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Ultra: The Underworld of Italian Football
Shortlisted for the Daily Telegraph Football Book of the Year Ultras are often compared to punks, Hell's Angels, hooligans or the South American Barras Bravas. But in truth, they are a thoroughly Italian phenomenon. From the author of The Dark Heart of Italy , Blood on the Altar and A Place of Refuge . Italy's ultras are the most organized and violent fans in European football. Many groups have evolved into criminal gangs, involved in ticket-touting, drug-dealing and murder. A cross between the Hell's Angels and hooligans, they're often the foot-soldiers of the Mafia and have been instrumental in the rise of the far-right. But the purist ultras say that they are are insurgents fighting against a police state and modern football. Only among the ultras, they say, can you find belonging, community, and a sacred concept of sport. They champion not just their teams, they say, but their forgotten suburbs and the dispossessed. Through the prism of the ultras, Jones crafts a compelling investigation into Italian society and its favorite sport. He writes about not just the ultras of some of Italy's biggest clubs—Juventus, Torino, Lazio, Roma, and Genoa—but also about its lesser-known ones from Cosenza and Catania. He examines the sinister side of football fandom, with its violence and political extremism, but also admires the passion, wit, solidarity, and style of a fascinating and contradictory subculture.
432 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2019
107 people are currently reading
830 people want to read
About the author
Tobias Jones
27 books50 followersTobias Jones was on the staff of the London Review of Books and the Independent on Sunday before moving to Parma in 1999. He is a regular contributor for the British and Italian press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 21, 2025
In the wake of their recent triumph at the 2020(1) European Championships, you could be forgiven for thinking that all is sweetness and light in Italian Football (particularly in comparison with the racism, xenophobia and drunken thuggery exhibited by the English ‘fans’ of the side they defeated in the final). As befits a man whose previous works include titles such as “The Dark Heart of Italy”, Tobias Jones sets out to give a more rounded picture of Italian society and show how the moral malaise in that country is reflected in – and in many ways can be explained by – Italian football culture. This is particularly the case with Italian Ultras, those fanatical supporter groups often notorious for their links to violent crime and far-right politics, and the eponymous subjects of Jones’s illuminating, if alarming, study.
For half of this book, Tobias Jones traces the growth and evolution – or, depending on your perspective, the moral degeneration – of Italian Ultra culture over the last half-century. Interspersed amongst this potted history, Jones reports on his experiences embedded in the Ultra groups of the overlooked Southern Calabrian city of Cosenza. This gives “Ultra” the feel of being a cross between “The Miracle of Castel di Sangro” and Bill Buford’s classic study of 1980s English hooliganism, “Among the Thugs”.
The chapters on Cosenza’s Ultras allow Jones to paint a more complex, nuanced picture of these fanatical supporter groups. His tales from a year embedded with Cosenza show that being an Ultra does not automatically mark you out as a violent, nihilistic, drug-addicted thug, but that these groups’ sense of community and belonging can lead them to get involved in more altruistic activities like housing protests or campaigns to help the homeless or immigrants.
Tobias Jones doesn’t set out to whitewash or rehabilitate the reputation of all Ultra groups, however, and this book does provide plenty of evidence to support the common characterisation of Ultras as being vicious, criminal proto-fascists. Indeed, if anything, “Ultra” indicates that many of these groups (such as those associated with Lazio and Verona) are becoming even more pernicious. Some have developed an entirely parasitic relationship with the clubs they profess to love, operating as defacto organised-crime gangs, using their muscle to essentially shake down the ‘circolos’ so they gain a monopoly on lucrative revenue streams like ticket distribution, stewarding, and club merchandise. Others have shifted from outright adoration of Benito Mussolini towards forging links with Russian Ultra-Nationalists, supposedly out of a spurious belief that they are defending some notion of a “Christian, Patriotic Europe”.
“Ultra” is thankfully free of any kind of “Green Street”-glorification of its subjects, and Tobias Jones is to be commended for attempting to offer a 3-dimensional perspective on a frequently misunderstood cultural phenomenon. But, perhaps the most valuable element of this often unsettling and disquieting book is in showing how Ultra groups explain the re-emergence of far-right politics, and how they offer an explanations as to why ow quasi-fascist beliefs have been so readily absorbed into the 21st Century political mainstream. Ultimately, “Ultra” is a book that would make you fearful for the future cohesion of Italian society, and the growing influence of the worst elements of Ultra culture in that society would not make one unduly optimistic about Italy’s future as a functioning democracy.
