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R E M O N T A D AR E MR E M O N TO N T A D AA D Asince 2026.the entertainment magISSUE 5 6-11 OCTOBER 2026 ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTUREENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTURE PASSION · LOYALTY · RIVALRY · PREJUDICE · ABUSEPASSION · LOYALTY · RIVALRY · PREJUDICE · ABUSE + MORE+ MOREPASSION · LOYALTY · RIVALRY · PREJUDICE · ABUSE + MORE
ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTURELOYALTY OR POSSESSION?When loyalty becomes possession, devotion can turn love into betrayal.06.WORDS THAT WOUNDWhen football frustration becomes personal abuse, words can leave lasting scars.08FEATURESTHE BROKEN LINETHE BROKEN LINE16.THE LAST WORDABOUT USABOUT US17.THE COLOUR OF PREJUDICEFootball’s diversity cannot erase racism embedded within its culture and institutions.10.HOW MANY COLOURS IN ONE SHIRT?Rival club identities can divide players even beneath one national shirt.12.THE FINE LINETHE FINE LINE04.UPFRONTTHE CROWD UNLEASHEDWhen collective passion overwhelms restraint, belonging can become collective destruction.14.CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTS
English football culture is closely linked to family, community, and identity. Football clubs represent mutual history and bring people together. Nevertheless, when love for a club goes too far, football can divide people rather than bring them together. Rivalries could lead to personal attacks, racism, and even violence between fans. These actions show the dark side of a culture built on community.So, when does the love that brings football fans together begin to turn them against one another?THE FINELINEENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTUREUPFRONT 4 REMONTADA ISSUE 05
THE DEFORMATION OF PASSION. THE DARKNESS OF LOYALTY.nglish football has long been a cultural space where locality and identity are closely tied. Within the same city or region, multiple communities coexist, each represented by a distinct club, its colours, history and traditions. Rivalries stem from geographical closeness and are expressed through the Derby, where competitions become clashes between different ideas of belonging. When a footballerLOYALTY OR POSSESSION?EEswitches between fierce Derby rivals, passionate supporters may perceive it as betraying the family — like seeing your own son turn his back on you to call your enemies his family. Belonging can then become a disguise for possession, and passion can take a darker turn.6 REMONTADA ISSUE 05 ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTUREFEATURE
THE BOND THAT BINDSupporters’ passion is built on loyalty, fostering a strong football community. Yet when loyalty becomes an expectation, betrayal can turn love into hatred and belonging into hostility. The desire to protect “our” club and identity can become hostility toward those who dare to leave, deforming admiration into condemnation. In its darkest form, passion becomes anSol Campbell, a former England centre-back, has one of the most controversial transfers in Premier League history when switching from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal. Joining Spurs’ youth system at 16 and making his senior debut just a couple of years later, Sol eventually became the club’s captain, earning huge respect from the Spurs community. Yet when his contract expired, Campbell chose to join Tottenham’s biggest North London rival for greater opportunities to compete for trophies. Legitimately, it was a professional career decision; however, Tottenham Supporters' Trust called it “the ultimate act of betrayal”. Whenever he returned to White Hart Lane in an Arsenal jersey for the North London Derby,“Judas” chants, booing and racial abuse echoed again. Spurs fans even went further, throwing coins, cans, and bottles at the Arsenal bus and hanging an effigy of Campbell outside the stadium to curse the man they once called their captain. His later success with Arsenal’s Invincibles proved the move professionally, but in the eyes of Spurs fans, he was the one who dared to cross the fine line of identity — from “one of us” to “one of them”.“Judas”excuse for possessiveness: the community must be prioritised over an individual’s right to choose; belonging can become a force that confines, punishes, and obstructs a player’s freedom.by Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust Official statement on Tottenham Hotspur July 03, 2001 ... joining Arsenal would be regarded by the vast majority of Spurs fans as the ultimate act of betrayal. 7REMONTADA ISSUE 05
