Authorities are eyeing the start of the English soccer season this weekend with trepidation, following riots which have rocked towns and cities across the country. Dozens of teams in the English Football League -- below the high-profile Premier League -- start playing their first games from Saturday afternoon, including in cities that have seen disorder. The unrest followed a knife attack that killed three children.
But officials have blamed far-right elements -- some with links to England's decades-old football hooligan scene -- for orchestrating the violence which saw mosques and immigration-linked sites torched and police targeted. Tommy Robinson, a notorious anti-Muslim agitator with a string of criminal convictions including for soccer-related offenses, has been accused of helping to fuel the unrest through constant social media posts about the events. Crowds at some gatherings were heard chanting his name -- which is actually a pseudonym borrowed from an infamous Luton Town Football Club hooligan in the 2000s.
The prospect of thousands gathering Saturday for games in towns and cities including Middlesbrough, Hull and London has prompted concern that unrest could flare again after two nights of relative quiet. More than 80,000 fans are also expected at Wembley on Saturday when Manchester City and Manchester United play for the FA Community Shield. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, an avid soccer fan, conceded Friday that the start of the new season "added into the mix" of cha.