Football as a civil religion: A Case Study.

Introduction: Kick-off. There are two ways of defining religion in terms of its relationship to society. The first is concerned with what religion is, and is therefore substantive. It describes religion as beliefs and practices which assume the existence of supernatural beings. The second approach is functional, concerning itself with what religion does and how it affects the society of which it is part. Religion, according to this view, offers answers to otherwise unanswerable questions, …

…Richard Giulianotti, Football Culture - Local Contests, Global Visions, 2000, Frank Cass and Co. Ltd., London <Tab/>Paul Dimeo and James Mills, Soccer in South Asia - Empire, Nation, Diaspora, 2001, Frank Cass and Co. Ltd., London <Tab/>The home page of the Norman Chester Centre for Football Research, specifically various factsheets/research papers listed on the page http://le.ac.uk/fo/resources/ factsheets/index.html