The English Disease podcast explores football hooliganism and far-right

The English Disease is a brand-new documentary podcast tracing the football hooligan movement through British culture, written and presented by football writer Sam Diss.

Sixty years ago, academics considered football hooligans as Marxist freedom fighters. Forty years ago, they were Britain’s folk devil. Twenty years ago, we were told they were gone and in 2024, we realised they never went anywhere.

The media has portrayed football hooligans as the most deviant and dangerous elements in British society, but who are they and why do some fans behave this way? What can we find out if we dig a little deeper – beyond the stereotypes and tabloid headlines?

Football hooliganism is a dirty phrase in England, calling to mind football’s dark old days in the 80s. However, its legacy lingers on — in fashion and music, football and politics, policing and policy — and its people never really left.

During Euro 2024, social media timelines across the UK were fed with a steady stream of violence, and today, the far-right movement has closer ties with ‘lads’ and ‘hooligans’ than ever before. This new series goes straight to the centre of these dark spaces.

Across the series, Sam will interview a range of contributors including former hooligans, some who say they were ‘the best days of their lives’.

Others openly voice their regret, such as a 21-year-old man who writes from prison charged with manslaughter after being involved in a football related attack.

Sam also goes inside some of the biggest online football fan groups such as the ‘Football Lads United’ page and WhatsApp groups.

There are conversations with academics, journalists and experts who have devoted their lives to understanding this complex yet primal instinct to fight for your team.

These include Geoff Pearson, a professor of law and author of ‘Football Hooliganism’ who has studied the impact of legislation and policing strategies towards football-related violence since the mid-1990s; the legendary Bill Buford, journalist and author of the seminal ‘Among the Thugs’, the definitive account of 1980s football hooliganism.

Sam will also speak with female fans who feel ostracised from attending games, including a woman who was sexually harassed at the Euro 2020 Final.

Sam Diss says: “Hooliganism is easy to dismiss—too ugly, mindless, and primal to face. But this avoidance felt like society dodging something deeper, focusing only on effects, not causes.

“Growing up in gentrifying East London, where the past vanished with every new building, I couldn’t shake the sense that the old days were always slipping away… But what did that actually mean? Football violence reveals buried truths about England, echoes of something unresolved.

“The English Disease explores how the past lingers, driven by excitement, boredom, class, racism, friendship, masculinity, and identity, performed until the mask eats the face. Ultimately, it’s a story about stories—those we tell ourselves, others, and those told about us.”

From Stak, the first two episodes of The English Disease will be available to listen to from Tuesday 1 October on all podcast platforms.