Football Fans, Rivalry and Cooperation (Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society)

Football is undoubtedly the sport with the largest following in the world, attracting billions of fans across the globe. These fans play an integral part in determining the identity of the football club they support. Many studies have focused on the intense rivalry between clubs, their fans and the opposing identities they represent. However, little attention has been paid to examples of cooperation between rival fans. This book is the first to explore antagonistic cooperation in football; the idea that rival fans can work together despite their animosity.

With examples from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Croatia, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, the US and Zimbabwe, this book brings together case studies on rival fans working together and explores how and why such cooperation takes place. Showcasing original research from a team of international football scholars, it sheds new light on the social and political complexities of contemporary football fan culture.

Football Fans, Rivalry and Cooperation is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in football studies, the sociology of sport, sport and politics, or sport and social theory.

Christian Brandt is a PhD candidate at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He holds a MA in Social Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology from the University of Hamburg, Germany.

Fabian Hertel is an associated member of the Centre for the Study of Football and Its Communities in Manchester, UK. He holds a MA in Social Anthropology and Law from the University of Hamburg, Germany.

Sean Huddleston is a PhD candidate in the School of Education at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. He is a graduate in modern history and his field of expertise lies in the history of national identity in Scotland and Ireland.