As Bill Shankly (arguably the greatest Liverpool FC manager) said: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
And as Jock Wallace ex Rangers manager sead when asked about what religion he was. He said football is my religion. Be it Shankly or Wallace one thing all Scots will agree on is football is our life it's what we live for.
Liverpool fans are Nob heads anyway. (Aside the terrible Hillsborough events, RIP97, very sad day for football and families who lost loved ones). They play a victim at everything else. They are volatile and disrespectful to other teams.
@@flawedgenius Well obviously, he died in 1980. Hillsborough was 1989. He was also misquoted, he was speaking about himself, and how much he'd sacrificed for the game ua-cam.com/video/xodsnEQC-H0/v-deo.html
Football is everything to people. I'm a Newcastle supporter, my husband was Liverpool. I lost him in 2022. I dressed him in his 2019 season shirt, as it was the year they won the Premier League. His coffin was weaved in willow, and it was red, he also had a Liverpool badge on it. I played you'll never walk alone for him too. It really is cradle to grave for some of us.
When you say "im supprised they are allowed to do that" they actually aren't allowed to do that at all but do it anyway. im not sure but i think the €35000 fine mentioned is for their pyrotechnics.
At about 5:50 in the Eintracht Frankfurt Clip you can also hear the announcer stating: „Es ist verboten, Feuerwerkskörper abzubrennen“ meaning „It is prohibited to fire off pyrotechnics“- granted it is german and hard to hear with all the noise :)
@@pascalnitsche8746 I mean it's German sure. but considering English and German have a common root language it shouldn't be too hard for most people to work out that verboten means forbidden and feuerwerks (just that bit of the word) would be fireworks. From there it merely takes a slightl amount of problem solving to work out the rest. I've always been really good with languages so maybe that seems more obvious to me than others, and I may also be giving most people too much credit for their critical thinking abilities lol You are quite correct though it was bloody hard to hear!
@@RockinDave1correct both go back to proto Indo European - more specific western Germanic languages. Though English has much more influence by french (if you want to know why ... 1066 and our friend willy the conquerer) old English is surprisingly close to German in some ways ;) (genders, different formal and informal you, more similar words, ...) The differences are also quite consistent - basically it goes back to Grimm's law and the great vowel shift ... Actually Dutch is often an interesting midpoint ... One example: German: Tier Dutch: dier English: deer though German and Dutch kept the original meaning (animal) and English made it a specific one ... For those interested in the topic RobWords has a good video on the topic (also one for french and English)
It's possible to buy something called a Season Ticket, it means you are "Renting" a seat for the whole season, These are expensive and are bought by mega fans. You usually get the chance to renew the ticket every season. That means there are people who have had season tickets for 40, 50, 60 years. You find yourself in a position where you are surrounded by people who are just as big a fan as yourself, and you get to meet up every game day, this leads to some amazing camaraderie.
Season tickets are not super expensive in general, only in certain leagues (like the PL, which, tbh, is becoming a tourist league). In most leagues, they are a good deal for people who would attend all matches anyway. For my club, in the Swedish top flight, you can buy a season ticket to the stand-up section (yes, many leagues still have those) for less than 200 USD/year, and even less if you're young, studying, or retired.
Steve, this is a great example of tribalism! Every team is like a tribe, and instead of going to war... ( as in the old days) we play football ⚽️ ❤ I am Irish, but I follow Liverpool ❤ and Celtic they are like my people! America is too young, not tribal.😊
what might be important for interested outsiders though, is that at almost all games there's neutral zones like the family block or some neutral sections on the mainstands where you can go as an unaffiliated or even away fan. obviously don't misbehave though, you are a guest after all.
One of the largest of the many differences between sport in the US and in Europe is the degree to which supporters become emotionally invested in following their clubs (note I say 'clubs' because in the UK and the rest of Europe football clubs are perceived to be genuinely rooted within and representative of their local communities, not commodified franchises). I get really frustrated when I visit the States and go to a sports game because nobody really seems to care about it very much. It's just part of the entertainment industry. To me sport has to really matter, to have an edge to it, in order to be worthwhile. I support a relatively small and unfashionable English club (Brentford) and I'm certainly not an ultra in the performative sense that you saw in the video, but its an incredibly important part of my life and my heritage (my family have been going to watch us play for over 100 years. My Dad's funeral recently was entirely Brentford themed). I go all over England and Wales to watch us play away and am hugely emotionally invested in the club's fortunes. That's entirely normal here. As we say, football is the most important of the unimportant things in life.
@@Garybaldbee in Germany there is also the 50+1 rule which basically states that a football club has to be owned by individual supporters for 50% + 1 share at least so no single entity can own them outright .... I think something like this would the unthinkable in the US.
I can hear "You'll Never Walk Alone" being sang in Anfield Stadium from my street, which more than 2km away from the stadium.. and that is just on a normal match day
@@jarmopaakkonen2045 1.2 miles then lol They should react to LFC being 3-0 down to Milan in the 2005 Champions' League with just a few minutes to go, when a few in the crowd began to sing YNWA, then LFC scored three goals to take it to extra time, then took it all the way to penalties.. then went on to win their 5th Champions' League trophy. My mum was there as a member of LFC staff, and she said the crowd reaction was like nothing she'd ever seen before or since in her 78 years on this Earth. "YNWA - Liverpool vs Milan ( 2005 )"
What a load of 💩 you do talk it's an absolutely dreadful song it would send you to sleep nothing up lifting about that song what so ever. We are Warriors is much better.
@@gtaylor331 Your choice of hymn is okay, as it stands, but far too religious for a sport, such as 'footie' It's far more suitable for a funeral or commemoration.
Steve, this is where you see that our football is your Politics. It’s a BRUTAL subject. You guys just threw a Grenade in your comments section and ran for cover 😂
It's even more mental when I support my team till I die but my politics are unpopular with a vocal section of my own clubs fans ( I am a pro Scottish independence rangers fan🔴⚪🔵)
we get a season ticket here! it means you get the same seat reserved for the whole season and of course you get to know the people who sit around you after so many months/years! its the best
@@reactingtomyroots but thats only in sitting sections in germany. germanys most important stands are mostly standing sections, with season tickets you have the same persons in the section but every game you might have different people next to you, unless you are in a group.
You should check out basketball atmosphere in Europe.it's the same kind of atmosphere in the ultras video. It's a type of atmosphere that would probably terrify NBA players.
Fire at modern stadiums is much less of an issue than you imagine. The was a disaster called "Bradford City Stadium Fire" where 56 died and over 250 were injured, It was broadcast live on TV as it happened during a game, and i remember see it as a kid. The lessons learnt from the disaster have been implemented around the world and it's still used as an example of just how quickly a poor design with poor maintenance can lead to disasters. It's an interesting subject, especially when you see what starts as a little fire turn into a full stadium stand conflagration in a frighteningly short time.
