I've often asked myself what this blog is for. I'm going to use it going forward to keep tabs on stories that interest me, much like the journalist Seth Hettena does with his blog.
The ultras fan groups in Argentina don't just travel to away games to cheer or boo their team. They've also become organized crime groups knee-deep in drug dealing and violence. A few years back, a writer graciously came onto my podcast to talk about the longform story he did on this.
Fan groups in Italy, Greece, and the Balkans have been mixing it up with organized crime, too. And it's not just the fan groups. The chairman of the famed Olympiacos soccer club, along with four board members, is looking at misdemeanor charges related to inciting sports-related violence and abetting a criminal group. Meanwhile, a fan group of another Greek giant, Panathinaikos, allegedly hired an organized crime group to attack rival supporters.
Mafiosi in Italy are allegedly attempting to even seize smaller clubs (which haven't been publicly identified). The Ndrangheta is mixing it up with Inter and AC Milan. One prominent Ndranghetista, Antonio Bellocco, who was a well-known Inter ultra, was knifed to death in public last year.
Mobsters are even seeking to take control of some smaller clubs, according to Italy's leading anti-mafia prosecutor. Prosecutors are also investigating the crossover between the ultras and neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups. Many neo-Nazis in Italy seem to be members of ultras groups. I still remember this great Wright Thompson magazine feature on Italian soccer.