Security at football grounds: A study from the stadium White House (Quito, Ecuador)

By violence, we understand the actions that an individual or a group of individuals committed with the purpose of causing harm to others or their property. In this conceptual scope of violence, we highlight the role of the attacks in the environment of football, where certain groups of fans -rather than acting as passive observers of the game- profane the statism of the viewer to manifest violent behaviors; we refer in particular to the hooligans or the ultras. This exploratory study presents the results of a survey of the fans of LDU Quito (Ecuador), a team that is considered the second with most supporters of the country. The results show that, despite the prohibitions, about four in ten fans consume alcohol before or during games. Also, a review or complaint of the sense of insecurity in the minds of the fans of this reference Ecuadorian football team, a conclusion that is provided without seeking its generalization is made, but that could serve as a starting point for further research.