Why Do We Do It?

How is hooliganism provoked?, does it begin by football fans showing their aggression of their football teams no doing well?, is it provoked by our passion for the beautiful game?. Or is it just the fact that we make others life a misery, simply because their's are?.

What do you think?

OPINIONS WOULD BE GREATFUL!!!

Nath

Drama in Serie A

Sorry It's been a while. But as mentioned before, im focusing on how football violence is portrayed through the media. Recently there has been alot of attenttion in Italy, with the focus on their major football league, Serie A.

A gang named the 'Ultras' are engaged in a trial with the Italian authorities after riots in two cities last week, which was prompted by the death of a Lazio fan, shot dead by the police. As he was claimed amung with others to have ambushed a group of Juventus fans. The policeman is under investigation.

Due to this incident, as well as many other recurring incidents, certain well known football stars have threatened to leave the league if the problem doesn't resolve itself. One of them being AC Milan' KAKA.

Claiming “If I was unhappy to live in Italy and if I wasn’t content playing for Milan I would have already gone".

Nath.

RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER - TRAILER

The latest hooligan slash, gangsta film to be released, like we dont have enough.



Nath

RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIERS - Not another one!?

Yes peeps yet again the film industry cant help but glamourise the growing fascination that is Hoolignism. With film makers producing another film to be released in mid september of this year entitled, "RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIERS".

Rise of the Footsoldier follows the inexorable rise of Carlton Leach from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late eighties and early nineties. It is three decades of his life following him from football hooliganism, through to his burgeoning career as a bouncer, his involvement in the criminal aspects of the early 'rave' scene and subsequently to his rise to power as one of the most feared and respected criminals in the country.

from imdb (internet movie database)

Nath

Media coverage of football hooliganism

Football hooliganism can be seen as something of an easy target' for the media. With journalists present at every match across the country, the chances of a story being missed are slim. TV cameras also mean that disturbances within stadiums are caught on video. Since the 1960s, in fact, journalists have been sent to football matches to report on crowd behaviour, rather than just the game.

The British tabloid press in particular have an enthusiastic' approach to the reporting of soccer violence, with sensationalist headlines such as "Smash These Thugs!", "Murder on a Soccer Train!" (Sun), "Mindless Morons" and "Savages! Animals!" (Daily Mirror).

Whilst open condemnation of hooligans is the norm across the media, it has been argued that this sensationalist style of reporting presents football violence as far more of a concern than it actually is, elevating it to a major social problem'. The problem of press sensationalism was recognised in the 1978 Report on Public Disorder and Sporting Events, carried out by the Sports Council and Social Science Research Council.

It observed that:

"It must be considered remarkable, given the problems of contemporary Britain, that football hooliganism has received so much attention from the Press. The events are certainly dramatic, and frightening for the bystander, but the outcome in terms of people arrested and convicted, people hurt, or property destroyed is negligible compared with the number of people potentially involved."

Furthermore, some critics argue that media coverage of hooliganism has actually contributed to the problem . More recently, the popular press has been criticised for it's pre-match reporting during the 1996 European Championships.

Click link

Nath

Armchair hooligans get their chance

Hooligans on a video game, what is happening.


A computer game that gives players the chance to become the most notorious football hooligans in Europe looks set to be released later this year despite calls for it to be banned.

Hooligans has the backing of the software makers' industry body, which said people should remember that it was just a game intended to entertain.

Source: BBC

Hooligans on the NET!!!!!!!!!

Claims that soccer hooligans use the Internet to organise violence have been attacked by the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and other organisations, all of which claim the issue is being blown out of proportion by the media.

Nath

More Panorama

After watching the whole documentary, here is a six minute clip on what actually happened on England travels to Germany.

Before watching this clip, i advise that there is alot of foul language and some racial slurs and remakes.



Nath

Panorama Continued

By what the BBC has done, filming football hooligans in the act. I believe that even though they are showing the nation that there is a problem with voilence in football. By them recording it, i feel that the media in some way is glamourising it not to strongly, but enough to make people belive that its a cool thing to be apart of. Showning that some hooligans getting involved as a way of showning there pride for their country.

Panorama

During the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Panorama carried out an undercover investigation into the hooligan violence created by England supportors. The investigation follows England fans and infiltrates groups of troublemakers on their travels from Frankfurt to Gelsenkirchen.

Nath

Football firms hit the film circuit

The Football Factory, the first of four forthcoming films dramatising soccer violence in the UK.

The film's makers have courted controversy by playing it to invited audiences of hardcore hooligans at several private screenings across the country.

'Hooliganism is being glorified by the media yet again, and we are not pleased'

Vince Alm
Cardiff City Supporters Club chairman

This article shows that even professional club owners, are aware of the affect the media is having on football violence and showing their surport to the fact that the media is glamourising violence in football.

