ABSTRACT
This chapter situates my analysis of violence, corruption, and politics in football within the field of moral relativism. Here, I focus on the ways in which different actors negotiate their actions through the lens of morality, with particular attention to moral inconsistencies and the effects that certain choices have on the perpetuation of violence and corruption within football clubs. Crucially, I explore the actors’ moral inconsistencies in relation to particular actions, events, and circumstances, showing the varying degrees to which they negotiate their personally held moral values and adjust their statements when describing potentially compromising situations. In addition, I discuss the role of patronage politics in the creation of Hinchadas Unidas Argentinas (“United Argentinian Fandoms”), a non-governmental organization that sought to establish inter-barra ties of cooperation in support of Argentina’s national team. The plan, according to one of the organization’s co-founders, was to use the barras for votes and political mobilization by turning them into “social leaders” (i.e. neighbourhood brokers). I end the chapter with an examination of different interpretations and moral evaluations of the social role of team sports. Here, I argue that moral assumptions regarding the role of team sports must be examined in relation to the social and cultural specificities that define particular contexts and circumstances. In Argentina, it is not unusual for fans to conceptualize rivalries as enmities, a factor that contributes to cases of violence within and beyond football stadiums.
