An undercover police officer involved with an investigation into football hooliganism previously revealed the moment he ‘snapped’ at an away ground.
Football hooliganism, certainly related to Premier League clubs, is a rare occurrence in the modern-day game.
Now, football stadiums are seen as a place for all, with people of all ages and from all walks of life attending matches.
But back in the 1980s, this wasn’t always the case as hooligan-related violence cast a dark cloud over English football.
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Most clubs had ‘firms’ with the most well-known forging a fierce reputation.
Manchester United’s Red Army, West Ham’s Inter City Firm and Chelsea‘s Headhunters are among the groups that would travel to away games in search of a tear-up.
And during the height of the violence, the police used several covert tactics to gather information on the firms.
One man trusted with going undercover was James Bannon, who served for the Metropolitan Police and infiltrated the Millwall Bushwackers from 1987 to 1989 as part of Operation Pegasus.
Bannon posed as a painter and decorator from Wandsworth named Jim Ford during this time, while he was still just 21 years of age.
In his 2013 book, ‘Running with the Firm,’ he told various stories about being unable to step in as innocent fans were attacked, as he could not blow his cover.
The former police officer also described one incident in Middlesbrough after the away fans had been pelted with items thrown from the home section throughout the game.
After the match, two firms met in a local park before chaos ensued.
Bannon wrote: “As we got onto the park, the Middlesbrough supporters started to walk towards us.
“I had had enough that day, and for the first time, this had become personal.
“I was not doing this as Jim, the undercover cop; I was doing this for me. They had pelted us with rocks and bits of metal, spat at us, and the Old Bill had stood there and done nothing. If they wanted a f**king fight, they could f**king have one.
“The guy next to me shouted, ‘Come on, you Wall. Let ’em f**king have it!’ and we charged at the Middlesbrough.”
The undercover officer continued describing the buzz he got from the encounter before adding that he “launched a kick” at a Middlesbrough fan.
“It hit him straight in the chest, and as he fell over, I kicked him squarely in the head,” Bannon revealed.
The undercover officer then explained how he “gathered” his senses before realising he was “standing over a WPC (Woman Police Officer)”, before his friend intervened.
“I had my hand around her throat pinning her to the floor,” he added. “Gerry grabbed hold of me. ‘Jim. Jim, fucking hell, mate, it’s over. Come on. Come on!'"
Topics: Millwall
Luke Davies