It is a common belief that football hooliganism in England and Wales, so rampant during the Seventies and Eighties, has all but disappeared. But the first programme in the series, "No one likes us" rapidly destroys that myth. During the past season secret cameras have followed hooligan gangs attached to a number of English clubs and the England national team. They show the extraordinary scenes which take place, before and after matches, but which are rarely reported. All-seater stadia may have solved the problem of violence within football grounds. But this major undercover investigation shows how thugs have merely changed the venue, with trouble now taking place in the streets around the grounds. The multi-billion pound football industry tries to present only the glamorous image of the beautiful game, but there is an ugly side to the picture - a picture which the football authorities would rather was kept hidden.
What happened to the hundreds of football hooligans who rioted during the European Championships two years ago? The second programme in the series 'Kicking Off' tells the shocking story of the thugs of Euro 2000 and how they are still causing mayhem today. Many will remember the disturbing images of so-called fans running riot in the street. Their behaviour helped destroy England's chances of holding the World Cup in 2006. Many were arrested and later deported. But what happened to them when they came home? This nine month investigation, filmed undercover often in the middle of riots and running street battles, tracks their activities since Euro 2000. The programme shows how one hooligan group helped stir up the recent Oldham race riots and how another, the Cardiff City Soul Crew -one of the biggest and most notorious in Britain - has become involved with the club's high-profile owner, Sam Hammam. There is also startlingly frank testimony from a former far-right activist and Chelsea hooligan, - now in hiding after he turned informer, who was present at the Euro 2000 and involved in the Oldham riots - and the veteran undercover policeman who tried to combat hooliganism at home and abroad.
The third and final programme in the series Foreign fields examines the growing social impact of hooligan groups in Italy and Argentina - as they become increasingly politicised and organised. The programme gains unprecedented access to the shadowy and often violent world of the hooligan groups attached to two of the world's most glamorous clubs - the Irriducibilli of Lazio in Italy and the Barras Bravas of Boca Juniors in Argentina. Filming openly and undercover with the hooligan leaders, Foreign Fields examines the growing social impact of hooligan groups around the world - as they become increasingly politicised and organised. In Argentina, five people have already died this season in football-related shootings, with dozens more casualties. The season was even suspended against a backdrop of widespread social disorder. Using extraordinary footage filmed with the hooligans, the police and during riots around the stadiums this season - the film shows the growing influence of these groups on the clubs and the players themselves. Players like Diego Maradona, who talks for the first time about his friendship with the hooligans of Boca - his first and favourite club. We also talk to players and hooligans in Italy about the growing influence of racist and far-right groups on the terraces that the hooligans control.