A few years ago, the mere mention of the term “organized fans” automatically referred to the meaning of violence. What most people don't know is the fact that the first fan organized in Brazil was female. Exactly: At the beginning of Atlético Mineiro's performances, women went to the stadiums with little uniformed flags to accompany their husbands. It is obvious that at that time the violence was not even close to the stadium, which means that organized fans are not and should not be synonymous with violence.
Gradually, fans began to group, in order to organize the fans to follow their teams in the stadiums. The first manifestation of this type – with the exception of women carrying little flags – corresponded to the São Paulo Futebol Clube, in 1939. Soon after, Internacional, in Rio Grande do Sul, and Fluminense, in Rio de Janeiro, also adopted this model.
In this sense, in the most recent molds, organized fans are defined as a group of fans who constantly accompany the teams during their matches at the stadium, and dress and behave in a manner collective. It is quite obvious that, inserted in a capitalist universe and comprising a large number of fans, the teams and associations responsible for the fans Organized groups began to sell products related to the teams at a high cost, a fact that makes the mass of organized fans a highly lucrative.
But it was in the 90s of the 20th century that the fans acted in episodes of extreme collective violence: cases of deaths were constantly reported after the end of the matches, when the fans became found. Although many people believed that this was a problem restricted to large Brazilian cities, the hooligans, in England, they are an excellent example that sports fanaticism is far from being a typical characteristic. Brazilian.
In any case, Brazilian or not, violence needed to be fought with efficient policies for this purpose. And it was. The fear of going to the stadium, in big cities, still surrounds most people. However, the organizers of the championships have offered better structural conditions for the fans, in addition to incorporating initiatives together with the Military Police, to ensure the entry and exit of the fans. This fact has shown considerable improvements in the organization of the stadiums and, consequently, allows greater security for fans to follow their teams closely.
By Paula Rondinelli
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Physical Education from the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – UNESP
Master in Motricity Sciences from the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – UNESP
Doctoral Student in Integration of Latin America at the University of São Paulo - USP
Soccer - sports - PE - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/educacao-fisica/torcidas-organizadas.htm