Hooliganism on the decline as arrests hit record low

ARRESTS for football-related disorder in England and Wales hit a record low last season, official figures showed yesterday, raising hopes the “English disease” of hooliganism is now firmly in the past.

Despite being credited as the home of “the beautiful game“, English football suffered for years from violence between rival fans.

But in the 2010/2011 season, arrests were down 9% to 3,089, the lowest figure since records began 27 years ago, according to statistics released by Britain’s interior ministry.