One event, very different interpretations
The case study of the AC Sparta Praha vs. Rangers FC football match coverage in Scottish, nationwide UK, and Czech media
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/mk.v39i75.138503Keywords:
football, sports journalism, race, ethnicity, content analysis, discourse analysisAbstract
Based on a mixed method approach (content analysis and CDA), this article examines the media coverage of a football game between AC Sparta Praha and Rangers FC, played in Prague in the autumn of 2021, that was followed by heavily mediated discussion regard- ing the controversial booing of Rangers FC player Glen Kamara, who was sent off from the game after having been given a red card due to a pair of fouls. The audience in attendance was accused of Kamara’s racist abuse, but the UEFA later decided that there was insuf- ficient evidence of racism at the match. This case study focuses on the media coverage in Scottish, Czech, and UK nationwide media, as well as related discussions on Twitter. We revealed competing constructions of reality depending on diverse interpretations of the facts and lack of intercultural understanding.
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