Hooliganism and Supporter Violence: Examining the Rome, Lisbon and Athens Derbies

The practice of Hooliganism, or violent and aggressive styles of support linked to one or more specific football club, first emerged in England in the 1960’s. A combination of mass media, films such as Green Street Hooligans, and increases in law enforcement enabled Hooliganism to spread all over Europe. This paper seeks to explain Hooligan cultures, how they emerge, their characteristics and the type of individual they attract. Furthermore, this paper examines the situational variables present on match-day that lead to supporter violence. Additionally, this paper aggregates numerous findings on crowd behavior and Hooliganism, and then applies them three case studies: the Rome, Lisbon and Athens derbies. Case studies seek to highlight some of the mediating and moderating factors in that particularly rivalry, as well the differences in Hooligan cultures across countries