Football firms have not gone away. 

Football hooliganism seemed like a thing of the past. In the Premier League era, major football-related incidents seem few and far between.

That was until Euro 2020, when we were forced to deal with the reality that it hasn't. A report into the violence at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley concluded 2,000 ticketless fans stormed the stadium, creating a situation where people could have been killed.

The FA have apologised for the "terrible experience" many supporters endured on what should have been one of the greatest nights in the history of English football.

More recently, there was fan trouble in the FA Cup.

A Leicester City fan was arrested after running on to the pitch and attempting to punch the Forest players as they celebrated their third goal.

There was also violence in the city centre which saw large groups, who witnesses said were singing Leicester City chants, and throwing bottles, tables and chairs outside various venues.

Matt Lawton, from The Times, spent time with the Football Police Unit to understand how football violence continues in England and is growing once again among the younger fans. 

"I saw with my own eyes just how young some of the people in these groups are", Lawton told Off The Ball. 

"Honestly some of them are about nine stone - they really are that young."

While Lawton admits the younger fans are not 'front line' for the firms and that there are still older generations involved, he feels the manner of which the teenagers are being used is 'depressing."

"The really alarming bit for me is just how many young lads that there are."

"There was a 14-year-old lad punched a police officer in the face the other day."

"There was a 15-year-old who they had asked to carry their drugs for them because obviously they thought it was less likely that a kid that young would be drug-searched."

While the police response to the rioting at Euro 2020 was heavily criticised, Lawton says that the police are doing a lot of good when it comes to a more local level in football.

"One of the things that impressed me with what these 'football officers' do is that is really is community policing."

"These guys do a really good job."

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