Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
Soccer & Society

For a Special Issue on
Club, Nation, Player: Fans and Identities in the Soccer World

As FIFA Men’s World Cup was held in the Middle East for the first time and in Asia for the second time after 2002, it may be time to explore and shed light on the interconnectedness of some of the most commonplace yet significant markers and representatives of the game – club, nation and player – through the lens of the most affective component of any sport – fans. Fans create, represent, break, recreate, transcend, complicate and confuse diverse identities in their attachments with and loyalties to particular clubs, nations and players. While these identities of the same fan may at times become quite identical, at other times they may seem at loggerheads with each other. A Bangladeshi football fan may be a diehard fan of Argentina in the World Cup, of Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League, and of Christiano Ronaldo in any Ronaldo-featured tournament/ match. While nations mobilise strong bonds of nationalism and national identity among fans of a given nation across the globe players and clubs create transnational spaces for global soccer fans to follow them often with conflicting national/ club identities. Many Napoli/ Italian spectators used to be passionate fans of Diego Maradona; and hence they faced a great dilemma when Italy played Argentina in 1990 World Cup semi-final. On the other hand, conflict of interests between nations and clubs has been one of the key components of soccer culture and politics across the world. The attitudes of fans towards this conflict have also been complex and diverse. The fact of players affiliating with a nation or a club often complicates the matter further, more so in the age of transnational fandom.

On a different note, at times, conflicting national identities merge to create temporary fan loyalty to continental or regional identity in international tournaments. A European fan is most likely to support a European national side against a non-European national team in a World Cup final. Again intense enmity or arch rivalry can lead to temporal fan identification with otherwise irrelevant fan identities. Given the arch rivalry of Brazil-Argentina, a Brazilian fan may not support Argentina in favour of her/ his continental Latin American identity and do just opposite to support Argentina's opponent, the enemy’s enemy, in an international fixture. Similarly, a diasporic identity may lead to a strong bond with the country of origin. The British in other parts of the world would always support their national team when it is playing.

In the backdrop of these intriguing relationships between nations, clubs and players, complex identities are at play almost everywhere in the world of soccer – both women’s and men’s. These identities are given shape by fans representing different affiliations of nation, club or player and through the display and observance of diverse forms of fandom and fan subcultures. The special issue on Club, Nation, Player: Fans and Identities in the Soccer World seeks to explore the meanings, significances and impacts of such identities fans represent, create or confuse in their affiliations with clubs, nations and players from local to global level, and from national to transnational spaces. It will also try to eke out the commonalities, conflicts and tensions within these fan identities. 

Notes for Authors

Length of the paper: Preferably below 8000 words including Notes and References

Style of Text, Notes and Bibliography: Soccer & Society journal style

Abstract and Keywords: Required

Timeline

Submission of Abstract with title, author name(s) and affiliation(s): 15 February 2023

Intimation to Authors of Selected Abstracts: 28 February 2023

Submission of first draft: 30 June 2023

Communication to authors of comments/queries after review: 31 August 2023

Submission of final draft after revisions by the authors, if required: 30 September 2023

Submission of edited final papers to the journal by the editor – 30 November 2023

Send your abstract to [email protected]

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