The London Stadium faces its first big test after new security measures were introduced after the EFL cup game against Chelsea last week. Segregation has been widened as part of a new five point security plan. It couldn’t come at a better time as West Ham face Stoke this weekend whose fans have a checkered past.
Although rarely reported there has often been trouble with Stoke fans in previous seasons as they made their way to and from the old Boleyn Ground although they were usually well behaved inside the stadium. West Ham fan fought with stewards at the Britannia stadium in 2009.
Like West Ham Stoke had a notorious football firm called the Naughty Forty, at their height, the firm had over 700 members and were considered one of the more violent football hooligan firms in England.
In 1998, dozens of stoke hooligans invaded the pitch at the club’s new Britannia Stadium at the end of a 7-0 Division One defeat by Birmingham City and several seats were thrown onto the pitch.
In 2001 84 people were arrested after rival fans clashed at Stoke City’s local Potteries derby with Port Vale. Violence broke out in the streets around Vale Park in the Burslem district of Stoke. There were two pitch invasions and fans from both clubs threw missiles at each other. About 300 police officers were drafted in to keep the peace. Later that year hooligans from the Naughty Forty and another firm associated with the club the Under 5’s fought with hooligans from Huddersfield Town in Huddersfield. In the worst incident Stoke fans smashed up and set fire to the White Hart pub, causing extensive damage.
In 2002 Stoke City played Cardiff City at home. Staffordshire Police mounted a large operation and had to call in officers from other forces and around 1,000 officers were on duty on the day. The match had to be halted for seven minutes as the police attempted to arrest Stoke hooligans in the ground. After the game police were pelted with stones, and Cardiff City chairman Sam Hammam had his car vandalised.
While the worst days of both clubs involvement with football hooliganism is mostly behind us there remains a small minority who are intent to rekindle old rivalries and the London Stadium will be seen as a day out for some of these individuals on both sides.
The stewards, police and stadium operators will need to be on their A game if they are to prevent any further troubles inside or outside the stadium.
