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FANS AGAINST VIOLENCE NATIONAL REPORT

LITHUANIA

DECEMBER 2015 –

This Project is funded by EU Commission in the frame of Erasmus + Collaborative Partnership Programme.

Disclaimer

The content of this report does not reflect the opinion of the or of its Member States. Responsibility for the information

and views expressed in the report lies entirely with the authors.

Fans Against Violence 2 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 4 What is “Fans Against Violence” Project? ...... 4 Rationale For The Research ...... 4 in Lithuania ...... 4 Women's Basketball ...... 7 Lithuanian basketball in International championships ...... 9 The Lithuania men's national basketball team (until 1990) ...... 9 After the restoration of independence (from 1990) ...... 9 Latest Achievements of Lithuanian National Teams ...... 16 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 18 Aggression ...... 18 Theories Which Tend To Explain Aggression ...... 18 Team Identification ...... 22 References ...... 23 3. HISTORY/BACKGROUND ...... 26 Violence in ...... 26 4. FACT FINDING CONFERENCE ...... 28 Part I. General Information Fact finding conference ...... 28 Part II. Participants of the FFC ...... 29 Part III. Agenda of the meeting ...... 30 Part IV. Introduction of the Project ...... 31 Part V. Session 1 “Definition of the Violence and realities of Lithuania” ...... 31 Part VI. Session 2 “Recommendations on improving the Project activities” ...... 35 What can be done to prevent violence? ...... 39 Other insights ...... 40 5. FAN SURVEYS ...... 42 Findings ...... 42 6. IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS ...... 49 Presentation of the findings ...... 49 Methodology ...... 49 Findings ...... 50 7. CONCLUSIONS...... 53

Fans Against Violence 3 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 1. INTRODUCTION

What is “Fans Against Violence” Project?

“Fans Against Violence” is a European Commission Erasmus + Sport Programme Project that aims to unite different fan groups under the roof of basketball and to increase the understanding, tolerance and communication among them and is organised with the partnership of the , , and Lithuania Basketball Federations under the leadership of the Turkish Basketball Federation.

The main of the project is to unite different fan groups under the roof of basketball and to reduce violence by increasing the understanding and empathy between them.

Rationale For The Research

This research is very important because it constitutes one of the very first examples of such a comprehensive study done on the subject of “violence in basketball”. This research is unique because it uses a variety of methodologies simultaneously. We conducted fan surveys (a total of 420 fans representing 5 biggest Lithunian teams) and completed in-depth interviews (12 interviews with fan leaders and clubs representatives). In addition to these research methods, a comprehensive literature review on the subject of “fan violence” was conducted.

Basketball in Lithuania

Basketball is the most popular . It is popular because of the victories around the ; it has raised a large crowd of well-known , coaches, and organizers. Basketball was introduced in Lithuania indirectly through the European variety of , featuring a smaller and no boards, brought by the Germans. In 1919 Lithuanian women athletes started organizing, and in 1920-1921 they started playing the in public. The female pioneerism delayed basketball's widespread popularity until the 1930s as it kept being considered a woman's sport. In the meantime, in 1922 Karolis Dineika released the book Krepšiasvydis vyrams (English: Basketball for men), and in 1926 pilot , who would later be

Fans Against Violence 4 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 known for his , published the first basketball rules in Lithuania. The first official game was played by men. It took place on April 23, 1922 when Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimo Sąjunga (English: Lithuanian Union) played a game against Kaunas team, winning 8–6. That day is regarded as the beginning of basketball in Lithuania.

Lithuanian Basketball Federation, also known as LKF, is a national governing body of basketball in Lithuania. It was founded in 1936, but due to Soviet occupation, the federation disappeared from FIBA. It was reinstated in 1991 following the Independence of Lithuania. In 2011, the famous basketball player was elected as the commissioner of the federation. Lithuanian Basketball Federation – one of the largest and most influential in the country. Federation brings together over 130 legal members, 18 thousand licensed players. 400 trainers are working in basketball. About 100,000 basketball for their own pleasure. Lithuanian basketball federation is uniting these independent basketball leagues: premier men's basketball league (LKL), secondary men's basketball league (NKL), region basketball league (RKL), premier women's basketball league (LMKL), secondary women's basketball league (NMKL), premier women's basketball A league (LMKAL), student basketball league (LSKL), elementary student basketball league (MKL) and veteran basketball league (LKVL). Lithuanian Association of Basketball Judges and Lithuanian Association of Basketball Coaches are at the disposal of LKF.

After 72 years, Lithuania was again hosting the EuroBasket in 2011. Lithuanian Basketball Federation, in preparation for the EuroBasket 2011, very successfully organized two young basketball tournaments - the 2009 European junior (under 16 years) Championship in Kaunas and the 2010 European Junior (under 18) Championship in . Championship attendance record of all times was improved in the last tournament - 13 thousand people were watching final match between Lithuania and the Russian team in the capital in the Siemens .

For preparing for the European Men's Championship modern in Kaunas, Klaipeda, Siauliai, Panevezys and were build, and event left an indelible impression for all the participants and guests. Numerous officials and other European basketball specialists and pundits found EuroBasket 2011 the best European tournament ever, particularly due to the Lithuanian enthusiasm for the sport.

Lithuania strengthened reputation further in 2012 by organizing 3 tournaments - 17-year olds, 16- year olds and 18-year olds European championships.

Fans Against Violence 5 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 In turn, Lithuanian men's basketball team in three years (2013-2015) became the European twice and ranked fourth in the World Cup (2014). This allowed the Lithuanian men's national team to rise to third place in the FIBA world and second place in (after Spain).

The biggest Lithuanian clubs:  Kaunas „Zalgiris“: 1999 Euroleague champions, 1998 winners, winners of the transcontinental W. Jones Cup 1986.  Vilnius „Lietuvos rytas“: 2005 and 2009 European Cup winners.

Fans Against Violence 6 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Women's Basketball

Basketball first reached Lithuania when the game was already 30 years old. The version originally played was the German (Dutch) variant, not the North American version invented by . The baskets were fastened to the poles without boards, and the game was played in a huge court. One of the Lithuanian sport pioneers, Steponas Garbačiauskas, wrote: "In 1919 Lithuanian women athletes started organizing, but they showed up publicly only in 1920–1921 and started playing basketball." The first official women's basketball game in Lithuania took place on September 10, 1922.

The first European women's basketball championship was organized in 1938. It was held in , . The Lithuanian women's squad competed and became European vice-champions. The team's coach was Feliksas Kriaučiūnas, already well known for his achievements with the Lithuanian men's basketball team. After World War II, the occupied Lithuania and forced it to play for the Soviet Union women's national basketball team. The best Lithuanian players, playing for the Soviet Union national basketball team, won several titles with it. As members of Soviet Union team, Lithuanians (men and women) in total won 17 Olympic medals (8 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze), 17 World championship medals (11 gold, 5 silver and one bronze), and 51 EuroBasket medals (36 gold, 4 silver and 11 bronze). The most decorated Lithuanian players during the Soviet era were Angelė Rupšienė, who won the first two women's Olympic basketball golds in 1976 and

Fans Against Violence 7 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 1980 and also the 1971, 1975 World Championships, and Vida Beselienė, who got an Olympic gold in 1980 and the 1983 World Championship. Other Lithuanian world champions were Jurate Daktaraitė (1959), Vinčaitė (1971), and Chamomile Šidlauskaitė (1983).

Yet the occupation left many painful marks in Lithuania and Lithuanians' memories. Lithuania women's national basketball team returned to FIBA only in EuroBasket 1995 and achieved the 5th place. The team's biggest success was achieved two years later in EuroBasket 1997 when the national team, coached by Vydas Gedvilas, became the European champions in Budapest. It was the first and the only European title for the Lithuanian women's basketball squad.

Year later, Lithuanians participated in the 1998 FIBA World Championship. Despite successful European , Lithuanians lost the quarter-finals game to 1994's World champions, 's national team, 70–72 and had to play for fifth place. There they lost to Spain's national team 59–70 and took only 8th place. In EuroBasket 1999, Lithuania took 6th place and failed to qualify for the 2000 Olympics, held in Sydney. In EuroBasket 2001, Lithuanians qualified for four best tournament's teams, though losing the bronze medals game to Spain. Yet the team qualified for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, held in . In the World Championship, Lithuanians played eight games and won three matches against , and Yugoslavia. In EuroBasket 2005, held in , Lithuanians, after losing last two games, took 4th place, but returned to Lithuania with the voucher to the 2006 FIBA World Championship, held in Brazil. At the third World Championship, Lithuanians lost the 5th-place game to the French national team and took 6th place, repeating the best performance achieved back in 1998. In EuroBasket 2007, the Lithuanians were crushed in the 5th-place game against Czech women's national team and lost all chances of competing for the ticket to the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing. In EuroBasket 2009, the Lithuanian women's basketball squad suffered a fiasco, just like the men's squad. The Lithuanian national team took 9–12 place after not reaching the knockout stage for the first time. In EuroBasket 2011, Lithuanians showed signs of hope again, reaching the knockout stage, however there they were eliminated by the French national team and took 7th place. Because of that, Lithuania lost all the possibilities to qualify into the 2012 Summer Olympics, held in London.

