Fan Culture in European Football and the Influence of Left Wing Ideology

This book explores the tradition of left wing political thinking in the culture of fans of professional football in Europe. It sets out to chronicle and celebrate the fraternal, communal and radical tradition of football - seen to best effect in demands for democratic fan ownership and control of clubs, in fan campaigns against racist and fascist mobilisation of football supporters, and in a firm commitment to anti-corporatism. Drawing on the rich and varied traditions of fan cultures across Europe, the book examines how football, as a cultural form, carries with it the possibility of promoting the voices of the disenfranchised and the marginalised, and so the basis for nurturing solidarity against oppression, alienation and exploitation current in modern capitalist society. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer andSociety.

1. Introduction: Reflections on the Context of ‘Left Wing’ Fan Cultures 2. A Contextual Analysis of Europe’s Ultra Football Supporters Movement3. Bosnia, the Bridge, and the Ball 4. The Politics and Culture of FC St. Pauli: From leftism, through anti-establishment, to commercialisation5. Political ideology and activism in football fan culture in Spain: a view from the far left6. Struggle for Grassroots Involvement in Football Club Governance: Experiences of a Supporter-Activist7. La Tessera della Rivolta: Italy’s Failed Fan Identification Card8. Kicking from the Left: The Friendship of Celtic and FC St. Pauli Supporters9. "The birthplace of Italian Communism": Political Identity and Action Amongst Livorno Fans10. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance in Spanish football: Evolution and responses from the government and the civil society11. "Left Wing" Supporter Movements and the Political Economy of Football

Peter Kennedy lectures in the Sociology of sport at Glasgow Caledonian University. His most recent published work is in applying sociological perspectives to understand the complex relationship between football clubs and fan culture. David Kennedy is Visiting Lecturer and Researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University. His most recent published work is in the area of football supporters and governance of professional football clubs.