The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 308: Is Aldridge also a football hooligan??

As the vibrant night draped over Turin, the city showcased a blend of modernity and tradition, renowned as one of Europe's famous automotive hubs.

Aldrich sat in the taxi on the way to the police station, watching the night pass by outside the window. He didn't think Brady's text asking for help was too serious. He thought it was just a misunderstanding.

But once he stepped out of the car and walked into the police station, he realized things were far from what he had imagined.

The police in Turin questioned his identity, to which Aldrich replied that he was the owner and head coach of Millwall.

The curious Italian officer in his forties asked him to produce identification. Aldrich pulled out his wallet, retrieved his ID, and followed another officer toward the temporary detention area for Brady and the others.

As they walked, Aldrich couldn't help but ask the escorting officer about the situation.

"What law did they break in Turin?"

"They are football hooligans."

"Ah? So they caused trouble?"

"Not initially, but when we attempted to deport them, they protested collectively and refused to cooperate, which is why they are temporarily detained. They will be released after both Juventus and Millwall fans have returned home following the match."

Aldrich's expression soured at this. "You're detaining them even though they did nothing?"

"Yes, because they are football hooligans."

"They didn't do anything! How do you know they're hooligans?"

"That's our job as police; it has nothing to do with you. "

As Aldrich was led into the corridor, he caught a glimpse through the window of the overcrowded detention room. Brady, Fred, and Sol were leaning against the wall, all clad in Millwall jerseys and scarves, while some held up rolled-up flags.

Judging from the timestamps, Brady's text messages and phone calls were sent nearly thirty minutes before the game. Aldridge was already in game mode, and he wouldn't let any phone calls distract him; his phone was on silent, not vibrating.

Subsequently, all their mobile phones were confiscated.

If the police deemed them hooligans, such measures could prevent any disruptions. As for whether they had the authority to do so, that seemed to depend; in this so-called free world, there was no absolute equality or freedom.

The officer opened the door and warned those inside not to make any sudden movements.

But when Brady and the others saw Aldrich, they immediately rushed toward him.

"Did we make it through?"

A group of anxious faces surrounded Aldrich, questions written all over their expressions.

Aldrich smiled and nodded, saying, "1-1, we've eliminated Juventus with a total score of 3-2."

"Yay!"

A thunderous cheer erupted, and Brady hugged Aldrich tightly, planting a kiss on his cheek. Others quickly followed suit, vying for their turn to kiss Aldrich.

Startled, Aldrich began to back away just as a police officer dashed down the corridor and pointed at Aldrich, saying to the escorting officer, "He's a hooligan too; lock him up!"

Aldrich understood Italian and, before he could respond, was shoved by the officer, stumbling into the detention room as the door slammed shut. He incredulously pounded on the door, shouting, "Hey, are you kidding me? I'm not a hooligan! I'm the head coach of Millwall! Don't you know who I am? Check the sports newspapers or the televised match; I was definitely on screen!"

A small opening in the door revealed the indifferent officer. "We don't watch Juventus matches; we are Torino fans, all of us. Keep it down, you'll be released in a couple of hours. Just don't cause any trouble."

Aldrich's face was flush with anger. No matter what he said, no one was responding.

"Stop shouting; they won't listen to you," Brady said with a grin from the back. "What were you talking about?"

"I told them I'm the team's head coach, but they're Torino fans and don't care about Juventus news."

"Haha, quite stubborn. I can respect such fans."

Aldrich shot him a look. "You think Torino fans are like Millwall fans? Loyal even when the team is anonymous?"

Brady and the others exchanged curious glances. "Aren't they?"

"Not at all! When Torino was dominating Italy, Juventus was nothing. Back then, 9 out of their starting 11 were in the Italian national team. Unfortunately, a tragic plane crash severely crippled Torino, leaving Juventus to rise in this city. Historically speaking, Torino's legacy is far richer compared to Millwall. Too bad they're not Manchester United; if they had bounced back after that disaster... well, who knows which of the northern powerhouses would reign supreme?"

Brady and the others listened to Aldrich's tale, treating it as just another story.

Leaning against the wall, Aldrich felt unfortunate.

"Why did you get locked up too?" Fred asked curiously.

Aldrich sighed quietly, "They said I'm a hooligan, just like you guys. Speaking of which, what did you all do?"

