Roligan

The Roligan movement is the group of Danish football fans who are well-mannered, yet cheerful before, during, and after the match. This behavior is the exact opposite of that exhibited by hooligans. The term roligan is a pun based on the word rolig which means "calm" in Danish.

The movement was founded during the successful years of Danish football in the 1980s. The Danish roligans’ colourful and convivial behaviour in connection with international matches through the 1980s resulted in the UNESCO 'Fair Play Trophy' in 1984 being awarded to the 'Danish Supporters at the European Championship in France'.

History

The term "Roligan" was invented by a sub-editor working at the Danish newspaper B.T. A claim for the origin of the name has hence never been claimed.

See also

• Denmark national football team
• Tartan Army, the supporters of the Scotland national team who are equally renowned for their peaceful nature.

External links

• (Danish) De Danske Roligans, (official web site)
• Danish Football factsheet (11.9 MB PDF file) published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
• List of Fair Play Winners, 1984