Does Gender Moderate the Relationship between Fanaticism and Aggression among Football Supporters?

Football is the sport with the largest fan base in the world, but behind its popularity lies the phenomenon of excessive fanaticism that often triggers aggressive behavior among supporters. Fanaticism, born of emotional attachment and social identity among supporters, not only strengthens loyalty but also has the potential to lead to forms of aggression, both verbal and physical, especially when the team loses or is disadvantaged by external decisions. This study aims to analyze the relationship between fanaticism and aggressive behavior tendencies among football fans and to identify differences in their influence based on gender. Using a quantitative approach with a correlational method, this study involved 192 respondents selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a Likert scale questionnaire to measure fanaticism and aggressiveness, then analyzed using SmartPLS 4. The results of the analysis showed that fanaticism had a positive and significant effect on aggressiveness (β = 0.214; p = 0.003), although the predictive power of the fanaticism variable on aggressiveness was relatively low (R^²=0.046). The dominant aspects of fanaticism were interest and love (40.01%) and personal and group attitudes (38.26%), which were closely related to aspects of aggressiveness, including anger (26%) and hostility (25%). Multi-group analysis revealed a significant difference between male and female fans (p = 0.021), where men were more likely to express fanaticism through aggressive behavior, while women tended to be more restrained. These findings confirm that emotional and collective fanaticism can trigger aggressive behavior; therefore, educational strategies for supporters and the strengthening of sportsmanship values are needed to create a healthy culture of support in football.