Link to another blog: psychology based

Here is a reference to another blog concerning violent behaviour and the psychology behind. The author discusses the different views on hooliganism and how psychologists have approach the question, ”how you become a hooligan.” They have tried to explain through two different perspectives, an individual approach, with individual differences variables as believing in violence as good. The other concerns the social identity, which suggests that people become violent when they feel anonymous in certain situations and lack accountability therefore weaker and unbalanced judgements.

http://crimepsychblog.com/?p=1468

"Psychology and Crime News." / Football Hooliganism: Comparing Self-awareness and Social Identity Theory Explanations. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .

Danish support cultures

Henning Eichberg, Centre of research in sport, health and civil society at Syddansk University

The fan group Copenhagen Lads send in 2004 a recommendation to the church ministry asking permission to become recognized as a community. This was also meant as a joke but as Coubertin said that the Olympic sport was ”the athletes religion” without irony. Religion and violence doesn’t go hand in hand or maybe does.

The first sign of hooliganism was in the 1960’s where the hooligan was compared to the youth cultural trends, as teds, mods and rockers. British sociologists said that hooligans were a part of the rougher part of the working class. You always feared that hooliganism would spread to Denmark, but it never happened. In stead the roligan was invented in the start of the 1980’s as a peaceful supporter. The roligan could be drinking just as much as the hooligan but shows no aggression. Here followed the nationalistic feeling as football was like going to a carnival. It was in the beginning of the 1990’s that hooliganism came to Denmark as unofficial supporter groups were made to take distance from the official fan groups. Inspired by the Italians, the ultras were making tifo’s, which were big banners in various colours and motifs of the heroes or making a fool of the opposition. The name ultra was taken from the 1960’s left radical movements in Italy and from their right extremist sidepiece, the new fascists. The casuals support groups were inspired from the 1970’s Liverpool groups where it was becoming a fashion to use football events to rob clothes stores for expensive fashionable clothing – Lacoste, Armani, Burberry. These brands were known as causal brands. Casuals were strictly hierarchical built and leader managed groups who could arrange fights against other casual groups according to known rules. This regulated violence in male groups can be explained through the supporter’s background in the working class, but you staged yourself as a well-dressed middleclass and develop self-understanding as an elite fan. Politically viewed most of the casuals are right winged, but the group is not political.

New tribalism and a kick in the everyday

In common the fan cultures have the passion for the game. They do not just stand and watch passively but are actors in the sports atmosphere. Through their atmospheric embossing supporter practise at stadium they build an intense identification with the club. The unofficial supporters see themselves as the better and more authentic representation of the club than the randomly selected players. The supporter’s self-understanding are easily viewed through a statistical survey with almost 2000 respondents. But the fan cultures dynamic build up to more than just a research on the supporter’s opinions, it demands a philosophical reflection and here in death going interviews can help (Joern 2007). The supporter’s atmosphere creates a special kick or rush in peoples boring everyday. The fan culture can successfully by compared to the once modern carnival, which Mikhail Bahktin have written as an expression for a interpersonal alternate world against church authorities and the everyday and as a sort of popular opposition. But in force of its temporary character stabilised the carnival and confirmed the established order, as Umberto Eco critically has objected. The supporter’s symbolic aggressions and regulated violence can even in big parts be understood as a part in a ritual tribe war as also have anthropological aspects. This confirms what the sociologist Michel Maffesoli has described as the modern days new tribalization. There are in the mean time more participants at the football field than supporters. The media plays an important role, nevertheless through their labelling of the supporters as dangerous hooligans. And the police practice signal politics through preventive arrests of people, who usually is viewed as being# out of medical assistance.” These image depictions and actions are understood as provocations towards the fans. And the provocation is not even under the new tribal relation an unwelcomed gesture. - This can help the kick.- And it can be the cause of dangerous escalations. The research makes us smarter on fans and their cultures – fan cultures in plural. The hooligan term overshadows the supporter’s structured diversity. Fans are not “other people,” which the media and police often portray them as – they must be understood from the perspective of our social relations normality. This also means that you should be warned against using overdriven political correctness on the ritual threat gestures. A deeper understanding off the “incorrect” in the support culture could have practical consequences for lowering both fan and police violence. And what is then religion? Concerning the football sport quasi-religious dimension, the answers aren’t that simple. Sport is not a religion, concludes Lise Joerns book after closer consideration and interpretation of various theories. Sport is sooner a religion replacement. The support culture has with people’s obsession and devotion to do, with the seeking after intensity, with atmosphere, songs and other practices and experiences that crosses the limits.