My nephew was playing for Bradford at that game and he remembers trying to get people onto the pitch away from the fire, a traumatic experience for everyone. This video is the most informative I have seen about the fire. ua-cam.com/video/N_OBPtdSyXg/v-deo.htmlsi=Zbd37ZKaoVHKRnni
The difference between the US and Europe is that we don’t primarily love our team; we love our club, our city, our history. It’s not like the NBA franchise system, where a team can relocate at any moment. Our clubs are often over a century old, with legendary matches, dramas, periods of glory, and darker times. The club’s history is passed down from father to son or daughter. The team isn’t to be idolized; it’s supported to ensure it brings honor to the crest, to the colors. Many fans make sacrifices to attend matches, fight for the club so that it’s respected and feared.
Ultra our way of life is a great video to watch Ultra is basically a European name for them it’s all about the club it’s very tribal. Ultras can be anything from flares singing all the way to fighting other fans and police.
Minute 3:41 - You got it. Ultras starts the chants and the rests of the stadium follow up. Usually a chant is chanted two times in a row, the first time is to let the "information" flow from sector to sector to reach every sector of the stadium, while the second time is to have the full stadium rock it
And now just wait until you see them cheering after a last minute winner, that’s actually insane, also I’m Dutch and I’m a psv fan, it is amazing to be in the stadion watching your club play with that sands of other people. It is amazing when they score
17:00 only a small portion of fans can go to an awaygame, in a stadium there is an away end seperated from the other supporters with usually 5% of the stadium capacity or more and they sell those away tickets to the club that is visiting and the club sells them to usually season ticket holders and if it isn't sold out other fans and they will make sure there are busses driving form the home town/city to the other stadium. This is all managed really good because the supporters are not to come in contact with eachother especially during a derbymatch (2 teams who hate eachother usually because of the hundreds of years of history between the cities).
Football is *the* global sport by a long stretch, Cricket is second - mostly because of how huge it is in the Indian subcontinent We call your football American football (or you could call it Gridiron)
Interesting video. There are confrontations after some matches, I mean people are hyped up and one thing leads to another. It doesn't always happen, usually we only find out about it if it's on social media, or the news. As for who has the best fan base, I couldn't tell you, I suppose you could ask a million football fans and it would be their team.
Lindsay casually letting slip that she's never heard of "Bulgaria" there with the mispronounce 😛 As others have said Steve, they aren't technically allowed the pyro displays hence the TIFO display in the middle with the pig representing UEFA (the european football governing body) fining them 35,000 euros (and generally having a monopoly on European football)
Just for clarification, the Alé during the Napoli's song (Italy) is an italian exclamation that comes from the french "allez" (don't tell the frenchies tho), and it has pretty much the same pronunciation and meaning: "let's go".
The dark side, watch "ultras, our way of life" That bus of people you reacted to last was actually players. Their chant was that they were on a league 1 tour as they got relegated from Premier league down to league 1. It was a funny chant if you knew what they were singing about.
Home fans are mostly season ticket holders and sit in the same seats evry week. At Ipswich Town our noisiest fans are in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand where I sit. The away fans are at the other end of the ground.
I don't think Steve and Lindsay will have heard of Sir Bobby, nor Sir Alf Ramsey. If you're going to the Liverpool game this Saturday, have a great time! From an Ipswich exile (in Norwich).
@reactingtomyroots But they do it, even for normal leauge games, here in Germany/Europe ist an Religion, your whole live ist this Team. If you go to the Stadium you know ist possible to die, if you come to the wrong section of "opposite" fans, but you don't care, you would die for your team. You wold lose your job, if you don't get a free day at an important game. Actually the club has to pay for the fire, every single game, so they are a but fucked up. But sometimes it's allowed, if you figure that out before.
Have watched alot of these types of videos as a football supporter from Sweden, have to say that you are the most well educated and intelligent people that have reacted to european football supporters so far. Love that you looked up the term, tried to understand what it means before delving into the video. Your guess that the ultras are those who start the chant is also correct as its mostly started from a capo (guy with megaphone in the front). We call them ultras and have specific groups with banners showing where they are. These groups are placed most often i a specific part of the stadium where there are no seats and everyone stands. People who have "extra" passion and want to participate in the singing also buy tickets in those sections.
The football teams have deep roots in their communities.. most are in existence for over 100 years by now.. meaning that now 5-6 generations of people have supported this team.. i personally know that my grand-grand father already went to matches of my team in the 1920s.. and "changing" your team is really frowned upon.. youre a fan of ONE team and stay with them your whole life.. through ups and downs.. doesnt matter "moving" a team to a different city would probably put the ones planning that in grave danger of bodily harm and nobody would even dare to mention it
10:30 Ultras can react violently if they lose and there are some who just want to fight, no matter if they win or lose. That is the reason some matches are played without a public in the Netherlands. That only happens if public safety might be compromised by the more violent supporters.
Different teams sit separately. Like in Manchester you would get them in one part of the stadium and the opposing team fans in the other so they can see them but can’t get to them. In the past some fans have tried to attack opposing fans.
The next world cup is 2026 and is held in USA,Mexico and Canada so you guys will be seeing this for about a month every day and if you live near a sports stadium you will see the fans
Most Americans have no interest in football. Even when on their own doorstep. When my cousin lived in Miami, his american wife and children wouldn't go even when he'd bought tickets. The fans going were "Spanish" as the Americans called them 🙄
Something like this you won’t see during the World Cup as fans of national teams aren’t ultras to be honest….club supporters and ultras feel more passion for their local team as for their country…nevertheless atmosphere will great (look at Euro Cup in Germany 2024)
also, the reason people are so passionate is because your club can play in like 5 different competitions. you have for instance european football which only the top clubs of countries go to (europa league, champions league conference league), the cup in your country in which amateur clubs can also participate and the league of your country in which you can relegate. A good example is the club i am a fan of, we used to play european football and also became champions of the netherlands but that was over 30 years ago, the last 5 years we played in the seconds league and last year we finally promoted to the highest league again meaning people have waited literal years to play in the highest league again now imagine if we keep tis momentum up and play european football, that would've been so long ago that it literally created gamedays you will remember forever.
Cool vid, always enjoy genuine reactions, your´s great! Now imagine being born into this atmosphere and culture, that is why we in Europe live this different!
To answer the question I think is being asked at around the 4-5 minute mark: Footy fans of the same team are always all sat together in one half of the stadium regardless of the type of ticket, not randomly intermingled with the other team's fans like in many US sports. Having all of each team's fans be close together makes it much easier to organise things like chants.
they dedicate their life to support their team, because they consider footlball is not just a sport, but also culture, tradition, spirit and even religion... not only for european people but also for other people around the globe, african, south american, even asian...
