re: Champions League pots are set.

I feel like Roma will be the new Galatasaray as far as fans are concerned...

With trips to Roma and Moscow, Bayern needs to use some of that surplus to beef up their security team.

My prediction for City @ Roma and City @ CSKA Moscow:



Lots and lots of

(and I don't mean that in the happy dancing way either)

quote:

---

The hardcore Roma ultras really hate the English

Why?

---

It's pretty complicated but much goes back to the days when traveling English hooligans were among the most hardcore troublemakers or at least relished that reputation. The Heysel Disaster, regardless of time passed, did much to congeal a certain disdain of English traveling groups across all Italian ultras.


It's my opinion that many less educated English fans tend to be particularly condescending and arrogant toward Italians (in addition to all Mediterraneans) -- as you can see just from reading English football coverage or comments on message boards -- and that adds a bit to a general feeling of animosity which isn't as strong with other countries.

All ultras' mindsets can be pretty primitive but, just for example, whereas a large group of Atlético de Madrid fans singing their songs in the center of Rome may be ignored, that same thing from a big group of English guys would be seen as intentionally provocatory.


However, where there's actually real violence in excess of just a bunch of drunk hooligans from both sides that enjoy fighting each other (this is the massive percentage of all hooligan "violence" that the press loves to misrepresent as good vs evil on both sides) it gets a lot more complicated. The worst usually involves the crazed fringes of politically inclined groups that are also "friends" or "foes" with certain like-minded English ultras groups.

AS Roma has three larger groups: the right wing Boys, the ultra right wing Tradizione Distinzione and the traditionally left wing Fedayn.

Just for example, the attack on the bar filled with Tottenham fans a few years back was organized by an assortment of far right wing ultras from Roma, Lazio and West Ham. These would be the same right wing Roma ultras that also clash with the left wing Roma ultras.

(no message)

Go back one page.