Football Fan Types at the EURO 2016

There’s no other sport that would trigger as extreme reactions as football. With fans and teams gathering together from all over the world, the EURO 2016 is a parade of all football fan types.

In the wake of the recent, rather shameful, sport news, it’s time for an attempt to categorize the types of football fans at the EURO 2016. Such aggressive fan-reactions, give a bad reputation to football followers, despite the fact that those prone to violent acts, represent only a small fraction of the whole set. We’re all familiar with this effect, and probably, most casual and standard fans condemn them just as much as outsiders. At the end of the day, football is just another game, with no actual effect on the fans everyday lives. So let’s take a look at the football fan types at the EURO 2016.

1. The Bandwagoner

The Bandwagoner football fan might not be the worst type of all, but he sure is the most annoying. Such fans are not entertaining, not even encouraging as are some of the others. This category can be divided into two subcategories. The first sub-type covers the football-amateurs, who follow the sport only because there’s a talked about championship approaching. They pretend to know-all just so they can be part of the conversation. Unfortunately, their knowledge is superficial, which is reflected in their comments that usually don’t make any sense. The second sub-type is for the team-bandwagoners. They jump on a team’s bandwagon only because they’re on a winning streak, or forecasted to win something significant. This type of football fan is among the most despised.

2. The Overtly Enthusiastic

At some point you just have to let it go; Well, this saying does certainly not apply to Overtly Enthusiastic football fans. They’re the fans who always keep a positive attitude, even when their favorite teams are in a doomed situation. What’s more, the extreme ones of the overtly enthusiastic football fans don’t lose their optimism even after their team loses. These fans will always look at the bright side of things, even if it exists only in their own dream world. They are the first to paint their face and color-coordinate their clothes with their club’s official colors. Overtly enthusiastic fans can be on the annoying side, but they’re also motivating and fun to have around. However, sometimes they’re just a bit too deluded.

3. The Pessimist

Pessimistic football fans are rather complicated in nature. They’re rooting for a team yet they still complain about every detail. Most of the time they know everything better than the coach, or the players. It’s unnecessary to argue with them, even if they’re totally wrong, since they will twist everything until the point where it justifies their pessimisms. One might wonder why are they even cheering for the team or watching football if it makes them constantly complain? Despite all the negativity, the pessimist football fans will stand next to their team of choice and defend them from other club’s fans.

4. The Realest

Realest football fans are the most common. They choose their favorite team for life and stick up for them all the time. However, they’re not deluded as their overtly enthusiastic or pessimistic mates. The realest will admit to their team’s faults and without giving up on them. These are the fans who you hear talking about football without arguing or extreme emotions. The realest are not extremist. Naturally, they will be happy for a win and sad after a lost game. After a win, they have the tendency for a high scale celebration. Following a lost match, they might be a bit melancholic, but they recollect themselves in a relatively short period without becoming aggressive. The realest are the best companion for watching football since they remain balanced with their opinion, and will always keep it real.

5. The Casual Fan

Casual football fans won’t go out of their way just watch their favorite teams match. That doesn’t mean that they don’t care. Other types might think that casuals are not real fans, however, that’s false. The causals realize that there are more important things in life than their hobby or their object of interest. If they miss the live streaming of a match, they will check the score, watch videos, and read news to remain informed. They share many treats with the realest football fans.

6. The Weirdos

For some reason, the most sensational type of Weird football fans are those who cheer for another country’s team. Some might ask, when did they set in stone that you must cheer for your country’s team? Another sub-type of weirdos are constantly checking their phones for stats and news, even during a match. They tend to memorize even the smallest detail about each match of their favorite team. This vast amount of information is used by them at every given chance.

The Hooligans

First of all, football hooligans cannot be considered real fans. Why? Because they do more harm than good to their team of choice and the whole football community. Since sport news will cover only controversial stories, unfortunately, hooligans receive the most screen time. After last week’s happening at the EURO 2016 this is even more obvious. The acts of a group of Russian fans have left a bitter taste around the European Championship. Jamie Varady’s wife, Rebekah, who witnessed the fans unacceptable behavior, described the scene as “sheer terror.” She blamed the police, saying that they did not check bags properly, “so it is no surprise the Russian fans managed to sneak in fireworks and goodness knows what else."  Her claim was later confirmed by the Russian fans, who said that it was extremely easy to get through the security with their with their assets and paraphernalia.

Unfortunately, in some cases, the fans’ behavior is encouraged by people of high positions. After the Russian fans’ violent acts, Igor Lebedev, a member of the executive board of the Russian football union, expressed his approval by saying something among the lines “keep it up.” Law enforcement official, Vladimir Markin, said the fans acted as “real men.” Ironically, after the backlash, Lebedev has toned-down his comment, telling fans to don’t allow “the possibility for your behavior to be used against the Russian football union and the Russian team.” Russians have been fined EUR 150,000 for their at the game against England in Marseille on Saturday. Furthermore, the team was given a suspended disqualification.

If you're hungry for more, check out the "7 Ways To Spot Your Favorite Casino Is Full Of EURO 2016 Fans"