122 Where does the word hooligan come from? The word firms is a British slang word used to indicate criminal gangs. WHEN SUPPORTING BECOMES VIOLENCE Even though attendance at sports events should be entertaining and a time for leisure, sometimes it turns out to be a display of bad emotions and frustrations, leading to violent and destructive behaviour. The phenomenon of hooliganism The Liverpool hooligans who were found guilty of the massacre were sentenced either to four or five years of prison. The Belgian police chief was prosecuted, too. Can you explain in what ways pre-sold tickets and the improvement of stadiums may make supporters at the stadium feel safer? The word hooliganism indicates violent and destructive behaviour by groups of football club supporters . This phenomenon gained prominence in the United Kingdom in the 1970s and 80s, then spread to other countries. In the UK, organised groups called firms intimidated and physically attacked the supporters of the opponent teams, causing serious disorders and incidents, both during home and international football matches. Conflicts took place before, during, and after matches, sometimes far from stadiums, in order to avoid police control. Violence resulted in serious damage, as hooligans crashed shop and car windows, set fire to rubbish bins and overturned cars. Tragic consequences of hooliganism to enact: promulgare One of the tragedies that shook public opinion is the accident that happened at the Heysel Stadium in Belgium in 1985, 228 HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, AND CIVIC EDUCATION during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. Less than an hour before kick-off, the Juventus fans were trying to escape from attacks by the Liverpool hooligans when they were pressed against a wall of the stadium. The wall collapsed under the pressure of the crowd and thirty-nine spectators were killed in the crash, while another six hundred people were injured. The match was played anyway in order to avoid any other disorder, and it was won by the Juventus team. Measures to fight hooliganism After the Heysel massacre, English football clubs were banned by UEFA from all European competitions until 1990; in addition, the Liverpool team was excluded for one more year . To fight hooliganism, a number of campaigns, laws, and policies were enacted in the UK; among these measures, the Sporting Events Act (1985) prohibited alcohol consumption in stadiums, and the Football Spectators Act (1989) introduced football banning orders, allowing authorities to stop individuals from attending matches. At the same time, campaigns aimed at promoting responsible behaviour among supporters, together with new control systems such as CCTV and measures such as pre-sold tickets and the improvement of stadiums have progressively led to the reduction of hooliganism and violence among supporters .