Hooligans, The Untold Story

RIVETING, SHOCKING, EMBARRASSING, DISTINCTLY PREDICTABLE
the untold story of the ugly face of the beautiful game



BBC
2006
60 minutes

Panorama's 'Hooligans' programme, broadcast last night on the BBC, was riveting, shocking, embarrassing and distinctly predictable.

The documentary recorded the various adventures of drunken English football hooligans as they fought, swore, groped and drunk themselves stupid during the World Cup. And they weren't too bright to begin with.

Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the violence shown was the scale. Hundreds upon hundreds of England fans were shown openly fighting in various cities.

This, according to Panorama's own billing, was "the untold story of the ugly face of the beautiful game". But untold by whom?

Well, the BBC for starters. Viewers of BBC News this summer could have been forgiven for believing that the tournament had passed off largely without incident.

In the BBC's review of the tournament, it reported 'There were some incidents, but they were usually drunkenness and low-level aggression. In the light of the fears raised before the event, the security operation at the World Cup must be considered a great success.