Ultras are usually associations, they have their own flags, and emblems. In France Marseille and Paris are known for their Ultras and they cannot stand one another (fights are common so police is usually there for the games between them). For the Ultras football is sometimes comparable to a religion, and following their team is like everything to them. The Ultras often have their reserved seats in one of the stadium corners or side. They can also be very critic of their club and players when it is not performing well enough.
I don't know - I've been following the Welcome to Wrexham series + it's taken 2x seasons, but the American (+ Canadian??) seem to be getting their heads round it and I think that's because the series has delved into fans lives, families and the Wrexham community + they're kinda seeing what it means to people. I know a lot depends on what they want to show + how they frame the series, but 2x seasons in + I do think they're grasping what it means to people. I don't want to be "that guy" but I don't think Americans are geared for losing in competitions + STILL supporting and having passion for a (consistently) losing side - it's not "glossy" or slick standing in cold rain and still cheering for a disappointing game.
yeah, well, they don´t have clubs either, they have franchises with owners, and the even can (and have) move a team to a different city, like the Oakland - I mean Las Vegas Raiders
The sharpest information here : the passion does not depend on the budget their club has, we can witness huge fans in clubs rhat have small stadiums, modest team, they just express their dedication no matter what their club is huge or not, has fancy installation or not.
6:44 they are not allowed. Flares or any kind of pyro is not allowed in the stadium. However the ultras smuggle pyro through the entry and then set it of in the stadium. The leagues fine the clubs of the ultras who disobeyed the anti pyro rules. Therefore the ultras show a choreo about the cash hungry uefa which will fine the club over multiple thousand dollars.
romanian here, Dinamo Buc ... the Legia ultras are in a "war" with uefa over the regulation ... they get often fined or have sections of the stadium suspended where fans can't buy tickets ... they are amazing when it comes to the support of their team ( look for Legian Ultras Suriprise, that was an epic one ) .... much love Legia Ultras :) ... P.S. now you americans understand where the term "home field advantage" comes from :))
Football is the worlds obsession from South America to Australia. Watch Ultras Our Way of Life, also Best Ultras Video Ever and Why Ultras are so Important to Football. This will give you a glimpse into the fans passion, loyalty, devotion , emotions and fierce rivalries ❤⚽
I would dig deeper into the ultras as this was not the best representation of how intense it can get. Not too intense but for a feel good effect look up “ultras wydad Casablanca “. It’s about 1 minute thirty seconds but gives a good idea of how they organise themselves.
The ultra groups usually have a "partnership" with the clubs, where the club only sell tickets in a certain sector to ultras so they can be all together
As an casual (not a big association but we just started), we ofcourse dont lit up the stadium like that but the ultras of Cercle Brugge (the team we support) they also do this but ofcourse not like Rapid wien or anything because cercle is a smaller club but when we lose, we keep singing and we don't start to get mad. Like today we lost the derby with 3-0 from Club brugge (our biggest rivals and we share a stadium) and while the whole stadium was quiet (Club played 'home') we kept on singing.
They usually have their own section/stand at home games and for 90% of away games there are almost is only ultras(exceptions are derby's and very important games(the game to avoid relegation,the game when you could win the championship,the game you could qualify for a european competition)
Minute 2:55 - After you go to 3-4 matches you learn the basics. After you go in 5-10 matches you're prefectly syncronized. Remember that we chant for like 70-80 minutes on an 90 minutes match. If you're not very dumb, you learn quickly all the chants, the rythms and the moves
I don't know if you have reacted to movies but the movie "Green street hooligans" could be a good start to get to know the passion football fans have for their teams
Ultas aren't anything to do with passion, literally all fans are passionate and do all that stuff. No the video you saw with the chants are just normal everyday fans in England we dont have ultras here. Ultras are a group who usually instigate trouble and violence thats why England doesn't have them anymore we got rid of football violence ages ago. Normally you can tell who the ultra groups are by the balaclavas they're hiding behind. Literally the majority of fans you see in videos are just normal football fans.
@@mattsmith5421 The football violence is exactly the same. England banned Ultra behaviour which was the flares and pyrotechnics due to safety. Two imposing groups of fans will always cause fights no matter what you call them!
@@Tommy-he7dx Yes the violence is kept away, the hooligans don't attend games anymore they just fight people in arranged areas, so how you can call it football violence when it's not longer tied to football I don't know.
@@mattsmith5421 Because it's Fans Vs Fans and the only reason it happens is because of the teams they are supporting. You're entitled not to see that tied to football, but for me when football is the only reason it's happening, regardless of where it's happening, i call it football violence.
Red Star Belgrade & Partizan Belgrade as well as Panathinaikos also Olympiacos all 4 have Ultra groups that go to watch there football & basketball teams. With the basketball teams, the only difference is no pyrotechnics but drums , flags & chants are definitely part of basketball in Eastern Europe but not in Western Europe. Ultra groups in Scotland are only a recent thing but the oldest group in Europe is The Hajduk Split ( Croatia) Torcida is dating back to 1950. The best fan culture in Europe is in Germany in my view. you follow your club from birth to the grave you delicate your very life to your club. In Scotland, we dont have much else to enjoy outwith football, so for a lot of fans they live their lifes through football so football is what a lot of people live for match day is everything to some people. In Scotland, we are Ultra is passionate about all our sports. We live our lifes through them, be it football , ice hockey, Rugby Union, For me personally whatever sports we are talking about, it makes or brakes my day. for example, if Scotland wins at football or Rugby Union it makes my day if we lose it's devastating you are down for days as a result. In U.S. sports, the closest I have seen to the sports culture here in Europe is home games for Pittsburgh Steelers when everyone is sing renegade or hear we go Steelers , Wisconsin Badgers college football games when they all jump up & down to the song Jump around buy a house of pain in the M.L.S Seattle Sounders have the best atmosphere. it's the closest M.L.S gets to European football culture. Keep Safe.
Ultras are not a distinctly European thing, its a global phenomena with roots in Europe however. Plus, ultra groups are completely organic in the sense that they aren't created by the club themselves. Rather they were formed by fans of the clubs in order to support their team by creating an amazing yet intimidating atmosphere. Also it should be mentioned that there are always dedicated "away sections" for away fans at football stadiums around the world. Due to violence from Ultras groups fans of opposite teams usually don't mix, unless its in the expensive seats on the sides of the pitch. The seats behind the goals are usually where ultra groups congregate (historically the seats behind the goals were/are the cheapest).
