Football and religion are important cultural forces in Saudi Arabia. The history of football in Saudi Arabia largely coincides with the history of the modern Saudi-state, and the religiopolitical doctrine that has left a mark on the social history of the country - especially in the control of public morals and fun. This article seeks to examine the influence of politics and religion on football in Saudi Arabia, through exploring 1) the religious establishment's, defined as state-appointed individuals and institutions, view on football and 2) political interference in football, and 3) if and how the religious establishments view on football influenced the politics and governance of football on an organizational level. It argues that while intersections of football and politics have occurred both on the domestic and international level, the religious establishment has had little impact on the governing of football, with one important exception: women's football and women's fandom.
Hosted by Italy, the 1980 UEFA European Championships marked the beginning of a period of regulation, standardization, harmonization, and commercial transformation for the tournament. This process included the goal net, the history of which as a recognizably differentiated stadium fixture effectively ended in the post-1980 period, when a universal style of goal net began replacing local styles at top stadia across Europe. This commentary argues the goal net encapsulates this process with unusual clarity. Its standardization represents a decisive shift in football's visual language. It is a deviation that permits universal recognizability while simultaneously negating the local, historical, and architectural specificities that once anchored iconic moments at UEFA European Championship tournaments to particular places.
In war zones, the quest for spaces of joy and life, emotionality, play, never goes away. People who are locked in, physically, politically or morally, become desperate to live normal lives and to have fun. Football provides an arena for meeting such demands. Thus, in Gaza under the Islamist Hamas rule from 2007 to 2023, football had a dual role. The first, mundanization, reminded people of normal life, life outside the war zone. The second, catharsis, meant an escape from everyday hardships. Football was an escape from - and to - the extraordinary at the same time. In both ways, football represented a symbolic construction of non-war reality. It became a survival strategy for the Hamas regime and for Gaza's embattled population alike.
While the demands of active football supporters, such as ultras and other organized fan groups, have been extensively researched, the attitudes of the 'silent, ordinary supporters' remain largely unknown. Therefore, this article investigates the attitudes of 'normal supporters' toward current governance issues in football and how these factors influence overall satisfaction with club management. Moreover, the study compares five club-related fan clusters to explore distinct differences in attitudes and self-concepts within fan communities. The empirical analysis is based on a unique and large survey sample (N = 11,643) of supporters of German first division (Bundesliga) clubs. The results indicate that attitudes toward participation have the strongest impact on overall satisfaction across all clusters, with only minor differences. Attitudes toward clubs' public engagement and the range of products/services show comparatively low, if any, significant effects. Overall, the results suggest a high degree of homogeneity in 'normal supporter' attitudes.
While research on football supporterism has extensively examined attachment to a single club, less attention has been paid to multisupporterism, i.e. the partisan attachment to more than one team. This paper seeks to address this gap by examining the prevalence of multisupporterism and identifying factors associated with it, on the basis of an online survey conducted among supporters of Union Saint-Gilloise, a Belgian club. The results show that multisupporterism is widespread and concerns 62.3% of Union supporters. Contrary to what the literature suggests, neither the intensity or duration of involvement nor geographical proximity or performance motivations are linked to multisupporterism. Instead, exclusive Belgian nationality and the importance attached to family tradition are negatively associated with multisupporterism. These findings suggest that multisupporterism does not necessarily reflect weak or volatile loyalties and highlight the need for investigation, including conceptual reflection on what it means to 'support' clubs in contemporary football.
This study examines how match outcomes influence normalized digital fan engagement on the official Instagram accounts of Indonesian football clubs. Analysing 611 full-time result posts from the 2024-2025 BRI Liga 1 season, the research utilizes normalized Like, Comment, and Share Rates to ensure equitable comparison across clubs of varying sizes. One-way ANOVA reveals that match results significantly impact all forms of interaction. Findings demonstrate a clear behavioural divide: victories trigger 'Quiet Amplification' through likes and shares, while defeats catalyse 'Vocal Discourse' via surging comment rates. This pattern indicates that success is celebrated through passive endorsement, whereas failure is processed through active discursive labour. By documenting the intensity of Global South fandom, the study provides a strategic roadmap for clubs to navigate high-discursive intensity following losses.
