INVESTIGATION: Seeds of Hooliganism in Toronto?

Before we get a deluge of hate email and comments from Toronto FC fans let us make this DISCLAIMER: We like the Toronto FC fan's passion and feel there should be more of it around MLS. We love the singing, the chanting, the streamers, hey, we even think you guys should have smoke and flares, but we do NOT condone wanton violence or violent conduct directed at people, or in this case inanimate objects. The sport in our two countries can not afford it. We publish this post with a heavy heart but we feel it better to shine a light on the dark so that appropriate self-policing by Toronto fans can naturally evolve as it has in other passionate MLS cities (DC, Houston, Chicago). These are just signs of growing pains for a city that seemed unprepared to handle the passion (and inebriation) of some of the more hardcore football supporters.

That said, after Thursday night's ESPN televised match between Red Bull New York and Toronto FC some others in the blogging world were gushing again about how great Toronto FC fans are, we at MLS Rumors decided to look for the underside of that story, the one that the MLS powers that be would rather you not hear about.

During the game ESPN cameras panned about the stadium showing Toronto FC fans with beers in two hands, some who clearly seemed over their limit. Such as this fan who ran onto the pitch forcing a stoppage of play:


Amateur video of said man being arrested and lead off the pitch.



However, what was not caught by EPSN's cameras after Thursday night's match, were several marauding groups of drunken fans who tore apart several GO commuter rail cars. Video and Photos below:






The topic and others have been hotly debated on Toronto FC message boards

When a reporter asked Mo Johnston about the incidents, Johnston dismissed them as "a few bad apples.

Apparently this is not the first time this has happened as Toronto Metro police have arrested people leaving Toronto FC games previously for conduct, on or around GO trains, and have gradually been increasing their presence.

We reached noted British author, Dougie Brimson, author of March of The Hooligans, a book which among other things, warns of the possibility of a rise of football hooliganism in MLS if not closely monitored.

Here are his words regarding the incidents when we asked if this was the kind of thing he might interpret as a slide towards MLS hooliganism:

"Not sure about that. It's certainly not enough to say 'I hate to say I told you so!' but it's definitely a worrying step in that direction.

Funny, only a week or so ago people were posting on certain message boards dismissing my warnings and claiming that such a thing would never happen because MLS fans are amongst the most closely monitored in world soccer.

Humble pie anyone?"

We believe key to growing the game in the US and Canada is to embrace the passion and culture, of the core supporter but to stamp out any anti-social behavior that could give rise to a larger hooligan problem. For its numbers MLS has done a great job of this over its 13 year history but as the league grows challenges will lay ahead.