Security at football grounds: a study from the stadium White House (Quito, Ecuador)

Abstract

By violence, we understand the actions that an individual or a group ofindividuals committed with the purpose of causing harm to others ortheir property. In this conceptual scope of violence, we highlight therole of the attacks in the environment of football, where certain groupsof fans rather than acting as passive observers of the game-profane thestatism of the viewer to manifest violent behaviors; we refer inparticular to the hooligans or the ultras. This exploratory studypresents the results of a survey of the fans of LDU Quito (Ecuador), ateam that is considered the second with most supporters of the country.The results show that, despite the prohibitions, about four in ten fansconsume alcohol before or during games. Also, a review or complaint ofthe sense of insecurity in the minds of the fans of this referenceEcuadorian football team, a conclusion that is provided without seekingits generalization is made, but that could serve as a starting point forfurther research.