Exploring the Bedouin Syndrome in the Football Fan Culture: Addressing the Hooliganism Phenomena through Networks of Violent Behavior

Thyago Celso Cavalcante Nepomuceno (), Victor Diogho Heuer de Carvalho, Lúcio Camara e Silva, Jadielson Alves de Moura and Ana Paula Cabral Seixas Costa
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Thyago Celso Cavalcante Nepomuceno: Núcleo de Tecnologia, Federal University of Pernambuco, Caruaru 55014-900, Brazil
Victor Diogho Heuer de Carvalho: Campus do Sertão, Federal University of Alagoas, Delmiro Gouveia 57480-000, Brazil
Lúcio Camara e Silva: Núcleo de Tecnologia, Federal University of Pernambuco, Caruaru 55014-900, Brazil
Jadielson Alves de Moura: Departamento de Engenharia de Produção, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, Brazil
Ana Paula Cabral Seixas Costa: Departamento de Engenharia de Produção, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, Brazil

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-19

Abstract: The Bedouin syndrome represents social interactions based on four premises: a friend of my friend is my friend, a friend of my enemy is my enemy, an enemy of my friend is my enemy, and an enemy of my enemy is my friend. These extensive associations exist in many social and economic relationships, such as market competition, neighborhood relations, political behavior, student gangs, organized crime, and the violent behavior of sports spectators (hooliganism) worldwide. This work tests the Bedouin syndrome hypothesis considering the violent behavior in the football fan culture. We construct relational networks of social affinities to represent the social interactions of organized fan bases ( Torcidas organizadas ) involved in hooligan violence in Pernambuco, Brazil. Contrary to prior expectations, the results evidence no statistical support for the Bedouin syndrome in 13 of the 15 analyzed clubs. There is weak statistical support in two interactions and strong statistical support in one interaction to state that a friend of my enemy is my friend (instead of an enemy). The only support for the Bedouin syndrome is circumstantial based on a prior assumption of an alliance. We propose a network development that can be more suitable to represent football fans’ violent behavior. The results contribute to understanding the hooliganism social phenomenon in football-rooted cultures and their impact on public health, identifying potential determinants for organized violence by young spectators’ and supporting police strategies by defining relevance scores for the most potential clashes and coalitions of gangs.

Keywords: behavioral sports economics; violent behavior; hooliganism; Bedouin syndrome; network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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