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In many countries, football has ingrained itself into the national culture, and many parts of life revolve around it. Many countries have daily football Newspaper s, as well as football Magazine s. Football players, especially in the top levels of the game, have become role models and aspirational ideals for many people. The game itself has now become glamourised, with many children practising the game and aspiring to the wealth shown off by the top footballers (it may be argued that, for most footballers, this extravagant lifestyle is unrealistic). THE GAME 'Derbies' See Also: Local derby Derby matches, or matches between two neighbouring rival teams, are fiercely competitive and provide a spectacle in football, for the supporting fans as well as for interested onlookers. Sometimes there are underlying Political and Sectarian tensions. The term applies to matches between two local teams, that is in the same city or region. However it is sometimes erroneously used to refer to matches between big clubs from the same country - these can be found in the article '' Major Football Rivalries ''. Examples of famous football derbies include: BBC Sport - "Which is football's fiercest derby?"
Food In the , '' Sanduíche De Calabresa '' ( Pepperoni sandwich) is a best-seller meal at the surrounding areas of stadiums after matches. Match programmes match programme.]] Match programmes are an integral part of football matches in the UK. The are sold inside and outside stadia before (and sometimes during) matches. In their most basic form, they provide basic information on the teams, players, and match officials. Larger clubs usually produce a multiple-page programme with a number of common features: comments from the manager and club captain, interviews with players, ex-players and backroom staff, information about ticketing arrangements for forthcoming matches, a detailed fixture list/review of the team's season so far, competitions, a page for the junior supporters' club, and/or a detailed feature on the opposition. Programmes from some matches are now collectible items, and can fetch a lot of money on auction. "Fair Play" "Fair Play" is the name of a FIFA programme which aims to increase Sportsmanship as well as prevent discrimination in the game of football. This also involves programmes to reduce racism in the game. The programme extends to outside of football, in trying to support charities and other organisations which improve conditions around the world. The principles of the Fair Play programme can be summarised as follows: FIFA - "FIFA Fair Play Code" # Play fair # Play to win but accept defeat with dignity # Observe the Laws of the Game # Respect opponents, team-mates, referees, officials and spectators # Promote the interests of football # Honour those who defend football’s good reputation # Reject corruption, drugs, racism, violence, gambling and other dangers to our sport # Help others to resist corrupting pressures # Denounce those who attempt to discredit our sport # Use football to make a better world Both FIFA and UEFA have awards which they hand out to individuals or groups of people who have promoted what they see as the 'spirit' of Fair Play, both within and outside of football. An example of this was the Italian player Paolo Di Canio who, while not given an award, was congratulated in many sections of the football world for a very generous display of "Fair Play". During a goal scoring opportunity while playing for West Ham United against Everton , the Everton goalkeeper picked up an injury, and Di Canio, instead of scoring what could have been the easiest goal of his career, caught the ball, thus stopping play and allowing the goalkeeper to receive treatment. ESPN Soccernet - "Di Canio surprised by fairplay acclaim" FANS Football chants See Also: Football chant Football chants are chants generated by the crowd at matches to encourage the supporters' team, insult the opposition, or just make a noise. Teams tend to have their own 'anthems' which the crowds can sing; some songs are even shared between clubs. While some chants are used to mock opposition players (e.g. "'' Who Ate All The Pies? ''"), others are more aggressive and of a personal nature against a player on the field. Some chanting in the crowds can be more than insulting, and may even be racist or sectarian in nature; chants like these tend to have been banned from football stadiums. Violence The level of passion with which football teams are supported has from time to time caused problems, and clashes between fans can result in violence. Some violence occurs by people deliberately aiming to cause trouble, often after a match takes place, a phenomenon known as in Italy , the Torcidas Organizadas in Brazil and the Barras Bravas in Argentina. Violence by fans has had varying degrees of seriousness, ranging from scuffles between fans to tragedies (see for example inside and outside stadiums and also at other anticpated "flash points" such as city centres and railway stations now makes it more likely that people involved in disorder may be identified later even if they are not arrested at the scene. However there are still disruptions surrounding football matches, an example being the UEFA Champions League matches which were played on March 12 and March 13 2005 . BBC News - "Milan's football violence 'not a first'" BBC Sport - "Trouble mars Juve-Liverpool match" Violence by fans has also affected players, but this is extremely rare. For example a message to player Andrés Escobar was murdered shortly after returning home from the 1994 World Cup . This was reputedly for scoring the Own Goal which eliminated Colombia from the competition. BBC Sport - "Football's day of shame" Accidents and disasters There have been many accidents and disasters in the history of football. Some of these, such as the Hillsborough and Ibrox Disaster s, were due to problems with crowd control. The Heysel Stadium Disaster was a combination of hooliganism and poor crowd control. The Bradford City Disaster occurred due to poor fire safety in the stadium. Lessons learned from these disasters have led to safer football stadia. There have also been deaths on the pitch and dugouts:
