Abuse, Intimidation and Violence as Aspects of Managerial Control in Professional Soccer in the Britain and Ireland

Seamus R. Kelly, Dublin Institute of Technology
Ivan Waddington, University of Chester

Document Type Article

Abstract

Using semi-structured tape-recorded interviews, this study focuses on the ways in which managers maintain control over players in professional soccer clubs. More specifically, the article focuses on the ways in which disciplinary codes are established by managers and the sanctions that are imposed on players for breaches of club discipline. The findings highlight the arbitrary character of these codes and the central part played by intimidation and abuse, both verbal and physical, as aspects of managerial control within clubs.