Located between the suburbs of Wembley and Westminster in an area known as South Hampstead, this Aldi supermarket is the third point of interest on the tour. While the specifics of this location's history were not available for consultation, a brief history of the Aldi supermarket chain will allow for an explanation of this site's importance, as well as several unique features of Aldi supermarkets as a whole. Coming to the United Kingdom in 1990, Aldi supermarkets originated in Germany as a "no-frills" type of store- this meant fixed prices with no need for barcodes to be scanned, only stocking certain brands, and no fresh meat for sale.[1] This unique feature of the Aldi chain of supermarkets allowed it to thrive in the British market, amassing over 600 stores in twenty years.[2] This significant growth was an indication of a successful business, but the Aldi supermarkets would become of interest to even more Englishmen for a whole new reason following England's defeat at the hands of Germany in the 1996 Euro Cup. In what would become one incident in a list of several xenophobic attacks from that night, English hooligans threw bricks at an Aldi supermarket's windows because it was a German company and England had just lost to Germany.[3] This supermarket is therefore important because it is symbolic of the attacks on German people and places following England's loss to Germany in the Euro Cup, which exemplifies English football hooliganism.

This destination is the third stop on the Football Hooliganism Tour

Centered around the Euro Cup riots of 1996, the xenophobic incident of vandalism at the Aldi supermarket is an indication of football hooliganism during the late twentieth century, as well as the nationalistic sentiments felt amongst these hooligans. Author Ramon Spaaij argues that hooliganism is largely based off of territorial claims, and the necessity to defend a predetermined "home turf."[4] The Aldi supermarket incident represents the territorial nature of these hooligans, as it was attacked because of its German roots- despite the fact that this company had been operating and expanding in the United Kingdom for six years prior to these riots. What is made evident through the vandalism is that anything associated with Germany was seen as an invasion on the home turf of the English, and as such should be destroyed because England had just lost to Germany in the Euro Cup. These sentiments are echoed in a newspaper article printed the day after the riots, as journalist Sharmila Devi describes numerous acts of vandalism, as well as a Russian boy being stabbed five times by English hooligans who mistook him for a German boy.[5] Evidently, these examples tell us that for these hooligans, football escalated far beyond the realm of sport, as it spilled into the streets and became a war of nations- pitting country against country for the sake of a game and national pride. Given the potential for one to be imprisoned for an act of vandalism such as those committed at the Aldi supermarket, were there any benefits in doing so? In short, the answer is no, as these acts not only harmed businesses and civilians, but the football clubs themselves, who experienced bans from league play for the actions of their "fans".[6] Given these points, it is clear to see that the Aldi supermarket is representative of the dangers associated with nationalism and hooliganism, which can be harmful to the public when combined through the game of football. Although pride in one's country should be celebrated, it must be condemned when it is associated with violence and vandalism, as was seen at this site of the Aldi supermarket.

[1] International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 13. St. James Press, 1996. Accessed 25 February 2019.

[2] "Aldi: The Incredible Story of the German Supermarket Taking over the World." April 30, 2018.

[3] Steve Boggan and James Cusick. "Rioting Is Blamed on Media Jingoism." The Independent. October 23, 2011.

[4] Ramón Spaaij. "Men Like Us, Boys Like Them: Violence, Masculinity, and Collective Identity in Football Hooliganism." Journal of Sport & Social Issues, November 2008. 383.

[5] Sharmila Devi. "UK Soccer Fans Riot after Euro '96 Loss." UPI. June 27, 1996.

[6] Todd R. Jewell, Rob Simmons, and Stefan Szymanski. "Bad for Business? The Effects of Hooliganism on English Professional Football Clubs." Journal of Sports Economics, October 2014. 430.

"Aldi: The Incredible Story of the German Supermarket Taking over the World." April 30, 2018. Accessed February 25, 2019. https://www.lovemoney.com/gallerylist/51751/aldi-the- incredible-story-of-the-german-supermarket-taking-over-the-world.

Boggan, Steve, and James Cusick. "Rioting Is Blamed on Media Jingoism." The Independent. October 23, 2011. Accessed February 25, 2019. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/rioting-is-blamed-on-media-jingoism- 1339100.html.

Devi, Sharmila. "UK Soccer Fans Riot after Euro '96 Loss." UPI. June 27, 1996. Accessed February 26, 2019. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/06/27/UK-soccer-fans-riot- after-Euro-96-loss/2543835848000/.

International Directory of Company Histories. "Aldi Group." History of Franklin Covey Company – FundingUniverse. Accessed February 25, 2019. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/aldi-group-history/.

Jewell, R. Todd, Rob Simmons, and Stefan Szymanski. "Bad for Business? The Effects of Hooliganism on English Professional Football Clubs." Journal of Sports Economics 15, no. 5, October 2014: 429–50.

Spaaij, Ramón. "Men Like Us, Boys Like Them: Violence, Masculinity, and Collective Identity in Football Hooliganism." Journal of Sport & Social Issues 32, no. 4, November 2008: 369–92.