6:20 Now that's the thing about Ultras They don't really care about rules so fights often brake out in and outside the stadium (especially if the Teams playing have a long standing rivalry. That's called a high risk games) but in the same time, at least here, they are the first one to respond to a crisis (wildfires, earthquakes, floods) and are one of a few organizations that can be trusted (over here even the red cross is corrupt)
Correct me if I'm wrong. In the USA, if you like your team, you support it, so you're a supporter. You go there, maybe watch the whole game, eat something, drink something, sit in your seat and enjoy the situation. In Europe, there are supporters too, and they do the same thing as supporters in America. But in Europe, there are also fans, and the word fan is an abbreviation for fanatics, who also eat and drink, they also enjoy the game, just much more intensely and go much further for the club. Unfortunately, that can't be explained, you have to experience it, that's how you grow up. It's often something that goes back generations, it has to do with where you come from, where your roots are, your district, your city. It has a lot to do with old rivalries, with pride, with identity. Some rivalries are older than football, some of them go back to wars in the Middle Ages. A normal "fan" experiences the game in two parts, the first and second half. For an ultra/hooligan there is also the third half, where it doesn't matter whether your team won or lost, then it goes on as I described before. And a quick word on the police thing: you need two groups for a fight, period, and if the police stand between the two groups then that is just one hurdle that has to be overcome in order to reach the actual goal. Basically nobody can do anything to the police as long as they are on the sidelines or far away from the action.
In a lot of clubs in Eastern Europe like in Greece their ultras support not only the football team, but the basketball, volleyball and all the other teams that their club creates (even the academy sometimes, and the trainings) They come to every occasion they can which basically makes it a job. I cant give u a specific team with the best ultras but take teams like Panathinaikos, PAOK, Galatasaray, Besiktas or any other big eastern european team, it’s pretty big out there. Although itw I would say the best ultras are from Argentina (Boca Junior or River Plate). And yes there’s a bad side to this, with hooligans and all that stuff, here’s a video if u wanna check: Ultras Our Way of Life
My team (Huddersfield) dont have ultras, with ultra culture not being huge in england, we got relegated from our league last season, meaning we lost a lot of games, at the end of the season most people chanted “your not fit to wear the shirt” at the players basically calling them crap. Also to answer your question on tickets, at Huddersfield we have a stand where all our “ultras” are sat, if its too full theyll spill out into the stand next to them which is where i sit, they also have season tickets meaning that seat is theirs for the whole season. Also, most teams just adopt national flags depending on their team colours, Manchester United use the flag of Yemen for example as they wear red shirts, white shorts and black socks. My team Huddersfield typically use the Estonian flag as we play in blue + white stripes, typically with black socks. If theres no flag with them colours theyll typically just tale a tricolour flag and use their clubs colours
As has been said. Season Ticket holders. You buy your ticket for year. I know older peoole in England. Have had their place/seat. 50 years plus. The club just have direct bank payment set up. They are not cheap. Some of these people spend 1'000's of pounds a year.
A couple of years ago I was in Rome I went to watch Roma play at the Stadio Olimpico. The atmosphere was absolutely incredible!! I've been to a lot of big games in the UK and I even work at my home town football club, but this was something else!
Manchester United in England has the biggest number of fans world wide and I am one of the die hard ones from Ethiopia. As for other recommendations, I really think you guys should watch videos of individual teams journeys to winning big European tournaments like the champions league or league cups in thier own local leagues.
you should react to european basketball fans next 😈 and for your question, the most passionate fans are basically all of Balkan, but Panathinaikos and Dinamo Zagreb is the best ☘💙
As Bill Shankly (arguably the greatest Liverpool FC manager) said: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
It's really not though is it lol
And as Jock Wallace
ex Rangers manager sead when asked about what
religion he was.
He said football is my religion.
Be it Shankly or Wallace one thing all Scots will agree on is football is our life it's what we live for.
A dumb quote from a great man. He definitely said this before Hillsborough.
Liverpool fans are Nob heads anyway. (Aside the terrible Hillsborough events, RIP97, very sad day for football and families who lost loved ones). They play a victim at everything else. They are volatile and disrespectful to other teams.
@@flawedgenius Well obviously, he died in 1980. Hillsborough was 1989. He was also misquoted, he was speaking about himself, and how much he'd sacrificed for the game ua-cam.com/video/xodsnEQC-H0/v-deo.html
Football is everything to people. I'm a Newcastle supporter, my husband was Liverpool. I lost him in 2022. I dressed him in his 2019 season shirt, as it was the year they won the Premier League. His coffin was weaved in willow, and it was red, he also had a Liverpool badge on it. I played you'll never walk alone for him too. It really is cradle to grave for some of us.
Damn, that's beautiful. Sorry for your loss.
@@dnny1440Im sorry madam, we Armada also have saying; Rijeka u srcu, Armada do groba( Rijeka in our hearts, Armada till our grave)
He's looking down at them winning the league ( I'm a man United fan)
Not just Europe, football is HUGE everywhere - Central Latin America, South America, Asia and Africa. Pretty much everywhere except US/Canada
South America ultars are unmatched specially Brazil and Argentina
When you say "im supprised they are allowed to do that" they actually aren't allowed to do that at all but do it anyway. im not sure but i think the €35000 fine mentioned is for their pyrotechnics.
At about 5:50 in the Eintracht Frankfurt Clip you can also hear the announcer stating: „Es ist verboten, Feuerwerkskörper abzubrennen“ meaning „It is prohibited to fire off pyrotechnics“- granted it is german and hard to hear with all the noise :)
@@pascalnitsche8746 I mean it's German sure. but considering English and German have a common root language it shouldn't be too hard for most people to work out that verboten means forbidden and feuerwerks (just that bit of the word) would be fireworks. From there it merely takes a slightl amount of problem solving to work out the rest.
I've always been really good with languages so maybe that seems more obvious to me than others, and I may also be giving most people too much credit for their critical thinking abilities lol
You are quite correct though it was bloody hard to hear!
@@RockinDave1correct both go back to proto Indo European - more specific western Germanic languages. Though English has much more influence by french (if you want to know why ... 1066 and our friend willy the conquerer) old English is surprisingly close to German in some ways ;) (genders, different formal and informal you, more similar words, ...) The differences are also quite consistent - basically it goes back to Grimm's law and the great vowel shift ... Actually Dutch is often an interesting midpoint ... One example: German: Tier Dutch: dier English: deer though German and Dutch kept the original meaning (animal) and English made it a specific one ... For those interested in the topic RobWords has a good video on the topic (also one for french and English)
the 35k fine was for the Warsaw Uprising banner from the clip before.
@AndreasLarsson-vo3om Not really.
The 35 000 fine was for the 1944 Warsaw uprising tifo.
UEFA mafia.✊
It's possible to buy something called a Season Ticket, it means you are "Renting" a seat for the whole season, These are expensive and are bought by mega fans. You usually get the chance to renew the ticket every season. That means there are people who have had season tickets for 40, 50, 60 years.
You find yourself in a position where you are surrounded by people who are just as big a fan as yourself, and you get to meet up every game day, this leads to some amazing camaraderie.