To this day, Lithuania women's national basketball team never participated in the ,

Fans Against Violence 8 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 despite the several appearances in the World championships and successful European championships. Tough times returned to the Lithuanian squad in EuroBasket 2013 where they took only 14th place and were unable to participate in the 2014 FIBA World Championship, held in Turkey. By far, it is the worst performance for the national team. Lithuania's women’s national team qualified into EuroBasket 2015, but Olympic dream vanished once again.

Lithuanian basketball in International championships

The Lithuania men's national basketball team (until 1990)

The in Lithuania starts in 1920, but it was not popular until 1930s. In 1935 Lithuanian American basketball coaches (B.Budrikas, Juozas Knašas, Feliksas Kriaučiūnas and Konstantinas Savickas) arrived in Kaunas as participants of World Lithuanian Congress. Kriaučiūnas and Savickas stayed in Lithuania and started teaching basketball secrets to Lithuanians. That same year, Lithuania applied to become a member of FIBA and take part in international basketball . In 1937 Lithuania played a game against neighbor (one of the strongest basketball teams at the time), losing the game 29–41. However, the performance represented a substantial improvement for Lithuanians, who had lost to Latvians 10–123 in a previous game. Motivated by this result, Lithuania decided to accept the Latvia Basketball Association invitation to participate in EuroBasket 1937, the second European basketball tournament that Latvia as reigning champions would host in . In 1937 Lithuanians became the champions of Europe for the first time Lithuania was granted the right to organize the EuroBasket 1939. In addition, the Kaunas Hall, Europe's first dedicated basketball arena, was built. Lubinas, who was the designated player-coach, lead Lithuania to a second continental title, even scoring the buzzer-beater in the final against Latvia, which warranted a 37–36 victory.

After the restoration of independence (from 1990)

After Lithuania's independence was restored, the country wanted to stand on its own in the basketball community again, complete with the standout players from the 1988 Soviet squad - Sabonis, Marčiulions, Chomičius and Kurtinaitis - expressing a desire to represent Lithuania.

Fans Against Violence 9 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 The National Olympic Committee of Lithuania (LTOK) and Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) were restored, Lithuanian athletes withdrew its athletes from all Soviet national competitions, and both Sabonis and Marčiulions refused a request to play for the Soviet Union during the 1990 . In 1991, the International Olympic Committee welcomed Lithuania back to its ranks in September, and in December, LKF president attended the FIBA congress in Springfield, , and requested the right to be a full member of FIBA once again. FIBA president George E. Killian granted Stonkus' request and invited Lithuania to participate in all of the FIBA organized events. Sabonis and his agent started looking for Lithuanian-born or descended players, sending phone calls and faxes over Europe and .

However, Lithuania's economic transition left the country in a difficult financial situation, and LKF could hardly count on state funding. As a result, the team had to search for the financial supporters by themselves in order to play internationally. Šarūnas Marčiulionis had experience and contacts in the for being the first USSR player in the NBA, playing for the . Consequently, he, along with (son of Marčiulionis' then- coach ), searched for financial supporters that could finance Lithuania's participation in the international games and the 1992 Summer Olympics. George Shirk wrote a story about this on the San Francisco Chronicle, and once American rock band Grateful Dead read the newspaper, they decided to help the team. Drummer Mickey Hart added that the story resonated with the bandmembers for being a "a struggle for life, liberty and freedom." The bandmembers donated $5,000 to Marčiulionis, and helped launch a tie-dyed jerseys that would feature Lithuania's national colors and the band's trademark skeletons. Designer and licensor Greg Speirs drew a jersey featuring a skullman dunking a flaming basketball, whose profits would be passed onto the Lithuania national basketball team and a fund for Lithuanian children. The Lithuanians were favourable to the garish shirts because, according to Nelson, it was a great contrast to "all those years of those Soviet colors, nothing but and grays". Arvydas Sabonis even said that "My first impression of [the jerseys] was: Wow, this really is a free Lithuania". The skeleton, nicknamed "Skully", was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame, being the only cartoon character to be enshrined in any sports Hall of Fame. New versions of the Skully jerseys were featured in the following two Olympic Games. To assume the head coach position, American , then in Italy, was invited but declined. BC Žalgiris manager Raimundas Sargunas became coach, but problems with the players made him demoted to assistant, a job shared with Donnie Nelson and Spanish Javier Imbroda, who was invited following Sabonis' suggestion of a Liga ACB veteran. The eventual choice was , another Žalgiris veteran who was assistant in the 1988 Soviet

Fans Against Violence 10 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 squad. This year's team was immortalized in the documentary film "The Other Dream Team" (dir. Marius Markevičius).

During the qualifiers for EuroBasket 1993, Lithuanian basketball had its biggest disappointment. Missing Arvydas Sabonis but still with most of the bronze medal squad, Lithuania played in a three team group in Wrocław, and beat hosts but lost to , being eliminated by the fellow former United Republic. It remains Lithuania's only absence following independence. However, this fiasco encouraged the creation of the first professional basketball league in Lithuania. In its return to the following years under Soviet occupation, Lithuania began the European tournament 1995 powerfully, with five wins in the group stage and a defeat to Yugoslavia. They overcame the quarter-finals stage successfully as well, defeating 1994 World Championship silver medalists , leading the game from start to finish. With a guaranteed spot in the tournament's top four, Lithuania was granted the right to participate in the 1996 Summer Olympics, held in Atlanta.

In 1996 Olympics in Atlanta quarter-final game had Lithuania crushing its third straight adversary against . The Olympic semi-final match awaited with powerhouse Yugoslavia, undefeated that far and inspiring the Lithuanians to avenge the 1995 EuroBasket final. Lithuania lost the game. Only the game for the second consecutive bronze remained for the Lithuanian squad, against the Australians who sought their first Olympic medal. The game marked the last time Sabonis and Marčiulionis played together, as the latter retired from the national team and the final match with head coach Vladas Garastas. A generational change was to come.

A generation change affected the results of national team - men's team failed to win a serious trophy until 2000. The 2000 Olympic tournament marked another time of renovation for Lithuania. The only veterans, Saulius Štombergas and Eurelijus Žukauskas, were reserves in Atlanta. The three best players of the country Arvydas Sabonis, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas and Artūras Karnišovas could not represent national team. 's leading team again won the bronze medal and in semi-final faced USA team. USA "Dream Team" managed its smallest victory ever with 85-83.

EuroBasket 2001 ended as an unexpected failure to Lithuania. Lithuania lost all the chances of participating in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, and was threatened to miss the next EuroBasket as well.

Fans Against Violence 11 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 In 2003 the renewed Lithuania basketball team, led by Šarūnas Jasikevičius, , Ramūnas Šiškauskas and Saulius Štombergas won their third European title after a 64-year hiatus in EuroBasket 2003.

Lithuania‘s start in 2004 in was poweful - lithuanians had secured the first spot in the group, in the quarter-finals Lithuanians easily swept China, successfully qualifying for the semi-finals. The familiar Italian team awaited in the semi-finals. The Italians celebrated a victory, shattering the Lithuanian dream of Olympic gold. Seeking a fourth bronze medal, Lithuania would again face the United States. Americans have left the Lithuanians without Olympic medals for the first time.

EuroBasket 2005 in and would feature many absences in the Lithuanian squad. Starting the tournament as defending champions, Lithuania proved their favoritism by beating Turkey, Croatia and Bulgaria with solid differences and an average of 88 points. However, the knockout rounds had the team eliminated with an underwhelming performance, scoring only 47 points in a quarterfinal with .

The 2006 FIBA World Championship in had Lithuania matching the 7th place from their 1998 debut, but many saw this performance as an under-achievement. Lithuania started the tournament with a loss to Turkey, followed by an defeat to eventual finalists Greece which had Lithuania suffering 25 turnovers. Confidence was restored with wins over , , and Brazil, that qualified Lithuania for the knockout rounds against Italy. They won the match by 3 points. Lithuania lost the quarter final match against eventual champions Spain. The consolation tournament began with another defeat: Lithuania lost over Turkey. Lithuania still won the seventh place match against . Sireika resigned soon after the championship.

EuroBasket 2007 in Spain held big responsibilities for Lithuania that had to prove the failure in the previous continental tournament passed, while holding higher stakes for Olympic qualifying, restricted to only the medalists. Lithuania completed seven straight victories en route to the semifinal. Russia was awaiting at the semi-finals. The Lithuanians, who had yet to defeat the , failed to accomplish this again. The upcoming game had two prizes at stake, the European bronze - which Lithuania had never won, only three golds and two silvers - and the last direct spot for the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing. Lithuania managed to beat the Greeks 78–69.

Fans Against Violence 12 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 The 2008 Olympic tournament started with a tough opponent, defending gold medalists . A decisive play by gave the lead and the victory for Lithuanians 79–75. Difficult victories over Russia (86-79, Lithuania's first FIBA victory over them) and Croatia (86– 73) gave Lithuania a guaranteed first place spot in the group. Thus the team barely cared in the round 1 closer with Australia, suffering 25 turnovers and being smashed 75–106. The deadly quarter-final had Lithuania against hosts China; the crushed those 94–68 to advance into the semi-finals. Spain wins the semifinal (86-91). Lithuania was for the fifth consecutive time at the Olympic bronze match, hoping to get their fourth medals against former Olympic champions Argentina. Lithuania has lost another third place game, 75–87. Still, five Olympic semifinals proved the Lithuanians were still one of the strongest basketball teams worldwide despite its small size.

Before EuroBasket 2009 in Spain, Lithuanian stars like Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, , Arvydas Macijauskas, Rimantas Kaukėnas and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas decided not to join the national team. After huge losses in the team roster and guard shortage, Lithuania started the tournament with a loss to Turkey (76–84). Later Lithuanians disappointingly lost to Poland, and depended on a strong fourth quarter to beat Bulgaria. Finishing third in its group, Lithuania qualified for the second round. However, it already begun badly with a 23-point loss to . The team's game still not improved, with a defeat to Spain (70–84) diminishing the Lithuanians' chances to qualify for the quarter-finals, and a loss to Serbia was eliminating the team outright, with the final standing being a measly 12th place. Coach Ramūnas Butautas took all responsibility for the fiasco and resigned. It is regarded as the worst Lithuania national team performance ever.

On 12 December 2009, Lithuania was granted a to participate in the World Championship in Turkey the following year. Lithuania started the World Championship 2010 by winnng agains , , Spain, France and . After sweeping China (78–67) in the eighth finals and crushing Argentina in a blowout game (104–85) in the quarterfinals, Lithuania lost to Team USA by 15 points. They captured the bronze medal after winning against Eurobasket's silver medalist Serbia 99–88. This was Lithuania's best World Championship result.

After 72 years, Lithuania was again hosting the EuroBasket in 2011. The national team was under much pressure given both the expectations as hosts and the outstanding performance at the World Championship the year before. The team tried to combine future prospects and the past stars, but during the leading months, lost two of its starting players, Linas Kleiza and Jonas Mačiulis, due to

Fans Against Violence 13 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 knee injuries. Numerous officials and other European basketball specialists and pundits found EuroBasket 2011 the best European tournament ever, particularly due to the Lithuanian enthusiasm for the sport. However, the Lithuanian team wound up underperforming, suffering an upset in the quarterfinals to Macedonia. The consolation playoffs led to a final standing of fifth place, giving Lithuania a spot at the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men.

Twenty years later, Lithuania had to go through a dedicated Olympic qualifier, held on July 2012 in Caracas, . The top three teams would get spots at the 2012 Olympics basketball tournament. The team started off the tournament with a convincing victory against Venezuela, followed by an upset to the following day. With all three teams tied with one win and one loss, Venezuela wound up disqualified due to a lesser point difference. Afterwards, many incidents regarding the Lithuanian squad were rumored to be caused by disgruntled Venezuelans. These included a tank column near the training hall polluting the air during the Lithuanian team workout, a broken bus during the trip to the arena before the quarter-final game against and vanished jerseys and water during said match. Despite all that, Lithuania managed to defeat Puerto Rico in a dramatic game. In the semifinals, Lithuania crushed the Dominican Republic and thus qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.

After dominating in the Qualifying Tournament, Lithuania had a tough time at the Olympics. The first game against Argentina turned into a fiasco. Thus, Lithuania had the final spot in the quarterfinals, facing the other group's leader, Russia. While the Russians never left the lead, Lithuania always kept it close, and by the fourth quarter was just one point behind. Still their attempts for an upset fell short, and ended up losing 74–83, making it the first time Lithuania missed the Olympic semifinal. On 1 October, the Lithuanian Basketball Federation brought Jonas Kazlauskas back after 12 years to replace Kęstutis Kemzūra.

At Eurobasket 2013 in Slovenia Lithuania played their first game against Serbia. Unable to defend Serbian Nenad Krstić, who dominated the game with 20 points and 9 rebounds, Lithuania lost 63–56. The final was a rematch with France. Lithuanians only fought point-to-point in the first quarter. By the third, France finished the quarter with a 14-0 run that kept Lithuania scoreless for four minutes. Eventually the Lithuanians suffered a 66–80 defeat. Despite the deep run, some players said that it was hard to celebrate after losing the final. Still, on 23 September 2013, thousands of Lithuanians came to the Rotušės (Town Hall) square to celebrate the Lithuania national team success.

Fans Against Violence 14 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 After becoming European vice-champions in 2013, Lithuanians automatically qualified into the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. During the bronze medal game Lithuania faced France, just 2 years removed from the EuroBasket defeat. A terrific battle finished with France victory 95- 93. Despite not winning any medals, the team was received by thousands of Lithuanians at Rotušės square who wanted to thank the national team for their efforts. According to research, over 2,223 million people observed the national team games live in Lithuania, which is over 76% of the country's population.

Eurobasket 2015 Lithuania began in Riga, on September 5. The Lithuanians were considered underdogs of the match due to the Serbians being undefeated that far while the Balts struggled in all games. Still, Lithuania led for most of the time, at times with advantages of 11 points, and while the Serbians scored 21 points in the final quarter, clinched the semifinal with a 67–64 , advancing into their second straight EuroBasket final. Furthermore, the victory also automatically put the Lithuania men's national team to the 2016 Summer Olympics, their seventh consecutive Olympics and making Lithuania the only European squad in all Olympics since 1992. The final was not good for Lithuanians, Spain hitting with stunning accuracy right from the 19-8 first quarter. The Lithuanian squad tried to reduce the deficit multiple times, but the Spanish kept the lead at all times for an 80–63 win.

Fans Against Violence 15 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Latest Achievements of Lithuanian National Teams

Year Event, Place Position MEN 1937 Eurobasket, Latvia Gold medal 1939 Eurobasket, Lithuania Gold medal 1992 Olympic Games, Spain Bronze medal 1995 Eurobasket, Greece Silver medal 1996 Olympic Games, United States Bronze medal 2000 Olympic Games, Australia Bronze medal 2003 Eurobasket, Gold medal 2007 Eurobasket, Spain Bronze medal 2010 World Cup, Turkey Bronze medal 2013 Eurobasket, Slovenia Silver medal 2015 Eurobasket, France Silver medal YOUTH MEN 1994 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, Gold medal 1996 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Turkey Gold medal 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, Greece Silver medal 2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Bronze medal 2005 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Russia Silver medal 2005 FIBA Under-21 World Championship, Argentina Gold medal 2006 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, Greece Silver medal 2007 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, Greece Bronze medal 2008 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Latvia Silver medal 2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, Greece Silver medal 2008 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, Italy Gold medal 2009 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, Lithuania Silver medal 2010 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, Montenegro Silver medal 2010 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, Lithuania Gold medal 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, Latvia Gold medal

Fans Against Violence 16 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 2012 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Slovenia Gold medal 2012 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, Lithuania Silver medal 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, Czech Republic Bronze medal 2015 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, Lithuania Silver medal 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, Greece Bronze medal WOMEN 1938 Eurobasket, Italy Silver medal 1997 Eurobasket, Gold medal YOUTH WOMEN 2006 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women, Bronze medal 2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship for Women, Slovakia Gold medal 2012 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women, Dvivision B, Gold medal

Fans Against Violence 17 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

Section 2 covers literature review on fans’/spectators’ violent behaviours.

Aggression

Aggression is a negative personality trait that has been associated with sport participation. “Aggression is operationally defined as an intentional physically or psychologically harmful behaviour that is directed at another living organism” (Thirer, 1993, pp.365).

The aggressive actions of sport spectators can be classified as either hostile or instrumental (Bredemeier, 1994; Silva, 1980; Wann, 1997). The main motivation of the hostile type of spectator aggression is anger with the aim of harming another person. For instance, sometimes fans throw objects onto players and officials because they are angry at them and want to physically or psychologically harm them. On the other hand, instrumental spectator aggression refers to violent actions which are intended to harm another person, but with the goal of achieving a purpose. In other words, compared to hostile aggression, in instrumental aggression the spectator’s main goal might be to take advantage of their aggressive behaviours in order to affect the officials or players decision (Keeler, 2007). For example, fans may yell at officials and opposing players to influence their concentration and increase their team's chances of success. The objective of the study is to identify the differences between hostile and instrumental aggression in terms of fans’ level of identification.

Theories Which Tend To Explain Aggression

In sport and social sciences literature, aggression has been studied on many levels including behaviour within the context of sport and within daily life. One of the well known theories which explain aggression is the Revised Frustration-Aggression Theory (Berkowitz, 1982). This theory consists of aspects from Bandura's (1973) Social Learning Theory and Smith's (1972) Frustration and Aggression Theory.

Fans Against Violence 18 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Berkowitz (1982) proposed that when organisms react in an aggressive way they face aversive stimulation. However, not all frustrations are aversive, and thus frustration does not always lead to aggression. Berkowitz also argued that when the organism faces an unpleasant situation, it pushes the organism to a drive to hurt somebody, which helps the organism to gain satisfaction and reinforcement from damaging the source of the aversive stimulation. Aversive stimuli are associated with a readiness to flee or to fight in organisms. According to Berkowitz (1981), “all aversive events, whether frustration, deprivations, noxious stimuli or environmental stresses, produce an instigation to aggression as well as a desire to escape or avoid the unpleasant situation” (pp. 174).

An individual’s learning history influences the tendency in terms of domination. Compared to an experienced individual, in the inexperienced organism, the dominant tendency is to fight. Berkowitz (1981) stated that “the aggressive tendencies may be oriented partly toward the termination or reduction of the aversive stimulus, but at the human level, they are also directed toward doing injury. That is, those who are in physical or mental pain are inclined to hurt someone even though their aggression cannot lessen their own suffering, and even if the victim is not the source of their suffering” (pp.174). Berkowitz (1988) redefined frustration in his theory as “the nonfulfillment of an expected gratification” (pp. 3). Frustration may be related to positive or negative responses, depending on how the frustration is experienced by individual. When we compare the effects of arbitrary and non-arbitrary frustration on aggressive behaviour, Berkowitz (1988) proposed that, arbitrary frustration is more unexpected than non-arbitrary frustration. According to him, arbitrary frustration is more aversive than non-arbitrary frustration because unfulfilled expectations are aversive. In addition to this, the justification which accompanies non-arbitrary frustration restrains aggressive behaviour. The aggression which follows the arbitrary frustration is attributable to legitimate frustration. Besides, the aggression which is added to the aversiveness is also related to the arbitrary frustration. Furthermore, Berkowitz (1988) claimed that legitimate frustration can also lead people to aggressive act. Besides, legitimate frustration can be experienced as an aversive by an individual. Human beings avoid frustrations because frustrations are usually unpleasant.

In his theory, Berkowitz (1988) pays attention to the factors associated with the strength of frustration, like the value of the goal and the degree of interference for the individual. He underlined this capacity because Berkowitz argued that these factors influence the level of aversiveness experienced by the individual. Besides, Berkowitz’s (1993) main focus of attention was on reactive aggression. He agreed that many acts of aggression can be identified as learned

Fans Against Violence 19 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 instrumental behaviour. For example; fans may learn that aggressive behaviours in stadiums can help them attain their interpersonal objectives, and so they may come to rely on such techniques. In Berkowitz’s (1989) point of view, reactive aggression mostly goes along with the instrumental type of aggression. In addition, according to revised frustration-aggression theory, a person gains some pleasure by hurting the victim. Over time, when the person gains experience, his reactions are mostly directed by the environmental cues. Firstly, aversive stimulation reinforces aggressive drive. However, absence of an appropriate environmental cue, the desire to hurt somebody will not automatically transform into aggressive behaviour for a mature individual. Being aggressive and defending your team by using violence is valued by football fans in many countries. Many research results showed that, spectators rapidly learn that displaying aggressive behaviour is a way to gain individual recognition in their group. Moreover, a lot of fan groups accept and reinforce these aggressive acts (Spaaij, 2007). Social learning theory has been accepted by lots of empirical studies (Thirer, 1993), and it underlines the influence of an individual’s environment and significant others on the development or control of aggressive behaviours. According to social learning theory, modelling and reinforcement are the two key aspects in terms of learning aggressive behaviour.

Social identity theory proposes that an individual's self-concept consists of a personal identity that includes specific attributes, like personal interests, abilities and a social identity which includes various social categories, such as fan, parent, student or worker (Tajfel & Turner, 1986; Turner, 1982). Social classifications allow a person to locate and define others within the social environment as well as locate and define himself/herself within the social system. In sport, social identification occurs when one perceives a sense of oneness or belongingness to a team, thereby defining him/herself in terms of that group (Hogg, Terry, & White, 1995).

Social identity theory is adaptable for identifying and understanding aggressive spectator behaviour for many reasons. Firstly, sport spectator behaviour involves interpersonal and group relationships and in general it is socially observable. Secondly, it often revolves around the differentiations which exist between opposing groups, and it is heavily influenced by the level of fan identification with his/her team. According to Puddifoot (1997), a given social identity like fatherhood, or an individual's knowledge that he or she is a member of a particular social group such as being a fan of a sport team, becomes appealing to an individual when identification with that group will lead to self-enhancement or positive-self identity.

Fans Against Violence 20 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 When an individual classifies himself/herself as a fan of a specific team, an individual may likely partake in behaviours such as following the game schedule, discussing game results with other fans, and purchasing team memorabilia (Holt, 1995). These classifying practices build affiliation (i.e., shows we are part of a specific team group), and build distinction (i.e., shows we are not part of the rival team group) (Holt, 1995).

Wann’s (1993) self-esteem maintenance hypothesis also addresses the relationship between sport fan identification and spectator violence. Wann argued that highly identified fans are less able to protect their self-esteem by distancing themselves from the team after failure, but are more likely to repair their identities by acting in a negative or hostile manner against players or fans of the opposing team. Wann focused on this process, called ‘blasting’ which has been underlined from social identity theory. According to social identitiy theory, individuals have a basic need to see themselves in a positive light in relation to significant others (Hogg et al., 1995). Being aggressive is a good example of one such social creativity strategy. According to researchers, by acting aggressively toward rival groups, people maintain the perception that they are ‘better fans’ than others, which subsequently leads to increases in self-esteem (Oakes & Turner, 1980;Wann, 1993). Furthermore, most of the studies showed that fan identification is not related to trait aggression (e.g., Wann, Fahl, Erdmann, & Littleton, 1999; Wann, Peterson, Cothran, & Dykes, 1999; Wann, Shelton, Smith, & Walker, 2002), study results showed that fan identification affects fan’s instrumental aggression more (Wann, Carlson, & Schrader, 1999; Wann, Peterson, et al., 1999). Therefore, high-identified spectators may hold more positive attitudes towards fan aggression because it offers them an opportunity for identity reparation following their team’s losses.

The need for positive distinctiveness may also affect perceptions of behavioural control in stadiums. “Team failure undermines the need for positive distinctiveness, and although social creativity mechanisms allow identity reparation, highly identified fans may become frustrated by team failure and lose a sense of behavioural control as a result” (Dimmock & Grove, 2005 pp. 39). Research results shows that high-identified fans experience greater levels of arousal and anxiety while watching their team compete (Wann, Schrader, & Adamson, 1998) probably because their identity and evaluation of self is on trial. Participative norms on aggression are likely to be related due to the ‘false consensus effect.’ The false consensus effect refers to the tendency of people “to see their own behavioural choices and judgements as relatively common and appropriate to existing circumstances while viewing alternate responses as uncommon, deviant, or inappropriate” (Ross, Greene, & House, 1977, pp.280). Russell (1995) showed strong evidence for the existence of the false consensus effect in sport. Russell discovered that fact that fans with motives for attending

Fans Against Violence 21 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 a game because they “liked to watch the fights” also believed that other fans attended the game for the same reason.

Team Identification

Team identification is defined as the extent to which a fan feels psychologically connected to a team (Wann, 1997). Recent studies have shown that high identified fans are more likely to act aggressively compared to fans that have low levels of identification (Branscombe & Wann, 1992a, 1994), and research has begun to include this variable in models of fan violence (e.g., Branscombe & Wann, 1992b; Simons & Taylor, 1992; Wann, 1993). Wann & Branscombe (1992) hypothesized in their research that highly identified fans would report higher levels of both hostile and instrumental aggression than low identification fans. According to their study, researchers found that aggression directed toward the officials was more likely to be hostile (M = 2.86, SD = 2.16) than instrumental (M = 2.22, SD = 1.88).

Mostly, high identified fans feel an emotional ownership in the team and make sacrifices like devoting a considerable amount of time following the team (Sutton, McDonald, Milne, & Cimperman, 1997). Furthermore, high identified spectators often leads to commitment beyond that found in fair weather fans (Quick, 2000).

According to Wann & Branscombe (1993), highly identified fans should be particularly likely to display hostile aggression for two reasons. First, for the fan that identifies him/herself highly with his/her team, the role of team follower is a central and one of the most important components of his/her the social identity. Therefore, the highly identified fans’ sense of self-worth is highly related to their team’s performance (Tajfel, 1981; Tajfel & Turner, 1979; Wann, Royalty, & Roberts, 1999). In Wann, Royalty, & Roberts’ study (1999), participants were 73 university students. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire packet containing four sections. There were three hypotheses tested in their research: that highly identified participants would be more likely to present themselves as a fan of their team than low identified participants. Study results showed that, both level of team identification and level of self-esteem were related to an individual’s decision to strategically self-present his or herself as a fan of a specific team to a fan of a rival team. However, self-esteem did not impact one’s decision of whether or not to present oneself as a fan of a particular team. Identification and self-esteem accounted for 44.78% of the variability.

According to Wann & Branscombe (1993), there are also two main reasons why highly identified

Fans Against Violence 22 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 fans should display high levels of instrumental aggression. (Wann, Carlson, Schrader, 1999) Firstly, for the high identified spectators, fan identification is central to their identity. It is for this reason that, for the most part, highly identified fans receive the greatest benefits from their team's successes. According to a considerable of studies, fans who have a high level of identification report high levels of positive influence and self-esteem after watching their team win (Cialdini et al., 1976; Hirt et al., 1992; Wann et al., 1994). Secondly, according to their studies, scientists have found that highly identified persons are more likely to attempt to affect the result of sporting events (Wann et al., 1994), and these attempts mostly include instrumental aggression (Wann, Peterson, Cothran, & Dykes, 1999). According to Wann et. al.’s (1999) study, spectators were asked to state the extent to which they had acted verbally aggressive toward the officials and opposition for hostile and instrumental reasons. Researchers applied pre- and post-game questionnaires to 196 college students. Researchers used Sport Spectator Identification Scale (Wann and Branscombe, 1993) before the game and Hostile and Instrumental Aggression of Spectators Questionnaire (Wann et al.,1999) after the game. Participants reported higher levels of hostile aggression compared to instrumental aggression. Researchers found that aggression that is directed to the officials was more likely to be hostile aggression than instrumental, whereas aggression that is directed toward the opposition was equal in the way of being hostile and instrumental. (Wann et al., 1999).

References

Berkowitz, L. (1982). Aversive conditions as stimuli to aggression. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology: Vol. 15 (pp. 249-288). : Academic Press.

Berkowitz, L. (1988). Frustrations, appraisals, and aversively stimulated aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 14, 3-11.

Berkowitz, L. (1989). Frustration aggression hypothesis: Examination and reformation. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 59-73.

Berkowitz, L.(1993). Aggression: Its causes, consequences, and control. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Branscombe, N. R., & Wann, D.L.(1992b). Role of identification with a group, arousal, categorization processes, and self-esteem in sports spectator aggression. Human Relations, 45, 1013-1033.

Bredemeier, B. J. (1994). Children's moral reasoning and their assertive, aggressive, and submissive tendencies in sport and daily life. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16,1-14.

Fans Against Violence 23 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Hogg, M. A., Terry, D.J., & White, K.M. (1995). A tale of two theories: A critical comparison of identity theory with social identity theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 58, 255-269.

Holt, D. B. (1995). How consumers consume: A typology of consumption practices. Journal of Consumer Research, 22, 1-16.

Keeler, A., L. (2007). The Differences in Sport Aggression, Life Aggression, and Life Assertion Among Adult Male and Female Collision, Contact, and Non- Athletes. Journal of Sport Behaviour, 30, 1.

Oakes, P. J., & Tumer, J,C. (1980). Social categorization and intergroup behavior: Does minimal intergroup discrimination make social identity more positive? European Journal of Social Psychology, 10, 295-301.

Puddifoot, J. E. (1997). Psychological reaction to perceived erasure of community boundaries. Journal of Social Psychology, 137, 343–355.

Ross, L., Greene, D., & House, P. (1977). The “false consensus effect”: An egocentric bias in social perception and attribution processes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 13, 279–301.

Russell, G. W. (1995). Personalities in the crowd: Those who would escalate a sports riot. Aggressive Behavior, 21, 91–100.

Silva, J. M.III (1980). Assertive and aggressive behaviour in sport: A definitional clarification. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Simons, Y., & Taylor, J. (1992). A psychosocial model of fan . International Journal of Sport Psychology, 23, 207-226.

Smith, M. D. (1972). Aggression and the female . In D.V. Harris (Ed.), Women and sport: A national research conference (pp. 91 -114). University , PA: Penn State University.

Spaaij, R., (2007). Football Hooliganism in the : Patterns of Continuity and Change. Soccer & Society, 8, 316-334.

Sutton, W. A., McDonald, M. A. Milne, G. R., & Cimperman, A. J. (1997). Creating and fostering fan identification in professional sport. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6, 15-29.

Tajfel, H. & Turner, J.C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In S. Worchel & W. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of Intergroup Relations (pp. 7-24). : Nelson Hall.

Thirer, J. (1993). Aggression. In R.N. Singer, M. Murphey, & L.K. Tennant (Eds.), Handbook of research on sport psychology (pp. 365-378). New York: MacMillian Publishing Company.

Wann, D. L, Schrader, M.P., & Adamson, D.R.(1998). The cognitive and somatic anxiety of sport

Fans Against Violence 24 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 spectators. Journal of Sport Behaviour, 21, 322-337.

Wann, D. L., Branscombe, N. R. (1993). Sports fans: Measuring degree of identification with their team. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 24, 1-17.

Wann, D. L., Branscombe, N.R. (1992). Emotional responses to the sports page. Journal of Sport and Sociai Issues, 16, 49-64.

Wann, D. L., Carlson D. J., Schrader P. M. (1999). The Impact of Team Identification on the Hostile and Instrumental Verbal Aggression of Sport Spectators. Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality, 14, 279-286.

Wann, D. L., Fahl, C.L., Erdmann, J.B., & Littleton, J.D. (1999). Relationship between identification with the role of sport fan and trait aggression. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 88,1296- 1298.

Wann, D. L., Peterson, R.R., Cothran, C, & Dykes, M.(1999). Sport fan aggression and anonymity: The importance of team identification. Social Behaviour and Personality, 27, 597-602.

Wann, D. L., Shelton, S., Smith, T., & Walker, R. (2002). Relationship between team identification and trait aggression: A replication. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 94, 595–598.

Wann, D. L.(1993). Aggression among highly identified spectators as a function of their need to maintain positive social identity. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 17, 134-143.

Wann, D. L.(1997). Sport psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Fans Against Violence 25 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 3. HISTORY/BACKGROUND

Violence in Basketball in Lithuania

Basketball match between “Zalgiris” Kaunas and "Lietuvos rytas" Vilnius (2007-03- 03, Kaunas) SEB (BBL) championship leaders duel between “Zalgiris” and “Lietuvos rytas” was terminated after 38 minutes and 8 seconds because of rowdy fans behaviour. Kaunas team included technical defeat, and Vilnius’ team 87:72 celebrated the victory. The showed the result, when beer cans started to fly to the playing ground.

Basketball match between “Zalgiris” Kaunas and "Lietuvos rytas" Vilnius (2009-04- 25, ) Estonian police tried to tame one after the other emerging fights between violent fans of “Zalgiris” Kaunas and "Lietuvos rytas" Vilnius, but it was difficult for them. Four „Zalgiris“fans were arrested by Estonian police in Tartu centre after few fights splashed by blood. Riots took place near Tartu University Sports Arena, neighbouring shops and . The last incident occurred in front of the supermarket. Few fans of „Lietuvos rytas“ were attacked by the group of ten people wearing attributes of „Zalgiris“ team. Three buses full of fans from Vilnius and another three from Kaunas came to Tartu. Buses were parked on different sides; they were surrounded by police officers.

Basketball match between “Siauliai” Siauliai and "Lietuvos rytas" Vilnius (2012-01- 27, Siauliai) Both teams came to blows fans before the start of the third quarter. Several residents of Vilnius tried to come close to „Siauliai“fans tribune, but they have faced the encounters on the way. Security guards tried to stop the fans, but one fan of „Lietuvos rytas“attained kicks from feet to head. The blood could be seen on the faces of fans.

Basketball match between „Zalgiris" Kaunas and „Lokimotiv“ (2013-09- 10, Klaipeda) At the time the final was played between Zalgiris and Krasnodar Lokomotiv-Kuban the fan of Vilnius „Lietuvos rytas“ have stole the flag hanging in tribune. This incident was not missed by

Fans Against Violence 26 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Kaunas „Zalgiris“ fans, so they decided to resolve the matter with fists. It is stated that the downer was planned in advance. Klaipeda „Neptunas“fans helped for „Lietuvos rytas“fans.

Basketball match between “Zalgiris” Kaunas and "Lietuvos rytas" Vilnius (2013-12- 22, Vilnius) Before the match both teams fans let their fists into work at least a few times. Hooligans were attacking each other despite the going cars or passers-by. At least several kicked boys of young age were left lying on the ground after encounters of two fan groups.

Basketball match between “Zalgiris” Kaunas and „Neptunas“ Klaipeda (2014-03-30, Panevezys) An old rift between fans came up on Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LBF) Cup Final Four tournament in Panevezys. On Sunday the most active fans were fighting between each other during the match for third place between Kaunas „Zalgiris“ and Klaipeda „Neptunas“. Several dozen fans of „Zalgiris“ and fans of Klaipeda together with fans of Vilnius „Lietuvos rytas“ tried to turn the tribunes of arena into the field of battle.

Basketball match between “Juventus” Utena and "Lietuvos rytas" Vilnius (2015-04- 16, Utena) During the break of the match the fight broke out between the fans of „Lietuvos rytas“ and „Juventus“ in the arena. Police officers have stopped it. Even after that one young man was hit in the head by flying tin. One fan of „Juventus“ who have seen the event with his own eyes shared the video of accident on Facebook. „Juventus“ have lost the game honourably.

