A Particular Stage in a Hooligan Career: Temporary Exit from the Group

The analysis of hooliganism is often based on the risk factors that influence the emergence of violence or in terms of the construction of collective identities. No previous work has addressed the issue of deviant careers in the long term and the significance of violent behaviors in their diachronic dimension, focusing on three specific steps: integration, exit, and return to a hooligan group. This is the perspective this paper focuses on. It is based on seven of 31 interviews conducted and discusses how to interpret the different phases of a hooligan career.