Can the New Football Violence Act Provide the Means for Efficient Safety Management in Football Grounds in Cyprus (PDF)

Master's Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Sport - Sport Economics, Sport Management, grade: 72, University of Wolverhampton, course: MA Management, language: English, abstract: It recently became apparent that it was imperative to amend the "On the Prevention and Suppression of Violence at Sports Grounds Act 2008", as football violence incidents were increasing dramatically. The new Act was voted by the House of Representatives in August 2014 containing in total 77 articles which clearly define and segregate the duties and responsibilities of all parties involved in a sporting event. Learning from past football disasters and tragedies, safety management has become today one of the main concerns for the organisers. It is imperative to learn from those incidents and use their findings as a guide to avoid similar tragedies today. The research is aiming to specify and report the duties and responsibilities resulting from the new football violence Act and identify whether it can provide the means for efficient safety management in football grounds in Cyprus.

The large amount of violence incidents between rival spectators inside and outside the venues is currently the main problem of football in Cyprus. For decades, the authorities have been trying different ways to combat violence at sports venues, a phenomenon which through the years, mainly due to impunity, has spread immensely. Hooligans felt unbeatable and the authorities seemed unable to suppress the violence in sports venues. Various committees were appointed mainly after serious incidents during football games or after a political decision by the government, but it was never a result of an in-depth research and study. Over the years it became apparent that it was imperative to improve the Act and define through a new one the duties and responsibilities of all parties involved in sporting events. The enactment of the amended Act in 2014 by the House of Representatives was the beginning of a tough and uneven under the circumstances battle against violence in football. The main element of the Act is to provide the means for an efficient safety management in football grounds in Cyprus.