The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word VILLAIN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
V
I
L
L
A
I
N
More clues leading to the result VILLAIN
- Criminal is bad in vain
- Brum team at home? One performing may get booed
- Criminal’s nice house and home
- Spanish home, maybe, popular for criminal
- Holiday residence, home for criminal
- Birmingham team at home one behind, getting the crowd screaming?
- Side batting like Blofeld?
- No hero
- One’s base: Roman building, all the rage
- Criminal is proud about evil
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "of football team at home (7)" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case of football team at home (7) = villain.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does VILLAIN mean?
VILLAIN noun- A vile, wicked person.
- In fiction, a character who has the role of being bad, especially antagonizing the hero.
- Any opponent player, especially a hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: hero.
- To debase; to degrade.
- A feudal tenant.