Meanwhile, prodigal son Luis Figo's return to Barcelona with the hated Real Madrid saw the Nou Camp's pitch bombarded with plastic bottles, lighters and bizarrely, two mobile phones. And in the Spanish Third Division, Xerez players were attacked by rival supporters at the end of the Andalucian derby against San Fernando. In Europe though, the worst of the violence is occurring in Eastern Europe. Fans modelling themselves on the English 'firms' of the 1980s are intent on causing trouble. British hooligan nostalgia in books and the Internet have exported East.
Fans talk knowledgeably of British 'firms' and battle tactics.
The Russian league is especially rife. Groups with English names like 'Warriors' are involving themselves in copycat violence taken to extremes. Two matches in the last weekend of the Russian season were played behind closed doors after spiralling violence saw the authorities forced into evasive action. An incident which hit the international headlines was the riot that occurred between fans of Red Star Belgrade and Partizan Belgrade in October. This was due to the two teams being opposite political sides of the power struggle in Serbia.