It  seems we have seen a big rise in European hooliganism recently. With matches being played behind closed doors and teams thrown out of  football, has the European game taken the hooliganism crown away from the English?

The obvious place to start is Italian football. After the atrocities at Roma, how can our European counterparts continue to view British supporters as the bad boys of Europe? A policeman murdered in a stadium, baton charges against fans and disabled fans being struck in the face by Carabinieri officers are just a few of the high-profile cases that have hit the media recently. Coupled with endemic corruption in Italy, it has caused record low attendances across the country.

Dutch football has also suffered this year. Feyenoord being thrown out of the UEFA Cup, although a stroke of luck for nervous Tottenham fans, was a bitter embarrassment to a very proud football club.

Whilst not necessarily violent, Spanish football has an extremely dark undertone, with fans recalling the horrendous treatment of Samuel Eto’o in a league game. The national manager also faced intensive media pressure after his comments about Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, although the Spanish FA’s reaction was a joke.

English football, however, has cleaned up its act since high-profile European disasters. Since the introduction of the Football Spectators (1989) Act, hooliganism has reduced year on year. Actions by club chairmen such as Theo Paphitis have improved the situation greatly, and the Kick Racism Out of Football campaign has been a major success.

So why are British fans still seen as the troublemakers? At one point, skinheads damaged the reputation of football fans in this country, and the repercussions are still being felt. Although far less common, these elements are still associated with some clubs, and when a European tour is in the offing, they clamour at the chance to seek out trouble.

The problem with this situation is that you are always going to have some form of trouble at a football match. The nature of the game is such that there will always be at least one disappointed party in the equation, even if the result seems a fair one. Added to this a mixture of high adrenaline built up throughout the match and the likely consumption of alcohol, and you are left with a simple equation – unhappy man seeking head to use as stress ball.

However, it has been shown that with good security procedures at grounds, trouble can be avoided. English clubs have always had football police and stewards in or around the stadium at matches. The use of mounted officers is also extremely effective. Lifetime bans from the club are also a strong deterrent to troublemakers, and commendations must go to Tottenham Hotspur for the swift way they dealt with the pitch invader who threatened Frank Lampard recently.

So what can be done about the British reputation and hooliganism? I believe it is simple. UAFA must be called on to introduce a zero tolerance towards hooliganism, racism and match-fixing. If they were to expel clubs from European competition when violence erupts, or to add lifetime bans to 'fans' (I use the word liberally) who incite hatred, then the reduction in this sort of behaviour would be swift and widespread. A hardline approach to this issue is the only reasonable response to a very unreasonable problem.

How can football in Europe rid itself of hooliganism? Submit your views to Sportingo.