Everyone knows how famous the sport of football (soccer) is and how passionate its fans can be. It is an international sport that holds a variety of leagues and cups worldwide. The most famous one is the World Cup. Every 4 years, the world stops. People put on their country’s colors and become prideful citizens as their native representatives take the field for 90+ minutes. However, that pride can be displayed in different ways. Last year, at the 2016 Euro Cup, the city of Marseille, France, was host to a ‘England vs Russia’ football game. The game was nationally televised but what made headlines was the post-game violence between both country’s fans. Russian and English fans were involved in a major violent brawl which left 2 English supporters in a coma and many injured. The incident put the spotlight on what is known as ‘Football Hooliganism’, which can be defined as football-supporting firms whose main purpose is to display their firm as more superior when compared to other firms. They attempt to do this through a variety of ways but the most popular is through violence. It is more common with local football clubs but it is known to have happened with international teams as well. With the World Cup being just a little over a year away from now, all eyes will be on Russia as they will be the country hosting the worldwide event. It is being shared that Russian hooligans are preparing for the event and ready to show their violent potential. Russian politician, Igor Lebedev, has proposed for legislation on football hooliganism to make it a spectator sport. It is unknown what will happen in Russia next summer but maybe fans will have something else to worry about, other than their team winning.
