Hooliganism

Hooliganism is slang for unruly and/or destructive behavior. Such behavior is commonly associated with sports fans (particularly of both American and association football) and university students, although the accuracy of such beliefs is open to interpretation. Perhaps an iconic example is late-night parties ending in public intoxication. The term has been widely used since at least the 1890s to describe various street gangs of youths behaving indecently.

Origin of name

The origin of the name is uncertain, but it is known that it appeared in an 1898 London police report. One theory has the name coming from an Irish hoodlum from Southwark (London) named Patrick Hooligan; another has it coming from a street gang in Islington named "Hooley", a third lists "Hooley" as an Irish word which means a wild, spirited party.

History of hooliganism and its relationship with sport

Violence in sports has a long history. In the 6th century, rivalry between supporters of the Blue and Green chariot-racing teams in Constantinople, led to 30,000 deaths in the week of the Nika riots in 532.

The game of association football has been associated with violence since its beginnings in 13th century England. Medieval football matches involved hundreds of players, and were essentially pitched battles between the young men of rival villages. Only two periods in British history have been relatively free of football-related violence: the inter-war years and the decade following the Second World War.

The behaviour now known as football hooliganism began in England in the early 1950s. In other European countries, similar patterns of behaviour emerged about fifteen or twenty years later, in the early 1970s. Italian fans created a particularly fanatical brand of football support known as Ultras, who are now a major force in the Italian game and are prevalent in a few other European countries.

Hooliganism in the Soviet Union and Russia

In the Soviet Union "hooliganism" (хулиганство, khuliganstvo) was made a criminal offence under the penal codes of the Soviet republics. In the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (RSFSR), article 216 of the penal code defined "hooliganism" as "any deliberate behaviour which violates public order and expresses explicit disrespect towards the society." This article was used to cover a wide range of behaviours such as vagrancy, stalking, foul language, etc. This law was often used by Soviet authorities against political dissidents involved in public protest.

Hooliganism is still covered under the criminal and administrative codes of the Russian Federation and applicable to persons at least 16 years (the age of full responsibility, by Soviet and Russian laws). Hooliganism is graded into "Malicious hooliganism" (злостное хулиганство, zlostnoye khuliganstvo), (simply) hooliganism, and "Petty hooliganism" (мелкое хулиганиство, melkoye khuliganstvo).

"Petty hooliganism" is "subject to administrative proceedings" ("привлекаться к административной ответственности" (roughly equivalent to application of the civil law)) and classified as "административный проступок" (administrativny prostupok), which is roughly equivalent to infraction). It is applied to deal with minor street disorders, fighting, and disorderly behaviour generally, mainly by urban youth. The two remaining grades are criminal offences. "Malicious hooliganism" is hooliganism committed "with extraordinary cynicism, with resistance to law enforcement, with usage of arms or attempt thereof, or committed by a recidivist."

Hooliganism in Iran

In Iran, hooliganism--including football hooliganism--is punished by prison or death. According to the SMCCDI (Students Movements Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran) four Esfahan residents were executed by hanging between April 8 and 9 for their part in the October 2001 riots, when hundreds of youths took to the streets following a defeat of the Iranian national football team in a World Cup qualifying match. The four were accused of "banditry", "hooliganism" and "aggression" after clashing with police as furious fans shouting "Death to the Islamic Republic" tore down street decorations put up to welcome Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was to visit to the city the following day.

Hooliganism in the People's Republic of China

The crime of hooliganism was abolished in China in 1997 with reform of criminal law and was replaced by "disrupting public orders", "causing mass anger", "vandalism", "destruction of public or private property" and other, all punished by prison or death. (China is a widespread user of capital punishment.) On October 16, 1997 one person was sentenced to death for "stirring up fights and causing trouble". However, in 1998 hooliganism was reintroduced for "Strike Hard". On May 5 (1998) one was sentenced to death for "using condemned mob for committing hooliganism". On July 31 there was a death sentences for "corruption, hooliganism and embezzlement". On November 25, one person was sentenced to death for the alleged crime of "hooliganism". In 2000, there was an execution for "hooliganism and rape". Specified laws on football hooliganism were enacted only in 2005. According to this law, without a formal trial, police can arrest "incomprehensible" suspects, and detaine them for twenty days, impose fines of between 2,000 to 5,000 renminbi and prevent suspects from going to any stadia for up to one year. If tried in court, football hooligans may be executed.

Hooliganism in Argentina and Brazil

Hooliganism in South America is partially different to the one in Europe. Most of the times it is related to football, but many times varies with other sports, such as rugby and basketball. For many fans football is a way of life, rather than a sport. The hinchas (fans) take popular songs, change the lyrics and write their own lyrics based on the team they support. The songs are usually creative and worship the selected team. In most stadiums in South America there is a section behind the goals which has no seats, just stair steps(or terraces). Most hooligans and fans bring flags, fire works, and small pieces of paper they throw when their team comes out to the field. In most derbies, especially El Superclasico (River Plate v. Boca Juniors), there is a unique atmosphere which makes every game a colorful event. However, many times when teams lose decisive matches the fans get violent and fight the police and even their own fellows.