Season tickets are not super expensive in general, only in certain leagues (like the PL, which, tbh, is becoming a tourist league). In most leagues, they are a good deal for people who would attend all matches anyway. For my club, in the Swedish top flight, you can buy a season ticket to the stand-up section (yes, many leagues still have those) for less than 200 USD/year, and even less if you're young, studying, or retired.
My dad had a season ticket since he was a teenager it was like 800 + every year and u still cannot go to every match . It's such a rip off .
Steve, this is a great example of tribalism! Every team is like a tribe, and instead of going to war... ( as in the old days) we play football ⚽️ ❤ I am Irish, but I follow Liverpool ❤ and Celtic they are like my people! America is too young, not tribal.😊
That's an absolute steal! My season ticket at Norwich is £600 which is the cheapest available @albinjohnsson2511
As a Legia fan, the main ultras stand tickets are the cheapest 😂😂
Fans do not sit mixed together at football matches in the UK, there’s always a separate Away supporters section
what might be important for interested outsiders though, is that at almost all games there's neutral zones like the family block or some neutral sections on the mainstands where you can go as an unaffiliated or even away fan. obviously don't misbehave though, you are a guest after all.
That's probably for the best! 😅
@@stevqtalent In England?
@@101steel4 in the whole of the UK. As an away fan, sitting in the home stands is a quick route to hospital.
@@101steel4 i'm not sure what's the question but i don't think there's anything in there that doesn't apply to england as well, so imma go with yes
One of the largest of the many differences between sport in the US and in Europe is the degree to which supporters become emotionally invested in following their clubs (note I say 'clubs' because in the UK and the rest of Europe football clubs are perceived to be genuinely rooted within and representative of their local communities, not commodified franchises). I get really frustrated when I visit the States and go to a sports game because nobody really seems to care about it very much. It's just part of the entertainment industry. To me sport has to really matter, to have an edge to it, in order to be worthwhile.
I support a relatively small and unfashionable English club (Brentford) and I'm certainly not an ultra in the performative sense that you saw in the video, but its an incredibly important part of my life and my heritage (my family have been going to watch us play for over 100 years. My Dad's funeral recently was entirely Brentford themed). I go all over England and Wales to watch us play away and am hugely emotionally invested in the club's fortunes. That's entirely normal here. As we say, football is the most important of the unimportant things in life.
@@Garybaldbee in Germany there is also the 50+1 rule which basically states that a football club has to be owned by individual supporters for 50% + 1 share at least so no single entity can own them outright .... I think something like this would the unthinkable in the US.
@@pascalnitsche8746 Indeed. It's a brilliant rule and I wish we had it in England.
I just hope every US cop sees this video before they host the wc
I can hear "You'll Never Walk Alone" being sang in Anfield Stadium from my street, which more than 2km away from the stadium.. and that is just on a normal match day
they dont know what kilometer is :D
@@jarmopaakkonen2045 1.2 miles then lol
They should react to LFC being 3-0 down to Milan in the 2005 Champions' League with just a few minutes to go, when a few in the crowd began to sing YNWA, then LFC scored three goals to take it to extra time, then took it all the way to penalties.. then went on to win their 5th Champions' League trophy.
My mum was there as a member of LFC staff, and she said the crowd reaction was like nothing she'd ever seen before or since in her 78 years on this Earth.
"YNWA - Liverpool vs Milan ( 2005 )"
@@jarmopaakkonen2045 They need to learn then
And then it’s silence for the rest of the game
@@bonjouritsready Haha, bitter grapes over there right now?
Americans just sit and eat hotdogs😂
and sometimes chant "I believe that we will win" 😂
American fatball
@@flawedgenius 🤣🤣🤣🤣
that is insulting!!! they drink coke and beer and other delicatessen... :) we suffer in the game, our way to enjoy.
Fight and Win :D
You never walk alone song always gives me goosebumps want a amazing song
What a load of 💩 you do talk it's an absolutely dreadful song it would send you to sleep nothing up lifting about that song
what so ever.
We are Warriors is much better.
True Andrew....but I prefer 'The Lord is my Shepherd....'
@@gtaylor331
Your choice of hymn is okay, as it stands, but far too religious for a sport, such as 'footie'
It's far more suitable for a funeral or commemoration.
Steve, this is where you see that our football is your Politics. It’s a BRUTAL subject. You guys just threw a Grenade in your comments section and ran for cover 😂
haha, yeah it seems that way! Didn't realize it was so heated. :)
It's even more mental when I support my team till I die but my politics are unpopular with a vocal section of my own clubs fans
( I am a pro Scottish independence rangers fan🔴⚪🔵)
we get a season ticket here! it means you get the same seat reserved for the whole season and of course you get to know the people who sit around you after so many months/years! its the best
Okay, that makes sense! Can definitely see how that would lead to camaraderie.
@@reactingtomyroots but thats only in sitting sections in germany. germanys most important stands are mostly standing sections, with season tickets you have the same persons in the section but every game you might have different people next to you, unless you are in a group.
You should check out basketball atmosphere in Europe.it's the same kind of atmosphere in the ultras video. It's a type of atmosphere that would probably terrify NBA players.
100% agree.
Yeah really want to see some Big American stars play in the Euros at some point. Durant says he would go to Europe at some point.
Fire at modern stadiums is much less of an issue than you imagine.
The was a disaster called "Bradford City Stadium Fire" where 56 died and over 250 were injured, It was broadcast live on TV as it happened during a game, and i remember see it as a kid. The lessons learnt from the disaster have been implemented around the world and it's still used as an example of just how quickly a poor design with poor maintenance can lead to disasters.
It's an interesting subject, especially when you see what starts as a little fire turn into a full stadium stand conflagration in a frighteningly short time.
My nephew was playing for Bradford at that game and he remembers trying to get people onto the pitch away from the fire, a traumatic experience for everyone. This video is the most informative I have seen about the fire.
ua-cam.com/video/N_OBPtdSyXg/v-deo.htmlsi=Zbd37ZKaoVHKRnni
@@kathleenhyde771 That video talks some nonsense, just like most of the other ones from recent years.
The difference between the US and Europe is that we don’t primarily love our team; we love our club, our city, our history. It’s not like the NBA franchise system, where a team can relocate at any moment. Our clubs are often over a century old, with legendary matches, dramas, periods of glory, and darker times. The club’s history is passed down from father to son or daughter. The team isn’t to be idolized; it’s supported to ensure it brings honor to the crest, to the colors. Many fans make sacrifices to attend matches, fight for the club so that it’s respected and feared.
13:42 FYI Dynamo Dresden, a German football club, only plays in the 3rd league, but still has a huge and crazy fan base.
Ultra our way of life is a great video to watch
Ultra is basically a European name for them it’s all about the club it’s very tribal. Ultras can be anything from flares singing all the way to fighting other fans and police.
Ultras Our Way of Life is a must react!
Ultras bring passion to the game.
