BSSb1201 Football, Violence and Security Policy

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Vendula Divišová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Vendula Divišová, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Supplier department: Division of Security and Strategic Studies – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 14:00–15:40 U43
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 23/30, only registered: 0/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 31 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course is focused on a comprehensive examination of football-related violence as a unique phenomenon associated with football matches and football fans. The first part of the course is devoted to the definition of football-related violence and other related concepts (football hooliganism, ultras, "carnival fans"...), the role of the media in creating the public image of this phenomenon and the main theories explaining spectator violence with an emphasis on crowd psychology. The next part of the course will focus on describing the manifestations of football-related violence in Europe, and in particular in the Czech Republic, which in the past have led to a review and questioning of the existing approach to dealing with the phenomenon and the introduction of new, often highly repressive, security measures. The main focus will be on security policy against football-related violence at three levels - transnational (Council of Europe, EU), European and in the national level (Czech Republic). It will address the legislative level as well as approaches to control the phenomenon from the perspective of clubs, police and courts. Finally, the existing "anti-hooligan" policy will be interpreted in the context of broader trends in the development of penal justice and crime control, and alternative approaches to dealing with spectator violence will be presented.
Learning outcomes
By completing the course, students should gain critical insight into the issue of football-related violence and an overview of the possibilities of addressing spectator violence from the perspective of various security policy actors using a multidisciplinary approach based on knowledge from (social) psychology, sociology, criminology and security studies. At the same time, they will learn to prepare a policy paper and thus the ability to systematically and comprehensively evaluate different approaches to a selected security problem.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the subject
  • 2. Football-related violence: definition and media
  • 3. Causes of football-related violence
  • 4. Manifestations of football-related violence in Europe
  • 5. Security policy against football-related violence: Europe
  • 6. Security policy against football-related violence: Transnational level
  • 7. National holiday (reading weak)
  • 8. Manifestations of football-related violence in the Czech Republic
  • 9. Security policy against football-related violence: the Czech Republic I (development of security policy from the 1990s to the present)
  • 10. SEMINAR: Brief presentation of the policy papers
  • 11. Security policy against football-related violence: the Czech Republic II (the approach of football clubs, police and courts in comabating football-related violence)
  • 12. New approaches in combating football-related violence and the evaluation of "anti-hooligan" policies
  • 13. SEMINAR: How to improve security policy in the area of football-related violence? [Joint discussion on policy paper topics]
Literature
    required literature
  • Waiton, S. (2014). „Football Fans in an Age of Intolerance“, in Hopkins, M. a Treadwell, J. (eds.) Football Hooliganism, Fan Behaviour and Crime: Contemporary Issues. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Poulton, E. (2005). English Media Representation of Football-related Disorder: “Brutal, Shorthand and Simplifying”?, Sport in Society, 8(1), pp. 27–47. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1080/1743043052000316605.
  • Divišová, V. (2019). Rehabilitation or risk aversion? Banning supporters from sporting events in the Czech Republic. Sport in Society, 22(12), 2224-2242. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2019.1568411
  • Rada EU (2016). Usnesení Rady o aktualizované příručce s doporučeními pro mezinárodní policejní spolupráci a opatřeními k předcházení násilí a výtržnostem a jejich zvládání při mezinárodních fotbalových zápasech.
  • Duke, V. a Slepička, P. (2002). „Bohemian rhapsody: Football supporters in the Czech Republic“, in Dunning, E. (ed.) Fighting fans: Football hooliganism as a world phenomenon. Dublin: University College Dublin Press, pp. 49–61.
  • Pearson, G., & Stott, C. (2022). A New Agenda for Football Crowd Management: Reforming Legal and Policing Responses to Risk. Palgrave Macmillan. (Chapter 2 „The Historical Development of Policing and the Law at Football Matches in the UK“, pp. 23-38)
  • Council of Europe (1985). European Convention on Spectator Violence and Misbehaviour at Sports Events and in particular at Football Matches (ETS No. 120). Dostupné z: https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list?module=treaty-detail&treatynum=120.
  • MVČR (Ministerstvo vnitra České republiky). (2008). Bezpečí na sportovních utkáních. Manuál pro fotbalové kluby, Odbor bezpečnostní politiky. Dostupné z: https://www.policie.cz/soubor/01-manual-pro-fotbalove-kluby.aspx.
  • Frosdick, S. a Marsh, P. (2005). Football Hooliganism. Devon: Willan Publishing, pp. 86-101 (Chapter 7 “British theoretical perspectives in detail”)
  • MVČR (Ministerstvo vnitra České republiky). (2010). Zpráva o situaci v oblasti diváckého násilí, dopadu koncepce v praxi a návrzích dalších opatření, Odbor bezpečnostní politiky.
    recommended literature
  • Tsoukala, A., Pearson, G. a Coenen, P. T. M. (eds.) (2016). Legal Responses to Football “Hooliganism” in Europe. The Hague: T.M.C. ASSER PRESS.
  • Tsoukala, A. (2009). Football Hooliganism in Europe: Security and Civil Liberties in the Balance. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Stott, C. a Pearson, G. (2007). Football ‘Hooliganism’, Policing and the War on the ‘English Disease’. London: Pennant Books.
  • Stott, C. a Reicher, S. (1998) How Conflict Escalates: The Inter-Group Dynamics of Collective Football Crowd ‘Violence’, Sociology, 32(2), pp. 353–377. doi:10.1177/0038038598032002007.
  • Spaaij, R. (2013). Risk, security and technology: governing football supporters in the twenty-first century, Sport in Society, 16(2), pp. 167–183. doi:10.1080/17430437.2013.776249.
  • Murphy P., Dunning, E. a Williams, J. (1988). Soccer Crowd Disorder and the Press: Processes of Amplification and De-amplification in Historical Perspective, Theory, Culture and Society, 5 (4), pp. 645–673. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1177/026327688.
Teaching methods
Lectures, study of assigned literature, preparation of a policy paper.
Assessment methods
Policy paper, final written exam.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2023, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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