Dissidence in the Stands: A Comparative Analysis of Football Fans’ Political Manifestations on Social Issues in Greece and Turkey

Turkey and Greece, despite their differences, share common cultural and historical legacies that manifest themselves in everyday life practices. In recent years, both countries witnessed a wave of political manifestations carried out in fandom spaces by football fans, who are often dismissed as “apolitical.” In Greece, the handling of the Tempi train disaster investigation by the government in 2023 carried the fan protests to the forefront, whereas in Turkey, the 2013 Gezi Protests were largely popularised by football fan groups which led to one of them being put on trial with the accusation of “staging a coup d’état against the government.”

This paper aims to investigate and explain the political manifestations of football fans, in connection with the political system and culture of these two countries, underlining the similarities and differences. It will always discuss the role of everyday politics in public scrutiny, especially in a period when democratic freedoms, such as the freedom of press, have been in decline.

The paper will methodologically rely on visual and discourse analysis on fan expressions through banners, slogans and chants, in order to reveal themes and strategies in these manifestations.