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In his forward to this 2001 report Lord Bassam , chair of the working group, writes;
"Compared with 10 years ago, crowds are rising, football related violence and disorder has become marginalised, racist chanting has declined, our national and club teams are respected internationally and support is still growing.
However, there are still nagging doubts about football as a focus for good in our communities. If we wanted an uncomfortable but timely reminder, it was provided during Euro 2000. Poor footballing performances were matched by appalling behaviour off the pitch by some England supporters.
A significant outbreak of xenophobia and racism was coupled with unpleasant violence by fans on the streets of Charleroi and Brussels. The Government was not prepared to tolerate this. We acted quickly and firmly with new legislation. But, we also recognised that legislation alone would not tackle the phenomena. That is why we set up a working group to examine the dynamics of the disorder and identify the measures necessary to tackle the behaviour and attitudes that prompt it."
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