SOCCER HOOLIGANISM:SOCCER hooliganism and sectarian chanting at Irish League matches concerned the British government in 1979. The situation boiled over in September when the Scots-born manager of Cliftonville Football Club in north Belfast resigned following sectarian clashes at recent matches.
Cliftonville had attracted a substantial Catholic following in the late 1970s, resulting in clashes with rival soccer fans. In the same month, trouble broke out in Dundalk when Linfield fans rampaged through the Border town.
In a memo to officials on June 8th, 1979, Alan Huckle, an NIO official, noted growing concern among unionist councillors in Belfast about the activities of Cliftonville supporters at a sectarian interface at Roden Street. He was particularly concerned at a threat by loyalist alderman Frank Millar to prevent nationalist fans passing through the area.
Huckle agreed that unionist concerns were “largely motivated by sectarianism and that such hooliganism must be a matter for the police”. However he felt that given “Frank Millar’s rather silly threat of ‘they shall not pass’ and a parliamentary question by the DUP MP, Johnny McQuade, the pressure was on the Secretary of State to consider the problem!”
The official was surprised to learn that Northern Ireland clubs did not pay for a police presence at their matches, as was the case in Britain.
In reply, R Bennett, an official in the department of education, confirmed that local football was attracting reduced crowds. In 1968, when Glentoran had played Linfield, the gate was 22,000 whereas recently the same clubs attracted only 7,000.
The matter was raised by unionist councillors at a meeting of the Belfast security committee on September 5th, 1979. Millar urged that local clubs should pay for police protection in future.
In a note on the file on September 13th, 1979, Huckle felt the problem of soccer hooliganism was serious. Noting complaints of unionist councillors, he wrote: “Predictably, their complaints are tinged with sectarianism and directed against supporters of Cliftonville FC. Nevertheless it is a matter of great concern to the RUC.”
The police, he noted, felt that the clubs should pay for police protection and improve their crowd-control measures at their grounds. He felt consideration should be given to bringing the North into line with the rest of Britain, particularly on payment for police protection.