Fighting Fans: Football Hooliganism as a World Phenomenon

Why have problems of hooliganism from the outset become more regularly attached to soccer than to other global sports? This volume considers soccer hooliganism in 14 countries and shows that, despite its tendencies to be associated with British culture, it has long been a social problem worldwide.

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Soccer hooliganism has long been regarded as primarily an English - or perhaps British - disease, yet in fact it has long existed as a social problem worldwide. In this volume, experts consider hooliganism in 14 countries - eight soccer-playing countries in Europe (including Ireland), two in South America, Australia, South Africa, Japan, and, in the case of North America, a chapter on general sports-related violence. Why have problems of hooliganism from the outset become more regularly attached to soccer than to other global sports? The social roots and forms of soccer hooliganism are explored in the various countries. Do racial, religious or social class cleavages play a part in developing and fostering football violence? What part do the media play? Is hooliganism related to the degree to which soccer is central to the value-system of a country, and the length of time that it has occupied such a position?
Though they themselves adhere to a range of different sociological perspectives, the contributors focus on the important theoretical framework devised by Eric Dunning and the Leicester School, in particular the role of aggressive masculinity and the hypothesis that attending matches is part of a "quest for excitement".