Cass Pennant
| Cass Pennant | |
|---|---|
| Born |
3 March 1958 Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | English |
| Period | 2002–present |
| Subject | Football, Football hooliganism |
Carol "Cass" Pennant (born 3 March 1958), is an English writer and former football hooligan.
Pennant's mother emigrated from Jamaica while pregnant and he was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Six weeks old, 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 Slade Green, Kent where he was the only black person, and where he states he was "bullied from day one" year after year, and beaten persistently - "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".
Pennant had been christened Carol (a common masculine name in parts of the West Indies, unusual as a masculine name in England, but is the Irish equivalent for the name "Charles") 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.
Pennant who stands 6'5 (195 cm)[2], was a member, and leader, of the Inter City Firm (ICF) associated with the English football club, West Ham United in the 1970s. Cass Pennant's story is remarkable given the level of racism that was prevalent during the 1970s, 1980s and early 90s in Britain. Cass managed to rise to the top and become one of the generals of the ICF despite being black. He was eventually sentenced to four years in prison in 1980 and was the first person to receive a long term sentence for football hooliganism. After a second time in prison he started running a night club security firm in London. While working at one such nightclub in South London he was shot three times. 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 Cass, which was published in 2002.
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