For half of this book, Tobias Jones traces the growth and evolution – or, depending on your perspective, the moral degeneration – of Italian Ultra culture over the last half-century. Interspersed amongst this potted history, Jones reports on his experiences embedded in the Ultra groups of the overlooked Southern Calabrian city of Cosenza. This gives “Ultra” the feel of being a cross between “The Miracle of Castel di Sangro” and Bill Buford’s classic study of 1980s English hooliganism, “Among the Thugs”.
The chapters on Cosenza’s Ultras allow Jones to paint a more complex, nuanced picture of these fanatical supporter groups. His tales from a year embedded with Cosenza show that being an Ultra does not automatically mark you out as a violent, nihilistic, drug-addicted thug, but that these groups’ sense of community and belonging can lead them to get involved in more altruistic activities like housing protests or campaigns to help the homeless or immigrants.
Tobias Jones doesn’t set out to whitewash or rehabilitate the reputation of all Ultra groups, however, and this book does provide plenty of evidence to support the common characterisation of Ultras as being vicious, criminal proto-fascists. Indeed, if anything, “Ultra” indicates that many of these groups (such as those associated with Lazio and Verona) are becoming even more pernicious. Some have developed an entirely parasitic relationship with the clubs they profess to love, operating as defacto organised-crime gangs, using their muscle to essentially shake down the ‘circolos’ so they gain a monopoly on lucrative revenue streams like ticket distribution, stewarding, and club merchandise. Others have shifted from outright adoration of Benito Mussolini towards forging links with Russian Ultra-Nationalists, supposedly out of a spurious belief that they are defending some notion of a “Christian, Patriotic Europe”.
“Ultra” is thankfully free of any kind of “Green Street”-glorification of its subjects, and Tobias Jones is to be commended for attempting to offer a 3-dimensional perspective on a frequently misunderstood cultural phenomenon. But, perhaps the most valuable element of this often unsettling and disquieting book is in showing how Ultra groups explain the re-emergence of far-right politics, and how they offer an explanations as to why ow quasi-fascist beliefs have been so readily absorbed into the 21st Century political mainstream. Ultimately, “Ultra” is a book that would make you fearful for the future cohesion of Italian society, and the growing influence of the worst elements of Ultra culture in that society would not make one unduly optimistic about Italy’s future as a functioning democracy.
December 2, 2019
Kriminal, nasilje i fašizam. Ali i zajedništvo, pripadnost i mesto koje mogu zvati dom. To su teme ove studije italijanskih tifoza. Smenjujući se poglavlje po poglavlje, ovo je kombinacija istorijskog pregleda navijačkih pokreta od sedamdesetih do danas, i autorovog ličnog iskustva sa navijačima Cosenze (Serija C), sa kojima je živeo i putovao u 2018. godini.
Zašto Cosenza? Ima logike, drugačiji su. Jedna su od retkih levičarskih grupa u Italiji, vodi ih katolički fratar, a volonterski drže javnu kuhinju kao pomoć beskućnicima. Autor pristupa knjizi kao ozbiljnoj studiji psihologije mase, ali dok pripoveda, ipak daje sebe ("mi pevamo"), odlazi sa grupom na gostovanja i zna da objasni šta je to što ljude privlači na tribinu. Pripadnost, kontrast globalizmu, "svet koji je slobodan i istinit"...
Dobar uvid na ovu temu, ali postane repetitivan. Trebalo je to podosta skratiti. Guardian je objavio dva isečka iz knjige, obe priče su odlične, možda je trebalo da pročitam samo to:
At home with Italy's ultras: ‘It isn’t about watching football, but watching each other’
Zašto Cosenza? Ima logike, drugačiji su. Jedna su od retkih levičarskih grupa u Italiji, vodi ih katolički fratar, a volonterski drže javnu kuhinju kao pomoć beskućnicima. Autor pristupa knjizi kao ozbiljnoj studiji psihologije mase, ali dok pripoveda, ipak daje sebe ("mi pevamo"), odlazi sa grupom na gostovanja i zna da objasni šta je to što ljude privlači na tribinu. Pripadnost, kontrast globalizmu, "svet koji je slobodan i istinit"...
