5 clubs with famous football ultras

WARSAW, POLAND - MAY 18:  KKS Lech Poznan supporters during the Polish First Division between Legia Warszawa and KKS Lech Poznan held on May 18, 2013 at the Pepsi Arena in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Wojtek Radwanski/EuroFootball/Getty Images)
Lech Poznan supporters are amongst the most famous from Poland

A football club is defined by its fans. Players will move on, managers will inevitably depart, but the fan base is always there. Some supporters regularly capture the attention of the media courtesy of their outlandish, off-field antics and sizzling passion in the stands.

Also Read: Clearing the misconceptions about Russian football ultras

A select group earn the reputation of 'ultras', those who are so dedicated to the cause of backing their boyhood club that they'll risk life and limb to instil their side with that touch more confidence on match day. There are a number of fans so committed that they immediately spring to mind upon mention of their club. Here I cast an eye over five of the most infamous ultras in the world of football.

Also Read: 10 football clubs with the most violent fans


#5 Lech Poznan

While it might not be the most glamorous or captivating league around, Poland’s top flight is packed to the rafters with ardent, obsessive fans. From Wisla Krakow to Legia Warsaw, the Ekstraklasa is home to some of the most fearsome supporters in the game. While being in the midst of the treacherous ‘Holy War’ derby contested by arch rivals Krakow and KS Cracovia would be putting your life in danger, a slightly friendlier bunch of fans can be found scattered across the Greater Poland region in the form of Lech Poznan die-hards.

With one of the largest followings in the country, Lech Poznan are one of the few clubs who are perhaps less famous than their fans. As animosity tends to outweigh love in football, it might be surprising that said supporters share friendships with a handful of other fans, including those of Arka Gdynia and the aforementioned KS Cracovia, which has incidentally lead to the formation of rivalries with nemeses of both the former and the latter.

Ultimately, it’s the prominent goal celebration ‘The Poznan’ which has shined the spotlight on this group of football fanatics, though. It entails the crowd turning their back to the pitch, joining arms and jumping up-and-down as one. Manchester City employed it after meeting the Poles in the Europa League group stage, while it’s also being tried out in other numerous stadiums across the continent.

There have been both highs and lows from this set of supporters. Despite a 1-0 defeat in this year’s Polish Cup final to Legia Warsaw, their spirits were high throughout the game and their use of plumes of smoke and various banners being erected prior to the game formed an unforgettable spectacle.

On the contrary, the refusal of many Poznan fans to attend a Europa League clash with Belenenses last season after UEFA announced €1 from every ticket purchased would go to the aiding of refugees outlines a completely different side. Politics aside, though, these fans always seem to be in the news, most of the time for the right reasons.

#4 Lazio

ROME, ITALY - MAY 15:  SS Lazio fans show the banner to celebrate the Miroslav Klose farewell before the Serie A match between SS Lazio and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico on May 15, 2016 in Rome, Italy.  (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Lazio fans bid farewell to Miroslav Klose

In stark contrast to their Polish counterparts, Lazio’s fans are generally in the headlines for their violence and confrontational approach as opposed to busting some moves in the stands. For some, they are the epitome of football hooliganism. The ‘Derby della Capitale’ is arguably the highlight of any Serie A season; tensions flare as Lazio lock horns with bitter rivals Roma at the pair’s shared ‘Stadio Olimpico’ in the heart of the Italian capital. It’s a game that always leads to disputes, often leads to riots and even, on occasion, has lead to multiple deaths.

Back in 2012, before a Europa League tie with Tottenham, fifty Lazio ultras, wielding knives and knuckle dusters among other weapons, inflicted an attack on a pub nearby the Olimpico before kick-off, injuring nine supporters of the North London outfit in the process. The attacks at the time were deemed ‘anti-semitic’, but it’s evident from the endless list of other such scenarios that this was not the only incentive involved. One year on and several people were stabbed prior to a meeting between Lazio and Roma; it’s an ongoing, controversial situation for the Eagles whose fans, most of which portray mere passion and love for their side, are seeing their reputation marred year-on-year.

