Thread by @GentlemanUltra

A lot has been written about Roma's ultras since the violence in Liverpool. It's always difficult tackling such a sensitive subject, but the complexity of this culture goes beyond a couple of mindless hooligans.

🖊️ @LH_Ramon25 @WayneinRome @nmorris01

gentlemanultra.com/2018/05/01/a-c…

THREAD:

Having discussed this issue & given that plenty has been written w/out actually explaining the radical behaviour of these ultras, the purpose here was not to sensationalise or legitimise this culture, but instead contribute to understanding its origins & why it persists

With this in mind, @LH_Ramon25 (who authored our series on Italian ultras) writes in detail about the history of the 🇮🇹 ultra movement, which really took off during a time of profound social and political turmoil in Italy, otherwise known as the Anni di Piombo (Years of Lead).

During this era, there was a crisis in government and violence became part of daily Italian life. Within this environment – and remember, politics and 🇮🇹⚽️ have long been intertwined – some groups of football supporters became politicised and militarised.

Hence the presence of ultra groups with Communist or neo-Fascist ideologies simply mirrored the socio-political environment of the time. It is within this framework that one can begin to understand how the more radical elements of Roma’s ultras came to prominence.

, who wrote his MA thesis on the history and politics of Roma’s organised support, explores some of this history in the article. Further scandals involving the Italian establishment - such as Tangentopoli - led to more mistrust and more misguided behaviours.

And of course violence in football, if not properly controlled and regulated by the state (which after the Tangentopoli scandal once again lost all legitimacy) often leads to more violence.

Finally, as @nmorris01 explains, the hostility of Roma’s ultras towards English fans - in particular Liverpool fans - is a result of the myths surrounding the 84 European Cup final, as well as the tendency to see 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 fans in their outdated guise of notorious hooligans.

As we said, this is by no means an attempt to legitimise the abhorrent & mindless thuggery of some of these ultras, but we felt that it was our job as (admittedly self-proclaimed) experts to offer some insight. If you have thoughts on anything we’ve written, please get in touch.

All that is left to say is that our thoughts go out to Sean Cox & his family.

As @LH_Ramon25 wrote, football should never become a matter of life & death. We hope Liverpool fans enjoy what is a beautiful city & tomorrow's game is all about the calcio.

Grazie and Forza Sean!