Fans Against Violence 27 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 4. FACT FINDING CONFERENCE

Part I. General Information on Fact finding conference

Date: 23rd of November, 2015

Venue: Kaunas/ Lithuania

Participants: According to the attached attendance sheet

Moderator: Tomas Rimkus, Sports and Events director of Lithuanian Basketball Federation

Reporters: Karolis Stirbys & Miglė Jaskūnienė, FAV project managers in Lithuania

The Fact Finding Conference (FFC) was organized to analyze the current situation of fan violence in the country, to collect recommendations and proposals for the best organization of the project activities and to create an innovative approach to involve fans into the process. Many good ideas, useful information, suggestions for improvement of the Project were made at discussion. In conference participated more than 20 representatives from different basketball fields, such as directors and managers from main Basketball Clubs, Sports Media, National Basketball League, Lithuanian Basketball Federation, basketball player, academicians of Lithuanian Sports University, Civil Society organization, referees, coaches, policemen, arena managers and operators, public/private security units. Main topics of the conference were:

1. Definition of fan violence;

2. Main reasons of violence amongst the fans;

3. Cooperation between stakeholders in prevention of violence;

Fans Against Violence 28 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Part II. Participants of the FFC

Eimantas Skersis Basketball "Utenos Juventus", Director Julius Sarapinas Basketball Club "Vilniaus Lietuvos rytas", marketing manager Basketball Club "Klaipėdos Neptūnas", Director of Viktoras Usovas communications Špokas Lithuanian Basketball Federation, general secretary Gintaras Jankauskas "Žalgirio arena", manager and operator Vladas Garastas Coach Antanas Police Stankevičius Kęstutis Rimkus Sports media "Lietuvos rytas" Rasa Liniūnienė National Basketball League Virginijus Petraitis Police Akvilė Dagilytė Basketball Club "Kauno Žalgiris", Director of communications

Fans Against Violence 29 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Irena Valantinė Lithuanian sports university, academician Rytis Sabas Andrius Jonaitis Security service company "Argus", director Artūras Jonaitis Security service company "Argus" Tomas Rimkus Lithuanian Basketball Federation, Events and Sports Director Gytis Šileris Lithuanian Basketball Federation Rasa Mikaitytė Lithuanian Basketball Federation Gintarė Gražienė Lithuanian Basketball Federation Ingrida Lithuanian Basketball Federation Grigaliūnaitė Karolis Pupinis Basketball player Miglė Jaskūnienė Association of active people "Activists" Karolis Stirbys Project manager

Part III. Agenda of the meeting

12.45 - 13.00 : Registrations to the Conference 13.00 – 13.15 : Opening - Introduction of the Project and reached results 13.15 – 13.30 : Introduction of the Participants 13.30 – 15.00 : Session 1 “Definition of the Violence and realities of Lithuania” 1st Question : How you would define “Fan Violence in Lithuania? (30 min) 2nd Question : What are the main reasons of having Fan incidents? (30 min) 3rd Question : How would you evaluate the dialogue between the stakeholders working against violence in the field of Basketball (30 min) 15.00 – 15.30 Coffee break and open discussion 15.30 – 17.00- Session 2 “Recommendations on improving the Project activities” 1st Questions : What are the strengths and weaknesses of the project activities? (Common tribunes, fan mobilities etc.) 2nd Question : How do you think the Fan Platforms must be designed ? (who , when, where, how often etc. ) 3rd Question : What are your suggestions to develop the project? What / How can you contribute in the Project at personal and Organizational level?

Fans Against Violence 30 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Part IV. Introduction of the Project

At the beginning of the conference Tomas Rimkus, Sports and Events director of Lithuanian Basketball Federation informed the participants about the aim and course of FAV project and the conference. Afterwards, participants shortly presented themselves and Tomas Rimkus made a detailed presentation explaining the main aims of FAV project.

Part V. Session 1 “Definition of the Violence and realities of Lithuania”

Session has been organized as an open round table discussion. Moderator was asking the questions in a row. Participants shared their experience and knowledge for each question and expressed their opinions. After answers were open discussions. The highlights of the discussions were reported by project manager.

Fans Against Violence 31 National Report – Lithuania December 2015

1st Question: How would you define “Fan Violence in Lithuania”

 Fan‘s violence problem is increasing in Lithuania, because fans are not being punished. It is just the matter of time, when it will lead to victims. Visually, this question seems smaller than it really is.  According the data of Kaunas Police, 16 infringers of Administrative Code were registered in 2014 in Kaunas , most of them were fans. In 2015 11 persons were arrested, 4 of them for administrative breach, 7 of them for hooliganism according The Criminal Code.  The violence of basketball fans is not so significant comparing to other sports. The trend is likely to worsen if the actions will not be taken.  In Lithuania basketball fans usually do not unite to other sport fans.  The majority of fans come to watch basketball, but the other part, usually young people, come to disport, search for cavil and a fight. Some fans are just street hooligans.  Lithuanian fans want resemble the foreign fans that are burning different stuff in arenas, organizing the attacks and etc. Sometimes fans are conflicting with people in the street, who are not fans.  In rare cases, after the match fans show respect for each other by clapping their hands.

Fans Against Violence 32 National Report – Lithuania December 2015  Social phenomenon connected to aggressive actions caused of provocation;  Verbal or physical aggression which is purposeful and spontaneous (menacing, insulting, throwing of objects, fighting). The target of the violence could be fans, players, coaches, referees even the police.

2nd Question : What are the main reasons of having Fan incidents?

 Old rooted problems and conflicts between different urban populations.  Conflicts are caused by old piques and deep-rooted stereotypes.  People react very badly to offensive words, chants, and then it causes the conflict.  Alcohol - one of the main reasons.  Impunity and lack of sanctions are the main reason why the violence is not decreasing. Home team is responsible for security, but both teams should be responsible for it. Fans have the possibility of violence, because the initial steps and initiatives are skipped through the eyes. The legal regulations should be improved.  Fan action provoked by other fans.  The wish to resemble the foreign fans  Poor relationships between people. Conflicts are caused by people who are aggressive, who want to discharge after long working day.  There is a small group of fans, hooligans who just do not want to be friends with others in fan clubs. Their main purpose is to cavil and raise conflicts.  The system of values, education and family environment of some fans;  Disagreement with some referees calls because of poor basketball rules knowledge of the fans. Not knowing the rules leads to wrong interpretation of the situation and unlocks fan’s aggression;  The intentional behaviour of the coaches and players to provoke the crowd;  Inherited fan’s memory against some players and coaches from the past which are source of intolerance;  The behaviour of some aggressive parents during youth competitions;  The lack of security during the competitions;  The lack of organisation in the fan clubs and lack of stewards.

Fans Against Violence 33 National Report – Lithuania December 2015

3rd Question : How would you evaluate the dialogue between the stakeholders working against violence in the field of Basketball?

 Some teams are in good relationship with management and security of arena, also with police officers.  There is a responsible for security person in basketball club.  The dialog between basketball team and fans is going constructively. There is no lot of fans in Lithuania, the then magnitude is not high.  No meetings with fans, team leaders and Lithuanian basketball federation organized yet.  Some clubs have good marketing and communication system with their fans. Some clubs build their loyal, adequate fan base. Other clubs should learn form others.

Fans Against Violence 34 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Part VI. Session 2 “Recommendations on improving the Project activities”

Session has been organized as an open round table discussion. Moderator was asking the questions in a row. Participants shared their experience and knowledge for each question and expressed their opinions. After answers were open discussions. The highlights of the discussions were reported by project manager.

1st Question: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the project activities?

 The weakness of the project - the possible rejection. Team leaders think, that it will be difficult for long-standing enemies to sit at one table and discuss. Most of fans even do not see and do not understand the problem, they think that it is normal, that is why they may do not see the purpose of participating.  Some of fan club leaders do not want to unite all fans and make them „brothers“. The main aim is to increase the number of fans in fan club.  Basketball national team fans are a role model – they hug each other, they are wearing the same tri-colour t-shirt just the different scarf of the club.  The biggest risk is the selection of the participants - if the participants are not real fans

Fans Against Violence 35 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 or the eventual disappointment of the active fans of the respective fan club which have not been selected to travel.  To introduce the competition for Most Valuable Fan with regards to FAV project through the social media;  Club should choose the respective number of fans;  Fan leaders can choose the respective number of fans.

2nd Question: How do you think the Fan Platforms must be designed ?

 Fans currently do not see a problem. The communication with fans needs to be friendly; the ideas of breaking down the existing ‚traditions‘should not be imposed. The actions should be measured; fans should draw the right lessons by themselves.  Maybe the motivation of a common of all Lithuanian fans could work.  In Fan platform and during the basketball match fans should compete in accordance with the code of honour created by themselves. Coaches and judges should be involved to this process.  A strong motivation for fans to participate in fan platform - meeting with foreign fans, sharing of experiences.

Fans Against Violence 36 National Report – Lithuania December 2015  Players should participate in the meetings, even more appreciated would be also players of the visiting teams to take part;  Meetings can be organized on the day of some game in the same city. Fans of the visiting team could participate as well.

3rd Question: What are your suggestions to develop the project? What / How can you contribute in the Project at personal and Organizational level?

 Clubs should maintain a good relationship in their management level, should share the information with all employees and security guards of the club, also with other clubs.  There are no women's basketball fans actually. In order to involve more women we need to consider what age groups will be needed and how to attract them, where to find them and how to disseminate information.  To the first meeting with the leaders of the fans (fan platform) authority person of Lithuania should be involved, for example, well known basketball players (Kleiza, Sabonis).  During the meetings to encourage their creativity, responsibility.  To write down the chants till the project and the beginning of training and after the project to have a possibility to compare it. To encourage the creativity.

