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Ex-leader of Manchester City hooligan gang jailed after tipping off police

The former leader of Manchester City's hooligan gang has been jailed for running a loan shark that 'preyed on the vulnerable'.

Mickey Francis, a father-of-eight, chronicled his days running the army of City thugs - called the Guvnors - in a book that glorified football violence.

After his years running the firm, Francis became a security boss, part-time wrestler and pub landlord.

It was at the pub he ran, called the Eastlands Bar, a stone's throw from City's Etihad Stadium, that he ran his illegal organisation.

Francis was caught when an officer was called to a domestic at his home in Heywood and noticed a large amount of notebooks piled by the door which were branded with the name 'Piggybank Loans'.