Why Soccer Teams Should Be Fined and Given Stadium Bans

aka Hooliganism in Football
(A paper I wrote for my Ethics in Sports Management class in 2021)
((also, not the best title… but I made an A on this so we move)

Violence has been a part of soccer since the early 1800s and throughout the centuries has been an issue not only for the sport but society as well. Fans would not only attack those from opposing team, but the players on the field as well. There came a point where King Edward III of England had to ban the sport in the country (Maloba, 2020). Even then, the violence still occurred. Many have tried to find ways to diminish the violence, but there never seems to be an exact resolution. The past couple of years though, governing-body federations like FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) have fined teams and even given bans at times for their fan’s behaviors. This is an effective way to get fans to diminish their actions. The behavior in the sport ruins the experience for the fans and the players, causes injuries to many, and overall ruins the integrity of the sport.

As mentioned earlier, violence has been a part of soccer since the 1800s, but it was not until the 1960s that “hooliganism” started to make its mark into the sport. Soccer hooliganism is described as “violent, disorderly, or destructive behavior by spectators of the sport”. It is a way for fans to reflect expressions of strong emotional ties to their teams and it reinforces their sense of identity. Despite this though, one can show their support for their team without causing commotion. Some of the destructive behavior can involve taunting, throwing of objects, and armed/unarmed fighting which can of course lead to destruction or even at times death (Lange, 2017). Throughout the years many have proposed separating home and away fans or reducing alcohol limitations as some of the ways to tackle this behavior; but the solution with the most impact is fining teams and stadium bans.

When there are certain groups of fans inducing destructive behavior, those around might feel afraid and disrupted during the game. Depending on the behavior, some fans may find themselves uncomfortable in the situation. For example, if most of the fans are engaging in monkey chants aimed towards a Black player on the field, the black fans in the stadium may feel disheartened and may not attend games in the future. Another scenario, if a fan is hit with a cup of beer (or at times bags of urine), that could induce violence and worsen the situation. Not only do these actions ruin the experience for those who are not involved in the disruptive behavior during the game but all the fans as a whole. It can either lead to reduced fan attendance or stadium bans handed by federations.

More recently, England’s national team were ordered to play two of their games in an empty stadium after their fan’s behavior on the day of the Euro Championship final; the English national team faced Italy at Wembley Stadium on July 11^th this year. Before the match, English fans were trashing the streets and beating up the travelling fans from Italy (and anyone who were supporting the Italian team). Going into the game, ticketless fans broke into the stadium despite there being only two-thirds capacity limitation due to COVID protocols; they also booed during Italy’s national anthem and threw objects at the Italian players throughout the game. As a result of their behavior, the English soccer federation was fined 100,000 euros ($118,000) along with the empty stadium ban by UEFA (Associated Press, 2021).

Another example to support this argument involves the Hungarian soccer federation. They were given a ban as well due to their fan’s racial abuse towards two England players. FIFA issued their largest financial penalty to Hungary’s soccer federation, fining them 200,000 Swiss francs ($217,000) along with a one-match ban (Associated Press, 2021).

For the players, these behaviors can affect them in many ways. They need their fan’s support during the game, and when they are not in attendance it can affect their performance; especially when they have the home-field advantage. During times of COVID, many players have expressed their difficulties when playing in empty stadiums and there are studies showing that teams underperform when they do not have their fans support in person. As for the opposing team, they are affected as well but in a negative way. Whenever they are being whistled at or taunted, they can lose focus and depending on what is being said (or chanted) towards a certain player, it may have a long-lasting effect on them.

A counter to the argument (fan wise) may be that one does not know whether there will be violence during the game or surrounding it. Unless it has been posted somewhere online or been spread by word of mouth, there is no way for a fan to know if they are going to be caught in the middle of disruptive behavior. It is seen as a situation that happens in the moment. As for the players, one may argue that they should expect being subjected to certain abuse from the fans (whether it be from the opposing side or even from their own). Once a player reaches that certain level of professionalism, they should expect to receive criticism and should be able to keep playing the game despite it.

To counter those arguments, one of Robert L. Simon’s defense of college athletics come into view; athletics provides us many goods, such as entertainment. Soccer fans (and fans of all sports) not only go to games to support their teams but for entertainment as well (Simon et al., 2019). They should be allowed to enjoy being in the moment and watching their team play without having to worry about whether they are going to be caught in the middle of a fight or end up getting hit by a cup of beer that was aimed for a player on the field. With the players, as it may hinder their performance losing fans in the stadium, it will make them aware of their behavior and show that it is not tolerable in the game.

The second argument as to why teams should be punished for their fan’s behavior is because of the injuries caused; this not only affects the fans but outsiders as well. Those who are by-passers are likely to get involved in the center of violence caused by some of these groups. In the book “Among the Thugs”, Bill Buford described the intense events that took place the day of the Champions League match between Manchester United and Juventus. Buford travelled with the United fans to Italy and recalled the events before, during, and after the game. From beating up a 15-year-old teenager, to “pissing” in a water fountain, stabbing a young boy, and beating up more teenagers, the United fans made it known that they were in the city of Turin. The events after the game though were a lot more aggressive due to the result of it. A man with his family was struck across the face with a heavy metal bar and was kicked in multiple areas from the other fans who were running past him. Unfortunately, all his family could do was sit in the back seats of their car and watch it happen (Buford, 1993).