Other disasters have occurred away from any stadia: most notably, the Superga Air Disaster of 1949 in which the entire Torino F.C. squad perished . The Munich Air Disaster , involving the 1958 Manchester United F.C team and the loss of the entire Zambia National Football Team in an air crash in 1993. Stadia and seating The atmosphere at football matches is a major part of the whole experience for football supporters, and is also a major part of the "wow factor" that youngsters get when they go to their first football match. However, after the Hillsborough Disaster , the British government of the time commissioned the Taylor Report which resulted in standing being banned from many places, to include every top league stadium. As a result, the atmosphere has suffered. Although it is clear that standing wasn't the sole cause of the tragedy, and that standing areas have been proved safe since, especially in Germany , the authorities in many countries still won't allow it. Groups like Stand Up Sit Down are campaigning for its return. Women and football See Also: Women's football (soccer) Women have been playing football as long as the game has Existed . Their numbers, as both football players and fans, increased with the lifting of Bans on women playing football and attending matches. In Iran however women are still (2006) forbidden from attending matches, although many try to sneak into the stadiums. The first FIFA Women's World Cup was held in 1991 , and has drawn worldwide television interest. Football matches now tend to have increased numbers of women supporters attending at the stadium itself, as well as watching the matches at home or in pubs or bars. In the USA , the Women's United Soccer Association League was formed in 2001 in response to growing interest in women's football around that country. Unfortunately the league collapsed in 2003 , but grassroots football was not affected in the country. The semi-professional W-League continues to operate with 38 teams (as of 2006 ). Japan's women's league, the L. League is very well supported, and many other countries' women's football leagues are popular and growing. Drinking and disorder In some countries football has been associated with , although most English and Welsh sides continue to sell alcohol within general stadium areas, with only clubs in Scotland being subject to a blanket ban. Sales of alcohol still occur in executive lounges. Some teams and countries have supporters' clubs which have 'friendly' drinking reputations. However some countries are more associated with 'drunken hooliganism' (see Violence section above). One interesting story is that of a Member Of The Scottish Parliament being arrested for being 'drunk and disorderly' while on a trip to see Scotland playing England at Wembley Stadium . BBC News - "Arrest incident 'closed', insists SNP" Pitch invasions See Also: Pitch invasion Pitch invasions are occasions when supporters move from the stands onto the football pitch for the express reason of disrupting a match. This has to be distinguished from times when, due to safety reasons, fans are let onto the pitch. Pitch invasions in football tend to be rare as clubs are punished heavily for letting any unauthorised persons on the pitch. Mass pitch invasions tend to be rare, but famous examples can be found. One is the British Home Championship match between England and Scotland, again at Wembley. Here, after a Scottish 2-1 victory, the " Tartan Army " decided to invade the pitch and managed to break down the goalposts, as well as help themselves to some of Wembley's turf. Guardian Unlimited - "Excited Scotland fans" BBC Scotland (RealVideo) Solo invasions are more common although few in number. In some cases these people are and the British Grand Prix . Sticker Albums Usually collected by children, a sticker album is a book where a collector sticks in pictures of players from different teams in a certain league. The most widespread are those that have been produced by Panini worldwide. A Sticker Album can be compared to the USA 's Baseball Card s. TEAMS AND PLAYERS From the beginnings of football, clubs and players have contributed greatly to the culture of society. Teams have moved from amateur status to (in some cases) big commercial concerns. Players have also managed to increase their earnings massively during this change. Teams Money See Also: Richest football clubs Nowadays football has become big business for the privileged few. While most grassroot clubs and lower division league teams struggle to make ends meet, the big clubs can make a lot of money. Teams such as has also undergone a transformation, buying up the services of many expensive football players, due to being bought by the billionaire Roman Abramovich . The catalyst for this change was the arrival of satellite television. Satellite TV companies paid massive sums for the rights to cover football matches, and in turn have recouped this investment from the many fans who are unable to catch the game in person. This benefits the 'hardcore' and 'casual' fan as they have more choice of which game they want to watch. While some clubs do well out of the increased money in football, other clubs can get into trouble trying to keep up. Leeds United attempted to do this by spending a lot of money, and were successful for a few seasons. However the debts became unmanageable, and the successful players were sold off, and the team were eventually relegated twice, first from the FA Premier League to the Football League Championship and later to League One . Not all clubs do well out of television money. Clubs in lower leagues receive less money for matches and, if promoted to higher leagues, can