Football Fans’ Narratives of Europe and the Game

This chapter focuses on the individual football fans who ideally typify the attitudes and features of football fandom of their clubs. The analysis is based on 75 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with fans of the eight selected clubs. Findings indicate that the participation of clubs in European competitions and the Europeanisation of player markets prompted positive attitudes of fans towards the Europeanisation of football, whereas broader public opinion has negligible impact. The analysis reveals that strong local, regional or national identifications of fans go often hand in hand with positive attitudes towards the Europeanisation of the game.