Football Fandom and Violence; Why football cannot "Come Home" until changes are made

by Nina Munro

Football has always been special to me, from celebrations during *that* game in Istanbul, to sobbing during Liverpool’s defeat to Real in 2018, and being thrown around a Spanish pub in Madrid 2019, the rollercoaster journey of being a football fan is second to none. The enjoyment you can glean from one 90-minute match is remarkable. There are cities you can discover while travelling the world with your team, friends you can make over a nail-biting final in the pub and musicians you can uncover by singing the football versions of their song – the opportunities are endless.

It is for these reasons that we understand why football becomes so passionate, and fans become so deeply involved in the game. However, a line must be drawn. There is a huge difference between passion in the way I have described, and the kind of behaviour that we see all too often in 21st century football – behaviour wrongly mistaken as part of being a football fan. It is this kind of behaviour that ruins the reputation of football fans all over, and must be addressed.

The dark side to football is not unknown: previously, when England have lost in World Cup games, domestic violence cases rose by 38%. Football does not cause this violence, but it does aggravate it. Alcohol is seen as the fuel that causes the fire in these situations, and again it is not a surprise that watching football and heavy drinking go hand in hand. In 2018, England beat Sweden in the World Cup quarter final, and on that day, hospitals dealt with a record number of alcohol poisoning cases. A recent study by LSE also showed that non-alcohol related domestic abuse did not rise on match days, further proving that it is in fact beer that often leads to the beating. But why is it that watching football has to end this way for so many people? Why is it that the consumption of alcohol during a football match leads to such damage, disaster, and distress?

Not only does domestic abuse rise during these matches, so too does racism. Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling are just a few of the many individuals who throughout the Euros this summer had to deal with incessant racial abuse. Many of the perpetrators have since been identified and punished – but it still begs the question outlined above, why is this happening, and how can we stop it?

Many suggest that identification is the way forward – meaning that you cannot use social media without having provided identification details, so that the police can easily locate perpetrators. This would definitely reduce racist comments, but would not help change the belief behind the comment, nor would it change the alcohol-related issues football fandom can cause.

As we have seen through the Premier League ‘No to Racism’ campaign, there are efforts within football to prevent racist behaviour and penalise perpetrators. However, this is simply not enough, as we have seen throughout the Euros. On top of this, little has been done within footballing associations to deal with the problems caused by alcohol consumption, and the prevention of domestic abuse.

Here, government, football clubs, football associations, and football players have power, and it is essential they use it.

In fact, drinking is encouraged during football matches, with pubs running football related drinks promotions throughout big championships such as the Euros, World Cup and Champions League. While drinking in view of the pitch is prohibited at actual football games, we cannot control what goes on in the pub or at home. This is the real risk, and this is where real change needs to occur. Already, campaigns such as Football United Against Domestic Violence and organisations such as Refuge and Women’s Aid have made clear the level of support available to victims – a great step in the right direction to raise awareness that this is an ever-growing problem. However, education must now begin at the root: young football fans must be made aware of these issues, and admonished against any such behaviour. Of course, it would be impossible to prevent drinking while watching football without vastly infringing freedoms, but awareness of the problems could be increased, and programmes (displayed primarily online and in education) on the safe enjoyment of football must be prioritised. As a result, public funding is a necessity in addressing this problem before any other individuals are hurt. More of those involved in football must get involved and get behind campaigns such as Football United Against Domestic Violence before any real change can be made. Here, government, football clubs, football associations, and football players have power, and it is essential they use it.

Until these problems are solved, football cannot ‘come home’, as currently its home is not fit for purpose. Football should be enjoyed passionately, but primarily safely, and the behaviour of UK fans at the moment simply cannot continue.