The game itself was suspended after an hour due to crowd trouble. Although nominally apolitical, the vast majority of ultra groups in the 1970s borrowed the images and slogans of the far left, some even using the names of partisan brigades from the Second World War. The police fired tear gas into the stands and the players were unable to continue. Ask an ultra next to you on the terraces who scored a goal and they’ll laugh at such naivety: they either weren’t watching or players change teams so often that they don’t know or care about the name. Although this hasn’t eradicated the problem. In that sense, the ultra world seems folkloric: the ultra world is a faux-medieval defence of the country’s campanilismo (attachment to the local bell tower). I once asked someone nicknamed “Half-a-kilo” what would happen if I started my own song on the terraces and he was aghast at such spontaneity: “It would be a very serious offence if it hadn’t been agreed by the directive.”. By admin / On 3:09 pm / At 3:09 pm / In ... English fans have had there fair share of clashes with Italian Ultras. At Anfield on Tuesday, one of the banners held by Roma fans read “DDS Con Noi”, meaning “Daniele De Santis is with us”. De Santis murdered a Napoli fan before the Italian cup final in 2014. In fact, many ultras say they care nothing about football: it’s all about territorial defence, about the colours, the fights and the “mentality”. © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. The grim violence outside Anfield on Tuesday night, in which Roma fans attacked their Liverpool counterparts, was like a flashback to the dark days of the 1980s: romanisti were carrying belts, bottles, stones and even a hammer; one man, 53-year-old Sean Cox, remains in a coma. In more recent years there has been a number of serious injuries and deaths as a result of football violence. Italian Ultras Hooligans. On the Isle of Sicily, against a backdrop of the Sicilian Mafia, the Island’s two teams have a fierce rivalry. Many ultra groups from small clubs are genuinely noble, racing to help earthquake and flood victims or planting trees after forest fires. That was only possible because Juventus were giving bulk tickets to ultra groups to keep them sweet; the ultras made millions a year and the club were untroubled by bad behaviour that might have meant fines or docked points. In 2006 three middlesborough fans were stabbed and more injured as Roma supporters surrounded bars full of boro fans and attacked them. Ask under Italian Y!A and they'll say Italian Ultra's, ask in the English section and they'll say English, but probably 99.9999% of the people answering aren't neither hooligans nor Ultràs. Until his arrest, one Juventus capo-ultra, a Sicilian member of the Bravi Ragazzi (the “goodfellas”) was making €30,000 (£26,000) a game through ticket touting. The head of Lazio’s Irriducibili was recently convicted of dealing hundreds of kilos of cocaine in the capital. Juventus 'ultras' leaders arrested over alleged ticketing racket, Rubbish crisis triples demand for rat control services in Rome, When in Rome, don't dress as a centurion, say city authorities, Tobias Jones: ‘Italy’s ultras are eloquent critics of modern football’, Falcons drafted in to scare off defecating starlings from Rome, At home with Italy's ultras: ‘It isn’t about watching football, but watching each other’, Ultra by Tobias Jones review – Italian football and the far right, Rome authorities consider using sheep to tackle overgrown parks, Roma fans attacked their Liverpool counterparts, De Santis murdered a Napoli fan before the Italian cup final in 2014. Their hated “Sheriff of Nottingham” is modern football: the fixture folly caused by TV schedules, tinny stadium music, Orwellian surveillance, disloyal players and asset-stripping owners. Although it seemed like the hooliganism of old, its roots are actually very different. Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support.The term originated in Italy but it is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. English fans have had there fair share of clashes with Italian Ultras. I’ve sat in on many and they’re like strategic policy meetings, with the core members debating slogans, songs, press releases, alliances and ambushes. Many ultras say they care nothing about football: it’s about territorial defence, the colours, fights and 'mentality'. When I went, a year ago, to the HQ of Juventus’s Droogs (named after the violent types in A Clockwork Orange), I saw bricks of cash and tickets next to a huge poster of Mussolini. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.