Dobar uvid na ovu temu, ali postane repetitivan. Trebalo je to podosta skratiti. Guardian je objavio dva isečka iz knjige, obe priče su odlične, možda je trebalo da pročitam samo to:
At home with Italy's ultras: ‘It isn’t about watching football, but watching each other’
May 20, 2024
“Shitty bars, shitty buses, shitty stadiums, shitty games. Apart from those moments of euphoria, being an ultra is a grim existence.”
The best book I've read all year. A must-read for anyone who is fascinated with the ultra mentality and the terraces.
This book doesn’t dive that deep into football – I would say it’s hardly about football – but rather into how the tangled web of politics, the (disturbing) rise of the far right, and even the mafia intertwine with the world of Italian ultras. Yet, it’s not all dark – the author also sheds light on ultra groups with distinct, commendable values, such as the devoutly anti-fascist Cosenza's.
The author weaves historical events about many ultra groups across Italy with personal experiences following the far-left Cosenza fans for a season, covering everything from violence, drug dealing, and murder to unexpected acts of charity and inclusion. This book reveals not just what divides ultra groups but also what unites them: a shared hatred for the police and political power, who often repress, abuse, and mistreat the ultras.
“The ultra world is not just a place where political extremism thrives, it’s also the place – perhaps the only one – where political extremisms occasionally make peace and rub shoulders.”
The best book I've read all year. A must-read for anyone who is fascinated with the ultra mentality and the terraces.
This book doesn’t dive that deep into football – I would say it’s hardly about football – but rather into how the tangled web of politics, the (disturbing) rise of the far right, and even the mafia intertwine with the world of Italian ultras. Yet, it’s not all dark – the author also sheds light on ultra groups with distinct, commendable values, such as the devoutly anti-fascist Cosenza's.
The author weaves historical events about many ultra groups across Italy with personal experiences following the far-left Cosenza fans for a season, covering everything from violence, drug dealing, and murder to unexpected acts of charity and inclusion. This book reveals not just what divides ultra groups but also what unites them: a shared hatred for the police and political power, who often repress, abuse, and mistreat the ultras.
“The ultra world is not just a place where political extremism thrives, it’s also the place – perhaps the only one – where political extremisms occasionally make peace and rub shoulders.”
August 8, 2025
I read the preface and I thought, "Oh, this is gonna be a banger" and I was right.
I love sports as an expression of a need to belong; I love the intersection of sports and politics, politics and history, sports and local history. This book delivered all of it in spades. Really, really would rec
I love sports as an expression of a need to belong; I love the intersection of sports and politics, politics and history, sports and local history. This book delivered all of it in spades. Really, really would rec
August 6, 2021
In dem Buch "Ultra: Jenseits des italienischen Fussballs" geht der Autor Tobias Jones auf zahlreiche Facetten der italienischen Ultrabewegung ein. Interessant ist hierbei besonders, dass es nicht nur einen Abriss der langen Historie und der zahlreichen Ereignisse samt seiner tragischen Todesfälle gibt, sondern der Autor über eine Saison lang die Ultras aus der kalabrischen Stadt Cosenza begleitet. Dadurch entsteht auch regelmäßig ein Sprung zwischen damals und heute, der Abwechslung bietet. Dass Jones ausgerechnet die Cosentini begleiten konnte, freute mich besonders, da die Szene seit dem letzten LCN großes Interesse bei mir geweckt hatte, nicht zuletzt aufgrund ihrer strikt antifaschistischer Haltung und der Geschichte rund um Padre Fedele, dem Mönch in der curva.
Der Autor behandelt den Auf- und Abstieg der italienischen Ultras gleichermaßen und stellt hierbei regelmäßig Bezüge zur Gesellschaft und politischen Ereignissen her. Aktionen und Verhaltensweisen werden nicht nur erwähnt, sondern auch eingeordnet. Vor allem im zweiten Teil wird der Wandel der vielerorts einst linksradikalen Kurven hin zu einem Sammelbecken für Rechtsradikale mit faschistischen Strukturen und Ansichten kritisch beleuchtet. Auch die erschreckenden Verbindungen zum organisierten Verbrechen kommen nicht zu kurz.
