Violence and Racism in Football: Politics and Cultural Conflict in British Society, 1968-1998 (Perspectives in Economic and Social History)

In postwar Britain, social anxiety about government repression, immigration and unemployment spilled over into violence and racial intolerance. Much of this tension was vented at football matches, traditionally the forum for working-class diversion. This study, based on government records, newspaper articles and fanzines, explores the complex interaction between politicians, police and the perpetrators of the violence. Bebber looks at how successive governments tried to impose law and order on football 'hooligans', whilst inadvertently escalating the violence. Football is revealed not only as a mirror of society but as an agent of social and cultural change.