Why always us? : A single case study on Fan perception in relation to the Manchester City FC Financial Fair Play allegations case based on social identity theory

Abstract: Background: The football industry is a giant economic driver in the world with the English Premier League being the one with the largest following worldwide. Recently, the Premier League club Manchester City FC got charged with over 100 breaches of the leagues financial fair play rules invoking discussion and reactions among fans. This provides an opportunity to conduct research of social identity threat situations of a real-time event. Therefore, the study of Manchester City FC fans is a valid case to contribute to the understanding of British football fans´ reactions to social identity threats and coping strategies.  Purpose: This study aims to explore the reaction and coping mechanisms of football fans as their supported club has been accused of potential rule-breaking activities. Method: The study is following an interpretivist approach through a single case study. A qualitative content analysis method is used to analyse the data gathered through a Manchester City online forum. The data is analysed through manual coding, where the sub-categories emerge from the raw codes gathered from the Manchester City online forum. Conclusion: This study suggests that social mobility is not prominent amongst Manchester City FC fans in the occurrence of this Social Identity Threat, while aggressive coping strategies such as Social Competition and Social Creativity are prominent in the analysis of the sample. The study also supports previous research identifying humour as a prominent coping strategy and identifies similarities between British sports fan and sports fans in other cultures.