Lise Joern

A qualitative examination of police officers’ perception of football supporters

Several studies stress the importance of thorough knowledge of supporter culture in order to assess the actual level of risk at football matches thereby ensuring a balanced approach by the police in order to avoid conflict situations. This study examines how Danish police officers perceive and categorise football supporters on the basis of a field-based observational study and a qualitative interview study undertaken at the East Jutland Police department in Denmark in the period 2008–2009. The main findings show a general lack of knowledge of supporter culture as well as scepticism towards engaging in dialogue with football supporters. As a consequence of these findings, the East Jutland Police department initiated an educational programme on dialogue policing in 2010. The programme has been successfully evaluated and is now implemented on a national basis.

Ultras in Denmark. The new football thugs

Abstract It is no longer just the notorious ‘football hooligans’ who appear to behave in a problematic way in connection with football matches. Since the beginning of the 2000s, ultras have increasingly been playing the most acoustically and optically noticeable role in the Danish stadiums. This article looks in more detail at the moderate Danish ultras, who proactively work for a positive, intense fan culture that rejects discrimination and violence and try to promote better conditions for supporters, and the consequences of the criminalization of fan behaviour. The article concludes that there is a lack of knowledge of the specific sub-cultural backgrounds of the various supporters’ behaviour, but also of fan culture as a whole among the authorities and clubs.