Suicide Squad (hooligan firm)

The Suicide Squad is a hooligan firm linked to English football club Burnley. The self-imposed title was derived from the group's previous behaviour at away games, where its members' willingness to engage in violence despite overwhelming odds was perceived as reckless or near-suicidal. By 1985, the name had become synonymous with the group.

History

From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, when Burnley F.C. went down from the First to the Fourth Division, the football hooligan firm Suicide Squad emerged from within the club's fanbase. The firm developed a reputation for its organised and disciplined approach to football hooliganism, and soon became one of the best-known hooligan groups in British football.

Although the group had partially disbanded, a younger generation of hooligans began to emerge under the name Burnley Youth, while retaining associations with the Suicide Squad. The police began to receive intelligence reports from members of the Suicide Squad who were concerned that the younger group were "out of control" and were travelling to away matches with weapons. The level of violence and the circumstances surrounding these incidents strongly supported these concerns.

In November 2002, Burnley police and the football club jointly established "Operation Fixture", a scheme aimed at tackling football hooliganism in and around the club's home stadium, Turf Moor, with more bans, more arrests and quicker convictions. The scheme also aimed to target "racists", with the example of a Burnley fan having given a Nazi salute during a League Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur.