Football fandom is different from other sports. Atmospheres are fiercer, rivalries spicier and support is on another level. Following your football team, for many fans at least, isn’t just a match you watch at a weekend, it’s a way of life.
The fans who commit to away days throughout the campaign aren’t just spending huge amounts of money, the matches are a staple of their week-to-week life.
Ultras are the most extreme example of this tribal support. Around the world, ultra groups are renowned for many different reasons (a lot of them negative). This article takes a look at some of the biggest ultra groups from Cyprus to South America…
St. Pauli
Playing in the second tier of German football, St. Pauli’s fan identity is what makes them famous worldwide.
Their left-wing politics have attracted support from countries across the planet, and the club have proudly spoken out against right-wing organisations, although that has occasionally provoked issues at away matches.
What the club represents – anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, anti-fascist – has made it one of the best supported clubs in Germany. St Pauli have more female supporters than any other German club.
Olympique Marseille
The first French team on this list, Olympique Marseille’s stadium, the Vélodrome, is a daunting place to visit. The sheer volume inside the arena on a Champions League matchday or for a big Ligue 1 clash (particularly if it features PSG) is astonishing.
Like many clubs, Marseille’s fans have associations around Europe. Livorno, AEK Athens and Sampdoria have a good relationship. Marseille’s fans, particularly in Virage Sud Chevalier Roze are traditionally left-wing.
They might not get the top football attendances in Europe, but it will often feel like there are double as many people at Stade Velodrome.
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star’s ultras are known as ‘Delije’, which means ‘heroes’. The pyrotechnics and incredible displays at the Marakana are only part of their identity, however.
Their nationalistic beliefs and ‘brotherhood’ with Spartak Moscow and Olympiakos underline what they stand for. Members of Delije formed the Serb Volunteer Guard and fought during the Balkans conflict.
The riot with Dinamo Zagreb fans in 1990, led by Zeljko Raznatovic (leader of the Serb Volunteer Guard), played a major part in the lead up to the war.
Napoli
The fans of Naples’ Serie A team were the first to use firecrackers in the stadium, and are notorious, particularly on European nights. Travelling fans receive safety warnings before heading to Naples, such is the risk of violence.
A hostile atmosphere at San Paolo is to be expected, but Napoli’s ultras have developed a reputation for knife attacks in recent seasons. The story of Fabio Quagliarella gives an insight into the dark side of Napoli fandom.
Borussia Dortmund
Is there a more impressive sight in world football than the Yellow Wall? A trip to Signal Iduna Park should be on every football fan’s bucket list.
Their attendance is the highest – on average – of any association football club on the planet. The on-field entertainment is thrilling, but the stands are every bit as impressive.
Their fans have fought against right-wing extremism in German football and will regularly unfurl banners with meaningful, pointed messages.
River Plate
One half of the most famous football rivalry outside of Europe, River Plate’s ultras make more headlines than their team do.
It has previously been reported that River Plate and Boca Juniors are supported by 70% of all Argentinian football fans – it certainly feels like that when they meet for a Superclasico.
The fans more than play their part in football’s biggest rivalry. Buying football tickets might not always be easy, but it’s more than worth it for the wild atmosphere of a Superclasico.
Galatasaray
Famed for their ‘Welcome To Hell’ slogan, Galatasaray’s fans create one of the fiercest atmospheres in world football. The noise at Turk Telecom Stadium is deafening.
While their team might not be able to compete with the best in Europe, meeting Galatasaray in the Champions League is a nightmare for even the continent’s best teams.
Two Leeds fans were stabbed to death when the teams met in the Champions League in 2000 and there have been plenty of incidents when the Galatasaray crowd have disrupted matches, including hurling plastic chairs onto the pitch during a match with Besiktas.
Wisla Krakow
Ultra groups in Poland are massive. Wisla Krakow, the most successful Polish club of all, have a well-deserved reputation as one of Europe’s most dangerous set of supporters. Back in 1998, Dino Baggio was allegedly struck by a knife from the stands.
Their ‘Holy War’ derbies with very local rivals KS Cracovia are brutal. Fights between the fans, and with the police caught in the middle, are commonplace at the matches.
This plays a big part in Krakow being known as the ‘The City of Knives’ for its well-known football violence issues.
APOEL Nicosia
Not the biggest name on this list, but APOEL’s ultras are an immense group who support their team loyally even on long European away days. So often politics and football meet when it comes to fan groups, and APOEL’s ultras are no different.
Despite being a Cypriot club, APOEL’s ultras will often display Greece flags at their matches. The majority of the fan base believe Cyprus should be under Greek rule and their displays on matchday make sure you remember that.
Saint-Etienne
Their clashes with Marseille, a rivalry based on the two teams’ successes in the 1960s and 1970s, are a special atmosphere as you can imagine. Stade Geoffroy Guichard isn’t a fun place to go and play, even if Saint Etienne are often a beatable side.
On-field slumps haven’t deterred the ultras, though, who continue to produce extraordinary pyrotechnic displays on matchdays.
A quick search through YouTube shows the Saint Etienne faithful in full flow, including a memorable European tie with Manchester United in 2017. Whatever the fixture, Saint Etienne’s fan base should be considered as you ponder the latest football odds.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Martin Meissner / AP Photo*
