Be a Sport! Hooligans Hooligans and sports have always seemed to go hand in hand like bread and butter Hooliganism generally refers to disruptive and aggressive behaviour commonly associated with different sports, especially football Why these people perform barbarous acts? When hooligans go to football matches, they are generally looking for trouble by getting into violent fights before, during and after the match, which may often end in deaths Hooligans even get into fights in the streets, breaking windows, cars and committing other acts of vandalism When trying to find a cause for this behaviour, it is not easy to come up with an answer However, one of the reasons may be that they are generally under the influence of alcohol or drugs It is also true that the rivalry between teams is sometimes more than fierce and that these frantic supporters turn their loyalty to their team into an obsession that can manifest itself in tremendous violence Although hooligans seem to be generally associated with England, this is a worldwide problem that has existed for more than 200 years As a matter of fact, one of the earliest acts of vandalism and violence in a sporting event took place in Ancient Greece during a chariot race The teams involved got into a massive combat which ended in riots that lasted for almost a week! It is a real shame that the average football fan cannot enjoy his favourite sport because attending a match in a stadium is not safe English Toolkit - Language & Culture Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 Module 3B Module 3B Activities 1 Scan the text and answer the questions a What are hooligans? b What could be the cause of their behaviour? c How long has hooliganism existed? d Do they behave this way only in the stadiums? e Where is hooliganism more common? a Hooliganism is generally associated with b Sometimes the reason for this behaviour can be c Hooliganism has existed d One of the main problems is that stadiums 1 .the excessive use of drugs and alcohol .have become a very dangerous place 3 .violent behaviour in sporting events .for over 200 years 3 Find in the text words that mean: a The crime of deliberately damaging things, especially public property: b A situation in which two or more people, teams or companies are competing for something, especially over a long period of time, and feeling the tension of the competition: c Extremely hurried and using a lot of energy, but not very organized: d A situation in which a large crowd of people are behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way, especially when they are protesting about something: e Causing problems and preventing something from continuing in its usual way: You should not enter the stadium under the effects of alcohol… 4 In pairs, write a set of rules you think could be implemented in stadiums to make them a safer place Turn these into a leaflet that can be distributed at stadium entrances English Toolkit - Language & Culture Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 2 Match and make sentences