Hooliganism in North America

Although some like to think of hooliganism as a mainly European problem, there have been many instances of sports-related violence in North America as well. Interestingly, sports violence in North America does not seem to take the same team-based, "us vs. them" tone as in other parts of the world, but is more frequently a breakdown of order following a particularly important victory or galling defeat.

Some of the more famous examples of fan violence include:

The 1974 Nickel Beer Brawl at a baseball game at Cleveland Stadium which caused the Cleveland Indians to forfeit to the Texas Rangers after some of the drunken fans started a riot.
Disco Demolition Night started out as a tongue-in-cheek "effigy burning" of disco. Between games of a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers of baseball's American League on July 12, 1979, fans were invited to bring disco records to a large bin on the field to be blown up. Unfortunately the situation turned into a riot; no major damage was caused, but the White Sox were forced to forfeit the second game.
Though no major incidents have occurred, the intense rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees of baseball has known to create volatile environments for both fans and players. The worst conflict occurred when members of the Yankee bullpen were involved in a fight with a member of the Fenway Park grounds crew inside the visitors bullpen during the 2003 ALDS. Charges were originally brought up but later dropped on 2 Yankee players.
A victory celebration in Detroit after the 1990 NBA Finals degenerated into a riot that left 7 dead.
Three people died in Chicago after the Chicago Bulls won the 1993 NBA championship.
The best-known example of sports-related violence in Canada is the Richard Riot that followed the suspension of ice hockey player Maurice Richard in Montreal in 1955.
After the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1993, fans rioted on St. Catherine's Street, torching cars and smashing store windows.
At an NBA game in Detroit in 2004, following a brief altercation on the court, Indiana Pacers player Ron Artest stormed into the stands to chase after a fan who threw a cup at his head, which subsequently caused the game to be cancelled with 45.7 seconds remaining (although the outcome of the game was not in doubt). Artest was suspended by the NBA for the remainder of the season (73 games); other Pacers players would face lesser suspensions and legal charges. The incident would be dubbed "the Malice at the Palace (of Auburn Hills)".
In Boston, a wild victory celebration in the streets outside Fenway Park after the Red Sox won the 2004 ALCS led to the death of Victoria Snelgrove by riot police. Snelgrove's death was caused by a "non-lethal" projectile (a pepper spray pellet fired from an FN 303), and resulted in an investigation into police crowd control tactics.
Fans of New York Rangers ice hockey team are known for excessive behavior ranging from vulgar crowd chants to setting fire to opposing fans' team jerseys.
Fans of Philadelphia Eagles American football team have a widespread reputation for excessive, and sometimes violent behavior. In 1997, a small municipal courthouse was established in Veterans Memorial Stadium (the Eagles' previous home field), along with a small jail, to deal with unruly fans who commit breaches of the peace during Eagles' home games. When the Lincoln Financial Field (the team's current stadium) opened in 2003, it was equipped with similar facilities. This, along with increased patrols by plainclothes Philadelphia police officers, has greatly reduced incidents of fan violence at Eagles' games. (Note: American football is a different sport from soccer football, but both sports are called "football" nonetheless.)
Fans of American football teams Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Washington Redskins also have a notorious reputation for excessive behavior at football games.

Media

Books

Among the Thugs
Red Army General: Leading Britain's Biggest Hooligan Gang
Scally: Confessions Of A Category C Football Hooligan
Football Hooligans: Knowing the Score (Explorations in Anthropology S.)
The Family Game: The Untold Story of Hooliganism in Rugby League
Fighting Fans: Football Hooliganism as a World Phenomenon
Hooliganism: Crime, Culture and Power in St. Petersburg, 1900-14
Football Hooliganism: The Wider Context
Barmy Army: The Changing Face of Football Violence
The Roots of Football Hooliganism
Understanding Soccer Hooliganism
Bloody Casuals: Diary of a Football Hooligan
Naughty: The Story of a Football Hooligan Gang
The Frontline
City Psychos: From the Monte Carlo Mob to the Silver Cod Squad
Rolling with the 6.57 Crew: The True Story of Pompey's Legendary Football Fans
Hooligan Wars: Causes and Effects of Football Violence
Terrace Legends
Congratulations, You have just met the I.C.F.
Flying With the Owls Crime Squad

Documentaries and films

Green Street Hooligans, 2005 film starring Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam
The Football Factory
Trouble On The Terraces
Hooligan
ID
The Firm
Ultra, a 1991 Italian language film that follows a group of AS Roma fans
Proč?
Klatka
Hooligans & Thugs: Soccer's Most Violent Fan Fights, imdb.com

Other

Storm Over Europe
Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly (Saturday Night Live Sketch)

External links

Football (soccer) culture | Violence | History of football (soccer) | Hooliganism

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