Source: BBC Entertainment
Nath

The Media's Coverage Of Football Hooliganism

The issue of the media's coverage of football hooliganism is very important as it is the media that help construct the public’s understanding and view of the phenomenon.

Within Britain the tabloid press in particular have found hooliganism to be an easy target for the kind of sensationalist reporting that boosts their circulation. This sensationalist style of reporting often relies on powerful headlines grounded in violent imagery and war metaphors whilst articles are regularly 'edited for impact'.

This style of reporting has developed over the past50 years sparked by the moral panic of the 1950's at the rise of juvenile crime and delinquency. To many, the tabloids’ style of reporting, such as the publishing of league tables of hooligan notoriety (Daily Mirror 1974) serve to encourage hooligans and place them in the limelight.

Nath

My Views

Does the media glamourise football violence?, I think in some way it does. Even though violence in football has been around for many years, I feel more and more people are starting to recognise the violence through the beautiful game which is football. In recent years the film industry has started to produce films that focus on hooliganism, such as 'Football Factory' and 'Green Street'. With myself, living in East London, where the film 'Green Street' is based, I feel that the title hyped up the film even more than it being a film based on Hooligans. Living in East London, so close to the area, made it for me worthwhile seeing.

I believe the media encourages football violence.

What do you think?

Yours opinons would be greatful.

Thanks

Nath

REAL FOOTBALL FACTORIES

Researching into football violence, i recently began to watch a programme that looks especially at football hooligans. Danny Dyer, a main character from one of the most recent hooligan films, 'Football Factory' presents the show. The programme shows the in depth life of football hooligans and firms. the programme show his views, experience and what actually happens.

Here is a clip from the first ever episode.

Research Methods

There are two different sources of research Quantitative and Qualitative:

Quantitative - Where the research is based on numbers, statistics and data from large groups of people.

Qualitative - A type of research that attemps to explain or understand something, by usually discussing and analysising a series of data, which normally envolves small groups of people.

These then branch off into two types of research:

Primary Research

Audience reception research (focus groups, work experience, interviews, industry visits);
candidates’ own textual analysis and own critical responses/theses.

Secondary Research

Use of books/study guides and other library resources, such as newspapers, magazines, journals, video/DVD/television resources, existing research studies;
industry, academic and other related web sites etc.

So looking ahead , i feel that gathering primary research will help me notice the opinions of others towards the topic i tend to research. Whereas Secondary will also help me get other peoples views and helpful facts which will enable me to answer my hypothesis.

Films revive spectre of Football Violence

Just when football needed it least, films revive the spectre of hooligan gangs

The impending release of two films dramatising football hooliganism has raised some concerns among the authorities and supporters' groups that violence is being glamorised on the eve of a crucial period for the game.

The Football Factory, a raw examination of the relationships between a gang of Chelsea followers and their violent confrontation with rivals from Millwall. Yesterday, meanwhile, filming ended on The Yank, an American film in which, somewhat implausibly, Elijah Wood plays a student expelled from Harvard who takes up with West Ham's notorious Inter City Firm.


Nath

Decision Time

I have decided to focus on the representaion of the media towards Football violence, whether they are against it or if they seem to be encouraging it.

Possible hypothesis that I may decide on follow:

Does media representation encourage football violence?

Nath

OOOoooo the Possibilities

Now, the crucial part of my critical research is now finding a hypothesis. This is the time where it gets tricky, i'll have to narrowing down the certain possible ideas into one hypothesis, which will determine the direction I take my critical research in. Concentrating on football violence, im tring to find something on the lines of these few ideas.

• Media representation on football violence
• Football Violence in England
• The cause of Football Violence
• Why Fans Thrive of violence

I would appreciate your views and opinions if possible

Nath

The 'ICF' (Inter City Firm)

The Inter City Firm, one of the most notorious recognized football hooligan firms in the UK known as the 'ICF'. A title given to them as they would travel on the Inner city train rail to get to away matches. So being a West Ham United supporter, i thought that it would be intresting to search into something i rarely know about.

Nath

Define 'Hooliganism'

"Hooliganism refers to unruly and destructive behavior".

"Such behavior is commonly associated with sports fans, particularly supporters of professional football and university sports. In some countries, the hooligan elements of a group of supporters are known as Category C. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol or drugs."

Nath

Sport and Media - Football Hooliganism

Football hooliganism

Being intrested in football i've always wanted to know, what was the main cause of hooliganism.

Here are two film trailers, which represent the acts of football hoolignism.

Green Street


Football Factory


Nath

WHAT TO DO???

My first post on the blog, I'm at a stage where i dont really have a clear idea of what i really want to concentrate on. But with the topics been given, the ones that seem to intrest me are, Crime and Media, Sports and Media and Children and the media.