Football is arguably the most passionately supported sport in the world and dominates the lives of so many different individuals. With the fairly recent development of billionaire businessmen buying a club of their choice, is this affecting the way the game is supported and perceived.
Billionaire Man City owner Al-Fahim
I began to look at what football really means to the fans that religiously travel up on down the county to watch their team, and why this means so much to them. I wanted to find out the real reasons the game is enjoyed by people all over the globe, all ages, genders and backgrounds.
When investigating the area it came to my knowledge that matches between rival teams were the most important in any football fans season. Every club has at least one fierce rival and these games mean everything to both sets of supporters. It became apparent that the focus of my investigation had to revolve around some of the most famous and confrontational rivalries in world football.
I will look at three separate rivalries and try to understand the reasons behind the apparent hatred between both sets of fans. What is the common denominator for these rivalries; locality, ability, religion, finances?
This investigation will also look at the social anthropology of football fans to determine if there is any significant pattern of behaviour that the supporters display when watching their team.
The extent of the infatuation with a particular club will also be uncovered as I look at the wider meanings and actions of a dedicated football fan. The following of a team seems to become a way of life, taking up a great portion of a supporter’s time and money. How a person becomes such a passionate follower of their team will also be investigated as I aim to find out the reasons between great rivalries.
I hope that this investigation will be able to uncover a few truths and unknown facts about the typical fan.
