Abstract
Brazil is considered one of the countries with the highest rates of fatal clashes between football supporters. The increase in casualties has alarmed the public opinion since at least 1988, when a premeditated murder was committed against the founder and leader of a significant organized fan club in the city of São Paulo. Since then, over two hundred deaths have been reported by the specialized sports chronicles. Over the last decades, initiatives from the Department of Public Prosecution have been trying to mitigate this scenario with legal prohibition measures and acts of legal extinguishment of the fan organizations. However, the expected effect still seems far from being reached. Federal laws of repressive nature, as the Fan Statute, have also been applied, leading to equally dubious results. The purpose of this paper is to present, in sharp contrast to the single theme of violence in the media daily agenda, an overview of the football cooperation and youth associations in Brazil. This will be done based on the description of concrete experiences in the creation of organizations representing the fans. Supported in sociological elements, we aim to offer a summary of the set of initiatives conducted by the leaders of organized fan clubs in the country. Their actions were grounded on the search for overcoming the inter-club intolerance levels, on the demand for representation among its members and on an attempt to gain legitimacy among other people who play roles in football, whether they are team managers, media professionals, or police forces.
Presenters
Bernardo Buarque De HollandaAssociate Professor, School of Social Sciences, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Brazil
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Sporting Cultures and Identities
KEYWORDS
BRAZIL, FOOTBALL FANS, VIOLENCE