WORDS THAT WOUNDFootball thrives on passion. Fans argue, mock their rivals, and celebrate victories as if their lives depend on them. But when has such passion become an excuse for cruelty? In football, the line between banter and abuse is often blurred, with personal attacks dismissed as “just football”. Social media has worsened this problem, turning a moment of sporting disappointment into a public spectacle of humiliation.England’s defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final exposed this ugly side of fandom. After missing their penalties, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka were subjected to a wave of online abuse. Rather than criticising their performances, some supporters targeted the players personally, with racial slurs and insults adding another layer of hostility. Three young footballers who had represented their country were suddenly treated as antagonists for public anger. The same fans who had celebrated their contributions have turned into their harshest critics the moment things went wrong.FROM STARS TO TARGETS8 ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTUREFEATURE REMONTADA ISSUE 05
The problem is not that football fans feel too much, but that some believe their passion gives them the right to say anything. Rivalry can be fierce without becoming personal, and criticism does not have to become degradation. When abuse is dismissed as banter, the problem extends beyond those who post hateful comments to a culture that allows such behaviour to continue. Disappointment may be understandable, but it can never justify humiliating players who have represented their country. Football should be a space for fierce competition, not a free pass to abandon basic respect for others.This raised an uncomfortable question: How much does a player have to endure simply for failing to win? Footballers are not immune to criticism, and surely, missing a penalty doesn't make someone deserving of humiliation. Yet, behind the protection of a screen, some seem to forget that there is also a human being on the receiving end. Meanwhile, platforms that still allow abusive content to spread risk turning individual cruelty into a collective pile-on.PASSION OR DEGRADATIONFEATURE ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTURE
THE COLOUR OF PREJUDICEFootball is often celebrated for bringing people of different backgrounds together. Players of different colours share the same pitch, wear the same shirt, and represent the same country. Yet, beneath this image of unity lies a persistent problem: racism remains part of the game. Yet, research on race in sport highlights a troubling reality: the sense of unity created by football does not necessarily challenge the racial prejudices that exist beyond the pitch. If football truly embraces diversity, why does prejudice continue to surface both on and off the pitch?LOYALTY OVER JUSTICEIn 2011, the controversy between Luis Suárez and Patrice Evra brought this problem into the spotlight. Following an incident during a Liverpool–Manchester United match, the Football Association (FA) found Suárez guilty of using insulting language that included a reference to Evra’s skin colour. He received an eight-match suspension and a £40,000 fine, while Liverpool challenged the ruling. The fallout fuelled tensions between the clubs, with loyalty sometimes overshadowing the seriousness of racial abuse.ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTUREFEATURE 10 REMONTADA ISSUE 05
A racist incident may be treated as the wrongdoing of one individual. Nevertheless, if the response stops at punishment, how were these prejudices formed, maintained, and tolerated in the first place? Fighting racism takes more than condemning high-profile incidents; it means confronting the attitudes and behaviours that allow prejudice to remain part of football culture.A similar controversy involved John Terry and Anton Ferdinand that same year. Although Terry was acquitted in a criminal court in 2012, the FA subsequently found him guilty under its disciplinary rules, imposing a four-match ban and a £220,000 fine. The case also shook the England national team: Terry was removed as captain, prompting manager Fabio Capello to resign in protest. The incident escalated into a wider dispute over leadership and football’s response to racism. Yet, punishing individuals does not really resolve the problem. Football regularly launches anti- racism campaigns, but public gestures mean little if players continue to face prejudice in practice. This raises a bigger question: does football's public stance against racism actually lead to lasting changes, or does it remain a promise that the sport struggles to fulfil?THE CAPTAIN'S FALLAccountability mattersFEATURE ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTURE
MORE THAN ONE FOOTBALL POWER CENTREAlongside industrialisation, urbanisation and the development of local communities, English football also formed very early on. Football clubs gradually became symbols of the towns, cities or neighbourhoods they represented, carrying the history, honour, achievements and prestige of their communities. The fierce competition, therefore, does not only happen within derby circles, but also in the race to prove who is the biggest, most successful club with the right to represent English football. Unlike other football cultures like Spain or Italy, where rivalry often aligns with politics, religion or class, English football has developed a dense network of competing power centres: Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham... For decades, their titles, transfers, results, scandals and media narratives have deepened these rivalries, creating many “us” within one football culture.The term “Golden Generation” of the England national team describes a collective of the best players from multiple power centres, but inside it, the stars were disconnected. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitted they were “not friendly or connected”, and left the question of collective harmony to ego and rivalry. In The Times, Rio Ferdinand shared even more directly: “It overshadowed things. It killed that England team, that generation”. Rio also admitted that he intentionally didn’t open up to other English stars in the national team dressing roomRIVALS IN THE SAME ROOM12 REMONTADA ISSUE 05
MORE THAN ONE FOOTBALL POWER CENTREThe competitiveness of the England domestic league has created many generations of excellent players who can win everything for their clubs; however, those players have failed to put their clubs’ stories aside to dedicate themselves and win as one collective. The same intense competition that made English football powerful followed the players to the national team but split flashy strength into twinkling fragments that cannot be stuck together like the pieces of a picture puzzle. The Golden Generation was therefore an incomplete story of a football culture struggling to unite its own power centres. The colours once made English football powerful also kept its strongest wills apart.because he worried about domestic league competition with their clubs — his love for United outweighed his concern about hurting England then. The extreme domestic competition even deeply entered their instinct; as Garry Neville and Frank Lampard recalled, the players, especially from United and Liverpool, would sit at separate tables for dinners by nature. Long after retirement, Rio and Steven, Jamie and Gary, found themselves closer than they had been during 15 years together for England. They do not hate each other as enemies, but years of competing for different colours forced them to choose where to put their dedication.talkSPORT. (2025)."EGOTISTICAL LOSERS!" Steven Gerrard looks back on England's 'Golden Generation'. Youtube.FRACTURED UNITYYeah. Bitterness, a little bit of hate, a little bit of hatred,...Why... we are closer and more connected now? Why couldn’t we connect as England teammates back then?I felt there was an underlying like bitterness between us.We were a group of individuals with talent and it never works like that.—Steven Gerrard—Steven Gerrard—Rio Ferdinand
THE CROWD UNLEASHEDTHE CROWD UNLEASHED THE CROWD UNLEASHEDFootball, as we have long been considering, is a place where individuals represent themselves as one, contributing to the genuine spirit of the game. A football crowd, hence, can become one of the most powerful forces driving the whole match’s enthusiasm. On the grandstand, individual emotionsThe Heysel Stadium disaster offers the best example of how devastating that transformation can become. Prior to the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, violence erupted between sections of the two sets of supporters.THE NIGHT HEYSEL FELLmerge into a collective voice: chants become louder, pride becomes shared, and belonging becomes something physically felt. Nevertheless, the same crowd psychology that once creates football’s divine atmosphere can also amplify hostility. When loyalty turns into “us against them”, emotions can spread effortlessly through the group, making violence far harder to resist. The question is not simply whether passion itself is perilous, but what happens when collective identity overwhelms individual restraint.A charge by Liverpool supporters towards Juventus fans triggered a deadly crush, while the stadium’s inadequate safety arrangements and crowd control compounded the catastrophe, causing the death of 39 people. The consequences reached far beyond the stadium when14 REMONTADA ISSUE 05 ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTUREFEATURE
