Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad was an association football hooligan firm linked to Burnley Football Club. The self-imposed title is derived from previous behaviour at away games where the single-minded involvement in violence against overwhelming odds could be described as suicidal. The name became synonymous with the group during the early 1980s. The Suicide Squad officially disbanded in 2011 when 12 members of the squad received prison sentences totalling 32 years, following a high-profile incident with local rivals Blackburn Rovers in 2009. The firm had longstanding rivalries with fans of Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Stoke City, and Bolton Wanderers. History Out of the terrace wars of the 1980s emerged a gang known as the Suicide Squad in a period which also saw Burnley F.C.'s fall from the First Division to the Fourth Division and the threat of non-league football. This meant that the calculated, disciplined, organised operation that struck fear into opposing fans clashed with many rival mobs in the country and became world-renowned as one of the fiercest and most dangerous in Britain.