A 10-year-old boy was charged today with violence in a soccer match riot, becoming what officials believe could be the youngest suspected football hooligan in the annals of British crime, police said.
Soccer in England suffered from hooliganism during the 1970s and 1980s but has recently been largely under control, apart from sporadic outbursts at England internationals.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested following trouble at a match in March between south coast rivals Portsmouth and Southampton.
"The 10-year-old boy will appear before a youth court this Thursday," a police spokeswoman said. He will be charged with violent disorder.
A Home Office spokesman said it was likely he was the youngest ever soccer hooligan suspect because children under 10 cannot be charged with criminal offences.
A 14-year-old girl also remains on bail, police said, among more than 30 people who were charged after one the worst outbreaks of soccer violence in recent years.