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From the author of The Dark Heart of Italy, Blood on the Altar and A Place of Refuge.
Italy's ultras are the most organised 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 amongst 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 favourite 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 eight previous books, including
The Dark Heart of Italy,
A Place of Refuge and the prize-winning
Ultra. He is a regular contributor to the British, American and Italian press and has written and presented documentaries for the BBC and, in Italy, for RAI. The co-founder of two woodland charities in the UK, he has recently launched a new project, Common Home, in Parma.
Summary
An exploration of the dark side of football, of Italy and of far right politics and organised crime: the hard core fans known as the ultras.
Foreword
A captivating exploration of the dark side of football, of Italy and of far right politics.
Additional text
An excellent book
Report
Colourful first-hand accounts... Jones is too smart a writer... Ultra does speak direly to wider issues' Financial Times
