Threats on team identity among Persian Gulf Pro League football fans: A case study of Esteghlal Football Club

Team identity threat is an emerging topic in sport management that has recently attracted the interest of consumer behavior researchers. In this study, we identified factors threatening a sense of team identity of fans of Esteghlal Football Club (FC) in the Persian Gulf Pro League (PGPL) in Iran, based on thematic analysis of data from in-depth interviews with fans (N = 28). We categorized the factors into two main dimensions: organizational and individual. Organizational factors include seven themes: ineffective changes, poor performance in the transfer market, weak management of the technical staff, lack of meritocracy in club management, inefficient management in economic activities, poor team performance, and inappropriate sponsors. Individual factors consist of five themes: unprofessional behavior of players, unprofessional behavior by technical staff, lack of fan-orientation, management’s poor communication and interaction, and unprofessional behavior of veteran players. Together, these 12 themes comprise the Team Identity Threat Inventory. So, it is necessary for various sports and non-sports organizations in the field of football to develop and implement programs and strategies in different fields in a coordinated and integrated manner in order to reduce the factors and situations that facilitate the emergence of identity threats for Esteghlal FC fans at different organizational levels.