Minimal kritikwürdig finde ich das Inhaltsverzeichnis, das mir zum späteren nachschlagen etwas ungeeignet erscheint, da oftmals nur Daten und Orte angegeben sind, nicht aber welches Thema dort behandelt wird. Darüber hinaus hätte mir manchmal eine kurze Übersicht der "Hauptcharaktere" geholfen. Ansonsten gefällt mir der Schreibstil und auch die Anordnung der Kapitel gut und auch das BFU-Team hat bei der Übersetzung und der Umsetzung des Projekts ganze Arbeit geleistet, grazie mille!
Das Buch empfehle ich jedem und jeder, der oder die sich auch nur im entferntesten für die Ultrakultur interessiert.
Der Autor behandelt den Auf- und Abstieg der italienischen Ultras gleichermaßen und stellt hierbei regelmäßig Bezüge zur Gesellschaft und politischen Ereignissen her. Aktionen und Verhaltensweisen werden nicht nur erwähnt, sondern auch eingeordnet. Vor allem im zweiten Teil wird der Wandel der vielerorts einst linksradikalen Kurven hin zu einem Sammelbecken für Rechtsradikale mit faschistischen Strukturen und Ansichten kritisch beleuchtet. Auch die erschreckenden Verbindungen zum organisierten Verbrechen kommen nicht zu kurz.
Minimal kritikwürdig finde ich das Inhaltsverzeichnis, das mir zum späteren nachschlagen etwas ungeeignet erscheint, da oftmals nur Daten und Orte angegeben sind, nicht aber welches Thema dort behandelt wird. Darüber hinaus hätte mir manchmal eine kurze Übersicht der "Hauptcharaktere" geholfen. Ansonsten gefällt mir der Schreibstil und auch die Anordnung der Kapitel gut und auch das BFU-Team hat bei der Übersetzung und der Umsetzung des Projekts ganze Arbeit geleistet, grazie mille!
Das Buch empfehle ich jedem und jeder, der oder die sich auch nur im entferntesten für die Ultrakultur interessiert.
June 20, 2023
This is a very illuminating book that goes beyond the Ultra stereotype and presents the fractious and violent history of the groups and the mangling of ideologies over time of the various major Ultra groups.
Jones concentrates mainly on the Cosenza Ultras who have maintained their left wing identity across the decades and continue to perform benevolent acts within their city and would obviously be much more inviting of an author chronicling their history than one of the more far right affiliated groups. Cosenza lends itself to be the perfect foil as they exist as a microcosm of how things have gone for the bigger groups in relation to their standing with the police and authorities in Italy with many members harangued based on their Ultra status and political leanings. Within the group there is also the larger than life character of a Franciscan monk, Padre Fedele.
The narrative plays out like a lot of Western culture has over a period of time with well-meaning initial intentions wrapped up into personal agendas and ways from which to profit from the groups alongside the rise of right wing groups and political parties all the more extreme in Italy due to their past under Mussolini, which many hark back to with attitudes and slogans especially with the rise in asylum numbers over the prevailing decades. The mafia become a presence later in the book as they see ways to profit from the Ultra groups through ticket touting and using capo-ultras as drug dealers to sell their wares to members of their groups.
The book initially wades through the socio-political motivations for the forming of Ultra groups, which is somewhat nebulous with the only goal to show vociferous support of the city’s football team. Things coalesce as the years progress even amidst the splinter groups and infighting as clubs and towns settle upon an identity for their groups often pushed by an individual or a small group. From there we are treated to many horrifying stories of violence and accidental death with one of the more harrowing about a flare shot clear across the Stadio Olimpico and hitting a fan in the face.
This is a fascinating book that highlights the ways in which Italian culture is more extreme than most with the Ultras pushing and pulling with and against their clubs and society for good and bad. It is a subculture featured in one way with the likes of the Laziali far right group used as an example for all of them, but there are plenty of instances of charity between the groups with no agenda attached that isn’t spoken about.
Jones concentrates mainly on the Cosenza Ultras who have maintained their left wing identity across the decades and continue to perform benevolent acts within their city and would obviously be much more inviting of an author chronicling their history than one of the more far right affiliated groups. Cosenza lends itself to be the perfect foil as they exist as a microcosm of how things have gone for the bigger groups in relation to their standing with the police and authorities in Italy with many members harangued based on their Ultra status and political leanings. Within the group there is also the larger than life character of a Franciscan monk, Padre Fedele.