A counter to this argument is that teams are not responsible for their fan’s behavior outside of the stadium (whether they are in same country or travelling to a different one). Whatever the fans decide to do outside of the stadium, it is their choice and does not reflect the team’s beliefs and values. This is true especially if one does not know whether the fans are associated with a specific team, so there may be no way to put the blame on them. To counter that, there should still be consequences. Most of the time, one can tell which team the fans support especially if there is:

1.      A large group of them, and 2. If the fans are wearing their team’s merch.

        When outsiders or even fans from the opposing teams see a certain group of fans causing disruption and mayhem, this can give the team a bad reputation and can possibly taint their name. Side note: English fans are strongly disliked by many across Europe, especially when they are travelling. If the fans are causing upheaval in a different country, their team needs to be notified and some action needs to be taken.

Finally, the fan’s behavior ruins the sport and lessens the integrity of it. The destructive behavior has been a part of soccer for too long. Compared to the 1980s and 1990s (the peak of soccer hooliganism), there has been less violence in the sport, but with recent events the topic has come up again. With federations enforcing these punishments at a consistent rate, there is a possibility that the behaviors can decrease. If teams are getting fined because of their fans, they may condemn their behavior and start implementing rules and boundaries.

For this argument, the counter and rejoinder can be seen from the relativist and realist perspectives. For the counterargument (relativist), one may say that if the fans think that violence or ill-mannered chanting is the right thing to do, they should be able to do it. Since it is a part of the sport, then it is moral. For example, it is common for the fans of Mexico’s Men’s National Team to shout a certain homophobic slur during every game. Every time the goalkeeper from the opposing team kicks the ball, they shout this derogatory term. At times, the officials issue warnings throughout the game or even stop it altogether due to the chants. From a relativist point of view, if that is a part of their “culture” then the fans should be allowed to do it.

To counter that argument (from a realist’s point of view), while yes, it is true that this type of behavior has been a part of the game for a long time, that does not mean that something cannot be done about it. It is not just wrong in Europe, North America, or Central America, but across the world. While each area may have their own soccer culture, starting fights near or in the stadium or shouting homophobic/racist slurs at players is not moral. Due to the Mexico National Team fan’s behavior, they were fined $73,000 and were issued a stadium ban by FIFA for two of their World Cup Qualifying games, making it the strongest sanction the team has ever been given (Thompson, 2021). If punishing teams and implementing more fan bans can reduce the levels of these behaviors, then major federations such as FIFA and UEFA need to enforce these rules into the sport.

Whether it is violence near the stadium, shouting homophobic or racist chants, or throwing objects at players, something needs to be done about it. This behavior in the sport is unacceptable and should not be tolerated any longer. Punishing teams along with their fans is one of the solutions that can help reduce this issue. When one team is punished for their fan’s behavior, it can set an example for other teams across different countries and leagues. One may say that a team has no control over what their fans do, and while that is true it does not mean that the teams should not be made aware of their fan’s behavior; since they can help prevent the behaviors from happening in the future. Fans will be held accountable for their actions and the teams will be held accountable as well. When the fans are hit with stadium bans, it will make them face reality that they cannot just do what they want for whatever reasons they have and hopefully lessen their behavior for the future.

Soccer is a beautiful sport loved by many around the world, and these negative practices caused by certain fans taint it. Hopefully enforcing these fines and stadium bans consistently will keep these behaviors out of the sport. If teams are punished for their fan’s behavior, it would help continue to keep the game entertaining and enjoyable not just for the fans but the players, prevent less injuries to those involved, and keep the game beautiful.

Bibliography 

Associated Press. (2021, September 21). Hungary issued one-match fan ban, fine for racist abuse. Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/09/21/hungary-issued-one-match-fan-ban-racist-abuse-england.

 Associated Press. (2021, October 18). UEFA hits England with stadium closure for Euro 2020 Chaos. AP NEWS. https://apnews.com/article/soccer-sports-international-soccer-england-italy-5dfa378d4abef84292518f0a3a68d92b.

Buford, B. (1993). Among the thugs. Secker & Warburg

Lange, K. (2017). What football hooliganism is and how to stop it. Cleats. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://vocal.media/cleats/what-football-hooliganism-is-and-how-to-stop-it.

Maloba, D. (2020, March 24). The history of football hooliganism. Hooligan F.C., https://hooliganfc.com/history-of-hooliganism/.

Simon, R. L., Torres César R., & Hager, P. F. (2019). Fair play: The ethics of sport. Routledge.

Thompson, J. (2021, July 8). All Mexico soccer fans are banned from World Cup qualifiers because of homophobic chants at previous events. Insider. https://www.insider.com/mexico-soccer-fans-banned-for-homophobic-chants-2021-6.