Sport Management Studies

Explaining the Role of Identity Fusion in the Violence of Football Fans

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Vajiheh Javani 1
Gholamreza Mirzamohamadi 2
Fatemeh Abdavi 1

1 Associate Professor, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

2 PhD Candidate, Department of Sports Management, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22089/smrj.2025.17049.4053
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Background and Purpose
Football fan violence has emerged as a significant challenge confronting modern sports management worldwide. This phenomenon transcends cultural and geographic boundaries, ranging from verbal aggression to physical confrontations that can result in serious injuries and property damage. Despite decades of research, the psychological and identity-based mechanisms driving fan violence remain insufficiently understood. Traditional studies have mainly focused on external causal factors such as crowd dynamics, alcohol consumption, rivalry intensity, and environmental triggers, often neglecting the underlying psychological processes motivating violent behaviors in football supporters. This study addresses this gap by applying identity fusion theory to explore the lived experiences of Iranian football fans and their association with violent conduct. Identity fusion theory, a pivotal framework in social psychology, explains how individual and collective identities can deeply merge, blurring boundaries between self and group, thereby generating powerful motivations for extreme pro-group behaviors.
 
Methods
A qualitative phenomenological methodology was employed to capture the nuanced psychological experiences of individuals deeply immersed in Iranian football culture. The study utilized Smith’s Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), well suited for examining complex psychological phenomena and participants’ meaning-making processes. Data were primarily collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews, designed around identity fusion constructs and including questions on personal attachment to football teams, group identification, experiences with fan violence, and psychological drivers of extreme fan behavior. Interviews spanned approximately 60 to 90 minutes each and were audio-recorded with informed consent over a six-month period. A purposive sampling strategy ensured representation across diverse stakeholder groups within Iranian football, recruiting 70 participants including active football fans from numerous clubs, sports management experts, stadium and club academy managers, security personnel, and other relevant actors. This multi-perspective approach enhanced the study’s credibility and transferability. Selection criteria centered on direct involvement with Iranian football culture and capacity to provide rich, detailed narratives. Data analysis followed Smith’s IPA process: detailed verbatim transcription, initial coding focused on significant statements, grouping codes into preliminary themes, and refining these into overarching categories. Member checking and peer debriefing techniques were employed to ensure trustworthiness.
 
Results
The qualitative analysis uncovered a complex network of factors influencing football fan violence, organized into three principal thematic categories encompassing 21 subthemes and 196 primary codes. The first theme, “Contextual Factors,” highlights environmental, social, and situational conditions fostering violent fan behavior. Subthemes include historical club rivalries, socioeconomic disparities reflected in football settings, media shaping fan perceptions, and external provocations inciting violence. Participants consistently reported how these contextual elements transform regular matches into emotionally charged events prone to conflict. The second theme, “Identity Convergence Mechanisms,” elucidates psychological processes where individuals’ identities become fused with their football group, producing profound emotional bonds that transcend conventional group membership. This fusion induces perceptions that threats to the team equate to personal attacks. Subthemes cover emotional investment in team success, symbolic embodiment of personal values via team affiliation, collective memory formation, and development of ‘us versus them’ mentalities that legitimize extreme behaviors defending the group. Participants often described experiences of profound unity with fellow fans, using expressions indicative of complete identification. The third theme, “Institutional Elements,” addresses formal and informal organizational and societal structures that either mitigate or exacerbate fan violence. Subthemes include security protocols, club management policies, fan organization frameworks, and societal responses to football-related violence. Participants noted that institutional reactions can either escalate tensions or channel fan passion constructively. The findings identify identity fusion as a potent psychological mechanism capable of motivating both positive and negative fan behaviors, contingent upon its management and contextual framing.
 
Conclusion
This study advances understanding of the intricate relationship between identity fusion and football fan violence, demonstrating that violent conduct is not merely reactive but rooted in deeply intertwined individual and collective identities. The findings challenge conventional external-control approaches by emphasizing identity-centered interventions. Identifying contextual, psychological, and institutional components yields a comprehensive framework for more effective prevention and intervention strategies. The research enriches theoretical knowledge of identity fusion within sports settings while offering actionable insights for sports managers, policymakers, and security professionals tackling fan violence. Successful prevention necessitates multi-dimensional strategies addressing identity processes alongside contextual and institutional determinants that either trigger or inhibit violence.
Article Message
This research reveals that football fan violence originates from profound identity fusion processes rather than impulsive emotional reactions. Effective prevention thus requires identity-focused strategies in conjunction with traditional security measures.
 Ethical Considerations
The study adhered rigorously to ethical guidelines governing human subjects’ research. All participants provided informed consent, and strict confidentiality was maintained throughout data collection and analysis.
Authors’ Contributions
Conceptualization: Vajiheh Javani, Gholamreza Mirzamohammadi
Data Collection: Gholamreza Mirzamohammadi
Data Analysis: Vajiheh Javani, Gholamreza Mirzamohammadi
Manuscript Writing: Vajiheh Javani, Gholamreza Mirzamohammadi
Review and Editing: Vajiheh Javani
Literature Review: Gholamreza Mirzamohammadi
Project Management: Vajiheh Javani
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the participants who generously shared their experiences and perspectives, enabling this research.

Keywords

Football fans
Identity fusion
Violence

Subjects

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Sport Management Studies
Volume 17, Issue 91
November and December 2025
Pages 85-106

  • Receive Date 06 August 2024
  • Revise Date 06 July 2025
  • Accept Date 15 September 2025

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