21 Soccer Riots

Soldiers Advance as Argentinian Soccer Fans Riot
Argentinian soldiers with tear gas advance after excited fans rush the field. Over the next four decades, soccer violence became such an issue in that it required a national investigation and halted the 2002 season.


English Soccer Fans Fight in Italy
English and rival fans fight amid tear gas during a European Nations Cup match in Turin, Italy.


Hooligans Riot in SwitzerlandEngland fans riot in 1981 after Switzerland defeats England, 2-1, in a World Cup match in Basel. The Swiss picked up hooliganism quickly, leading to the 2006 "Disgrace of Basel" between FC Basel and FC Zurich fans.

Juventus Fans Chase a Liverpool Supporter at Heysel Stadium
Juventus fans chase a Liverpudlian in 1985 in Brussels. In the ensuing chaos, 39 people were killed when a wall collapsed, and English clubs were banned from European competition for a year.


Rescuer Examines a Riot Victim at Heysel Stadium
A rescuer looks for signs of life in a victim during a riot at the 1985 match in Brussels. The head of the Union of European Football Associations called it the UEFA's "darkest hour."


Irish Fan Escapes Soccer Riot in 1995
An Irish fan is escorted away after being struck by an object in 1995 Dublin. The game was abandoned after 27 minutes of play.


Lens vs. Bordeaux, France, May 2008
Moscow Burns After Russia Loses in the World Cup
Russian fans riot in central Moscow after learning that Russia lost to Japan 1-0 during the 2002 World Cup. At least one person was killed.


Riot Police March on Stadio Olimpico in Rome
Riot police swoop in during a riot that breaks out in a Roma vs. Lazio match at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, 2004.


Ethnic Tensions Flare at Sydney Soccer Match
Sydney United fans shout at Bonnyrigg White Eagles fans at a 2005 match in Sydney, Australia. Ethnic tensions between Serbs and Croats spilled onto the soccer field during matches between the two teams that year.


German Fans Celebrate a Victory Over Poland
German fans celebrate defeating Poland in 2006 in Dortmund, Germany. The violence that broke out after the game saw 300 arrested.


Costa Rica vs. Mexico, San Jose, Costa Rica, February 2005
Polish Soccer Fan Is Arrested by German Police
Police arrest a Polish soccer fan in 2006 in Dortmund, Germany. Rioting fans threw chairs, bottles, and fireworks at police after the World Cup finals match.


Liverpool and AC Milan Fans Clash in Greece
Liverpool and AC Milan supporters fight in the streets of Athens during the UEFA Champions League finals match in May 2007.


Slovakia vs. Poland, 2008
Algeria, May 2008Fans of the Mouloudia Oran (MCO) soccer team clash with riot police in Oran City, Algeria, after MCO lost its place in the A category and was relegated to the B level of the national soccer league.



German Soccer Fans Rumble
Rostock fans fight and throw objects at St. Pauli fans in 2008 in Rostock, Germany. In Germany, soccer violence has often been linked to neo-Nazi groups.


'Battle of Picadilly': Rangers FC Fans Riot After TV Screen Fails
Fans of the Rangers Football Club (Glasgow, Scotland) riot after a giant TV screen set up in Manchester, England's Picadilly Gardens fails during a UEFA Cup final in May 2008.


Northern Ireland vs. Poland, Belfast, March 2009


England vs. Germany, FIFA World Cup, June 2006

Soccer Trainer Eyes the Violence in Germany
Holger Stanislawski, trainer for the St. Pauli, Hamburg, team, watches unhappily as trouble breaks out between German fans in September 2008.