"But the crucial difference is that we don’t fight – we paint flags instead.” Joachim Franzén of Fabriken group devoted to Swedish side Djurgårdens IF.
I had a small casual conversations with my colleague at nice mamak stall in the town, which suddenly the conversation was attracted to the issues on the flare which misunderstood by the authorities as they equated it as an explosive fireworks and that's how they did understood by several reports of the newspaper which providing good "air conditioner" to the bubblemouth minister about the supporters who burn flare. The conclusion came across them was, "ultras ni bahaya, silap-silap, dia orang bakar stadium" and another one added "dah la penyokong kelantan pulak tu, memang tau dah dia orang ni haprak, menang pun nak gaduh, kalah lagi la". Racism mentality, (I mean what's the problem if they are Kelantanese?), and very narrow thinking attitude. "Diorang yang tulis-tulis kat banner ultras itu la, ultras ini la semua nak jadi macam kat England tu, style hooligan." This is how it goes. Always something new related to what we call as negativism.Which most of them derived the ultras into hooliganism. Where they were accidentally recounting the ultras as a pro-violent supporters. I don't want to react to some of those who did not understand what are the ultras made of? They simply a super loyal fans, you never going to think how they did that.. Well I do some serious studies towards this culture which these words below could be best reflect to the situation where for those who doesn't know what is the ultras.
The word ultra roughly translates as ‘beyond’ in English. Renowned for their elaborate pitch side displays, this translation resonates.
Although fans on several continents call themselves ultras, the movement began in Italy during the 1950s. “Like the Palio in Siena, many
small districts in Italy have their own symbols, and that tradition soon extended to football,” explains Italian football journalist Giancarlo
Rinaldi. “As the Ultras used to get free tickets to games, they could afford to spend time and money on flags and choreography.”
This particular fan subgroup first appeared in Italy during the late 1960s when football teams reduced ticket prices in certain areas of the stadiums. The word ultra is Latin, which means radical in English. 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.
Ultras primarily want to support their team creatively as best as possible throughout a game both visually and acoustically. What is important for them is often not only the activities on the day of the match itself but the preparations and post-match work in a particular week, for which purpose they meet in special fan rooms, clubhouses or their local pubs. “The Ultras usually work for several weeks on preparing an intro choreography, for example, which may be seen for no more than 20 seconds during a game. They spend around 4,500 euros and might employ 200 litres of paint, 7,000 sheets of cardboard, 500 small flags or twopole banners, 90 metres of cash register roll and a 30 by 50 metre section banner." This might seem over-the-top to an outsider but for the Ultras it is a manifestation of their deep
love and affection for their club. Moreover, what is important for them is not only the few seconds of their choreographed display but also the time they spend together on creative design.”
These choreographed displays put on by the Ultras are financed in different ways: some collect donations on the terraces and others pay for them via membership fees or sell their own merchandising items, fanzines or videos.
Many activities and the behaviour of the Ultras in a stadium “are ritual-like. Situations in the game are commented on and symbolically imitated, such as waving the arms and shouting ‘Ah’ on a rising note when a corner is taken, stripping to the waist and pointing the bare buttocks in the direction of the
opposition, especially in winter, or boisterously pushing one another around after a goal has been scored.”
Some ritual postures and gestures can be compared to religious rituals, which is why the Ultra culture is also often referred to as a kind of “surrogate religion”.
The Ultras are not just interested in supporting the club but also in their own self-presentation: almost every group that takes pride in itself operates its own website for this purpose, “publishes its own Ultra magazine, puts video films of the group on the web and develops its own range of polo shirts, sweatshirts, caps and scarves with its own name, logo or symbol”. Almost like designers, they use logos and symbols to try to give their group a kind of corporate identity and project a collective image to the outside world that will bring about an internal identity.
The fact that the Ultras have an elitist attitude is sometimes reflected in, for example, the banners or choreographed displays in the stadium that only insiders understand, because they use internal scene codes that are incomprehensible to an outsider without specific background knowledge. Critics therefore accuse some Ultras of behaving as if they belonged to a secret society, especially when the planning of the choreographies remains the responsibility of a small group because they are
afraid of “moles” who might give their ideas away to rival groups. Ultras not only separate themselves off from the rest of the fan scene by such actions but also by the name they give their group. A German Ultra describes the naming of a group as follows: “Names may have different origins. The most important reason for the extreme names to be found in some cases is provocation or the need to stand out from the crowd, ie to be conspicuous. Names like Ultras, Inferno, Kommando, Brigade, Attacke, Meute (pack of hounds), Chaoten (anarchists) or Psychopathen (psychopaths) immediately attract attention, and the first time they hear them neutral observers will, ideally, think of a wild and crazy crowd of people – which fulfils the intention of the name adopted.”