Fans Against Violence 37 National Report – Lithuania December 2015  To show good examples of other countries. To teach only positive slogans and positive support the team.  Real fans know that clubs do not have adequate resources and financing, that is why fans shall endeavor to avoid burning chairs or make other losses to protect the clubs from penalties.  To teach the clubs about their obligations as organizers or a visiting team according to the Lithuanian legislation, the best way to communicate with the police and with the fans;  To communicate more actively with the National Basketball League in defining the level of the fan’s violence risk of each particular game of the championship; To avoid their coaches to behave in an intentional way that provokes the fans to react against referees decisions or against the opposing team;  To work more actively with the fans, especially the person, responsible for the communication with the fans in the club which at the moment practically has mostly fictive role.

Fans Against Violence 38 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 What can be done to prevent violence?

 Impunity and lack of sanctions are the main reason why the violence is not decreasing. Home team is responsible for security, but both teams should be responsible for it. Fans have the possibility of violence, because the initial steps and initiatives are skipped through the eyes. The legal regulations should be improved.  The main problem is that fans do not want to be identified; they do not want to put the photo on their membership cards.  The situation in new arenas is now much better because of new technical solutions such as separate entrances, fenced areas and etc. These technical solutions should be adapted in renewing old arenas or building new arenas.  Already punished fans continue to participate in fans‘activities. Fan activity is not confined to the arena borders, it moves to and etc. Motivation system to stop acting like that should be created, for example invitations to matches, lower prices of entrance to the match or other.  To separate fans in non-contacting tribunes with separate entrances, also to separate smoking areas to avoid the contacting during the break time.  Agreements not to mock at opponents unless they mock at you exist between clubs, fans. The problem is that somebody provokes. The solution could be film and watch fans in tribunes.  Sobriety of suspicious fans should be checked, intoxicated, drunk fans should not be allowed to enter the match.  Alcohol - one of the main reasons for aggression. It should be prohibited to sell the alcohol during the match. Drunk fans should not be permitted  Fans aggression and problems caused need to be filmed. These videos should be publicized fans to understand what they are doing wrong sometimes not seeking to.  Create added value for fans. Introduce fan levels and categories to maximize fans‘loyalty and responsibility for club.

Fans Against Violence 39 National Report – Lithuania December 2015  Maybe fight for most aggressive fans in the ring under the rules should be organized.  Some clubs have good marketing, motivation and communication system with their fans. Some clubs build their loyal, adequate fan base. Club managers should be brave to ask fans be more polite and friendly. Other clubs should learn form others.  Non-allowance of the person to the game who was involved a crime before.  Effeciency and deterrence of punishment.

Other insights

 To be a fan is a matter of honor, just the values of fans are different, and their understanding of honor is different.  Fans are supervised by team leaders. Team leaders are in constant contact with them. Communication with fans is already taking the place to avoid the aggression in future.  The assessment is very important to young fans. It is the main motivator for them.  Fans want resemble the foreign fans.  The databases of people who has committed illegal actions are being created in some cities. These people will not be allowed to enter the arenas. The problem is that it is difficult to check all persons and recognize the faces.  To unite the fans by organizing sports tournaments, matches for their closer communication and getting know each other, for understanding the similarity between each other despite different teams.

Fans Against Violence 40 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Fact Finding Conference

23.11.2015 – Kaunas

Fans Against Violence 41 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 5. FAN SURVEYS

Presentation of the key findings

Within the scope of FAV project, fan surveys were conducted on 09.2015-10.2015. A total of 420 surveys were conducted during this period, representing 5 different fan clubs.

Survey data were coded, entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Findings

PERCENT OF BASKETBALL TEAM SUPPORTERS Alytaus Dzukija 4% Utenos Juventus 9%

Kauno Zalgiris 32%

Klaipedos Neptunas 27%

Vilniaus Lietuvos rytas 28%

Fans Against Violence 42 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 GENDER AGE

NUMBER NUMBER 0 100 200 300 400 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Up to 15 years old 12 16-19 years old 70

Male 362 20-24 years old 109 25-29 years old 61

30-34 years old 49

35-39 years old 53 AGE GENDER 40-44 years old 30 45-49 years old 18 Female 58 50-54 years old 9 55-59 years old 5 Over 60 years old 5

EDUCATION SOCIAL STATUS

Owner of a private business 65 0 50 100 150 200 Employee in private sector 93

Civil servant 31 Basic education 42 School student 57

University student 81

Secondary education 180 Free lancer 69

SOCIAL STATUS SOCIAL Retired 9 Housewife 5

College degree 68 EDUCATION Unemployed 12

0 20 40 60 80 100 University degree 130 NUMBER NUMBER

ARE YOU A MEMBER OF THE OFFICIAL FAN CLUB OF THE BASKETBALL TEAM?

NUMBER 0 50 100 150 200 250

Yes 233

No, but I would like to 103

No and i do not want 84

Fans Against Violence 43 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 WHO/WHAT HAD THE DECISIVE ROLE FOR YOU TO BECOME A FAN OF YOUR CLUB?

NUMBER 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

My parents/relatives 61 Friends from the neighborhood 63 Classmates 37 Colleagues 51 Devoted fans from the fan club 105 Watching games on TV/ internet 103

BENEFITS OF BEING FAN

NUMBER 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

I attend the visiting games of the team 154

I am proud to be part of the team 292

Supporting a team with good traditions and success increases my 79 self confidence I have special price for tickets, souvenirs and the right to use good 77 seats in the I have the opportunity to travel, to see new places, to 145 communicate with other fans I have the opportunity to participate in or to influence on the 60

team’s life BENEFITS I have the opportunity to interact with the players of the team 137

I am proud to be a part of a community that shares the same 158 values

I met new people 159

I feel significant and highly valued 23

Other… 11

Fans Against Violence 44 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 DO YOU ATTEND OTHER HOW OFTEN DO YOU SPORTS EVENTS OF YOUR ATTEND OTHER SPORTS FAVORITE CLUB? EVENTS OF YOUR

NUMBER FAVORITE CLUB? 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 NUMBER 0 50 100 150 I go to basketball games only 243 I go to all sports events of my 119 favorite club

I go mainly to football games 79 At least once a month 96

I go mainly to other team 72 sport games A few times a year 91

I go mainly to individual sports I do not attend other sports 26 114 competitions events

WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE WHAT IS YOUR TOWARDS THE ALCOHOL ATTITUDE TOWARDS CONSUMPTION? THE DRUG

NUMBER CONSUMPTION? 0 50 100 150 200 NUMBER If somebody knows how to 0 100 200 300 400 drink the quantity is not a 135 problem Since it is a personal choice, 33 Although regular the I do not mind

moderate consumption is 109

acceptable

If the consumption is moderate it is not 16 ATTITUDE It is acceptable only if it is 145 dangerous occasionally ATTITUDE

I am strongly against 32 I am strongly against 371

Fans Against Violence 45 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 REASONS WHY FANS ARE GOING TO BASKETBALL GAMES

NUMBER 0 50 100 150 200 250 300

I have fun 280 I like to attend sport’s events with friends 198 I like to be part of the devoted fan’s community 180 This is a way to spend my time meaningfully 182 I have friends playing in the team 47 It is our family tradition to support this basketball team 98 I like the play of my basketball team 145

I like the atmosphere in the gym 240 The prices of the tickets are affordable 44

REASON My team is one of the leaders 67 This is a chance for me to share my opinion on other issues … 35 In this way I get out my (negative) energy 68 I like the comfort and the recreation options provided in the gym 42 I am from this town and I have to support the team from my … 126 I like the colors and the symbols of my club 123 I love basketball 184 Other … 11

THE WAYS FANS SUPPORTING THEIR TEAMS

NUMBER 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

I am member of the official fan club of the basketball team 194

I attend the home games of the team 303

I wear the colors and the symbols of the team 271

I attend the visiting games of the team 154

I watch the games of my team on TV 261

I convince friends and relatives to become fans of the team 86

I encourage my kid to play for the club 32

SUPPORTING WAYS SUPPORTING I buy souvenirs with the colors and symbols of the club 124

I donate money to the club 91

I do volunteer job for the club 49

Other… 18

Fans Against Violence 46 National Report – Lithuania December 2015

THE MOST COMMON REASONS FOR AGGRESSIVE AND VIOLENT BEHAVIOR OF THE FANS DURING THE BASKETBALL GAMES?

