Douglas Naylor appeared on ITV1's The Jeremy Kyle Show yesterday to talk about football violence in the build-up to the World Cup.
He also features in The Real Football Factories, a programme about hooliganism, on Bravo on Thursday night.
Mr Naylor, 41, from Sheffield, was a member of the notorious Owls Crime Squad, a hooligan gang linked to Sheffield Wednesday, and last year co-wrote a book about the group's exploits.
He told Kyle: "I don't want to fight someone on the street just 'cos he's got a certain shirt on. I want their top lad, their main hitter, their hardest boy. Toe to toe. I don't want to be a better person. Since I was a youth I've just done what I've done."
During the programme Stuart and Moira Loftus spoke of how their son Christopher, a Leeds United fan, was stabbed to death before a match in Istanbul in 2000.
Mr Naylor said: "I've got massive sympathy but if you go to Istanbul to watch football – or anywhere – you've got to watch your back."
The married father-of-three revealed his plan to travel to Germany despite the fact he does not have a ticket for any of the games: "I'm just going with my mates and whatever happens, happens."
Speaking after the show, Mr Naylor claimed Kyle had "stitched him up", adding: "I don't hit people for fun. I want to go (to the World Cup). I'm not going to cause trouble.
Asked about his TV appearance by the Yorkshire Post, he said: "I'm not prepared to talk about it."
Police have forced more than 3,000 known troublemakers to hand over their passports prior to the World Cup.
A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said officers were investigating Mr Naylor's comments.