Cocaine abuse is a bigger cause of football hooliganism on matchdays than alcohol, a study by a Scottish university has found. Academics at the University of Stirling wanted to explore the relationship between football fans and booze in Scotland and England.
The research found that both matchgoers and organisations involved in match safety had noticed an increased use of cocaine by supporters.
One police representative described cocaine use as ‘extensive’ and believed it had become a more influential factor in matchday violence and antisocial behaviour.
The review saw them interviewing fans from north and south of the border, as well as the police, UK and Scottish government advisors, football supporters’ groups and safety organisations.
And the health and behaviour experts' research discovered that "all participants" shared "the view that cocaine had replaced alcohol as a major issue on matchdays".
Dr Richard Purves, of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health and Principal Investigator on the project, said: “We found widely held concerns about a growing drug culture amongst football fans.
"Cocaine appears to be particularly prevalent and when used in conjunction with alcohol, was described as a ‘perfect mix’ in terms of its combined heightening of intoxicated, hedonic or transgressive experiences on matchday. Both organisational stakeholders and focus group participants reported what they believed was a growing drug culture in football.
"Further research is needed to fully understand the true extent and impact of controlled drugs on fans’ behaviour in both football and other sports, especially in the context of assessing the ramifications of this issue for potentially reforming regulations on the use of alcohol within the game.”
The study says: "Both focus group participants and organizational stakeholders indicated that they had noticed increased use of cocaine, sometimes in conjunction with alcohol; one Scotland club supporter described alcohol and cocaine consumption, in the football context, as a ‘perfect mix,’ pointing to their combined heightening of intoxicated, hedonic or transgressive experiences on matchdays.
"With regards to serious violence, participants suggested that football supporters will always consume alcohol and there will always be ‘small scuffles here and there,’ but, as illustrated by a representative from South Yorkshire police, ‘certainly there is a pickup in cocaine usage by people going out with the intent of causing serious disorder'."
The research also looked at how laws around alcohol at football matches affects fans drinking and whether the rules are fair, effective or outdated. Current laws mean Scottish fans can only drink within grounds if they have hospitality tickets, while English fans can buy alcohol within grounds, but they are not allowed to drink within view of the pitch.
People taking part in the study believed football fans are viewed differently to supporters of other sports and that laws around drinking allow other fans to enhance a carnivalesque environment by drinking alcohol while football fans are more restricted.
Participants also agreed excessive drinking and violence associated with football supporters led to a bad reputation, however, that this view was outdated.
The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and supported by experts at Loughborough University and the University of Edinburgh.
The paper, ‘Alcohol consumption among UK football supporters: Investigating the contested field of the football carnivalesque’, was published in the Journal ‘Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy’.
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