hooligan gangs in England. On five occasions The Den was closed by the Football Association and the club has received numerous fines for crowd disorder. Millwall's hooligans are regarded by their rivals as amongst the stiffest competition, with Manchester United hooligan Colin Blaney describing them as being within the 'top four' firms in his autobiography 'Undesirables' and West Ham hooligan Cass Pennant featuring them on his Top Boys TV YouTube channel, on which this fearsome reputation for cartoon violence was described.

The MIGs are a football hooligan "firm" associated with the English football club Luton Town, originally formed in the 1980s it is now run by Howard Glover Noah Walters Harry Walker Ben and Tom P.

The Real Football Factories is a documentary series shown on the Bravo TV channel in the UK and created by Zig Zag Productions. The show looks at the in-depth life of football hooligans and hooligan firms. Interviews are conducted with past and present hooligans.

Naughty Forty is a football hooligan firm linked to the English team Stoke City F.C.

The Suicide Squad was a football hooligan firm linked to the English team, Burnley F.C. The self-imposed title is derived from previous behaviour at away games where the single minded involvement in violence against overwhelming odds could be described as suicidal. The name became synonymous with the group during the early 1980s and many of the original members, now in their fifties are well known to the police and have a string of convictions for violence.

The Severnside derby is a local derby in football in the United Kingdom between Welsh club Cardiff City and English club Bristol City. The term Severnside derby can also be given to a match between Cardiff City and Bristol Rovers, or between Newport County and either of the Bristol-based clubs.

The 6.57 Crew is an English football hooligan firm linked to Portsmouth F.C.. The name, 6.57 Crew is taken from the time that the Portsmouth to London Waterloo train left Portsmouth and Southsea station. The firm were one of the most active firms in the 1980s and caused chaos wherever they went.

The Baby Squad is a football hooligan firm linked to the English Premier League team, Leicester City.

Aston Villa Hardcore is a football hooligan firm associated with the Premier League club Aston Villa, based in Birmingham, England.

There are two Arsenal hooligan firms, The Gooners and The Herd.

Football hooliganism in the United Kingdom Hooliganism associated with football in the United Kingdom

Beginning in at least the 1960s, the United Kingdom gained a reputation worldwide for football hooliganism; the phenomenon was often dubbed the English Disease. However, since the 1980s and well into the 1990s the UK government has led a widescale crackdown on football related violence. While football hooliganism has been a growing concern in some other European countries in recent years, British football fans now tend to have a better reputation abroad. Although reports of British football hooliganism still surface, the instances now tend to occur at pre-arranged locations rather than at the matches themselves.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gall, Caroline (2 June 2006). Zulus: Black, White and Blue: the Story of the Zulu Warriors Football Firm. Wrea Green: Milo Books. ISBN   1-903854-53-9.
  2. ↑ Clarke, James (15 December 2005). "Among the Zulus". BBC . Retrieved 2 May 2007.
  3. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ Nickless, Graham (1989). "14 hurt as fans riot". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 9 March 2009.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Police target football hooligans". BBC. 13 May 1999. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
  6. 1 2 "Football fans clash in Cardiff". BBC News. 26 February 2001. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  7. ↑ "Dawn raids in football violence inquiry". BBC News. 10 October 2002. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  8. ↑ Pinch, Emma (31 May 2006). "Passport deadline for thugs passes". Birmingham Post. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  9. ↑ "Football hooligans attack police". BBC News. 26 February 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  10. ↑ "Violent behaviour". Staffordshire Police. 19 February 2006. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  11. ↑ "Trouble halts hooligan book event". BBC News. 18 November 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  12. ↑ "Hooligans jailed for blinding man". BBC News. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  13. ↑ Marks, Gary (22 September 2007). "City hooligans jailed for football violence". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2007.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.