Football Hooliganism in Croatia: A Historical and Sociological Analysis
Football Hooliganism in Croatia: A Historical and Sociological Analysis

Summary/Abstract: Abstract. Based on original research, this study presents a historical and sociological interpretation of football hooliganism in Croatia. The article contends that physical and verbal violence have been a part of football supporters’ rituals since the late 1970s, and that violent encounters between supporters have been principally of a symbolic nature. However, there have been instances of actual violence at moments of broader political tension, mostly between national groups as well as between supporters’ groups and the state, usually in the form of police forces. Football hooliganism reached, and still reaches, its most dangerous point when supporters commit violent acts out of a political motivation. This study situates Croatian football hooliganism in the context, past and present, of football and society, particularly with respect to the consequences of war in the 1990s, the controversial transition to democracy, and the ongoing social crisis that is especially harmful to the country’s youth.

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