Hooligans don't just come from the lawns

The capital was faced with a new episode of street violence, after a period of break. Instantly, accusing fingers were pointed at the galleries of the football teams. The hypothesis was not confirmed by the authorities and was vehemently denied by the leaders of some galleries. Moreover, an important leader of the FCSB fans, a team that played on the very evening of the incidents, spoke about instigators present at the match, but who were eliminated from the supporters.

At the end of the 90s and in the first decade of the new millennium, local stadiums had become unfrequented due to hooliganism. The atmosphere was unbearable, filled with verbal and physical violence and it was unthinkable to go to a match with a child or a woman. Against this background, the stadiums were deserted and years of anonymous sports followed. Generations have changed, as have habits, and after the pandemic, when people returned to the arenas in large numbers, no notable incidents were recorded. Stricter control in the arenas, tough measures, discouraged acts of violence. This does not mean that hooligans have disappeared or chosen the path of isolation in caves. They remained, they just changed the places where they operate. Here arises the problem of the law enforcement forces within the Ministry of the Interior, which manifest an excess of indulgence in terms of aggression in the streets, including in traffic. This is clearly increasing and leniency is not a solution, on the contrary.

The events at the BEC show that there is a problem and it is not enough for hooligans to be dispersed when they set fire and throw stones at the gendarmes. The problem is much deeper and requires long-term treatment, the first step is to realize that hooligans do not only come from the lawns.