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.
About the Author: Tobias Jones is the author of seven previous books, including The Dark Heart of Italy, Blood on the Altar, and A Place of Refuge. He has written and presented documentaries for the BBC and for RAI, the Italian state broadcaster, and has been a columnist for the Observer and Internazionale. He's the co-founder of Windsor Hill Wood, and an occasional midfielder for the England Writers' football team. He lives in Parma, Italy.
