An Ultra
has no name, only good friends know him. An
Ultra has no face, most of the time a hood is covering
his head, a scarf covering his mouth. An Ultras doesn't
dress like others and doesn't follow trends and like the
latest. When he walks the streets even though he has no
supporter logos he is recognizable. An Ultra attacks if
attacked, and
helps when needed, they don't stop being ultras as soon as
they take their scarf off and return home, they battle 7
days a week.
An experienced Ultra leads an example to the youth, the
youth have respect for the older Ultra. The young ultras are
proud while standing next to someone more experienced, they
learn from the critics of the older Ultra, they go red when
given a handshake from them. When normal people look at an
ultra they don't understand him, but he doesn't want to be
understood, or explain what he is about. Every ultra is
different: there are those who wear supporter logos or club
colors and those who have never had those things in their
life. There are those who travel only with their group and
those who are individuals and are their own group.
Ultras are different, but what unites them is their love for
their club, their persistence to stay 90 minutes on their
feet during the rain or cold, they are united by the warmth
from chanting at full voice, united while sleeping in a
half-drunk state on a train that is taking them from an away
game, united by the convoy through the center of the away
teams city, united by one sandwich which is shared amongst
four of them after many hours of hunger, united by one
shared cigarette, united by one look, by one ideal, by a one
and only mentality.
All the things which unite us together, at the same time
distance us from the rest of the world: from worried
parents, from stupefied cousins, from scared school peers or
co-workers, and from non-tolerating teachers or boss. Ultras
is not vandalism or violence without reason, it is a
persistent defense of a way of life, that has now fell in
crisis because of social problems, because of stupid
televisions, because of discos which attract more and more
youth but most of all because of UN-JUSTIFIABLE REPRESSION.
(by police and federations)
Being an ultra is all this and a lot more, emotions and
passion which you cant explain in words to people who don't
wish to understand, and who would rather simply turn their
heads and continue living behind glass, people who would
never have balls to break that piece of glass and enter our
world!