Hooligans fight.
Agreed! Best ultra video on the internet. Makes some of these clips look comedic almost
Minute 3:41 - You got it. Ultras starts the chants and the rests of the stadium follow up. Usually a chant is chanted two times in a row, the first time is to let the "information" flow from sector to sector to reach every sector of the stadium, while the second time is to have the full stadium rock it
And now just wait until you see them cheering after a last minute winner, that’s actually insane, also I’m Dutch and I’m a psv fan, it is amazing to be in the stadion watching your club play with that sands of other people. It is amazing when they score
In America sport is business, in Europe it's passion
You could just say "American Football" like we do, to save confusion😅
I would watch Ultras our way of life, one of the best videos and the real reason behind ultras!
As a basketball fan you should watch usa vs europe basketball and and atmosphere video and see the difference in that sports fans
Appreciate the suggestion! :)
17:00 only a small portion of fans can go to an awaygame, in a stadium there is an away end seperated from the other supporters with usually 5% of the stadium capacity or more and they sell those away tickets to the club that is visiting and the club sells them to usually season ticket holders and if it isn't sold out other fans and they will make sure there are busses driving form the home town/city to the other stadium. This is all managed really good because the supporters are not to come in contact with eachother especially during a derbymatch (2 teams who hate eachother usually because of the hundreds of years of history between the cities).
Football is *the* global sport by a long stretch, Cricket is second - mostly because of how huge it is in the Indian subcontinent
We call your football American football (or you could call it Gridiron)
thank you for reacting to this!!! :D
Interesting video.
There are confrontations after some matches, I mean people are hyped up and one thing leads to another. It doesn't always happen, usually we only find out about it if it's on social media, or the news.
As for who has the best fan base, I couldn't tell you, I suppose you could ask a million football fans and it would be their team.
That’s a hard question to answer because every team fans have different levels
But to be fair Andrew, teams like Villa sink to far lower levels. COYB!!!!!
@@gtaylor331 my name is Ian not Andrew 🤣😂🤣
Lindsay casually letting slip that she's never heard of "Bulgaria" there with the mispronounce 😛
As others have said Steve, they aren't technically allowed the pyro displays hence the TIFO display in the middle with the pig representing UEFA (the european football governing body) fining them 35,000 euros (and generally having a monopoly on European football)
Just for clarification, the Alé during the Napoli's song (Italy) is an italian exclamation that comes from the french "allez" (don't tell the frenchies tho), and it has pretty much the same pronunciation and meaning: "let's go".
The dark side, watch "ultras, our way of life"
That bus of people you reacted to last was actually players. Their chant was that they were on a league 1 tour as they got relegated from Premier league down to league 1. It was a funny chant if you knew what they were singing about.
Thanks for the suggestion :)
Home fans are mostly season ticket holders and sit in the same seats evry week. At Ipswich Town our noisiest fans are in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand where I sit. The away fans are at the other end of the ground.
I don't think Steve and Lindsay will have heard of Sir Bobby, nor Sir Alf Ramsey. If you're going to the Liverpool game this Saturday, have a great time! From an Ipswich exile (in Norwich).
6:45 fun fact, they are not allowed to do that haha usually only the banner is allowed
That makes more sense! haha
@reactingtomyroots
But they do it, even for normal leauge games, here in Germany/Europe ist an Religion, your whole live ist this Team.
If you go to the Stadium you know ist possible to die, if you come to the wrong section of "opposite" fans, but you don't care, you would die for your team.
You wold lose your job, if you don't get a free day at an important game.
Actually the club has to pay for the fire, every single game, so they are a but fucked up.
But sometimes it's allowed, if you figure that out before.
@@reactingtomyroots^
Have watched alot of these types of videos as a football supporter from Sweden, have to say that you are the most well educated and intelligent people that have reacted to european football supporters so far. Love that you looked up the term, tried to understand what it means before delving into the video. Your guess that the ultras are those who start the chant is also correct as its mostly started from a capo (guy with megaphone in the front). We call them ultras and have specific groups with banners showing where they are. These groups are placed most often i a specific part of the stadium where there are no seats and everyone stands. People who have "extra" passion and want to participate in the singing also buy tickets in those sections.
The football teams have deep roots in their communities.. most are in existence for over 100 years by now..
meaning that now 5-6 generations of people have supported this team.. i personally know that my grand-grand father already went to matches of my team in the 1920s..
and "changing" your team is really frowned upon..
youre a fan of ONE team and stay with them your whole life.. through ups and downs.. doesnt matter
"moving" a team to a different city would probably put the ones planning that in grave danger of bodily harm and nobody would even dare to mention it
Never heard of the term Ultra to be honest. This was educational for me too.
Thanks!
In the netherlands you have a season ticket for a whole season i am actually one of the ultras from roda kerkrade
The power and the volume must be amazing when you are there
its good because its tribal
full nitro blown drag race = that sound is primal
10:30 Ultras can react violently if they lose and there are some who just want to fight, no matter if they win or lose. That is the reason some matches are played without a public in the Netherlands. That only happens if public safety might be compromised by the more violent supporters.
Need to watch ultras our way of life that will open your eyes and will give you a understanding
Different teams sit separately. Like in Manchester you would get them in one part of the stadium and the opposing team fans in the other so they can see them but can’t get to them. In the past some fans have tried to attack opposing fans.
You should definitely react to 'the beauty of football'. It gives context to some of the most beautiful moments in football history
Some ultras are involved with both football and basket teams in their city.
Ultras always gets season-tickets for every homegame :)
The next world cup is 2026 and is held in USA,Mexico and Canada so you guys will be seeing this for about a month every day and if you live near a sports stadium you will see the fans
Most Americans have no interest in football. Even when on their own doorstep.
When my cousin lived in Miami, his american wife and children wouldn't go even when he'd bought tickets.
The fans going were "Spanish" as the Americans called them 🙄
Something like this you won’t see during the World Cup as fans of national teams aren’t ultras to be honest….club supporters and ultras feel more passion for their local team as for their country…nevertheless atmosphere will great (look at Euro Cup in Germany 2024)
also, the reason people are so passionate is because your club can play in like 5 different competitions. you have for instance european football which only the top clubs of countries go to (europa league, champions league conference league), the cup in your country in which amateur clubs can also participate and the league of your country in which you can relegate. A good example is the club i am a fan of, we used to play european football and also became champions of the netherlands but that was over 30 years ago, the last 5 years we played in the seconds league and last year we finally promoted to the highest league again meaning people have waited literal years to play in the highest league again now imagine if we keep tis momentum up and play european football, that would've been so long ago that it literally created gamedays you will remember forever.
Cool vid, always enjoy genuine reactions, your´s great!
Now imagine being born into this atmosphere and culture, that is why we in Europe live this different!
