Not every set of supporters stopped attending, though. Anyway you can go to see AC Roma’s games, they’re much nicer, regarding ultras standards. Even other football fan despise them. Gino explained Genoa’s stance, saying: “Our Ultras saw that some clubs such as Verona were still being themselves, causing trouble at some games, supporting their team and city with passion, so we returned to away games. Romelu Lukaku scores on his debut against Lecce, one week before he was subject to racist chants in Cagliari. You haven't heard of APOEL? You'll probably be fine if you stick to where the normal supporters are. Often the target of anti-Semitic abuse from other sets of supporters, Ajax fans decided to embrace this, and a number of their Ultras are even known to refer to themselves as "Jews," even if they have come under criticism from other supporters for doing so. When Dinamo Zagreb fans aren't too busy hating Red Star, most of their attention is focused on their rivals from the south of Croatia, Hajduk Split. At one Verona-Empoli game I attended, where the Tuscans needed a win to secure a play-off spot, around 100 travelled. “When you declare that racism is a problem to be fought in Italy,” they wrote, “you just help the repression against all football fans, including us.”. THE FUTURE IS HERE, AND ITS NAME IS ATLAS. Nine Tottenham fans were injured after an attack before an Europa League clash in Rome in 2012. “Instead of going forward we’re going backwards.”. Italian football is on the rise on the pitch, enjoying more exposure than at any time in the past 10 years, and now things are on the up off the pitch, too. Away sections are full, games are entertaining again and there is more competition for the Scudetto. Unsurprisingly, there was huge resistance from fans, with almost every single club in Italy boycotting away games in protest. They're from Cyprus—so why the Greece flags? A night of riots followed. After the 2-1 Hellas win, hundreds of fans clashed inside and outside the stadium. Notable incidents: In January 2001, fans threw chairs and rocks at police after a 2-2 draw with Inter. They wanted the Ultra mentality to die out.”. Major misfire: In December 2000, an incensed Inter fan hurled a Molotov cocktail at AC fans. Bunch of ugly skinheads who made jungle noises at Gerald Asamoah (he still used to play for us back then). I even saw a decent number of Udinese guys at a game the other week, and they have shit ultras!”. Even Antonio Conte’s first game as manager – also Lukaku’s debut – marking the death of an admired rival was given precedence over their own team. At Inter’s opening home game of this season, against Lecce, ultras staged a giant choreography in Piscitelli’s honour, the words “Fabrizio with us” accompanied by two Lazio eagles spread across the second tier of San Siro’s curva nord. holdingmidfielder FOLLOW. In France, no Ultras are really capable of matching those of OM—that is, apart from Saint Etienne. After the 2-1 Hellas win, hundreds of fans clashed inside and outside the stadium. Setting foot inside the city for any amount of time will almost immediately give you an idea of just how much their team means to the people of the city. Player incidents: In January 2005, Paulo di Canio was fined for making a fascist salute after scoring against rivals Roma. Sadly, he received a similarly swift introduction to some of the worst elements of Italian football culture. Forgivable. A strict code of behaviour exists and punishment beatings for breaking this code are not uncommon. In fact, my club, Hellas Verona, are one of the few clubs that have continued to be backed away from home in any sort of numbers since it was made compulsory to require a Tessera card to travel in 2009-10. Nor are they exclusive to one club. Roughly translated into English as "heroes," Red Star Belgrade's Ultras, "Delije" are known for their proudly Serbian nationalistic stance, and their "Orthodox brotherhood" with the supporters of Olympiakos and Spartak Moscow. The club’s fans, who have been embroiled in numerous physical battles with fans of the visiting clubs, are unafraid to display their Neo-Nazi affiliation, especially across their famous terrace Curva Nord to this date. Untangled Media Limited
The 2004 Derby della Capitale was called off after fans rioted when they throught a boy had been killed by police outside the stadium. Territory: The AC Milan curva is called The Lion’s Den. Control – Within each team, rival hooligan groups jostle for control of the curva, sometimes escalating into fierce battles. In the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, Inter fans threw flares on the pitch after a goal by their team was controversially disallowed. While Red Star's supporters were fiercely patriotic about Serbia, Dinamo Zagreb's Ultras felt much the same way about Croatian Independence, supporting Franjo Tudman, who later went on to become Croatia's first President. Following the abuse of Koulibaly, Napoli distributed photographs of his face at their next home game. We had just returned to Serie B after four seasons in the third tier, and this was the game many were looking forward to most. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Targeted with monkey chants during the win at Cagliari, he was then addressed with an open letter from a group of his own club’s ultras insisting he ought not to interpret such abuse as racist.