Remedies for the Hooliganism Factor in the Football Industry: the Paradigm of Cyprus

The research relies on an extensive theoretical study taking into consideration the Decisions, Resolutions and Recommendations of the European Union and the Council of Europe, together with the enactments and amendments of the Cyprus law on violence in sports, to identify the key actions taken by the authorities in Cyprus, as a response to football hooliganism in an effort to improve the business of football. A problem, that for decades has been one of the biggest management issues and the main challenge in the industry. The findings show that the Cyprus authorities managed through a series of key actions to develop a national integrated approach framework, implementing a three-pillar concept on safety management, in an effort to respond positively against football hooliganism. Therefore, the paper provides a valuable theoretical framework that can be adopted by Safety Managers. An effective safety management is relying on an ongoing risk assessment and Managers must continuously supervise, control and practice all forces and technology systems, separately and together, in order to build an integrated operational readiness and successfully organise such multi-complex events, preserving at the same time, the balance between the three safety management elements. A safe environment creates value and the success of the football business relies on how well fans are treated and how comfortable and safe they feel at the venue. Additionally, the findings of this research create the urge for empirical research to test the degree of application of the strategic framework and identify the volume and correlation between the created value and football as a business.