SPORTS NATIONALISM - TRUTH OR FICTION IN THE AREA OF FOOTBALL

The aim of the following study is to present the connections between nationalism and football taking into account football clubs, national teams and football supporters. The most important nationalism theories are presented as well as reasons and chronology of the nationalism paradigms followed in succession: perennialism, primordialism, modernism and ethnosymbolism which despite of significant differences agree in the issue of fundamental assumptions such as aspiration to independence and unity of a nation as well as the sense of identity necessary to assure national unity. The connection between the establishment of nations and the natural result of it, which means the establishment of nations, was also noticed. The diversification of the genesis of this phenomenon results from the differences in the typologies of nations. There are ‘cultural nations’ (Kulturnation) and ‘political nations’ (Staatsnation) whose existence is determined by the division of nations for geographical reasons and for possessina a middle class in a society. With the use of a medelling method the connections between nationalism and football were proved regardless of existing divisions . They are presented using the example of Hitlerian propaganda during the Olimpic Games in 1936, the activity of the clubs from the regions performing separatistic activities ? FC Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Karpaty Lwow from the times of USRR. These connections are also presented using the example of the football supporters behavoiur ? during the confrontation with the antagonist nationalist groups and in the times when one of the few places where one could manifest their opinions were the football stadiums