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

The behavior of the police/security/stewards 165

Provocations and offensive chants of the fans of the other team 266

Poor performance of your team 42

Consumption of alcohol 203

Consumption of drugs 105

Referee’s calls 98

Doubts for simulative play and fixed result of the game 65

Opportunity to release negative energy/ personal problems 37

Desire to provoke the fans of the other team 96

Extreme, fanatical attitude of some fans 109 MAIN REASONS TO SEE THE OTHER TEAM FANS AS Opportunity to get media exposure (to be shown on the TV/media) 25

REASONS RIVALS Desire to prove yourself / to defend your honor 84 NUMBER Historical feud between the fans of some0 teams 50 100 137150 200 250

They Historicalhave different feud ideologybetween andour valuestowns/ districts 86 163

We have a historical feud between our fans 217 Just for fun and as a source for emotions 25 We have a historical feud between our towns/ districts 219 Demonstration of solidarity with the rest of the fans 26 We have ethnic confrontation 32

Provocative behavior of the players of the other team 70 We have religious confrontation 7

Their team isPart more of a successful deliberate than plan our of theteam fan leaders 61 65 REASONS

TheirInsufficient team is tolerated security by before, the federation/league during or after the game 26 49 They have many foreigners in the team 9 Discontentment of the management of the club 9 Their team is richer than our team 19 Other… 16 Other… 40 NUMBER

Fans Against Violence 47 National Report – Lithuania December 2015

FANS CONFIDENCE IN EACH OF THE THINGS MENTIONED BELLOW:

NUMBER 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Society 46 Family 355 Friends 238 Government 4 Police 19 School 26 Internet and social media 11 Basketball federation / league 56 My basketball club 140 Local authorities 18 Legal system 16 Laws 9 Political parties 9 Business 23 Media 19 European institutions 21 Non-governmental organizations 16 Banks 23

Fans Against Violence 48 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 6. IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS

Presentation of the key findings

During the project “Fans Against Violence“ in-depth interviews with representatives of clubs and different teams fan leaders were carried out. 4 representatives of largest Lithuanian basketball clubs and 8 basketball fan leaders were happy to answer the questions during the interview. Respondents were feeling free to express their opinions openly. Answers were based on their expertise, experience and knowledge.

Methodology

7 questions were given to 4 club representatives. These questions helped us to find out the main reasons of aggressive behavior of fans, provocative factors and club contribution to preventive measures against aggression. Meanwhile 17 questions were given to fan leaders. These questions helped us to find fans ‘attitude to the fan club meaning in their life, attitude to rituals existing, personal characteristics also aggressiveness and understanding its causes. On the survey a voice recorder and a sheet of paper where short notes were made were used. Each respondent was answering to questions no longer than 30 minutes.

Data generated from the interviews were content analyzed, and the results were examined and then summarized.

It was found during the interview that two different fan groups dominate in the largest Lithuanian basketball fan clubs – youth (students and etc.) and elders (businessmen, employees, civil servants and etc.). The main idea of these interviews was to find out as deep information as possible about the main fan provocateurs and causes of aggression.

Fans Against Violence 49 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 Findings

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However, all the basketball clubs, in turn, take preventive measures in order to prevent all potential conflicts of fans. For example, the Kaunas Zalgiris ensured as low as possible contact of different fans of other teams fans in Zalgiris arena. Fans of different clubs have separate drive- ways and entrances to arena, so the rift is manifested only in the form of chants in arena. However, there are provocations when the opposing team's fans specially purchase tickets in the arena site where fans of opposite team sit. In this case the only solution to avoid the conflict is good work of security and police. Contacts that occur outside of the arena are not controlled by the club. All club representatives held regular meetings with fans. Sometimes the security guards and police officers are invited to attend these meetings. During these meetings, fans are introduced with the existing compulsory rules in the matches. Also, the limits fans cannot go beyond are being determined, i.e. the use of pyrotechnic, gait in the city before the match, chants in the city, alcohol consumption and smoking

Fans Against Violence 51 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 in public places and etc. Clubs are also in constant contact with fans; maintain a close relationship, trying to explain the consequences of the aggression and etc. Most clubs have reached a compromise with the fans for their behavior, which could result in fines for club in the arena. Strengthened official forces are invoked for most important matches. Then the police officers of the Mobile Squad, who are specially trained to suppress the conflicts, ensure the public order. Both the police and clubs try to be tolerant and not to take radical actions on each case, but at the same time keeping in mind that rules should not be broken.

Fans Against Violence 52 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 7. CONCLUSIONS

Examination and explanation of the important findings revealed by the study

The research conducted under the scope of the Fans Against Violence project enabled us to gain various insights about the history of Lithuanian basketball, the state of violence in Lithuanian basketball, the profile of Lithuanian basketball fans and their behaviours, the reasons for violence in basketball and possible solutions.

We believe that this report provides a comprehensive understanding about the issues and their creators in Lithuanian basketball spectatorship. The aim of the conclusion section is to sum up the phases of the research and outline the important findings.

Section one, the first step of the research was to gain an understanding about the current state of Lithuanian Basketball. In order to achieve the mentioned goal, different sources were used. First of all the publications about Lithuanian basketball were evaluated, the archives of Lithuanian Basketball Federation and face-to-face sources for getting the latest updates were used. The research indicates that basketball is the most developed sport branches in Lithuania. For many people it is called as the second religion of Lithuania. The well-established history of Lithuanian Basketball leads to the creation of a very well developed organisational structure. Different levels of leagues not only for men but also for women and the youth enlarge the scope and reach of the sport in Lithuania. The success achieved in Lithuanian professional basketball makes the country one of the most successful in Europe which creates a valuable sence of proud in most of Lithuanians heards.

Section two, the second step of the research was to gain deep knowledge about violent fan behaviour. Within the scope of this section, primarily academic publications were examined. Different definitions of “aggression” were provided. The aggressive actions of sport spectators were distinguished in two separate classes; hostile or instrumental. Compared to hostile aggression, in instrumental aggression spectator’s main goal might be to take advantage of their aggressive behaviours in terms of the affecting officials or players’ decision. The theories referred in the second section which tend to explain the reasons of aggressive behaviour are Berkowitz’s Revised Frustration-Aggression Theory (1982), Bandura's (1973) Social Learning Theory and Smith's (1972) Frustration and Aggression and Social Identity Theory. Lastly, the relationship between

Fans Against Violence 53 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 team identification and aggressive fan behaviour were examined.

Section three was vital in order to understand the current situation in terms of violence in basketball spectatorship. Our research reveal that there were a number of occasions happened before, during and afrer basketball games. However, it is not so visible for the general people because fans usually do not involve them into the fightings. The research indicates that violence in basketball is a medium serious matter in Lithuanian sport. An interesting finding concerns the scope of violence; violence isn’t a general problem of Lithuanian basketball and doesn’t involve a large number of teams. There are mostly two biggest teams who are part of almost every occasion.

Section four consists of the valuable information and ideas gained at the fact finding conference, where participate various stakeholders of basketball. The main aim of conference was to bring all stakeholders of basketball together and enable them to discuss and brainstorm the issue violence realities in basketball. This conference let us to see the issue of violence from different perspectives. Participants shared the main reasons of having fan incidents, what is done to this topic till now and how is the dialogue between the stakeholders working against violence in the field of basketball. Also was good to hear from club managers and stakeholders of basketball what are the strengths and weaknesses of the project activities, suggestions how to develop the project activities. Most important is that everybody discussed what can be done to prevent violence. The effectiveness of these initiatives depends heavily on the applicability and broad appropriation by different stakeholders. There is general consensus that violence is harmful for every stakeholder. That is why preventing violence and playing appropriate roles should be every stakeholder’s responsibility. The sport, particularly the stakeholders, should create a mechanism that automatically denounces inappropriate behaviour.

Section five showed the most important findings of the fan surveys. This study on profiling basketball fans and the state of violence was the most comprehensive study done in Lithuania on basketball so far. There are a number of very interesting findings. Most of the fans were male (362), students and youngsters who were between 20-24 years old. Most of them have a secondary school education and are employed in private sector. They love the atmosphere in basketball matches, think that watching basketball is fun and enjoyable. Basketball fans are proud of being part of their team and they enjoy representing the values and beliefs of it. Surveyed fans are mostly frequent visitors who attend each home game, wear the colors and the symbols of the team and also watches all games on TV. Considering violent behaviour, according to fans, the provocations

Fans Against Violence 54 National Report – Lithuania December 2015 and offensive chants of the opponent teams fans are the main reasons for aggression. One interesting thing was found out during the survey that the main reasons of seeing the other team fans as rivals is mostly historical feud between towns, districts and fans. So in Lithuania the biggest strife comes from generation to generation through history.

Section six involves the main findings of the in-depth interviews conducted with fan leaders and team managers. 7 questions were given to 4 club representatives. These questions helped us to find out the main reasons of aggressive behavior of fans, provocative factors and club contribution to preventive measures against aggression. Meanwhile 17 questions were given to fan leaders. These questions helped us to find fans ‘attitude to the fan club meaning in their life, attitude to rituals existing, personal characteristics also aggressiveness and understanding its causes. Each respondent was answering to questions no longer than 30 minutes. During in-depth interviews were found out that the main fan provocateurs are offensive opposing team chants and gestures, the behaviour of the other team's players, the disputed judges’ work and inadequate ecurity guards. However, all the basketball clubs, in turn, take preventive measures in order to prevent all potential conflicts of fans. Contacts that occur outside of the arena are not controlled by the club. All club representatives held regular meetings with fans. Sometimes the security guards and police officers are invited to attend these meetings. During these meetings, fans are introduced with the existing compulsory rules in the matches. Both the police and clubs try to be tolerant and not to take radical actions on each case, but at the same time keeping in mind that rules should not be broken.

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For more information: www.fansagainstviolence.

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