To answer the question I think is being asked at around the 4-5 minute mark: Footy fans of the same team are always all sat together in one half of the stadium regardless of the type of ticket, not randomly intermingled with the other team's fans like in many US sports. Having all of each team's fans be close together makes it much easier to organise things like chants.
As a Ajax Amsterdam fan i really enjoyed the Ajax ultras, their great banners and pumping up the crowd.
they dedicate their life to support their team, because they consider footlball is not just a sport, but also culture, tradition, spirit and even religion...
not only for european people but also for other people around the globe, african, south american, even asian...
Ultras are usually associations, they have their own flags, and emblems. In France Marseille and Paris are known for their Ultras and they cannot stand one another (fights are common so police is usually there for the games between them).
For the Ultras football is sometimes comparable to a religion, and following their team is like everything to them.
The Ultras often have their reserved seats in one of the stadium corners or side.
They can also be very critic of their club and players when it is not performing well enough.
Real passion for your club will never go into a lazy American "entertain me" Brain.
I don't know - I've been following the Welcome to Wrexham series + it's taken 2x seasons, but the American (+ Canadian??) seem to be getting their heads round it and I think that's because the series has delved into fans lives, families and the Wrexham community + they're kinda seeing what it means to people. I know a lot depends on what they want to show + how they frame the series, but 2x seasons in + I do think they're grasping what it means to people.
I don't want to be "that guy" but I don't think Americans are geared for losing in competitions + STILL supporting and having passion for a (consistently) losing side - it's not "glossy" or slick standing in cold rain and still cheering for a disappointing game.
@@wulfgold But don´t the Lions have fans?
yeah, well, they don´t have clubs either, they have franchises with owners, and the even can (and have) move a team to a different city, like the Oakland - I mean Las Vegas Raiders
@@IshavedChewbacca not in my household ;)
Most passionate fans, In Italy for sure .. Ultra's were born there
me and my friend was in the PAOK stadium that day and we will never forget the atmosphere. we couldnt see nothing for 20-30 minutes
Not only in Europe but all over the world, South American football Ultras are crazier than this😂😂😂
Ultra fans also includes violence and intimidation. Literally it’s your team till you die.
All supporters are passionate about their team. It is often in our DNA, passed down through generations.
The sharpest information here : the passion does not depend on the budget their club has, we can witness huge fans in clubs rhat have small stadiums, modest team, they just express their dedication no matter what their club is huge or not, has fancy installation or not.
I really suggest you check out europe v usa basketball audiences. European badketball has the same type of fans as the football.
6:44 they are not allowed. Flares or any kind of pyro is not allowed in the stadium. However the ultras smuggle pyro through the entry and then set it of in the stadium. The leagues fine the clubs of the ultras who disobeyed the anti pyro rules. Therefore the ultras show a choreo about the cash hungry uefa which will fine the club over multiple thousand dollars.
Bro, that's passion and love❤
Ultras are not only the organisers, the chant starters, the drum players, flag wavers.....they are also the first ones game for a scrap (hooligans)
Ultras our way of life, did you see it? Or 1m special. ❤
Celtic fans singing You'll Never Walk Alone gives me goosebumps every time
"Ultras, our way of life" is frequently reacted to and gives a really good insight into the fans. Discussions plus crazy footage
Thanks, I'll have to add to the list :)
They are season ticket holders that get relocated to the requested section ultra groups usually work with the clubs aswell
romanian here, Dinamo Buc ... the Legia ultras are in a "war" with uefa over the regulation ... they get often fined or have sections of the stadium suspended where fans can't buy tickets ... they are amazing when it comes to the support of their team ( look for Legian Ultras Suriprise, that was an epic one ) .... much love Legia Ultras :) ... P.S. now you americans understand where the term "home field advantage" comes from :))
Football is the worlds obsession from South America to Australia.
Watch Ultras Our Way of Life, also
Best Ultras Video Ever and
Why Ultras are so Important to Football. This will give you a glimpse into the fans passion, loyalty, devotion , emotions and fierce rivalries
❤⚽
I would dig deeper into the ultras as this was not the best representation of how intense it can get.
Not too intense but for a feel good effect look up “ultras wydad Casablanca “. It’s about 1 minute thirty seconds but gives a good idea of how they organise themselves.
4:00 they don’t buy them together but they are all big fans off the same club that’s why they know the songs too
The ultra groups usually have a "partnership" with the clubs, where the club only sell tickets in a certain sector to ultras so they can be all together
Europe football this is not money this is life and european countries football fans so real ❤❤❤😉
The pyrotechnics are mostly from Continental Europe. The British fans sing a lot but tend not to set off fireworks in the stadium.
As an casual (not a big association but we just started), we ofcourse dont lit up the stadium like that but the ultras of Cercle Brugge (the team we support) they also do this but ofcourse not like Rapid wien or anything because cercle is a smaller club but when we lose, we keep singing and we don't start to get mad. Like today we lost the derby with 3-0 from Club brugge (our biggest rivals and we share a stadium) and while the whole stadium was quiet (Club played 'home') we kept on singing.
They usually have their own section/stand at home games and for 90% of away games there are almost is only ultras(exceptions are derby's and very important games(the game to avoid relegation,the game when you could win the championship,the game you could qualify for a european competition)
You are right about the army of ultras. I’m from Ukraine and it was the ultras who were the first to defend the country in 2014
flares and any other type of firework are banned from football stadiums in the UK due to it being a safety hazard.
I worry about the stadiums. The amount and skill of engineering that ensures they don't collapse with all that jumping is amazing!
Yeah that's what we were thinking while watching 😅
What European basketball fans 👍
Minute 2:55 - After you go to 3-4 matches you learn the basics. After you go in 5-10 matches you're prefectly syncronized. Remember that we chant for like 70-80 minutes on an 90 minutes match. If you're not very dumb, you learn quickly all the chants, the rythms and the moves
If you're a basketball fan, you should check out basketball fans in Morocco. It's literally the same craziness done in an arena.
I don't know if you have reacted to movies but the movie "Green street hooligans" could be a good start to get to know the passion football fans have for their teams
Being fun of a football club is something you are proud of and is something shameful to stop supporting one team to start supporting another one
Also is not something exclusive to Europe, check for South America barras bravas
React to ultras are way of life ❤❤❤
End of next week the next season starts again - Finally! 🖤💛🖤💛 Echte Liebe - true love !!
The Irish football team and fans are the greatest in the world ❤ never any trouble, like all Irish people welcome and loved the world over♣️🇮🇪❤
Yes fun fight chaos 👊🏻💪🏻👏🏻
Ultas aren't anything to do with passion, literally all fans are passionate and do all that stuff. No the video you saw with the chants are just normal everyday fans in England we dont have ultras here. Ultras are a group who usually instigate trouble and violence thats why England doesn't have them anymore we got rid of football violence ages ago. Normally you can tell who the ultra groups are by the balaclavas they're hiding behind. Literally the majority of fans you see in videos are just normal football fans.
or at least got rid of the weekly violent incidents, they still happen very very infrequently to be fair.
