Cass Pennant (born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire), is an English writer and former football hooligan.[1][2][3]
Cass Pennant | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | writer |
| Nationality | English |
| Period | 2002-present |
| Subject | Football, Football hooliganism |
| Website | |
| http://www.casspennant.com/ | |
Background
Pennant's mother emigrated from Jamaica to England while she was pregnant and he was born in Doncaster in March 1958. Six weeks after being born he was abandoned and was placed into a Dr. Barnardo's Home. As a black baby, Pennant was fostered by an elderly white family in Plaistow, London where he was the only black person, and where he states he was "bullied from day one. Not just from rivals or other kids, the whole town. Imagine as a kid, you're picked out; people in vehicles shouting out at you, total strangers."[3]
Pennant had been christened Carol (a common boy's name in parts of the West Indies but unheard of as a boy's name in England) by his biological mother, which was also a source of bullying for him particularly at school. After he saw the boxer Cassius Clay beat Henry Cooper he adopted the name Cass.[3]
Pennant was a member, and leader, of the Inter City Firm (ICF) associated with the English football club, West Ham United in the 1970s.[2] He was eventually sentenced to four years in prison and was the first football hooligan to be arrested for what he was doing. After a second time in prison he started running a night club security firm in London. During one night when he refused someone entrance to a nightclub in South London, he was shot three times. After being shot, the paramedics who came to see to him did not believe he was going to make it, thus surprised when he woke up in a couple of days. Pennant began writing his autobiography, the first time he was in prison on books that were given to him in English classes but they were seized from him. The second time he went to prison he started again but this time smuggled the books out and that was the beginning of his autobiography Cass which was published in 2002.
In 2002 Pennant appeared on the Channel 4 documentary, Football's Fight Club about football hooliganism in the 1970s.[4] He has been a consultant on television programmes such as The Real Football Factories and The Real Football Factories International.[3] He also worked as a consultant and played a cameo role as a riot police officer in the 2005 drama film about football hooliganism, Green Street[1] [5]
In 2008 a film was made based on Pennant's life story, "Cass" starring Nonso Anozie as Pennant, and directed by Jon S. Baird[2]
Bibliography
- Author
- Cass (2002)
- Congratulations, You Have Just Met the ICF (2003)
- Top Boys: True Stories of Football's Hardest Men (2006)
- Co-author
- Rolling with the 6.57 Crew: The True Story of Pompey's Legendary Football Fans (2004)
- Terrace Legends (2005)
- Good Afternoon, Gentlemen, the Name's Bill Gardner (2006)
- 30 Years of Hurt: A History of England's Hooligan Army (2006)
- Want Some Aggro? (2007)
References
- ^ a b "Cass Pennant Author & Hooliologist". Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ^ a b c
Solomons, Jason (2008-04-27). "Trailer Trash - Fila dealer". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d
Leitch, Luke (2008-06-16). "Enough with the tough from a boy named Carol". The Times. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^
Kilner, Martin (2002-04-29). "Welcome to the Top Ten Rumbles". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^
Bellos, Alex (2005-03-01). "Hollywood wakes up to the call of the world's biggest game". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)