Mobbed-up soccer hooligans create chaos in southern Europe

The phenomenon of soccer hooliganism, intertwined with organized crime and far-right politics, has deep roots in Italy and Serbia. In Italy, 'ultras' emerged in the 1960s, and by the 1970s most major clubs had ultra groups. Some, like Juventus's 'Drughi,' embraced violence inspired by A Clockwork Orange. Hooligan activity can be fatal, as in 2007 when officer Filippo Raciti was killed in Catania. Italian Mafia groups—Cosa Nostra, Camorra, and 'Ndrangheta—infiltrated ticket-scalping rackets worth millions. In October 2022, Inter Milan ultra leader Vittorio Boiocchi was murdered in Milan. In Serbia, Red Star's Delije and Partizan's Gravediggers are fiercely rival groups. During the Yugoslav Wars, hooligans were recruited into paramilitaries like Arkan's Tigers, committing atrocities. After the wars, they became 'rent-a-mob' for politicians and engaged in drug trafficking, private security, and construction. The Principi gang, part of Partizan's Gravediggers, ran a 'house of horrors' from 2019 to 2021, torturing and dismembering victims. Leader Veljko Belivuk claimed ties to President Aleksandar Vucic, who denies it. The 2026 World Cup in North America has been spared, but the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco may see a resurgence.