The narrative plays out like a lot of Western culture has over a period of time with well-meaning initial intentions wrapped up into personal agendas and ways from which to profit from the groups alongside the rise of right wing groups and political parties all the more extreme in Italy due to their past under Mussolini, which many hark back to with attitudes and slogans especially with the rise in asylum numbers over the prevailing decades. The mafia become a presence later in the book as they see ways to profit from the Ultra groups through ticket touting and using capo-ultras as drug dealers to sell their wares to members of their groups.
The book initially wades through the socio-political motivations for the forming of Ultra groups, which is somewhat nebulous with the only goal to show vociferous support of the city’s football team. Things coalesce as the years progress even amidst the splinter groups and infighting as clubs and towns settle upon an identity for their groups often pushed by an individual or a small group. From there we are treated to many horrifying stories of violence and accidental death with one of the more harrowing about a flare shot clear across the Stadio Olimpico and hitting a fan in the face.
This is a fascinating book that highlights the ways in which Italian culture is more extreme than most with the Ultras pushing and pulling with and against their clubs and society for good and bad. It is a subculture featured in one way with the likes of the Laziali far right group used as an example for all of them, but there are plenty of instances of charity between the groups with no agenda attached that isn’t spoken about.
April 14, 2020
I nearly gave up and wanted to put this book away on my 1st attempt. There are a lot of difficult words and terms, mostly Italian but some are English. Browsing the reviews didn't help too :) But I decided to try reading the book again the next day because the topic is so relevant and interesting and I didn't get it why I found the book the be so dull initially. So I decided to read it slowly (opening my dictionary a lot along the way) and patiently and guess what - I couldn't put the book down and finished it within 3 days! The tip here is not to force yourself and be patient because this is unlike any other book - words used and chronological arrangement of the events may be challenging for some. In this book Tobias Jones discussed the origins of Italian Ultras and the events that might have shaped them, as well as their political leanings and connections with the underworld. I find this book highly interesting and illuminating - discussing the major events associated with the ultras of some of Italy's biggest clubs (the ones from Napoli were not really discussed in this book).
The paradoxical nature of the ultras is astonishingly beautiful: football fans who don't care much about football, intolerant but can be inclusive, can be violent and kind at the same time. For me, just like all of us, they're just trying to find their personal space where they belong in this world. Perhaps, the only way to understand them is to be one of them. A great read for me - 4.5 🌟
The paradoxical nature of the ultras is astonishingly beautiful: football fans who don't care much about football, intolerant but can be inclusive, can be violent and kind at the same time. For me, just like all of us, they're just trying to find their personal space where they belong in this world. Perhaps, the only way to understand them is to be one of them. A great read for me - 4.5 🌟
January 24, 2021
A fascinating and unsettling insight into the world of Italian ultras, football, politics and crime and the way they are intertwined. The different concepts of what it means to be an ultra in the changing eras and at different stadia are explored and exposed. The criminal underside and its frequently stark and fatal consequences are impossible to read without a sense of dismay that a movement that started as something to create togetherness and belonging should end up so divisive and harmful not just to the ultras and those around them but to the Italian football itself.
I did sometimes find it quite difficult to follow trains of thought and lines of argument though as the narrative skips from time zone to time zone back and forth as well as all over Italy and the argument seemed to change partway through a chapter. A notebook would have been a handy companion while reading.
I did sometimes find it quite difficult to follow trains of thought and lines of argument though as the narrative skips from time zone to time zone back and forth as well as all over Italy and the argument seemed to change partway through a chapter. A notebook would have been a handy companion while reading.
October 3, 2024
A disjointed book which is hard to follow at times. However, at its best it is an illuminating, and often damning, look at the culture of Ultras in Italian football.
October 22, 2025
Better than the usual football investigation.
Immensely better than the usual Simon Kuper guff on football.
Immensely better than the usual Simon Kuper guff on football.
October 5, 2024
Completely, completely missed book. Tobias Jones is not an ultra or someone who understands or appreciates the movement. If he were, he wouldn't spend majority of the book talking about murders, criminal, drugs, fascism and similar stuff. I had a feeling that a cop wrote this. Bunch of names, a bunch of crimes, and almost zero passion. There are so many stories that could be written about Italian ultras and you choose to spend 400 pages on this? Shameful. Maybe 5% of this book is actually worth reading, the rest is just a big disappointment.
November 15, 2020
Challenging , perception altering . Jones examines italian society through the ultra phenomena.
