Understanding football violence could help the fight against terror

Football has long been tarnished by outbreaks of fan violence. Although media headlines often link the behaviour to 'hooliganism', the activity could stem from potentially more positive motivations, such as passionate commitment to the group and the desire to belong. Understanding the root cause of football violence may therefore help in tackling the behaviour and channelling it into something more positive, Oxford University scientists suggest. Using the theory of identity fusion, an extreme form of social bonding, researchers from the University of Oxford, Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, have investigated fan violence in the UK, Brazil, Australia, and Indonesia. They recently conducted a critical review of literature on the subject. The research, featured in The International Review for the Sociology of Sport, aims to better understand the motivation behind football violence in British and Brazilian fan culture and how this behaviour can be both addressed and potentially channelled into pro-social activity. While hooliganism in the UK and the phenomenon of torcidas organizadas in Brazil have cultural differences, the fundamental motivations that underpin the violence have clear similarities.