Fouls in professional football and their evaluation in terms of aggressiveness theories

132 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine fouls committed in professional football matches in relation to aggressiveness theories. Seventeen matches from Turkish Super 1st Division Football League in 2000-2001 season were selected to analyze for this study. Match observation form was prepared by the researcher to analyze matches from video records. Observation form included time of fouls committed, place of fouls committed, position of players who was committed to foul, score of match when foul committed, action of player during foul, category of fouls, away game or home match, whether or not referee punish the players by yellow or red card for foul. In addition to these categories the findings were also analyzed according to sport related instrumental and hostile aggressive behavior categories and fundamental aggressiveness theories; instinct, disappointment, social learning theories which were accepted as main reasons of players' aggressiveness. "SPSS 1 1.0" statistical analysis program was used to analyze data obtained from 17 match video records. Data were analyzed by using frequency distribution, percentage, Independent Samples oft-test was applied to find group differences and also Chi-square statistics was applied to find relationship between groups. Tukey HSD test was used to find sources of differences between groups. Significance level.05 was used while testing hypothesis. As a conclusion of the study, reflection of aggressive behavior of human being which were part of human psychology were seen in fouls committed during133 football matches. Most common reason of players fouls committed during football matches were mostly related to tactical reasons which were related to instinct, disappointment, social learning aggressiveness theories. Generally players were affected by their coach and presented previously learned aggressive behavior during game. There were no football matches without fouls committed and fouls were one of the realities of this game. Because football is a team sport and players physical contact with opponents were permitted during match. Especially economical and spiritual benefits of winning football match sometimes acting as a major reason for instrumental and hostile aggressive behavior of the players, and pressure of supporters and coach during match might cause aggressive behaviors and fouls committed might have resulted serious injuries of the opponent player. In relation to this, aggressiveness as a learned behavior matched with social learned- aggressiveness theory.