This paper aims to present the ways in which the image of football fans as hooligans is constructed in contemporary Serbian media; as an image of actors whose actions produce damaging effect for the society. I focus on the existence of terminological misunderstanding surrounding the definition of a football fan occurring between the local media and the official policymakers. From one side, the omni-present violence, both verbal and actual one, is very often overlooked in media reporting. From the other side, the individuals, often with a criminal record, are titled as fan-leaders and are being sensationalized and placed as the signifiers of the entire group. The latter creates an image of criminal activity as an act of fanbased, hooligan action. When constructed in this way the made discourse is translated from public perception to the realms of policy making; marking the violent acts at sporting events as a security issue the state institutions are not capable to handle.
