NÄR POLISEN MÖTER FOTBOLLEN. En kvantitativ innehållsanalys om hur svenska nyhetsmedier framställer Polismyndigheten i relation till supportrar inom svensk elitfotboll

Sammanfattning

In recent years, Swedish elite football has experienced record-breaking attendance, andSwedish supporter culture has attracted international attention for the atmosphere created inthe stadiums. The interest in Swedish elite football is historically high, which means thatevents related to Swedish elite football receive extensive media coverage. At the same time,the relationship between the Swedish Police Authority and parts of the supporter culture ischaracterised by tensions, conflicts and contradictions. The media’s framing of the SwedishPolice Authority in this context can influence public perceptions of the authority. However,research on media framing of the Police Authority in relation to football supporters remainslimited. The aim of this study is therefore to examine how Swedish news media frame andportray the Police Authority in relation to supporters in Swedish elite football. This means theanalysis focuses on Swedish news media as a collective, rather than on comparisons betweenhow individual media outlets frame this relationship.To answer the aim of this study, the following three sub-questions have been formulated: (1)Which frames dominate the portrayal of the Swedish Police Authority in relation tosupporters in Swedish elite football in Swedish news media? (2) Which topics and attributesare central in how Swedish news media portray the Swedish Police Authority in relation tosupporters in Swedish elite football? (3) Which actors are given voice in the reporting, andwhat is the tone?To collect the data, a quantitative content analysis is conducted based on material from thefive major media outlets Aftonbladet, Expressen, Dagens Nyheter, SVT Nyheter andFotbollskanalen. The sample consists of 291 articles published between 10 May 2025 and 10May 2026. The result will be analysed and interpreted in relation to previous research andthrough the application of framing theory and agenda-setting theory. In this way, the study ispositioned within a broader theoretical framework.The result indicates that in Swedish news media’s framing of the Swedish Police Authority,general frames dominate, with episodic frames being the most frequently occurring.Furthermore, the authority is primarily framed in relation to its strategies and preventive workwithin elite football. Overall, it is more common for the Police Authority to be attributed therole of a security provider than a destroyer of supporter culture. The Police Authority ismainly framed as an institution, rather than as smaller groups or individual actors. In addition,representatives from football clubs are the most frequently given voice regarding the PoliceAuthority, while SLOs are rarely given the opportunity to speak. Finally, the main tone in theframing of the Police Authority is mostly negative or neutral.In conclusion, although this study focuses on media content rather than audience effects,framing theory and agenda-setting theory suggest that the identified patterns may haveimplications on how the Swedish Police Authority is perceived by the public.