ABSTRACT
Evidence suggests that religious ritual and the adoration of saints may well be more alive in soccer than they are in traditional Christian churches. The fans of a soccer team also form a type of congregation, characterized by distinctly religious forms of behavior. The time of faith in both the church and the stadium has its own structure: in the beginning, there is the latent time of anticipation, following this there is the sudden occurrence of the sacred event, and finally, the moment when the congregation is united with its saints. In the sociological explanation, the relationship between the saint and the congregation can be described as a phenomenon of collective faith. An understanding of how the ritual congregation functions can be gained from observing the development of a young fan: the process by which a boy or girl is inducted into the community. For soccer fans, the process of admission to the group also emphasizes the existing hierarchy.
