Building on Braun and Vliegenthart’s recent study of soccer hooliganism, this article develops an explanatory model of soccer fan violence and collective violence more generally. The fabric of soccer fan violence becomes a richer tapestry if the diversity of the phenomenon is recognized and the focus is moved towards a more holistic approach to explaining crowd behaviour and collective conflict. The proposed approach incorporates macro-level influences and mediating and moderating influences as they affect fan violence. The model recognizes the critical importance of the collective mind and dispositions which can be investigated and understood through the lens of social identification and habitus. The model proposed in the article provides a solid foundation for testing its merits.
