Fanatics

While football has never been more popular, the rapidly-changing cultures of its supporters take an ever greater variety of forms, from the New Lad culture which produced Three Lions and Fantasy Football to the extremist ultras in Italy. Embracing studies of fandom across Europe, Fanatics tackles questions of power, national and regional identities, race and racism, highlighting the changing role of fans in the game. From the 'fast painters' of Denmark to the 'Sonvolti' of Italy, Fanatics puts Europe's fans centre stage. The opening section deals with issues of power at all levels in the game, from the floating of UK clubs on the Stock Exchange to supporters' demands for greater democracy. Focusing on the issue of racism in British and Italian football, the second section examines the take-over of Partick Thistle and offers a critical account of Euro '96, while the third examines the way national identities are represented in sports coverage. Later chapters focus on the idea of football as the British 'national' sport and consider the particular national, religious and club identities of Scottish and Irish fans, while the final section examines the role of the law in regulating fans and considers the future of supporters in an increasingly televised game. Combining new approaches to the study of fan culture with critical assessments of the commercialisation of the game and the impact on football support of influences as diverse as the Spanish media, Cantona's kick and Jason Lee's hair, Fanatics offers a comprehensive and timely examination of the state of European football fandom as the game prepares itself for the next millennium.