"None of the industries of mass media seem to be interested in supporters but without them, football would be nothing. It's all about passion and it's history. It will always be like that. Without passion, football would be dead... The supporters are those who transform football into a quality show, bringing their contribution every time..."
- John King (author of Football Factory)
"…the main difference between English and Italian football cultures does not lie in the social class distribution of the supporters, but in the presence or absence of a strongly structured form of association. Italian football culture is not only local and independent of social stratification, but is also firmly organised. Football in Italy is a national fever and, above all, for millions of citizens, workers, students and professionals, a structured way of life."
- Italian Football Fans: Culture and Organisation (1994)
What are Ultras?
• Antifa Terrace Songs/Chants
• List of Teams with Strong Antifa History / Antifa Ultra Support
• List of Articles on this site about Ultras
Ultras (Latin word deriving from beyond in English, with the implication that their enthusiasm is 'beyond' the normal) are a sanctioned form of sports team supporters renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European and South American followers of football teams. The behavioural tendency of ultras groups includes the use of flares—primarily in tifo choreography—, vocal support in large groups, defiance of the authorities and the display of banners at football stadiums, which are used to create an atmosphere which intimidates opposing players and supporters, as well as encouraging their own team. Consistently rivals with opposing supporters, ultras groups are often identified with their respective team. The actions of ultra fan groups are influenced by racial violence, cross-town derbies between clubs from the same city, and even from poor performances by the teams.
This particular fan subgroup appeared strongly in Italy during the late 1960s when football teams reduced ticket prices in certain areas of the stadiums. Since the early 1990s, the ultras subculture has increasingly become similar in style to the hooligan firm and casual cultures. Violent acts of hooliganism by groups of ultras have led to some deaths, as have police reprisals.
The existence of ultras groups originates from the initial firm formed in the former state of Yugoslavia in 1950. During the tensional period of the Yugoslav wars, patriotic supporters of Hajduk Split—now playing football in Croatia—formed a group known as Torcida Split; this name still recognises the same firm. The second longest standing ultra group is said to be Milan's Fossa dei Leoni (the Lion's Den) which was founded in 1968, which takes the name of the black-and-red's old ground and finds home in the stadium's cheaper sectors at ramp 17. The "Fedelissimi Granata" were founded in Turin in 1951, and still present in the ultra line-up on the Maratona curve. The Sampdoria Ultras appeared in 1969 (the first to call themselves "Ultras"), followed by "The Boys" from Inter.
Source: ultras article on wikipedia
The "Tifo"
Tifo is mostly used as a name for any spectacular choreography displayed by supporters on the terraces of an arena or stadium in connection with a sport event, mostly an association football match.
Ranging in size, based on financial capabilities of the group, the tifo has been displayed just in the section of the stadium where the group is located or the entire stadium. Sometimes small sheets of plastic or paper are held aloft to form a pattern or to colour the stadium. Other materials used include balloons, streamers, huge banners, flares, smoke bombs, and more recently, giant dolls. Pop culture icons are often used on banners, such as Alex DeLarge (from the movie A Clockwork Orange), bulldogs, or Che Guevara... The displays, which can be expensive to make, often take months to prepare.
The tifo culture, like the origin of its name, has its roots in Italy, and Southern Europe. It has much in common with the Ultras culture and appeared at the same time, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the first ultras group of Italy was founded, the Fossa dei Leoni (Milan).
source: tifo article on wikipedia
Links:
* In-depth history of the Ultra Movement
* large collection of ultras photos
* Ultras Videos
* TIFO-Net
* Video sample: Ultras Inferno 1996 / Standard Liege, Belgium
The Ultras and Politics
"C'mon, C'mon, Antifa Hooligans" - Los Fastidios lyrics
The term Antifa (pronounced either anti-fa or an-tifa) derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism. It refers to individuals and groups that are dedicated to fighting fascism. These groups sometimes include the word antifa in their names.
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Ultra groups are sometimes associated with politics, such as racism, anti-racism, nationalism or anti-capitalism, resulting in rivalries and alliances based on these allegiances. Antifa Ultra is a term used to describe leftist, radical supporters clubs who take a millitant stance against discrimination (particularly racism), inside and outside soccer stadiums, which they see as being deliberately ignored by club management, the police and the state.
One growing political movement within Ultra groups that transcends traditional left-right politics is the resistance to the commercialization of football. In Italy this movement is called No al Calcio Moderno, which roughly translates as Against Modern Football. In some cases, fans have split from the original team and formed their own teams, such as Manchester United F.C to F.C. United of Manchester, Wimbledon F.C.(now AFC Wimbledon) to Milton Keynes Dons F.C. and FC Red Bull Salzburg to SV Austria Salzburg.
Ultra groups such as Livorno's Brigate Autonome Livornesi, AC Omonia's GATE9 , A.C. Arezzo's Fossa, Pisa Calcio's Ultras, Olympique de Marseilles Curva-Massilia, Galatasaray's Ultraslan, St.Pauli's Ultrà Sankt Pauli , Hapoel Tel-Aviv's Ultras Hapoel, Benfica's No Name Boys, AEK Athens's Gate 21, Celtic F.C.'s Green Brigade and Sevilla FC's Biris Norte are known for displaying flags with red stars, hammer and sickles, the anarchy symbol or images of Che Guevara. In Turkey, Beşiktaş JK's ultra group Çarşı has an A in its logo that is similar to the anarchy symbol, and have taken up a political left wing view. Fans of Ajax Amsterdam often display the Star of David and Israeli flags, and regularly chant "Joden! Joden!" (Dutch for "Jews! Jews!") in reference to the club's Jewish roots. The annual Mondiali Antirazzisti (Anti-Racist World Cup) attracts more than 6000 people, and is the largest gathering of anti-fascist Ultras in the world.
