Today's Zaman: Media Coverage to Blame

The following article appears in Monday's edition of "Today's Zaman." Please visit their website at http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=111708 to read the article in its entirety.

Media coverage contributes to the problem

Soccer hooliganism is a highly visible phenomenon, as journalists and TV cameras are present at virtually every match.

Journalists are sent to soccer matches in Turkey as much to report on crowd behavior as on the game itself.

As a result media coverage of soccer-related disorders and violence is extensive, and the Turkish media devotes apparently unlimited column inches to any incident that occurs, complete with sensationalist headlines.

This sensationalism, without the slightest doubt, together with a "predictive" approach whereby violence at certain matches is anticipated by the media, has actually contributed to the problem. The local media refers to any Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe match as the "mother of all derbies." What on Earth makes it the "mother or father of all derbies"? Is it the high standard of play or the high standard of hooliganism?