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Beyond the 90 Minutes: Football Tournaments as Triggers for Domestic Abuse

So, the World Cup is over. While like the whole country I enjoyed watching the World Cup, I came across an article that reveals a surge in domestic abuse during sporting events; this is highlighted even by United Nations. People with abusive partners suffer even more during major men’s football tournaments, causing NGOs to raise the flags. It is something which many of us are aware of and it is backed by multiple research papers.

England being the home of football has launched various campaigns to check the growing number of domestic violence cases during football tournaments. In 2014 FIFA World Cup, domestic abuse rose by 38% after England lost and by 26% when they won or drew. The households, the family is often the outlet for men who are already violent before a football match. A widely cited 2014 study by Lancaster University found that reported domestic abuse incidents increased by 26% when the national team, played, 38% when the team lost, and stayed 11% higher the day after, regardless of the outcome. The violence is not confined to England alone, even in South America during Copa America tournament; there has been spikes during matches. In 2026 FIFA World Cup, the domestic cases spiked to record-breaking high, according to data released by the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), the tournament saw the highest number of tournament linked domestic abuse incidents ever recorded.

There is a compelling argument that elite athletes should speak out. Footballers, particularly male players who are idolized by young boys and men, possess massive cultural influence. When players condemn domestic abuse, promote healthy relationship dynamics, or advocate against misogyny, it carries significant weight with demographies that traditional public health campaigns struggle to reach. However, on the flip side, sometimes, some active players themselves face accusations and allegations of domestic abuse, and to keep their images intact, clubs and leagues often engage in legal proceedings, internal investigations, or contractual protections. If in case, the player in the past made stand against domestic violence but later he is convicted in such matter, then it becomes hypocritical and superficial virtue signaling. Hence, it leads to cautious public relations messaging and institutional silence, which overshadows broader advocacy efforts. Moreover, many high-profile athletes rely heavily on corporate sponsorships, because domestic abuse is a serious and polarizing topic, personal PR advisors often urge players to stick non-controversial charitable causes unless a statement is managed by a major campaign or league initiative.

Anyway, civil societies and law enforcing agencies cannot just sit and depend on the athletes to spread awareness. Alcohol consumption increases aggression and escalates abusive tendencies. Research from the London School of Economics revealed that alcohol related domestic abuse also spikes significantly when a team wins, peaking in the 3 hour period immediately following the match due to alcohol fueled celebrations. Apart from alcohol, it has been pointed out that the reasons for the spike in the domestic violence during major tournaments are caused by stress due to heavy emotional investment, tension or sudden disappointment or extreme happiness after a win, which can act as emotional shocks. Also the see the cultural narratives surrounding male sports dominance can foster toxic dynamics of control.

Domestic violence during major sporting tournaments like World Cup or league cups cannot be totally stopped but it can be minimized to a certain degree if key triggers are addressed like excessive alcohol consumption, launching awareness campaigns and strengthening community support system are immensely crucial. I want to end this post by saying, ‘Football doesn’t cause abuse. Abusers do.’  

 

 

Curses, Urban Legends and Football

Our generation’s wildest curse theory on internet is the Kardashian curse that claims individuals experience declines in career or personal life after romantic relationships with members of the Kardashian-Jenner family. In my opinion, it is just a hoax and curse theories have always floated around, with little to no substantial proof. However, in the world of sports too there have been numerous curse theories and urban legends, football is not an exception. Whether it be the curse of Chelsea’s jersey no. 9 or Manchester United jersey no. 7 or Mbappe curse, a viral football narrative focused on Kylian Mbappe being the reason for the failure to win the UEFA Champions League by the club he plays for, these narratives and theories make sports interesting to watch, especially when one is waiting for the curse to be broken. Nonetheless, there are two cases, which have boggled my mind. Take a look.

Curse of El Cilindro

Rivalries among football clubs are common but the story which I am going to narrate will make you think to what extend this bitterness, jealousy and hatred can go. In Argentina, the Racing Club won the Intercontinental Cup in 1967; fans of their fierce local rival Independiente broke into the El Cilindro, the ground of Racing Club and allegedly buried the corpses of seven black cats around the grounds to hex the club into eternal bad luck. It resulted in Racing losing numerous matches leading to trophy and title drought. After hearing about the rumours and witnessing series of misfortunes, the fans of the club performed exorcism but to no avail and in 1980, coach Juan Carlos Lorenzo had the pitch dug up to find the cats but workers only found six skeletons. In 1983, the club was relegated to second division and in 1999, it filed for bankruptcy. Everything changed in 2001, when during its stadium renovations; the final seventh cat skeleton was uncovered. That same year, Racing Club won the league championship title, ultimately breaking the 34 years old curse to rest.

My sceptical mind made to do a little bit of internet search. The story seems to change every time I read. It is true that they dug the stadium but the exact year varies. In some version, it is not even cats, but frogs and in some version, to neutralise the curse, seven toads were buried. I do not know whether to call it a placebo effect, psychological play or their eventual success was due to upgradation in football facilities, training and coaching skills. Anyway, whatever the actual story of the curse is, El Cilindro is one of the most unexplainable mysteries in the football history.

 The Curse of Béla Guttmann

Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. They have won the UEFA Champions League (then known as European Cup) back to back, 1960-62. However, after 1962, the club has reached eight major European finals but lost every single one. Why?

In the early 1960s, Benfica was the most formidable team in Europe. It was led by the  Hungarian manager Béla Guttmann, they won back-to-back European Cups (now the UEFA Champions League). They famously defeated Barcelona 3-2 in 1961 and a legendary Real Madrid side 5-3 in 1962. After this monumental success, Guttmann approached the Benfica board of directors and asked for a salary increase and a title bonus, which was well deserved. However, the club's president flatly refused. Furious at the disrespect, Guttmann packed his bags and quit on the spot. As he stormed out of the club doors in 1962, he allegedly cursed,

   “Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European Champions again!”

What initially seemed like an angry rant turned into a terrifying reality. Benfica remained highly dominant domestically, but every time they reached a major continental final, things went disastrously wrong. After witnessing series of failures, the club took the curse so seriously that ahead of the 1990 European Cup final played in Vienna (where Guttmann was buried), Portuguese football legend Eusébio whom Guttmann had once coached visited his grave. Eusébio knelt down and wept, begging the ghost of Guttmann for forgiveness and to lift the curse. Sadly, it didn't work; Benfica lost the next day.

In 2014, the club even unveiled a massive bronze statue of Béla Guttmann at their stadium holding his two European cups, hoping a tribute would appease his spirit. But, the drought continues. As per Guttmann's timeline, the hex will not expire until 2062.