It has been known for brawls to break out within the club fanbase itself. Some argue that the hooliganism emanates from the club’s political roots; it is thought that Lazio are in fact a club built on fascist ideals, Mussolini’s club, and the formation of Roma from the amalgamation of three pre-existing clubs from the capital left Lazio isolated and their supporters, bitter.

#3 Millwall

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 20:  Millwall fans celebrate during the Sky Bet League One Play Off: Second Leg between Millwall and Bradford City at The Den on May 20, 2016 in London, England.  (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Young or old, Millwall fans have a reputation for being an unsavoury bunch

The focus of several successful films in British culture, the Millwall fanbase carries the rather undesired tag as the most dangerous set of supporters in the business. Aptly named ‘The Den’, the club’s home venue is a daunting destination for any club, not because of the team’s quality, but for the lurking danger in the stands.

Conflict really can erupt at any point in East London on match day, but a square-up with rivals West Ham normally guarantees the unveiling of several hooligan gangs and a catalogue of injuries. The list of specific break-outs is extensive but the infamous ‘Milwall Bushwackers’, a hooligan firm associated with the club and birthed in the 1970s and 1980s, have been at the heart of some noteworthy incidents. One came after defeat to Birmingham City in a 2002 play-off final; hooligans linked with the firm formed attacks which lead to nearly 50 police officers and just under 25 polices horses being injured.

While the British media have been known to exaggerate the behaviour of said supporters, it is clear that followers of the London-based outfit will forever carry the shame that their club is the first that springs to mind upon mention of thuggish, violent fans in football.

#2 Galatasaray

ROME, ITALY - FEBRUARY 25:  Galatasaray fans during the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 second leg match between Lazio and Galatasaray on February 25, 2016 in Rome, Italy.  (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Galatasaray fans have a love for flares matched by very few around the world

The Turkish top flight is growing synonymous with football violence. Fans supporting any side from Besiktas to Bursaspor have been known to hurl objects from lighters to stones at match officials and underperforming players in immature protests and at the heart of this concerning dilemma is one of the nation’s most successful clubs – Galatasaray.

Boasting an incredibly passionate following, it is rare to see Galatasaray play a UEFA Champions League game without some controversy; the fans may be fearsome away from home but in Istanbul, the violence reaches its peak. The 5th April 2000 was a dark time for the Turks after two Leeds United's supporters were stabbed to death in the capital by thugs associated with Galatasaray, prior to the meeting of the two sides in the UEFA Cup. Moulding a hostile atmosphere is one thing, but this was just plain murder.

The decibel count typical accelerates on a European night at the Türk Telekom Arena but few occasions fan the flames of passion – quite literally, the supporters seem obsessed with flinging flares onto the pitch – than a Galatasaray-Fenerbahce derby.

#1 Estudiantes

Estudiantes Fans
The passion Estudiantes fans have for their club verges on the maniacal

You only have to rewind to the break-out of a mass brawl between players in Estudiantes’ game with rivals Gimnasia in January this year to discover how the fierce passion of the fans occasionally reaches such a level as to transpire to the pitch.

It’s not surprising perhaps that obsessive fans of the Argentinian outfit are deemed to be so dangerous, when you consider that the most successful Estudiantes side of all side, which reigned in the 1960s, employed intimidating, physical and borderline dirty tactics to climb to the top of the greasy pole of Argentinian football. Such determination to win transpired quickly to the fans who are now well renowned for purposefully engaging in fights in the stands, but namely for their die-hard love of the beautiful game.

Away from the scraps and violent aspects typically associated with other such ‘ultras’, supporters of the club from the La Plata region are also known for having built friendships with other sides including Quilmes, Témperley and Platense. Some prominent fans include tennis player Juan Monáco.

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Edited by Staff Editor