Fan culture does not just suggest what sport is but also what religion is. In the religion sociology is often written to theories oppositely -The substantial and the functional. Traditionally viewed, you see religion as a certain substance, organised around an essential core, which have to do with believe, Godness or the holly. The sport has nothing to do with this. In contrast, has the sociological functionalism interest in our religions function: the people integrated though common values in a certain community. The explanation goes top-down and has therefore difficulty with reaching the religious dimensions as deviation, rebellion, alternative culture and decoupling. The supporter research suggests a third dimension: religion is a certain form of social-bodily practices and experience in movement – a common doing, songs and ritual repetitions exceed the daily utilitarian-world. Maybe there was more religion in the middle age carnivals and self organised rituals than in the established church? In that case, the way for the fan culture to strong common motions towards religion is still long. Likewise, the sports study can add the human science new insights, as it can’t get from elsewhere – about people in movement, peoples emotional need and living religion.

Hooliganism / support culture

When the aggressive Irish Patrick Hooligan torn his surroundings with drinking, fighting and thefts in the 1800 was he little aware of the fact that he would put name to the violent subculture for rabid football fans according to writer Clarence Rooks in Hooligan Nights.

As Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once said,” football is not a matter of life and death, it’s much more important that that.”

It is a lifestyle and a case of honour. This English hooligan culture gave them a bad reputation after exclusions from other European stadium, which took them a long time to recover from.

The English firms made gentlemen agreements for how the fights would be done and situated. The rules were agreed and the fights would then go on until one group was defeated which gave good reputation to the winning team.

Hooliganism is known as the “English sickness.” This refers to the organised football related violence between rival football fans, which mostly have originated in England and after episodes with English fans around in Europe. Vandalism and vandalism is one of the major aspects of their actions, which make the notorious reputation what it is. It originated around 1985 in England and evolved across borders as football became more popular.

A person can have different grader of emotional involvement, which can be, vary. It is not a stationary and insensitive relation, that a person during a match can be varied between emotional involvements. This engagement is different from fan to fan and how much football are a part of your everyday and the age of the person. The behaviour can vary from the applauding to a constant engagement and involvement in common actions.

Amount of emotional involvement

Spectator

Fan

- roligan

Supporter

- ultras

- casuals

- hooligan

In the Danish support culture only Brondby football has a paid president, where all others are voluntary and the support groups earn money through membership and souvenirs.

The biggest role of the president is to agree on guidelines for what behaviour is allowed. The president also arranges buses for away games and parties. The members of the groups are mostly youngsters with the average age on 22 where most are men. The more shocking aspect is that whole 15 percent are female which is very uncommon in other countries.

Many people have the prejudice that supporters come from the working class, but the supports occupational composition goes against that. Half of the supporters live at their parents, which makes them economically independent.

p. 25 table.

Parents jobs in percentage

--- Father - Mother

Studying o% - 2%

Uneducated worker 6% - 12%

Educated worker 26% - 16%

Lower functionary/official 7% - 18%

Higher functionary/official 29% - 23%

Independent 17% - 10%

Unemployed 15% - 19%

(N=376 and 388) 100% - 100%

According to Peter Grønlund, football specialist and author, believe the 4 elements: atmosphere, community, lifestyle, identity and rituals and myths, is what makes support groups attractive. The mood experiences and the community can be seen as direct motifs to become a supporter whilst lifestyle/identity and rituals /myths can be seen as sub-elements. The lifestyle is the engagement as supporter whilst the rituals confirms the community and therefore enhances the mood experiences. These aspects connect together independent from each other.

65 percent of supporters prefer to attend a match where their team is loosing but the atmosphere is good instead of the other way around. The new members are more focused on the atmosphere than the once that have been their longer who is more into the match. This counts especially of r lower or higher functionaries.

You could say that the supporters override there won personality at the same time as the personal identity floats together with the others and therefore creates a collective identity.