With the so-called “mob march” (walking behind their own fence banner in another town at an away game), the Ultras also try to stand out as a group against the opposition. European Ultras often use similar names for their groups. For example, the name “Ultra Boys” or “Boys” (including in the spelling “Boyz”) is to be found in Belgium, France, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Holland and Switzerland. The situation is similar in the case of such names as ”Fanatics”, “Brigade”, “Commando XY”, “Tifosi/Tifo”, “Supras”, “Horda XY” or “Diablos”. Many political or ideological references in group names do not, however, necessarily indicate the group’s political views but are often only in opposition to rival scenes (“bricolage effect”), for the rivalry experience appears very important to the Ultras.
“The Ultras have transferred the sports contest between the football teams to the terraces or the internet and continue it as a choreography and support contest with the rival Ultras.” The groups concerned want to be the best in the country.
“They are not only original, amusing, creative and committed in the way they support their own team and critically examine problems in the club but also try to provoke club officials, sponsors or rival fans. However, the provocation is often in bad taste, especially when they demonstrate their hatred of their rivals.” Often, the biggest opponents, rivals or enemies are groups that support other clubs’ teams in their own town or region. However, as Ultras see themselves as a critical counterweight in this age of the “eventisation” of football and react as a kind of “seismograph” to things that are wrong in the everyday world of the sport, they also occasionally hold boycotts or silent protests (hanging their fence banners upside down in the stadium terraces, refusing to support the team or turning their backs to the pitch for the duration of a match). Or else they demonstrate, for example against stadium bans, the apparently poor performance of the players and coaches or regulatory measures. The Ultra culture can thus be understood as a culture of affection, protest, demonstration and provocation.
Many Ultra groups find their place in the stadium directly behind the goal in the standing areas (if they still exist) or in the stands. In clubs where some Ultra groups do not get along, there may be various places in the stadium – sometimes even opposing terraces. It is important to stress here that the Ultras are not a homogeneous group who all obey one person. Access to the Ultra environment is fairly easy and sometimes involves just being on the terraces and participating in specific activities in the stadium, but the ease of admission to the “hard core” of a
scene varies as this must be earned by gaining recognition and respect. Accordingly, almost throughout Europe the Ultra movements each have a “hard core” of a few
individuals (in our opinion, perhaps 20-50) plus a large group of Ultra-oriented fans. The group leaders together with their associates range for example from 10-50 people per scene in
Denmark to more than 1,000 “members” per group in France.
The figures for the total number of Ultras in individual countries also vary, ranging from a few hundred in Monaco to over 50,000 in Italy.
On the other hand, countries have one similarity in common: most Ultras (apart from those in Poland perhaps) see themselves as the “voice” of the terraces and as the heart that keeps football alive but they often make up no more than 1–5% of all spectators in a stadium. However, the situation is different with away games, where the concentration of Ultras and Ultra-oriented and active fans is larger almost everywhere in Europe than in the case of home matches.
The Ultras are critical of their clubs, the media and the police, Ultras want to provide the best and most creative acoustic and visual support for their club, they also attach importance to their self presentation and to the group experience provided by the scene during the week. Similarly, the Ultra movement’s positive efforts in the field of youth culture are a dominant feature. Another common aspect is that the various scenes to a greater or lesser extent face challenges posed
by problem areas, such as violence, as well as, in some cases, right-wing (and left-wing) politics, with outsiders often automatically equating Ultras with problem fans, perpetrators of violence or right-wing extremists – which is the impression conveyed by the media. Nonetheless, or actually because of this false perception by outsiders and the increasing problems with the police, it is necessary not only for the Ultra movement to assume more responsibility and reflect on and regulate its own culture but also for the associations, clubs, police and society to begin a rethink.
and of course! No Al Calcio Moderno!Against Modern Football! Let the people come to the venues and be passionate with their team!
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