Hooliganism in Football (Soccer)

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The topic I have chosen for research paper is HOOLIGANISM in football. Although football hooliganism only became recognized by government and the media as a serious problem in the 1960s, hooligan behavior at football has a long history. Between the wars, football generally became more ‘respectable’ and crowd problems diminished but did not disappear. As far as most football fans at top matches are concerned, hooliganism no longer seems to be a terribly serious problem. In 2000, 19% of all FA Premier League fans reported they had witnessed hooliganism or missile throwing at matches in the 1999/2000 season. When asked which are the serious problems facing the game today FA Premier League fans pointed to ticket prices, ‘big business’ and kick-off times. Only 28% highlighted hooliganism. Also, in 2001 only 7% of all FA Premier League club supporters thought hooliganism was actually increasing as a problem at football. In the Football League, hooliganism seems to be a problem around a relatively small number of clubs and specific matches. However, the NCIS annual list of football incidents seems more likely these days to involve rivals from noted Football League clubs than supporters of the larger FA Premier League outfits. (Sir Norman Chester research Centre data)

Hooliganism is a word which means violence, persecution and disrespect of public order. Mostly, the term of "hooligan" (someone who takes part in Hooliganism), is used in the football context. Then, a hooligan is someone, a fan of a football team, who does not respect rules, in front of police power most of the time.
The game of football has been associated with violence since its beginnings in 13th century England. Medieval football ma...

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...s between fans at local and national levels, the striking feature of the research is the high degree to which football unites people from varied backgrounds across the whole of Europe, and undoubtedly beyond. The prevention of football hooliganism requires a concerted and continuous response. Cross-national and cross-local dissimilarities in the patterns and forms of football hooliganism reveal that, despite important transnational resemblances, football hooliganism is nested within particular (local) fan cultures. Prevention strategies should therefore be designed to fit local needs. The good practices discussed in this paper may help to promote a more profound understanding of possible strategies for the prevention of football hooliganism. To advance such an understanding, the transnational exchange and dissemination of local knowledge and practices are required.

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