La Tessera della Rivolta: Italy’s failed fan identification card

Abstract

In this article, I will give a brief sketch of an Italian football fan culture rooted in neighbourhood sociality and local rivalry, which has evolved since the start of the ultràs phenomenon in the 1960s. Since their inception, there has been a political element to many ultrà groups. Some of these groups have adopted radical political identities on both the left and right. It is argued here that the issue that has brought a sense of unity to the ultràs is the shared fight against the police. The police and state authority have emerged as the primary ‘other’ to which ultràs, left and right, form their identities. I argue that antagonism towards the state is a product of a general malaise constituted by Italian citizens’ disillusionment with political institutions, lingering parochialism, a stagnant economy and a material culture with its own conspicuous disparities in power and wealth.

Notes

1. ‘Omicidio Raciti’, TG1-RAI News, October 21, 2011, http://www.tg1.rai.it/dl/tg1/2010/articoli/ContentItem-1b3e7fab-92cc-4517-9ad1-734a1b52b20d.html (accessed March 3, 2012).

2. The terms ultrà, and ultras are often used interchangeably, however, ultrà has referred to a mode of dedicated support while ultras is relatively more recent terms used to self-applied by organized fan groups who are more politically motivated. I will use ultrà to denote the singular, and ultràs for the plural, though this does not necessarily correspond to Italian usage. Testa and Armstrong use the term ‘UltraS’.

3. See Carlo Podaliri and Carlo Balestri, ‘The ultràs’, 1998.

4. Thanks to Fabio Parasecoli for this insight, (personal correspondence).

5. See Podaliri and Balestri, 1998, Roversi, 1994.

6. Ibid.

7. Ultrà, directed by R. Tognazzi.

8. Eccezzzuniale … Veramente, directed by C. Vanzina.

9. Rocco De Biasi and P. Lanfranchi, ‘The Importance of Difference’, (1997): 96.

10. Alberto Testa and G. Armstrong, Football, Fandom and Fascism, 36.

11. Agnew, P. Forza Italia.

12. Ibid.

13. See their website, http://www.forzanuova.org/.

14. Parks, T. A Season with Verona.

15. Herzfeld, ‘Small Mindedness Writ Large’, 269.

16. No Al Calcio Moderno, website now defunct. http://www.noalcalciomoderno.it.

17. From DVD, ‘L’amor per te mi Fa Teppista’, (My Love for you Makes me a Hooligan) Produced by the Irriducibili, Rome, 2006. Translated, Uso molto il cervello … [essere] Molto piu attento alla communicazione. Molto piu attento ai problemi che rovinano l’immagine di calcio.’ (from Irriducibili DVD, L’Amor per te mi fa teppista).

18. (Guschwan, forthcoming). Fandom, Brandom and the Limits of Participatory Culture.

19. Chiocci, 2006.

20. Though one of these four leaders, Paolo Arcivieri, refutes this story in his book, ‘A Testa Alta’.

21. Daspo is the acronym for Divieto di Acceso alle Manifestazioni Sportivi, (Prohibition to Enter Sporting Events) as described here http://www.osservatoriosport.interno.it/daspo/index.html. Also see http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/07041l.htm.

22. Digos: (Italian: Divisione Investigazioni Generali e Operazioni Speciali) General Investigations and Special Operations Division.

23. Foot, John. Calcio, (2006): 308.

24. Parker, S. ‘Introduction: A Tale of Two Italies’, (2007): 6.

25. Ibid., 7.

26. ‘Tangentopoli’, http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangentopoli.

27. ‘The Man Who Screwed an Entire Country’, The Economist, 2012.

28. V. Scalia, ‘Just a Few Rogues’ (2009): 52.

29. Agnew, Forza Italia, 2007.

30. Foot, Calcio, (2006): 78.

31. A. Dundes and A. Falassi, La Terra in Piazza, 1975.

32. Putnam, Making Democracy Work, 1993.

33. Valerio Marchi, Derby del Bambino Morto, 2005.

34. Agnew, Forza Italia, 2007.

35. (Marchi, 39) translated from: La fase che segue la sospensione della partita e segnata dalla massima confusione e disorganizzazione.

36. Ibid.

37. ‘Inter 0–1 Milan: Thugs ruin derby’, ESPN, April 12, 2005 http://www.footballnet.espn.go.com/report?id=180737&cc=5901.

38. ‘Zoro storms off after Inter supporters’ racist chanting’, Guardian, November 27, 2005, http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2005/nov/28/europeanfootball.sport?INTCMP=SRCH.

39. ‘Olimpico: assalti, fiamme e feriti, La Repubblica, November 12, 2007’ http://www.ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2007/11/12/olimpico-assalti-fiamme-feriti.rm_016olimpico.html.

40. ‘Olimpico: assalti, fiamme e feriti, La Repubblica, November 12, 2007’ http://www.ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2007/11/12/olimpico-assalti-fiamme-feriti.rm_016olimpico.html.

41. Gramsci’s Kingdom (blog), November, 2007.

42. Calcionews24, ‘Uefa: Platini’, 2010.

43. ‘Lippi, No alla Tesserae’, Gazzetta dello Sport, 2009.

44. ‘Notizie in due minuti’ Corriere Della Sera, May 27, 2010. «non è la via giusta. Allora dovrebbero fare una Tessera anche per il poliziotto. Non mi va che un poliziotto picchi un ragazzino». Maroni: «Un nazionale non dovrebbe parlare così». http://www.archiviostorico.corriere.it/2010/maggio/27/NOTIZIE_DUE_MINUTI_co_9_100527098.shtml.

45. Ibid.

46. ‘Progetto Ultrà su Tessera del tifoso: “dannosa e punitiva”’ UISP, August 26, 2009. http://www.uisp.it/nazionale/index.php?contentId=694) Trans. ‘dannosa e punitiva perchè presuppone che tutti i tifosi siano potenziali criminali e pertanto vengano schedati.’

47. (RAI).

48. (http://www.fanseurope.org/en/news/79-roma-fans-almost-successful-in-fight-against-Tessera-del-tifosi.html). (http://www.fanseurope.org/en/news/79-roma-fans-almost-successful-in-fight-against-Tessera-del-tifosi.html).

49. http://www.encod.org/info/ON-STEFANO-CUCCHI-S-DEATH.html.

50. See Grillo, B. ‘Stefano Cucchi è morto di carcere’, Blog di Beppe Grillo, http://www.beppegrillo.it/2009/10/stefano_cucchi.html.

51. Muschella, 2010.

52. Guschwan, 2008.

53. Singer, M. quoted in John J. MacAloon, ed., Rite, Drama, Festival, Spectacle, 4.

54. Faris, 2012 – http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2107851,00.html.

55. Rizzo and Stella, La casta: Così i politici italiani sono diventati intoccabili, (The Caste: How Italian Politicians Have Become Untouchable), Rizzoli, 2007.

56. Bianchi, F. ‘Addio Tessera’, La Repubblica, 2012.

57. Nevin, C. ‘The 60 Year Job’, More Intelligent Life, January 2012, http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/content/lifestyle/charles-nevin/60-year-job-brian-glanville.

58. Foley, S. ‘What Price the New Democracy?’ November 18, 2011, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/what-price-the-new-democracy-goldman-sachs-conquers-europe-6264091.html.

59. Parker, ‘Introduction’ (2007): 13.