Don't kid yourself, the football violence is still there, it's just kept away from the stadiums.
@@mattsmith5421 The football violence is exactly the same. England banned Ultra behaviour which was the flares and pyrotechnics due to safety. Two imposing groups of fans will always cause fights no matter what you call them!
@@Tommy-he7dx Yes the violence is kept away, the hooligans don't attend games anymore they just fight people in arranged areas, so how you can call it football violence when it's not longer tied to football I don't know.
@@mattsmith5421 Because it's Fans Vs Fans and the only reason it happens is because of the teams they are supporting.
You're entitled not to see that tied to football, but for me when football is the only reason it's happening, regardless of where it's happening, i call it football violence.
Red Star Belgrade
&
Partizan Belgrade as well
as Panathinaikos also
Olympiacos all 4 have Ultra groups that go to
watch there football & basketball teams.
With the basketball teams, the only difference is no pyrotechnics but drums , flags & chants are definitely part of basketball in
Eastern Europe but not in Western Europe.
Ultra groups in Scotland are only a recent thing but the oldest group in
Europe is
The Hajduk Split
( Croatia)
Torcida is dating back to
1950.
The best fan culture in
Europe is in Germany in my view.
you follow your club from birth to the grave you delicate your very life to your club.
In Scotland, we dont have much else to enjoy outwith football, so for a lot of fans they live their lifes through football so football is what a lot of people live for match day is everything to some people.
In Scotland, we are
Ultra is passionate about all our sports. We live our lifes through them, be it
football , ice hockey, Rugby Union,
For me personally
whatever sports we are talking about, it makes or brakes my day.
for example, if
Scotland wins at football or Rugby Union it makes my day if we lose it's devastating you are down for days as a result.
In U.S. sports, the closest
I have seen to the sports culture here in Europe
is home games for
Pittsburgh Steelers when everyone is sing renegade or hear we go
Steelers ,
Wisconsin Badgers college football games when they all jump up & down to the song
Jump around buy a house of pain in the
M.L.S Seattle Sounders have the best atmosphere. it's the closest M.L.S gets to European football culture.
Keep Safe.
Ultras are not a distinctly European thing, its a global phenomena with roots in Europe however. Plus, ultra groups are completely organic in the sense that they aren't created by the club themselves. Rather they were formed by fans of the clubs in order to support their team by creating an amazing yet intimidating atmosphere.
Also it should be mentioned that there are always dedicated "away sections" for away fans at football stadiums around the world. Due to violence from Ultras groups fans of opposite teams usually don't mix, unless its in the expensive seats on the sides of the pitch. The seats behind the goals are usually where ultra groups congregate (historically the seats behind the goals were/are the cheapest).
6:20 Now that's the thing about Ultras
They don't really care about rules so fights often brake out in and outside the stadium (especially if the Teams playing have a long standing rivalry. That's called a high risk games)
but in the same time, at least here, they are the first one to respond to a crisis (wildfires, earthquakes, floods) and are one of a few organizations that can be trusted (over here even the red cross is corrupt)
Correct me if I'm wrong. In the USA, if you like your team, you support it, so you're a supporter. You go there, maybe watch the whole game, eat something, drink something, sit in your seat and enjoy the situation.
In Europe, there are supporters too, and they do the same thing as supporters in America. But in Europe, there are also fans, and the word fan is an abbreviation for fanatics, who also eat and drink, they also enjoy the game, just much more intensely and go much further for the club. Unfortunately, that can't be explained, you have to experience it, that's how you grow up. It's often something that goes back generations, it has to do with where you come from, where your roots are, your district, your city. It has a lot to do with old rivalries, with pride, with identity. Some rivalries are older than football, some of them go back to wars in the Middle Ages.
A normal "fan" experiences the game in two parts, the first and second half. For an ultra/hooligan there is also the third half, where it doesn't matter whether your team won or lost, then it goes on as I described before. And a quick word on the police thing: you need two groups for a fight, period, and if the police stand between the two groups then that is just one hurdle that has to be overcome in order to reach the actual goal. Basically nobody can do anything to the police as long as they are on the sidelines or far away from the action.
I think what makes the atmosphere so energetic is possibly due to the alcohol consumption, we drink before, during and after the game
In a lot of clubs in Eastern Europe like in Greece their ultras support not only the football team, but the basketball, volleyball and all the other teams that their club creates (even the academy sometimes, and the trainings) They come to every occasion they can which basically makes it a job.
I cant give u a specific team with the best ultras but take teams like Panathinaikos, PAOK, Galatasaray, Besiktas or any other big eastern european team, it’s pretty big out there. Although itw I would say the best ultras are from Argentina (Boca Junior or River Plate).
And yes there’s a bad side to this, with hooligans and all that stuff, here’s a video if u wanna check: Ultras Our Way of Life
My team (Huddersfield) dont have ultras, with ultra culture not being huge in england, we got relegated from our league last season, meaning we lost a lot of games, at the end of the season most people chanted “your not fit to wear the shirt” at the players basically calling them crap.
Also to answer your question on tickets, at Huddersfield we have a stand where all our “ultras” are sat, if its too full theyll spill out into the stand next to them which is where i sit, they also have season tickets meaning that seat is theirs for the whole season.
Also, most teams just adopt national flags depending on their team colours, Manchester United use the flag of Yemen for example as they wear red shirts, white shorts and black socks. My team Huddersfield typically use the Estonian flag as we play in blue + white stripes, typically with black socks. If theres no flag with them colours theyll typically just tale a tricolour flag and use their clubs colours
As has been said. Season Ticket holders. You buy your ticket for year.
I know older peoole in England. Have had their place/seat. 50 years plus.
The club just have direct bank payment set up. They are not cheap. Some of these people spend 1'000's of pounds a year.
Check out football firms and what they use to do
A couple of years ago I was in Rome I went to watch Roma play at the Stadio Olimpico. The atmosphere was absolutely incredible!! I've been to a lot of big games in the UK and I even work at my home town football club, but this was something else!
Can't imagine! Sounds like an unforgettable experience.
@@reactingtomyroots it was mental as we Brits like to say 🤣
Manchester United in England has the biggest number of fans world wide and I am one of the die hard ones from Ethiopia. As for other recommendations, I really think you guys should watch videos of individual teams journeys to winning big European tournaments like the champions league or league cups in thier own local leagues.
you should watch a video of the Liverpool f c fans singing you'll never walk alone its so awesome
you should react to european basketball fans next 😈
and for your question, the most passionate fans are basically all of Balkan, but Panathinaikos and Dinamo Zagreb is the best
☘💙
Ultras support their team, win or lose, they support.