We all love football, but we cannot deny the presence of a dark cloud in the shape of football hooliganism that has cast a shadow over the sport throughout its history.
Football fans fighting has been an almost ever-present issue, with the problem reaching its peak in the late twentieth century. Since then, fan trouble has been steadily decreasing, but in recent years, there has been an alarming uptick in the number of instances of this nature occurring.
With that notion in mind, here are the worst offenders for fan trouble within the English football pyramid.
Football fans fighting: Who are the worst offenders in England?
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5. West Ham United
West Ham were one of the clubs most associated with the football hooliganism epidemic that took place within English football between 1970 and 1990, and their group ‘ICF' became notorious across the country as a result.
Many years later, supporters of the East London club appear to still be among the worst offenders in the nation, with the fanbase's figure of 52 banning orders during the 2022/23 season the fifth highest of any team.
That number has risen from just 34 in the previous campaign, meaning that in the space of one year, the number of banning orders received by West Ham fans increased by a staggering 52%.
4. Birmingham City
Terrible scenes inside Elland Road from the Birmingham City fans. A few stewards receiving punches and kicks as they tried to apprehend a Birmingham fan who ran onto the pitch. #BCFC #LUFC pic.twitter.com/CmeDfLP8JT
— Jonathan Buchan (@jonathanbuchan) October 19, 2019
Next on the list is Birmingham City, whose figure of 54 banning orders during the 2022/23 campaign saw its fanbase named as the fourth most offending group of supporters in the country.
Blues fans have a history of involvement in high-profile incidents, with one of the most famous in recent times involving a supporter punching the then Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish.
Unlike West Ham, however, the West Midlands club have actually seen their banning orders figure decrease, having received 57 the season prior.
3. Leicester City
Our list now takes us to the East side of the Midlands and to the King Power Stadium = home of former Premier League champions Leicester City.
The Foxes' total of 56 banning orders during the 2022/23 season was the third highest of any fanbase in the country and taints what has been a very successful period for the club.
Leicester are another side who have seen a sharp increase in the number of banning orders handed out to their fans, having received just 36 the year before – that's an increase of approximately 55%.
2. Millwall
For the second time on this list, we now head to London where Championship side Millwall play their football.
The Lions' supporters, much like their fierce rivals West Ham, have a long history of fan violence and a deep-rooted association with football hooliganism. After all, the rivalry between the two teams was arguably the face of the issue in England for many years.
While the situation at The Den has certainly improved in the modern era, the fanbase's figure of 66 banning orders in the 2022/23 season was more than all but one during the campaign, and 14 more than the club received in the previous season.
1. Manchester United
Manchester United fans fighting amongst themselves after defeat at Nottingham Forest last night 👀 pic.twitter.com/GX89zccXkE
— 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 (@thecasualultra) December 31, 2023
And topping the list that no club wants to top is… Manchester United.
Possibly not helped by the truly massive size of their fanbase, The Red Devils amassed an astonishing 69 banning orders during the 2022/23 campaign, narrowly higher than that of Millwall and confirming the club's status as the worst offenders of fan violence in the country.
Perhaps more concerning than the number itself is the trend behind it, which provides a worrying backdrop to the numbers. In the 2021/22 season, Manchester United fans received just 24 banning orders, which given the enormous size of their fanbase, is relatively low compared to other clubs. However, their most recent figure of 69 represents an increase of 187%.
That is extremely alarming, and a stark reminder that more must be done to tackle the issue of violence among fans in the modern era to stop the s[port regressing to a period in time during which football fans fighting was a far too familiar sight.