It can be too much information but he finds humanity inthe ultras weaves a tale that has a strong narrative element .
The language is evocative . It's not a book about hooliganism rather a book about people some of whom are hooligans .
It doesnt leave you feeling better about the world but it does leave you feeling wiser
It can be too much information but he finds humanity inthe ultras weaves a tale that has a strong narrative element .
The language is evocative . It's not a book about hooliganism rather a book about people some of whom are hooligans .
It doesnt leave you feeling better about the world but it does leave you feeling wiser
November 3, 2023
I liked this book but I found it quite confusing at times , too many Italian terms and too many switching between topics not at the right time .
May 7, 2024
The Ultras are a complicated bunch to tie down and describe. There are no set core beliefs amongst the crowd. Ultra groups encompass all sides of the political spectrum, from far-left to far-right. However, since the 1970's as the groups have expanded around the country, many seem to be of the far-right persuasion and this shows up in some pretty vile ways regards to banners and behaviours from some of these supporters. But that doesn't mean everyone sitting in the Curva shares the same beliefs, there are the apolitical that just have a love for a club and a town. And many of the Ultra groups came about as a place for individuals to belong to something, a community. Then they became bigger and crime and rampant capitalism took hold in many of the groups, especially the bigger ones. The same things that they supposedly stood against. But like in any walk of life, there will be those who will exploit any situation for financial gain.
What I liked was there was no attempt to romanticise them and their behaviour, despite Jones spending a season with the Cosenza Ultras. Both good and bad were included. There are plenty of examples throughout the book of Ultras coming together to raise money or contribute time and effort to a worthy cause. As were the examples of the opposite; violence, criminal activity, racist acts. All in all I felt it was a fairly balanced portrayal.
However, despite the interesting content, the constant back and forth from past to present made it difficult to get into until the 2nd half of the book.
3.5*
What I liked was there was no attempt to romanticise them and their behaviour, despite Jones spending a season with the Cosenza Ultras. Both good and bad were included. There are plenty of examples throughout the book of Ultras coming together to raise money or contribute time and effort to a worthy cause. As were the examples of the opposite; violence, criminal activity, racist acts. All in all I felt it was a fairly balanced portrayal.
However, despite the interesting content, the constant back and forth from past to present made it difficult to get into until the 2nd half of the book.
3.5*
June 23, 2022
I bought this on a whim as I have always been fascinated by Serie A due to football Italia in the late 90s and the ultra culture has intrigued me.
The book weaves a chronological account of Jones’s experience with the Consenza Ultras, a club who bounces between Serie B and Serie C1 with other, more established clubs’ experiences with their Ultra fans.
It’s the story of Consenza, A small town in Calabria that comes with much of the stereotypical Southern Mafioso town, that brings this book to life. The characters are vivid and for many that read this, will be able to see friends in their love for their community, their football team.
The book also documents Italy’s post-war experiences with fascism, much of which I was unaware of beyond football fans’ racist chants that are covered in mass media and how the ultras interweave with this belief. It’s something that I assume could be extrapolated to many football cultures across the world and is sobering.
The book overall is fantastic, the only reason it’s not a 5/5 from me is due to its length. It could have been 1/4 shorter if some elements were more concise or excluded.
The book weaves a chronological account of Jones’s experience with the Consenza Ultras, a club who bounces between Serie B and Serie C1 with other, more established clubs’ experiences with their Ultra fans.
It’s the story of Consenza, A small town in Calabria that comes with much of the stereotypical Southern Mafioso town, that brings this book to life. The characters are vivid and for many that read this, will be able to see friends in their love for their community, their football team.
The book also documents Italy’s post-war experiences with fascism, much of which I was unaware of beyond football fans’ racist chants that are covered in mass media and how the ultras interweave with this belief. It’s something that I assume could be extrapolated to many football cultures across the world and is sobering.
The book overall is fantastic, the only reason it’s not a 5/5 from me is due to its length. It could have been 1/4 shorter if some elements were more concise or excluded.
April 2, 2025
It's hard sometimes with non-fiction to know what exactly to review - the quality of the actual book or the subject matter itself. As a book, it's very good, well written and researched. My problem was, as a keen football fan, I struggle to comprehend why "Ultras" behave the way they do, and I don't think this book is as investigative into that as it could be. It's really a series of short anecdotes, all of which to the effect of "there was this man - he was an ultra - he got into a fight one day" written in a very middle class way. There's also a lack of condemnation for what is in reality "criminal" behaviour. Those responsible are lauded as folk heroes quite bizarrely. Contradictorily there's a part near the end about police brutality with the police being villainised for using force, even when the whole rest of the book is about the Ultras using senseless violence without criticism. So all-in-all it is a good book for what it is, but I got regularly annoyed at the so called "heroes" of the book being given status they shouldn't get.