have trouble matching the spending power of bigger clubs. This leaves them more likely to be relegated again. Clubs from smaller countries also have problems with this issue. Due to their smaller population base they receive less money from television rights. This leaves them comparative paupers compared to clubs from the big countries, and can lead to debt problems if they try to match spending in trans-national competitions. Some clubs have managed to buck the trend by training players through their youth academies, as well as making wise investments. Examples of these clubs are FC Porto and Ajax Amsterdam , although it must be noted that when these teams become successful, as in Porto's case winning the 2003/04 Champions League , the team tends to get sold off due to financial pressures. Corruption Allegations of corruption, e.g. Match Fixing , in football have always been present. This level of corruption can vary from country to country, and can involve players, agents, and teams. The 2005-2006 football season saw many corruption scandals. This included the refereeing scandals of Robert Hoyzer in Germany (see '' 2005 Bundesliga Scandal ''), and Edilson Pereira De Carvalho of Brazil (see '' Brazilian Football Match-fixing Scandal '').1 This was followed by the 2006 Serie A Scandal where five clubs so far have been found guilty of match fixing. Football players Football players, especially in the top levels of the game, have become role models and aspirational ideals for many people. Josiah Cameron, of Sydney says that he sees numerous soccer stars as inspiration for his training, and how he plays the game. The game itself has now become glamourised, with many children practising the game and aspiring to the wealth shown off by the top footballers (it may be argued that for most footballers that this extravagant lifestyle is unrealistic). The top footballers also have "hangers-on", best compared to the Groupie s of rock stars. Such extravagance has recently been satirised in the UK TV show '' Footballers' Wives ''. For another example of notable "hangers-on", see WAGs (wives '''a'''nd '''g'''irlfriend'''s''', more specifically those of the England National Team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup ). Bad behaviour While many footballers can be argued to be "good role models", there have been many headlines in the news regarding bad behaviour by footballers. BBC Sport - "Footballers behaving badly" Such is the influence of footballers, their activities tend to be reported widely in the media and also bring condemnation from the government of the countries of which they play. One famous player was Diego Maradona . While he had exceptional skill and was voted FIFA's Player of the Century (alongside Pelé ), he also suffered problems with Drug Abuse . He was also sent home from the 1994 FIFA World Cup for doping offences. His cocaine abuse has led to his medical problems in recent times. There have been several incidents in UK of players being accused of violence and misconduct off the pitch. Although on many occasions, players have been found not guilty, such cases are very controversial. In 2001, two ( John Terry and Jody Morris ) and one from Wimbledon ( Des Byrne ), appeared in court of charges of affray. All were acquitted. BBC News - "Footballers cleared over club brawl" In 2004 , the Leicester City trio of Paul Dickov , Frank Sinclair and Keith Gillespie spent a week in jail after being accused of Sexual Assault while on a training break at the La Manga resort in Spain with their team. BBC News - "Sex charges for Leicester three" However, the case was dropped after forensic evidence showed the accusations to be baseless. BBC News - "Leicester trio charges 'dropped'" Although the players accused were ultimately innocent, the scandal led to a media outcry about footballers and their behaviour, especially with regard to children who look up to them. when he and Newcastle teammate Kieron Dyer fought each other near the end of a Premiership match. BBC Sport - "Bowyer & Dyer in amazing punch-up" Ethnicity and football See Also: Ethnicity and football People of different races have sometimes not been accepted as players in European football. This is changing during the start of the 21st century due to societal change as well as campaigning on the part of the football authorities in different countries. , for example, was once racially insulted by some Real Zaragoza fans at a match against the FC Barcelona , and threatened to quit the game if they kept insulting him; the same happened to Messina defender Marc Zoro in a match against Inter Milan . While smaller countries without a large ethnic population have been seen to have problems with Racism , there have been recently notable incidents of racism in bigger leagues. There have also been problems with religious identity and football. In some countries (England, Germany) there have been strong campaigns to remove racism and intolerance from football on the field and on the terraces. In other countries despite visible problems, little action has been taken (Spain, Italy). Globalisation and players Globalisation has benefited current and former players, coaches, teams and others involved in football. For the best players it means their services can be offered to clubs in various different countries, and for whatever the price they want. The top players can make salaries of millions in a year, plus whatever additional endorsements they receive. Teams have also benefited from this by being able to find a wider support base outside their traditional local areas. They can also scout for talent from a wider area. However some European clubs have been accused of exploitation for doing this, as some African youngsters they have recruited for football teams have eventually been left with nothing after the team no longer requires their services. Coaches are also becoming sought after expertise internationally. This extends to