English clubs were subsequently banned from European competitions, leaving a lasting mark on English football. More importantly, the Heysel disaster should not be confused with the Hillsborough one. Although both became major tragedies in English football history, their circumstances and causes were fundamentally different.The Heysel disaster also challenges the idea that crowd violence can simply be the result of a few individuals “losing control”. Individual responsibility matters, but the scale of the disaster divulges an intense problem: when extreme group emotion meets inadequate organisation and crowdmanagement, the consequences can become collective and irreversible. When a community gathers under the banner of love for football, the crowd is therefore never merely a backdrop to the match. It can express extraordinary solidarity, but it can also unleash destruction.Football builds communities through shared passion. Yet the stronger the sense of “us” becomes, the easier it can be distorted into a threat against “them”. When that boundary hardens, the sense of belonging can cross a dangerous line.39HEYSEL STADIUM 29 MAY 1985LIVES LOST15REMONTADA ISSUE 05
THE LAST WORD ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTURE 16 REMONTADA ISSUE 05 Passion brings fans together, but when it goes too far, it can divide the collective and destroy the culture’s image. Media hype, pressure, deep-seated prejudice, fierce rivalries, and crowd violence can turn devotion into harm. The problem is not passion itself, but the broken line between genuine love and destructive excess. Besides the dark side of passion, another question awaits: What happens to English football culture as the game becomes a global business? → NEXT: EP. 6 — THE GAME FOR SALE
THE LAST WORD ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTURER E M O N T A D AR E MR E M O N TO N T A D AA D Asince 2026.the entertainment mag This E-zine is developed as a 6-issue series, which explores English football beyond the pitch, showing it as a vivid cultural phenomenon deeply tied to identity, community, and social memory. Through the lens of British Cultural Studies, this series examines this sport as a “culture of belonging” that has the ability to connect individuals or even unite people across generations, regions, and local roots. Across these 6 issues, it also critically reflects on the modern landscape of English football, tracing how a kind of entertainment can turn intense passion into hostility, and how global commercialisation and modern media are creating a different appearance of football. Through a multi-layered point of view, the E-zine captures not only the enduring spirit that keeps this game continuing but also the dark sides behind its entertainment. LÊ GIA HUY 2457010073 ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTURE NGUYỄN VIẾT VINH 2457010239 VŨ ĐÌNH HƯNG 2457010066 LÊ ĐỨC BÌNH 2457010029 Ideas / Concept Content Writer Content Editor Content Writer Translation Content Writer Research Proofreading REMONTADA AI CONTRIBUTIONS CONTENT: Topic analysis · Episode/Issue arrangement LANGUAGE: Translation · Grammar checking · English editing RESEARCH: Keyword exploration · Source identification · Fact-checking VISUALS: Image restoration (restoring, enhancing & upscaling) ------------ All AI-assisted results were reviewed, edited and selectively incorporated by our team. The group takes responsibility for the final content, sources and design. THE LAST WORD ENGLISH FOOTBALL CULTURE [0] - Pelak, W. B. (2003). Review of “Race”, Sport and British Society. 17REMONTADA ISSUE 05 [1] - The Guardian. (2001). Campbell crosses to the other side. [2] - The Guardian. (2001). Sol's huge little move. [3] - BBC Sport. (2021). Racist abuse of England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho & Bukayo Saka 'unforgivable'. REFERENCES [4] - BBC Sport. (2021). Social media abuse: Twitter takes 'easy' option, says Professional Footballers' Association. [5] - The Guardian. (2011). Liverpool furious as Luis Suárez banned in Patrice Evra racism row. [6] - BBC Sport. (2012). John Terry banned and fined by FA over Anton Ferdinand incident. [7] - BBC Sport. (2025). England's Golden Generation: Club cliques, boredom & poor tactics – how they describe their failures. [9] - UEFA. (1985). 1984/85: Football mourns Heysel victims. [10] - UK Parliament. (1986). Sports Grounds (Popplewell Report). [8] - talkSPORT. (2025)."EGOTISTICAL LOSERS!" Steven Gerrard looks back on England's 'Golden Generation'. Youtube.
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