The modern peoples challenges right now is to create your identity. The society is characterized by a individualising process, where everybody a higher number of individual opportunities to realise your own life project. To conclude, the supporters could choose to be supporters or not, just as they can decide how big a part of their life it will take. The economic boundaries aren’t big and everybody have a possibility to become a supporter.

The community they mostly seek is the wide community where they only meet with the other supporters at the matches. Today we mostly seek communities a short period of time because we mostly go from one community to another because we choose communities where we can accomplish something. People seek a rush in the supporter culture or at least something different from the everyday.

As a replacement for the traditional social relations in family religion and politics, new communities are created. Through the close and intimate relations to other supporters, obtains the single individual a form for personal satisfaction, which helps them feel secure. We all need people we can trust and to obtain personal confidence it is necessary to open you to others, which is best obtain by exhibit warmth and openness. We share our identity and intimate with others and if this bond is broken consequences will be severe.

Interview with british football fan

Hooliganism consists of different communities where from the people can be anywhere from 17 to 70. The fights are unlike your everyday verbal fights, which therefore can help you get away from reality and have an out lead for your worries. Football is like society because people need football to take their aggression out on and is therefore popular from varying age-groups.

You obtain a certain reputation and people remember your face and make it impossible for you to go in certain areas. “There were some people from North London that knew me and made me unable to go to White Hart Lane. Hooliganism didn’t give my any family problems, but it does affect your professional life because you create another identity, which makes you feel like you are two separate people with separate needs.” (Football fan) This shows the good/responsible and the bad/irresponsible side where one side sometimes appear more tempting than the other. “The temptation is walking with two hundreds people and gaining a buzz. There is a certain risk to it, but the temptation is so dominant because you feel like the king of the world, but you reach a point in your life where you cannot afford to let the football affect your work and that’s when you realize that you must stop.” (Football fan)

It appears that this lifestyle can affect the football experience for an average bystander, but as my source explains it is important to have principles and therefore not hurting innocent football fans. “I have my principles and you do not go to cause trouble or hurt anybody innocent and unwilling of receiving a punch. “(Football fan) Less fair is it when you are on your own and are getting knocked down by your enemies. These hooligans doesn’t seem to have as many boundaries and responsible barriers and often the once that creates a lot of fuzz.

“I have tried to be knocked to the ground by several people when being on my own and you suddenly realize that the protection and safety you get from being in your group is valuable. It is fantastic to have each others backs and be able to help your friends. “(Football fan)

“In big matches for example against Manchester or Liverpool, you get bricks thrown at you, but you don’t care when your young.”(Football fan) It creates an atmosphere where your fully awareness is crucial when you must avoid getting hid. You cannot stress out, but remember to use your fear constructively against your enemy and this makes the fight scenes very dramatic and brutal. This part of the football culture is unstoppable as long as football stays popular. It is a part of the football culture to have the fans humiliating the other fans and maintain their pride and without it football wouldn’t have the same drama ongoing. “Football will always have rivalry. It is tribal and that’s why Arsenal will always hate Tottenham and why knowing your territory is important so you don’t get into trouble.”(Football fan)

Millwall is known as a very racist team and have the highest tendency of getting arrested. This might be explained by the long history that is trying to be maintained and the tribal look on things where you stick to old tradition of being white and showing that their the same and therefore have an unbreakable relation and sees each others as brothers.

The media often depicts situations more dramatically than they are and in some cases mentions less dramatic events more serious. “The media said that black fans are more careful in Ukraine, to hype the situation and therefore hoping to create some sort of story that can sell papers.”(Football fan) Journalists often generalize hooligans and that can be hard to get around that stereotypical view created by the media.

The media would after my opinion have given my the impression that hooligans are physically violent on everyday basis, but according to my source he has learnt not to make people bother him, but he can get in argument and fight verbally, but does not solve conflicts using violence.

"Interview Football Fan." Telephone interview. 25 Jan. 2012.

Folk Devils and Moral Panics

Hooligans can stand out as a threat towards social values and interests, which is being covered stereotypically by the media, where the right winged thinkers, let their moral standpoints understood. This lets the hooligans stand at court to a judgemental referee that makes “inform” decisions using their intellectual, but non-based knowledge take side without knowing the truth.

