The Moral Panic Created About Football Hooliganism

Introduction…

• Football hooliganism can be seen as something of an easy target' for the media. With journalists present at every match across the country, the chances of a story being missed are slim. TV cameras also mean that disturbances within stadiums are caught on video. Since the 1960s, in fact, journalists have been sent to football matches to report on crowd behaviour, rather than just the game.

Uefa Cup Final 2008, Manchester Riots

• In May 2008 70,000 Rangers fans arrived in Manchester with no chance of getting their hands on a match ticket

• There was a large screen erected in Piccadilly Gardens for the extra fans to watch the game on

• When this screen failed to show any coverage of the game the crowds became riotous and the disturbances broke out

Arrests

• Despite the Press and Media attention, overall there were only 41 arrests made, mainly of Rangers fans out of the 70 000 that were present in Manchester city center at the time

• One visiting Russian fan was stabbed during the disturbances

When Rivalries Go Bad