Football, Fascism and Fandom

Passionate, political and principled, the UltraS are the hardcoresubculture of football supporters found in the stadiums of Italy. Amongst the most committed and uncompromising are two such groups whogather in support of the main football clubs of Rome - AS Roma and SSLazio. Openly proclaiming neo-fascist sympathies, and not afraid ofviolence against rival supporters and police, these groups (the BoysRoma and the Lazio Irriducibili) are well-organised and determined tobring about social and political change and stamp out those who opposethem. The much-maligned football hooligans of England pale bycomparison. Following years of research involving individuals inside theseorganisations, and drawing on exclusive interviews with each group'sleading figures, Alberto Testa and Gary Armstrong present a fascinatingaccount of the world of the neo-fascist UltraS.