Football Spectator Violence During Matches at the Zimbabwe Football Association Division One Level in Gweru District

Background: A number of football matches in Gweru district have been characterised by undesirable acts of spectator violence resulting in injury and malicious damage to property. Football spectator violence is a very negative phenomenon in football because it chases away sponsors who do not want their organisations and brands to be associated with hooliganism. Violence also discourages spectators from attending football matches as they fear for their safety. This status quo precipitated the need to identify football stakeholders’ perceptions on the causes of spectator violence during football matches at Division One level in Gweru District. Aims: The primary aim and focus of this study was to investigate spectator violence among football spectators in Gweru district in Zimbabwe. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to identify the main causes of football spectator violence and recommend strategies to mitigate or even eliminate this scourge. Study Setting: The study was conducted in Gweru district in the midlands province of Zimbabwe. Materials and Methods: The study adopted the quantitative research approach utilising the descriptive survey design. Closed questionnaires were used to collect data from, twenty division one footballers from four Gweru division one football clubs, twenty spectators, six football referees and four coaches. This resulted in a total sample of fifty (50) respondents. Simple random sampling (Gold Fish Bowl procedure) was used to select the twenty players and six referees. Purposive sampling was used to select the four coaches and twenty football spectators. Statistics: Data was analysed statistically using simple frequency tables. Results and Conclusion: The study revealed that spectator violence during football matches at division one level in Gweru is mainly a result of hooliganism, controversial refereeing, lack of fair play by footballers in the field of play, outcome of matches, rivalry between clubs and euphoria. Factors such as use of juju, prestige seeking by spectators and reporting of violence by the media were found to be minor contributors towards football spectator violence during football matches in Gweru district. Recommendations: The study recommends that the Zimbabwe republic police who provide security during these violent matches should tighten security at football matches by searching all fans thoroughly for dangerous weapons and alcohol at stadia entry points. ZIFA and PSL should educate all football clubs on the negative effects of violence and punish offending teams severely. The clubs should educate their fans to shun violence. Sponsors should include funds in their sponsorship packages for purposes of educating fans on violence. Soccer players should lead by example and avoid provoking other team’s fans

Reducing spectator violence in Zimbabwe’s Premier Soccer League

The Zimbabwean soccer scene has continued to be dogged by the problem of increasing spectator violence despite the calls and efforts of various stakeholders to reduce it. The efforts to deal with the problem have had little effect and this has affected the game negatively in many aspects. Through a participatory action research design the study sought to explore the nature, causes, and effects of the violence. The study also sought to establish how the spectators could be engaged in the efforts to reduce the violence. The study was informed by Galtung’s violence theory and Lederach’s conflict transformation theory. Through the participation of members a local soccer supporters’ club the study found that violence manifests in various forms in and that the causes of violence are many. Some of the causes of violence are psychological while some are systemic. The participants in the study were able to run a workshop on violence which was regarded as a necessary first step in the fight against spectator violence. Another important finding was that participatory action research can indeed be used effectively to address the issue of spectator violence. The study goes on to present recommendations based on the findings. One of the recommendations made is that an infrastructure for reducing spectator violence be established by the various stakeholders involved in soccer

The All-Seeing Eye of State Surveillance in the Italian Football (Soccer) Terraces: The Case Study of the Football Fan Card

The football (soccer) stadium in Italy has been, since its origin, not only a ludic space but also a symbolic setting that has often reflected national socio-political issues such as the country’s north/south economic and political divide, the existence of organized crime, the promotion of radical political ideologies, and, concomitantly, racism and homophobia. In such a milieu, the spectacle of football can suddenly shift to symbolic and factual violence. One of the main tools of the complex Italian counter hooliganism model (CHM) is the Tessera del tifoso, a compulsory fan ID scheme adopted in 2009 to curb football spectator violence. This paper attempts to systematically evaluate this scheme for the first time, adopting as its conceptual frame Giorgio Agamben’s concepts of the state of exception, bare life, the (concentration) camp, and dispositivo (apparatus). It is argued that the Tessera del tifoso serves as a most prominent example of a CHM based on a permanent state of exception manifested by an increase in State surveillance, control, and regulation of fans’ lives with potential implications for their civil liberties and freedom.

Bezpečnostní politika proti diváckému násilí v České republice ve srovnání s evropskými frankofonními zeměmi

The paper deals with the security policy against spectator violence in the Czech Republic in comparison with selected Western European countries. For the purpose of comparison, French-speaking countries, whose security policy in the field is not much discussed, are chosen on purpose; these are France, Belgium and Switzerland. Attention is paid especially to measures targeted on individuals and their risk behavior rather than to relevant institutions in the field. The description of existing measures and the context of their adoption in the selected cases should lead to evaluation of the Czech security measures and to discussion whether it could be helpful to draw more inspiration in the foreign countries besides the countries typically serving as examples in the field, as England, Germany or Netherlands are.

Analýza bezpečnostní politiky během Mistrovství světa ve fotbale 2014 v Brazílii

The case study analyzes the security policy of FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil. This study aims to present the greatest risks associated with organizing events of such magnitude and analyze strategic Brazils approach to ensure security during the championship. Among the biggest security risks of the championship were classified areas as terrorism, crime, social protests, spectator violence and hooliganism, cyber threats and health hazards. The paper also focuses on the actual process of championships and the consequences which brought about.

Sociální prevence a pedagogické aktivity proti diváckému násilí: přehled situace v Německu a v České republice

This paper deals with social prevention and pedagogic activities in the field of countering spectator violence (interconnected with sport). General framework of the whole issue is realized. Highly developed activities of the governmental as well as non-governmental sphere in Germany are described (streetwork, crisis intervention, individual assistance etc.). German experiences are confronted with experiences from the Czech Republic (association Pro Fotbal Fans, for example). Role of international organization is mentioned (mostly Council of Europe, UEFA and FIFA, including Fans Embassies project). Recommendations for educational sphere in the Czech Republic are included in conclusion.