Ideologically, Italian ultras tended to polarise during the 1980s and early 1990s, amplifying their identity by sometimes looking to England (far-right Lazio ultras purloined chants from a VHS tape of a Chelsea v Millwall game more bizarrely, ultras from far-left Roma adopted cartoon character Andy Capp as a symbol of rebellion, due to his habit of always being in trouble with the police). The worldwide student revolts of 1968, for instance, proved ideal ground for the formation of Italy’s first ultras (at AC Milan), as religious and societal attitudes began to shift. Here, he traces the movement’s origins against a backdrop of political and cultural upheaval. One group of ultras tends to put it more poetically, calling themselves “noble outlaws who live outside a system of control”.Īs the author of When Friday Comes: Football, war and revolution in the Middle East and Thirty One Nil: On the road with football’s outsiders, Montague excels at deep travelogue, his immersion in his subject allowing for a fresh and unusual perspective. Indeed, “1312” is numerical code for “ACAB”, the traditional acronym for “All Cops Are Bastards”.
The thing they all share is the idea of brotherhood, united in a common cause and forever mistrustful of authority. It’s a fascinating, hands-on account of a unique global subculture, encountering groups that might variously be described as activists, hardcore fans, foot soldiers, criminals or campaigners. With unprecedented insider access, the book investigates how ultras have grown into a fiercely political movement, embracing extremes on both the left and right fighting against the commercialisation of football and society and against the attempts to control them by the authorities, who both covet and fear their power.What, exactly, is an ultra? Even James Montague struggles to define the term in this comprehensive study, visiting over two dozen countries in the process. 1312: Among the Ultras tells the story of how the movement began and how it grew to become the global phenomenon that now dominates the stadiums from the Balkans and Buenos Aires. In this book, James Montague goes underground to uncover the true face of this dissident force for the first time. Yet they remain unknown: an anti-establishment force that is transforming both football and politics. A hugely visible and controversial part of the global game, their credo and aesthetic replicated in almost every league everywhere on earth, a global movement of extreme fandom and politics is also one of the largest youth movements in the world. You can see them, but you don't know them.Ultras are football fans like no others.
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