Cyprus: a football crazy nation?

Abstract

Given the popularity of football all over the world, it is no surprise that people address football as the ‘Universal Language’ on many occasions. The results of a recent survey by Lamprecht and Stamm SE BAG were impressive in indicating how ‘big’ football is worldwide. This essay addresses the issue of how big football can be in a small island state like Cyprus. Is football still big in a small country where money for football is limited, where there are no big contracts or the glamorous element of star players? The main objective of the study, based on research conducted in Cyprus, was to measure and record the perceptions of adult Cypriot men on basic issues concerning football in the country. The results show that 77% of men between 21 and 70 years support a football club and that indeed football has assumed tremendous significance in such a small island. However, as the results indicate, football in Cyprus has to face major issues and challenges as well.

Notes

1. Murphy, Williams and Dunning, Football on Trial, 1.

2. Ibid., 2.

3. Blatter, Press Release.

4. Ibid.

5. Sugden and Tomlinson, ‘Not for the Good of the Game’, 27.

6. Ibid.

7. Allison, The Global Politics of Sport, 162.

8. Boyopoulos and Milakas, A Religion without Infidels, 14.

9. Joseph, ‘Could European Integration Bring Peace?’, 253.

10. Elias, The Civilizing Process.

11. Guba and Lincoln, Effective Evaluation, 120.

12. Nummally, Psychometric Theory.

13. Cyprus Football Association Statistics.

14. European Football Statistics available at http//www.european-football-statistics.co.uk.

15. Allison, The Global Politics of Sport, 163.

16. Miller et al., Globalization and Sport, 10.

17. Bower, Broken Dreams.

18. Murphy, Williams and Dunning, Football on Trial, 9.

19. Peristianis et al., Football Violence in Cyprus, 53.

20. Coackley, ‘Sport in Society’, 1.

21. Rogan, Football and its Fans.