A former police officer who went undercover has revealed Manchester City and Manchester United hooligans produced the most violent thing he has ever seen.
Back in the 1980s, football violence was at an all-time high in England.
Officer James Bannon was part of the police trying to lower the number of violent crimes within football.
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In order to try and achieve the goal, he went undercover and infiltrated Millwall’s Bushwacker’s firm, which were known for their violence.
During a trip to Manchester, Bannon was shown how to set up when tackling firms in Manchester by his colleagues.
It was then that he saw some of the worst things he has ever set eyes on.
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Bannon explained in his book ‘Running with the Firm’: “The level of violence that we saw was way beyond anything I had ever witnessed. The video finished with a Manchester United hooligan on the floor unconscious with a Manchester City hooligan jumping up and down on his head.
“It remains the most violent thing I've ever seen. It put everything that we were trying to achieve in perspective.”
Bannon’s undercover mission was ended by the Met Police a year before the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
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During an interview with The Sun, Bannon said: “They employed people to do some of this work who weren't very good and some of the evidence had been made up.
“A decision was taken by senior politicians that they couldn't stomach another trial and lose face so all of the operations were disbanded overnight.”
He added: “We went from being doing a pretty elite job, which required huge sacrifices, both emotionally and personally, to ‘Thanks very much. Now go back to Orpington and drive a panda car.”
Ever since retiring from the police force, Bannon has gone on to excel in writing and acting.
Topics: Manchester City, Manchester United, Football
Marcus Chan