A socio-aesthetic account of construction and destruction in world football

Abstract

On the global stage, the notion of “who wins” may be the most news-worthy aspect to speculate upon as Conn (1997) and Balague (2005) have indicated, that, football is often represented as a sport in which elite level success is of predominant
significance. The game is continuously presented in the media as a function of reactions to victory in significant competition by elite teams who are passionately supported by global fanbases. In addition to the perceived relevance of competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League, and the victories obtained in such events by national and club teams respectively, much of this media coverage on the sport focuses on the behaviour of the football supporters who travel to witness and effectively ‘participate’ in these spectacles. This relates to instances of destructive conduct from supporters, a phenomenon known generally as football hooliganism. In response to such occurrences, popular representations of the game frequently rely on a photographic medium to supplement or even provide the focus of a message. The photography of Clarke (1999) is a notable example in this regard. Also, the media presentation and sometimes amplification of key events often rely on powerful or even sensationalist language to convey a message (Boyle and Haynes, 2000).