''Soccer's Hard Men'' is a 1992 football video by Video Vision, presented by then-footballer and current

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Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is a British actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chels ...

. The video featured footage of British players (some still playing at the time and others who had by then retired) known for their ferocity, including

Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, and current TV pundit. A midfielder, Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s, player-manager of Ranger ...

Bryan Robson Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in ...

Nobby Stiles Norbert Peter Stiles (18 May 194230 October 2020) was an English footballer and manager. He played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal. He played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign. In ...

, Norman Hunter,

Jack Charlton John Charlton (8 May 193510 July 2020) was an English footballer and manager who played as a defender. He was part of the England national team that won the 1966 World Cup and managed the Republic of Ireland national team from 1986 to 199 ...

Steve McMahon Stephen Joseph McMahon (born 20 August 1961) is an English football manager, former professional footballer and current television pundit. As a player, he was a midfielder from 1979 to 1998, most notably playing for Liverpool in the late 1980s. ...

, Tommy Smith,

Peter Storey Peter Edwin Storey (born 7 September 1945) is a former England international footballer. Able to play at full-back or more commonly as a defensive midfielder, he picked up a reputation in the Football League as an aggressive player in the 1960 ...

, Ron "

Chopper Harris Ronald Edward Harris (born 13 November 1944), known by the nickname "Chopper" for his tough style of defending, is an English former footballer who played for Chelsea in the 1960s and 1970s. Harris captained Chelsea to FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winner ...

" and Billy Bremner. Publicity for the video described it as "the toughest football video in history". This and similar claims led to accusations that the video glorified foul play. Jones' commentary, in which he described tricks used by "hard man" players to intimidate opponents, caused particular controversy. The clubs of the players involved in the production were quick to distance themselves from the contents.

Sam Hammam Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictio ...

, chairman of Wimbledon, whose " Crazy Gang" featured heavily in the video, said the production was "nothing to do with Wimbledon", describing Jones (who played for Wimbledon) as "a mosquito brain", and banning the sale of the video in the club shop. The Football Association formally charged Jones with bringing the game into disrepute on 30 September 1992, with the video still yet to be released. Following a hearing on 17 November, Jones was fined a record £20,000, surpassing a fine of £8,500 issued to Paul McGrath three years earlier. Jones also received a suspended sentence with the potential for a six-month ban, though the period of the suspended sentence expired without the ban being enacted. The

Professional Footballers' Association The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members. The aims of ...

(PFA) attempted to bring an injunction to ban the video, but abandoned their efforts after being advised that it was not legally viable. PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor later gave evidence in support of Jones at an appeal hearing, held in February 1993. Jones' appeal was rejected, and his punishment upheld. Figures from London bookshop ''Sportspages'' listed ''Soccer's Hard Men'' as the second-best selling sports video in the run-up to Christmas 1992.

References

External links

* 1992 films British association football films 1992–93 in English football 1992–93 in Scottish football 1990s English-language films 1990s British films {{1990s-UK-film-stub