May 22, 2024
One word: harrowing. A book that documents group-hysteria in mobs, crowds, small villages, seething masses of oblivious, blindly following thugs who are so ignorant of their own destruction they cause riots and deaths in soccer stadiums. Then, the next day they hold pious vigils to the victims. The writing is unsettling because the author explains the atrocities, yet rides along with the drunken circus as it travels mostly from Calabria in the south to the more right-wing and Nazi-drenched arenas of Verona. The infiltration of the Mob into the Ultra scene is bad enough, but more disturbing is the fact that these armies don't even watch the games! Too busy singing songs and instigating sloppy fights (many of them more spectacle than resulting in fatalities). Definitely not a book recommended to people already terrified of sports crowds, because this will discourage you from attending even an Italian swim meet.
July 20, 2024
In learning other languages, I often become skeptical of self-appointed anglophone experts who try to translate non-anglophone cultures for English-speaking audiences. I also am really skeptical when journalists try to tackle social science. So my prejudices carried over in reading this book and didn't really dissipate. I think the examination of football hooligan culture does provide an interesting cross-section of the idiosyncrasies of Italian society, it's just that the analysis ultimately feels superficial. The content of the book is mostly "look at me embedded with these brutish yet surprisingly cultured tough guys" alongside some editorializing citing the kind of social science work you'd read in a freshman humanities course. The bibliography has a bunch of Italian sources on football culture that I will probably check out. I got a feeling a lot of those authors are the ones who did the real heavy lifting for the parts of this book that deal with history.
November 14, 2024
Fascinating topic but sadly didn't finish this properly, ended up skimming the last half. Exceptionally well researched book and Jones' work/passion is clear, but I couldn't match its flow.
The frequent Italian terms and changing of topics made it tough to really get into it and absorb the wealth of information that there clearly is in the book. May have been better grouped into themes as chapters, with specific games highlighted throughout. Just found the dates, writing style and verbiage made for a disjointed read. Or maybe I'm just out of practice!
The frequent Italian terms and changing of topics made it tough to really get into it and absorb the wealth of information that there clearly is in the book. May have been better grouped into themes as chapters, with specific games highlighted throughout. Just found the dates, writing style and verbiage made for a disjointed read. Or maybe I'm just out of practice!
October 23, 2021
A series of fascinating, compelling and informative stories about the development of the Ultra movement in Italian football. The detail in each story reflects the thorough research that the author completed.
November 29, 2021
Fascinating but disorganized
There is a huge amount of wonderful storytelling in this book. It shows you the entire ultra culture from good to bad - and there's a lot of bad. But the constant jumps through time and space make it nearly impossible to find a narrative.
There is a huge amount of wonderful storytelling in this book. It shows you the entire ultra culture from good to bad - and there's a lot of bad. But the constant jumps through time and space make it nearly impossible to find a narrative.
December 20, 2021
Really fun read about football fandom in Italy, lots of stories from across the country and very informative about how things have developed over the years with a lot of craziness, drunken fun, and characters who'd be identifiable to anyone who has spent time on the terraces.
July 27, 2020
An absolutely eye opening must read for anyone with an interest in Italian football.
November 9, 2020
Fantastic book that delves deep into the football underworld in Italy.
February 9, 2021
Very interesting and full exploration of the Ultra culture in Italian football. Can't help, but think that if Tobias had tried it in the UK with his name, it might've had a different outcome tho...
March 31, 2021
Very good content, but the back and forth format spoiled the book for me.
August 29, 2021
Detailed account of Italian fan 'culture' of the ultra. Often depicting horrifying violence and downright nastiness, the book is nevertheless, compelling
December 8, 2022
An excellent and entertaining read about a fascinating world. Good even if you don’t like football.
August 1, 2023
Brilliant insight into Italian Ultras and corruption in Italy. Reading this book you feel like you're traveling to every game
April 26, 2024
Extremt intressant, men man blir ju orolig för alla fascister i Italien.
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