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March of the Hooligans....
Soccers bloody fraternity
For years, Dougie Brimson and his friends wreaked havoc at soccer games, participated in brawls, and eagerly risked their lives in clashes with rival fans. Why, you ask? All for the fun of it. March of the Hooligans: Soccer’s Bloody Fraternity takes readers inside the frightening and brutal world of European soccer violence. Through personal stories, first-hand accounts, and astonishing media reports, Brimson tells the alarming story of the rampant hooliganism that pervades the game of soccer in Europe.
“I’ve fought in two wars, flown in fighter jets, raced cars and motorbikes, but being involved in soccer violence is without a doubt the most exciting and enjoyable thing I have ever known. A statement like that to anyone who has not been a part of it will sound astonishing but is, nevertheless, the truth,” writes Brimson of his hooligan exploits.
Raw, true-to-life, and sometimes stomach-churning, March of the Hooligans, written specifically for a U.S. and Canadian audience, sheds light on this weekend world of intense violence, unwritten rules, and decades-old rivalries. Brimson brings readers with him to match-day fights and recounts, in frightening detail, the complex history of hooliganism’s terrifying spread across Europe. Brimson reveals:
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· How thirty-nine soccer fans were killed in one of the most infamous acts of hooligan violence.
· The most outrageous tales of hooligans exacting revenge on their rivals, including ejaculating into opponents’ food, throwing bicycles through bar windows, and vandalizing entire towns.
· How the addictive rush of brawling sucks normal fans into the hooligan scene and keeps them fighting even into their senior years.
· When and how hooligan antics progress from street fighting and abuse to murder.
· Racism’s place in hooligan culture and its effect on fans, players, and game-day outcomes.
· The events surrounding the roundup and deportation of hundreds of English soccer fans after a day of brawling in the streets of Italy.
· How he and his pals kidnapped a rival fan, holding him captive for hours.
· The music, fashions, and politics that underlie the hooligan scene in Europe, and compelling evidence that the seeds of hooliganism are being sown in our own burgeoning soccer scene.
Also included in the book is a hilarious and revealing glossary of essential hooligan slang and soccer-fan terminology. Written in the pragmatic, in-your-face style that has won Brimson considerable acclaim in Europe, March of the Hooligans is a powerful and intimate look at what hooliganism has become, how it affects soccer, and where it’s headed.
Praise for Dougie Brimson and his previous books
“Brimson knows what it’s all about” –The Times (London)
“Probably the best book ever written on soccer violence” –Daily Mail (London)
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