The sudden angst and panic created by a certain situation, that more likely to be a speculation, make people seek to the higher anarchy to find a quick resolution to quiet down the media and people for the moment.

The memory will at times remember the fear and panic created at the times of sudden fright. The remembrance can also be less dominant when being faced towards a new and similar occasion, because of a less dramatic description of events by the media. The people notice the reoccurring events and prefer the more violent and serious matters, where hooligans are brought in the picture. These young Mods and rockers interfere with the næthinden and leave a memory of chaotic and destructive behaviour that is intolerable. This is a position as folk devils, described by Stanley Cohen in “Folk Devils and Moral Panics.”

It’s a case of juvenile bandits that are the causation of moral panics in the public space, which bizarrely is not often visible. These collective movements of young fascists who’s is as animalistic viewed tries to escape from something and therefore seek something in common, where as a result fashion and styles are a part of the culture.

The medias idealistic view on hooliganism has made the hooligans suffer much more, because they are labelled as a phenomenon, which can be identified by the public and therefore easily be thought of as “irresponsible, immature and lacking respect for authority.” The people have made their standpoint and so has the media. Hooliganism is an interesting topic and now become internal enemies with the intention of damaging the reputation of the country.

It is nothing but chronic restlessness that is no good for society.

This is the right winged viewpoint, which consists of the respected leaders of the nation.

They generalize the groups and degrade them as much as possible, because of bedreviden. This is what the youth is fighting against. An old way of controlling and ruling people which at times goes too far and is the causation of riots and vandalism. It’s the same every generation have been fighting against.

Book Source 4 Stanley Cohen, “Folk Devils and Moral Panics,” Third Edition: Routledge, 2002, (print)

Hooligan firms

In this post I refer to an Internet site that gives a good idea of the many hooligan firms and the different countries involved. This site is against any form of violence and only a site for enlightenment.

Millwall Bushwackers are one of the notorious hooligan firms from London. They have been involved in more incidents than any others. The club has many critics, but they do not care as song in the chant, “No one likes us, we don’t care.”

You can read more about incidents and clashes at: http://www.football-hooligans.org/millwall-bushwackers-hooligans.html

West Ham Hooligans ICF – Inter City Firm. This is another London firm, which has taken its name from the rail network when travelling to other firms for fighting. The firm are famous for leaving a note saying, “Congratulations, You have just met the IFC.” This would be after crashing a pub or beating other firms.

West Ham are often used in films such as Hooligans where Millwall play an important role, but also in the movie Cass, describing Cass Pennants way to the leading position of the firm taking in mind his colour and the racism in many of the firms including Millwall.

Read more on: http://www.football-hooligans.org/westham-intercityfirm-hooligans.html

Other notorious hooligan firms:

Man Utd red army

Birmingham Zulus

Leeds service crew

Chelsea Head-hunters

Football hooliganism can be affected by society and this was the case as the communistic regime in Poland collapsed in the 1990’s. This meant a rise in unemployment and a failed economy, which were the causation of many young and frustrated men who had to cope through violence. This helped the increase of hooligans in Poland and today known as one of the most notorious countries of hooliganism.

Most countries affected by hooliganism have a history of economy failure, undereducated and unemployment.

Read more about these countries on: http://www.football-hooligans.org/countries.html

Website source 2 "Football Hooligans." Football Hooligans. Copyright 2008-2012, Web. 15 Mar. 2012. .

First time at Parc de Prince

My first hooliganism face off

I was going to watch Paris Saint Germain play a match against Montpellier with my friends. What looked like a friendly match-up turned out to be much more intense than expected.

We came in good time to find our seats since it was our first time at Parc de Prince and already at the entrance we got the feeling that the people attending were not out on a picnic. Most fans were wearing caps and bulldog shirts and basically looked hardcore.

We were lucky to be standing at the family stand as the lights started to flair and suddenly the match went on hold. A cloud from the numerous lights added to the yelling from each end stand was nothing but a bit frightening as the sun just had left the stadium.

PSG lost the match 3-1, but we didn't get to see the last goal as we had left the premises before the final whistle. We did not want to confront some angry and violent football fans, which ruined a good football match.