Sol immediately replied, "We didn't do anything! Just like before, we hurried to Turin, but when we tried to enter the stadium, the police refused us entry. Many of us were labeled as hooligans, and they had set up a ton of buses to cart off friends without a second thought. We certainly resisted, and that's how we ended up here."

Aldrich patted his pocket. The police hadn't confiscated his phone when they locked him up, so he called Jansen for help.

After he hung up, Brady and the others appeared more relaxed. They had come to see a match, which had already concluded in their favor, shifting their mental state to one of contentment.

"Hey, Aldrich, what's really going on here? Is it Juventus's plot to keep us from cheering for the team?"

Brady lit a cigarette and offered it to Aldrich, who took a puff, noticing the intrigued gazes of nearby fans.

Even though they were members of the Lions fan group, they rarely got a chance to interact with Aldrich up close. The club had dialogues with fan representatives each month, but it wasn't always the Lions' turn.

Aldrich grinned and said, "I'm not a player, so what's wrong with having a smoke?If you'd been at the game today, then you'd know who the real connoisseur of cigars is."

"Who?"

"Lippi."

"Juventus's head coach?"

"Yes, when I was directing the team from the sidelines, he was sitting there smoking a cigar. Sometimes I really wanted to hit him, but I couldn't help but admire his elegance. I couldn't imitate it anyway."

Brady scoffed: "So what? He still lost to us Millwall."

Aldrich shook his head. "You'll understand once you rewatch the match footage."

"Let's talk business. Do you know what's going on here?"

Aldridge's tone became more serious, and he whispered: "Do you know what Europe thinks of British fans?"

At this, everyone fell silent.

To be honest, while English fan culture has profound roots and is imitated worldwide, currently, English fans are notorious across Europe, especially in Italy.

People regard English fans with disdain or resentment; though 99.9% of fans are law-abiding, they are labeled as hooligans.

Today's English fans have to bear the burden of the infamous hooligans from an earlier era!

England did have a lengthy period of rampant hooliganism and unrest, resulting in tragedies such as the Heysel Stadium disaster. Particularly the Belgian and Italian fans seem unforgiving toward English hooligans, whose actions led to the deaths of many innocent fans and transformed Heysel into a living hell.

And years later, English fans are treated as second-class citizens in Europe.

Aldrich's tone grew heavy. "You should know how other clubs manage their fans for European competitions, right?"

Brady nodded solemnly, and among the crowd, a fan scoffed, "Take Manchester United; they're like vampires. Fans have to pay three times the normal fare just to cheer the team on the road, all under the guise of 'away packages'. Please! Mr. Hall, I admire you for not copying them; otherwise, we'd be in protest."

Aldrich sighed softly. The away package offered by English clubs during European competitions bundled round-trip flights, match tickets, and travel expenses together at nearly triple the normal cost. Fans who do not accept it can barely purchase away tickets through club channels; this package is specifically for matches abroad in European competitions.

This model originated because English fans traveling abroad faced threats from some extremists; to ensure fans' safety, clubs managed their travel.

However, it lacked a personal touch, making it reasonable for fans to reject it. Spending a fortune only to fly, bus to the ground, watch the game, and then return to the airport for the flight back—who would want that?

Millwall does not use such "away packages"; instead, they negotiate with the opposing clubs ahead of the matches to ensure away fans are seated separately from home fans, thus minimizing the risk of conflict during the game.

"Are there still football hooligans at Millwall?"

"Maybe there are, but there is no longer any organization that can blatantly show up in the stands."

Aside from Millwall's matches in the Premier League gaining attention, due to an increase in police orderliness over the past two to three years, former Millwall hooligans either disappeared or transferred to lower-league teams where the management is looser. Aldrich once enlisted Andrew to bribe the head of the London police, effectively eliminating many prominent hooligans. Nowadays, Millwall's fans are passionate, spirited, and also reasonable; they are civilized yet devoid of any intention to create chaos.

Hence, during group stage matches against Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, and Dynamo Kyiv, there were no incidents of safety hazards between fan groups.

So why did the Italian police label Millwall fans as hooligans?

Aldrich pondered this and considered a possibility.

They likely had a list—of known football hooligans.

And the authors of this list were undoubtedly the British police.

Going further back, the root cause traces to the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.

"Looking back, it all goes back to Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady.

During her time in power, she took a tough stance against football hooligans, enacting many laws to combat hooliganism, and this list could be from that time.