Lazio's Irriducibili, APOEL F.C.'s PAN.SY.FI, Inter's Boys San, Real Madrids Ultras Sur, Hellas Verona's Brigate Gialloblu Espanyol's Brigadas Blanquiazules, Hajduk Split's Torcida, Dinamo Zagreb's Bad Blue Boys, FC Dinamo Bucureşti's Nuova Guardia, FC Steaua Bucureşti's ultra groups and Atlético Madrid's ultra groups are known for displaying Celtic crosses and Swastikas.
In Britain, many fans of clubs like Linfield F.C. and Rangers F.C. display flags and banners supporting the United Kindgom, and many fans of teams like Derry F.C. and Celtic F.C. display flags and banners supporting the Republic of Ireland.
Source: millitant anti-fascism article on wikipedia
Source: ultras article on wikipedia
Some Fierce Rivalries
Fierce rivalries between ultra groups can be found all over the world, although most of the larger rivalries are found in Europe and South America. The rivalries are often based around a basic animosity toward the rival team, mostly in derbies (e.g. Anorthosis famagust vs ac Omonia ], Dinamo Bucharest vs. Steaua Bucharest, CFR 1907 Cluj vs. "U" Cluj, UTA Arad vs. Poli Timisoara ,Sampdoria vs. Genoa, Roma vs. Lazio, Torino vs. Juventus, Inter vs. Milan, Wisła Kraków vs. Cracovia Kraków, Fenerbahçe vs. Galatasaray, SK Brann vs. Valerenga, Ajax Amsterdam vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam, Vitesse Arnhem vs. NEC Nijmegen, Palmeiras vs. Corinthians, Grêmio vs. Internacional, Independiente vs. Racing, Boca Juniors vs. River Plate, Ahly vs. Zamalek, AEK Athens vs. Olympiakos) and some rivalries are based on politics in addition to team difference (e.g. Livorno vs. Lazio). There have also been rivalries between ultra groups that support the same team; based on personal and/or leadership disputes. Sometimes ultra groups try to capture banners and flags of a rival groups; losing a banner or flag to a rival group is considered a big humiliation and the faction losing the banner is required to disband.
In his book, How Soccer Explains the World, Franklin Foer describes the rivalry between Serb and Croat teams as,"The new, or rather old, enmity could be seen visibly at the soccer stadium... fans sang about their respective slaughters." The ultras of FC Red Star Belgrade, the Delije (Heroes), and the ultras from FK Partizan Belgrade, Grobari (Gravediggers), formed the base of Arkan's Tigers, a Serbian paramilitary force who were later implicated in multiple acts of terror during the Wars in Yugoslavia. The Tigers made a dramatic appearance during the Belgrade derby game of 22 March 1992, played between Red Star and Partizan, where they held up road signs saying: '20 miles to Vukovar'; '10 miles to Vukovar'; 'Welcome to Vukovar'. More signs followed, each named for a Croatian town that had fallen to the Serbian army. Arkan was then director of the Red Star supporters' association. When Bosnia-Herzegovina played a friendly game against Croatia in August of 2007, "Croatian fans formed a human U symbol representing the fascist Ustase movement responsible for mass killings of Serbs, Jews and the Roma during World War II, and now more recent, Bosnian war". Although in this instance, the Croats used the fascist symbol U as a sign of nationalism, amid new rising of ethnic tensions in Bosnia between the Croats and the Bosnian Muslims.
No A Calcio Moderno / Love Football Hate Business
Some groups, particularly in Italy, have animosity toward so-called "modern football"". All-seater stadiums, more expensive tickets, matches being played at non-traditional times (particularly evening matches), fan-favourite players being sold like merchandise, replaced by players who don't "love the shirt", and the excessive commercialization of football are all common targets for Ultras' animosity. "No al Calcio Moderno" (Against modern football) is commonly seen on banners in Italian stadiums, and have spread across Europe.
The phrase "Love Football Hate Business" is a common English language equivalent, seen on banners and team flags in stadiums across the United Kingdom.
Source: ultras article on wikipedia
List of Teams that have Resisted Corporate Takeover
* England - Manchester - F.C. United
* England - London - A.F.C. Wimbledon
* Austria - Salzburg - SV Austria Salzburg / Initiative Violett Weiss
No a Calcio Moderno History (Italian)
No al calcio moderno è lo slogan adottato a partire dalla fine degli anni '90 da numerosi gruppi ultras italiani per protestare contro la trasformazione in atto del gioco del calcio.
La campagna contro il "calcio moderno" è stata sostenuta in varie forme da centinaia di organizzazioni ultras europee, ed ha per la prima volta unito sotto lo stesso slogan tifoserie storicamente divise da rivalità campaniliste, sportive e politiche.
Con il termine "calcio moderno" gli ultras indicano quel fenomeno che ha portato alla "morte" del calcio d'altri tempi. Sono due le componenti principali che caratterizzano il calcio moderno: il peso sempre maggiore dei soldi nel sistema calcio e la repressione nei confronti dei tifosi.
Ciò che viene qui di seguito riportato è il pensiero, più volte espresso, della maggioranza degli ultras europei.
Website: No A Calcio Moderno
