Football and its fans by Marcia Henin

Football has always comprised strong emotional reactions. Thousands of football fans watch with growing enthusiasm the on-going process of game, fully involved in a battle presented in front of them on a football field. This enjoyment of public games, presented in front of the viewers, goes back to the ancient games of the Chinese, which originally included kicking leather balls and win highest Football scores. Today, football is the most known sports game, attracting millions of viewers, which leads to the creation of thousands fan clubs around the world.

As the game proceeds, the excitement grows and sometimes becomes difficult to control. The excitement and enthusiasm is heated by the fact that no one knows how the game will end. The viewers make different bets, sometimes on large sums of money, and watch impatiently as the game proceeds, listening to updates in the Football coverage, hoping to hear that they won. Fans of different football groups are tracking the players’ movements and criticize or praise their moves. The atmosphere becomes tenser towards the end of the game, when every second counts.

Emotional involvement in the game often brings to rivals between fans. At the mass brawl in May 2007, up to hundred Liverpool fans fought each other in Athens, hoping to get a single Champions League ticket. As a result, two supporters were injured and taken to a nearby hospital. The police didn’t succeed in putting an end to the riots. History of football remembers many similar cases with even worse injuries, sometimes even resulting in deaths of the excited football fans.

Football news has always maintained a foothold in the enthusiasm of fans around the world. Important competitions, like Champions League, attract audience all over the world, enjoy publicity and media attention. However, the importance of controlling the public’ emotional reactions has become an everyday issue next to the success of specific football groups. It is important to raise awareness of the violence among football fans, in order to minimize the problem and simply enjoy good football games.