national team coaches, once being native to their country, being brought in from other countries. Examples include Brazil ian legend Zico coaching Japan , Sven-Göran Eriksson , a Swede who coached England , as well as Berti Vogts , a German who until recently coached Scotland . Another German, Otto Rehhagel , is practically a national icon in Greece , especially after leading That Country's National Team to a shocking victory in Euro 2004 , and shortly afterwards turning down an offer to coach the German National Team to stay with Greece. Dutch coach Guus Hiddink has a similar iconic status in South Korea after coaching Its National Team to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup —so much so that one of Korea's World Cup stadiums was renamed in his honor shortly after the competition. SOCIETY In many countries football has ingrained itself into the national culture, and many parts of life revolve around it. Many countries have daily football newspapers, as well as football magazines. The mood of regions and countries has been seen to be connected to football. Victory in a major tournament can bring happiness to the local community or country. Conversely defeat can lower spirits, and has been seen to be connected to mortality in the population. BBC News - "Beating the World Cup Blues" Withdrawal symptoms when the football season finished have also been reported. BBC News - "Fans suffer 'end of season blues'" The economy can also be seen to be connected to major football tournaments, BBC News - "England defeat to dent UK economy" although the precise association is disputed. BBC News - "World Cup win 'could bring share falls'" The terms Soccer Mom and Soccer Dad (popularized in the USA) refer broadly to a demographic group of parents with school-age children playing football (soccer). Arts, literature & film The popularity of football has been reflected in the arts, books and films in many countries. Many books have been written dealing with the culture, such as violence, surrounding football, as well as detailed histories of events or rivalries. Many clubs have one or more Fanzines , one example being TOOFIF . Many consider that British football's image of a nasty working-class pursuit was changed into something far more respectable after '' Fever Pitch '', a memoir (later adapted very loosely into a movie) by Nick Hornby about his life as an Arsenal fan, was published. The book also provided Hornby's big break. Films have been made ranging from the celebrated '' Bend It Like Beckham '', to a more serious film, '' The Football Factory '', based on the book by John King, dealing with hooliganism and it's relationship to socio-economic realities in Britain. In Germany , '' The Miracle Of Bern '' ( 2003 ) revived the euphoria of the National Team's victory in the 1954 FIFA World Cup and was a huge hit. One film that has a historical basis is '' story where a Dynamo Kiev team, which defeated a German Luftwaffe team, was subsequently persecuted, and some team members executed. The story has also been recounted in the book ''Dynamo'' by Andy Dougan. Football and celebrities Such is the popularity of football that some players become better known for their 'off-the-pitch' activities. The celebrity status is such that advertisers and sports goods manufacturers hire them to sponsor their products. The Brazilian footballer Pelé is such a player; he was so admired as a player during his time that he went on to become a UNICEF ambassador, as well as being a spokesman in advertisements for many different companies (most famously advertising Viagra ). He also spent some time in politics in Brazil. Former FIFA World Player Of The Year , European Footballer Of The Year , and African Footballer Of The Year George Weah secured most votes in the first round of the 2005 Liberia n presidential election, but was defeated in the run-off ballot. Another (current) football celebrity is the English footballer David Beckham . While he is talented on the football pitch, he is also admired off it. He is a trend-setter in England , with his frequent hairstyle changes triggering copycat looks in the country. He is also married to the former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham , and his relationship difficulties were widely reported in the UK press in 2004 and 2005 . Statues have been made of him, notably at a Buddhist temple BBC News - "Beckham meets Buddha" as well as made out of chocolate. BBC News - "Japan unveils chocolate Beckham" Many other players have also become celebrities and are treated as heroes in the cities or countries that they have played for. Retired players, such as Gary Lineker , have also become celebrities in their own right by working on television or radio. Even non-footballers who are connected to football have become famous through their association alone. After the 2002 World Cup the head of the South Korean Football Association decided to run for president of the country. BBC News - "Korean football chief runs for presidency" Football as a religion? It has been said that in some countries football has become the new religion (although this is a contentious issue). FootballCulture.net - "Sacred Soccer?" (Internet Archive copy) Many people tend to avoid their traditional places of worship, and are now regular attenders at football matches. Their devotion includes celebrating their footballing heroes, and it has been seen that people take time off to go and catch a glimpse of their idols. Other beliefs are also in common use throughout football. Many players are quite religious and can be seen to cross themselves before a game. In Africa, traditional belief rituals are used to help teams win important games. FootballCulture.net - "The Magic of Soccer" (Internet Archive copy) In Argentina an official religion around the football player Diego Maradona has been formed called " Iglesia Maradoniana ". FAMOUS SAYINGS
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