Tuesday 13 September 2022 12:07 AM Passionate football fans are more likely to show KINDNESS to rival supporters, ... trends now
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While football hooligans are often portrayed as violent and aggressive, a new study suggests that this stereotype isn't entirely true.
Researchers from the University of Kent have revealed that while passionate football fans are more likely to be hostile to rival supporters, they're also more likely to show kindness.
Dr Martha Newson, lead author of the study, said: 'These findings challenge some of the long-standing myths and stereotypes around football hooligans in the UK.'
While football hooligans are often portrayed as violent and aggressive, a new study suggests that the stereotype isn't actually entirely true
Dr Martha Newson, lead author of the study, said: 'These findings challenge some of the long-standing myths and stereotypes around football hooligans in the UK'
The study found the more fused (or close) an English football fan felt to their club, the more likely they were to have been hostile towards rival supporters in the past.
And men were more likely than women to have been hostile towards rivals.
However, when analysing altruistic behaviour like hugging, stopping to help and giving emotional support towards fans of the same club, those who were more strongly fused were most likely to demonstrate this behaviour.
Researchers also found that women were significantly more likely than men to be altruistic to fellow fans.
Encouragingly, the results published in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology also reveal that strongly-fused fans prioritised altruism towards fellow fans over hostility towards rivals.
This suggests violence and negative behaviour are not a primary consideration for fans, researchers say.
'We have strong evidence that passionate football fans can have a positive
