The Real Football Factories International
Encyclopedia
The Real Football Factories International is a documentary
style program about football hooliganism across the world. The Real Football Factories
was the first series, where presenter and actor Danny Dyer
travelled the UK
, meeting some of the more notorious football firms. In this spin-off series, Dyer goes international, meeting firms from across the globe. Dyer played the main character of Tommy Johnson, a main member of a fictional Chelsea
firm in the 2004 film The Football Factory.
In 'The Real Football Factories International', Dyer visits Turkey, Argentina, Italy, Croatia and Serbia, The Netherlands, Brazil, Poland and Russia.
In late 2007, The Score in Canada started to broadcast these episodes along with "The Real Football Factories." But with an altered soundtrack due to copyright issues.
Argentina
Italy
Croatia
and Serbia
The Netherlands Brazil
Poland
Russia
Episode 1: Turkey
In the first episode, Dyer goes to Turkey, one of the more notorious countries for football violence, due to the passion of their supporters. The episode is shot mainly in Istanbul
, where the countries two biggest clubs and fierce rivals are Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray
. Dyer meets two members of Fenerbahçe's firm, KFY (Kill For You) and learns of one of their supporters, nicknamed Rambo, who once broke into Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium
with a Fenerbahçe flag and a kebab
knife. He then meets Alpaslan, the leader of Galatasarays UltrAslan
Ultras
group. Dyer speaks with them about their hatred of Fenerbahçe; and also their hatred of English
fans, which had been exposed in 2000 when two Leeds United
fans were fatally stabbed in Istanbul at a UEFA Cup
semi-final match against Galatasaray.
Dyer then meets up with a few more of Fenerbahçe's KFY, before they take him to the Fenerbahçe vs Galatasaray derby
match at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
. Fenerbahçe win the game 2-1 and Galatasaray fans tear apart the away section of the ground. Dyer then goes to experience lower division football in Turkey in İzmir
, and meets the firms of the two main teams in the city. First he meets the Göztepe A.Ş.
team and travels with their 'Yali' firm to an away game. He then meets their arch-rivals Karşıyaka S.K., whose firm are run by godfather type figures, who bring the players and management over to the fans after the game to celebrate with them.
Episode 2: Argentina
In Argentina, Dyer travels mainly around the capital city, Buenos Aires
, meeting firms from all across the city and province. Buenos Aires has the most football clubs in one city in the world. Rivalry and violence between fans is never far away. First is the Avellaneda derby
(Club Atlético Independiente
vs Racing Club de Avellaneda
), in the port town of Avellaneda
in the Greater Buenos Aires
(belonging to the Buenos Aires Province
). This match was played in the stadium of Independiente (Libertadores de América
). Dyer is taken to the popular of the stadium, a stand said to be so crazy, that even the police
will allegedly not enter it. Before the game, Dyer spoke with Pablo "Bebote" (Big baby) Álvarez, the leader of the Los Diablos Rojos (The Red Devils), the barra brava
of Independiente; and entered to the stadium with him.
Ten minutes into the game, the stand is jumping so much that the Independiente firm member Dyer is with takes them out of the popular and into a safer stand. Independiente take a 2-0 lead, and the Racing fans take matters into their own hands. The game is abandoned due to crowd trouble in the away section. We then meet members of Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
's firm, who take Dyer onto the pitch of their stadium and around the trophy room, something that Dyer would never get back home in his home country of England
. Finally he meets Rafa Di Zeo, the leader of the La 12 firm from Boca Juniors. Dyer learns that firms are an integral part of the clubs in Argentina, and that it is very different from just the pre-arranged violence between sets of supporters in the English game.
Episode 3: Italy
Italy
has a reputation for football violence, in part due to the Ultras
culture. Dyer firstly travels to Turin
, and meets the Drughi Ultras from Juventus
. The Drughi are named after the Droogs in the cult film A Clockwork Orange
. Dyer speaks with members of the Drughi about the Heysel Stadium disaster
in 1985, and is told of Juventus fans hatred of all English football fans.
Dyer then briefly travels to Bergamo
in Lombardy
, and meets a top member of Atalanta B.C.
's Curva Nord Ultras. Dyer then goes to Rome
and attends the biggest derby in Italian football, the Derby della Capitale
, between S.S. Lazio
and A.S. Roma
. The two teams share the Stadio Olimpico
, with Lazio fans using the Curva Nord as their home stand, and Roma fans using the Curva Sud as their home stand.
In the first half, Dyer stands in the Curva Sud with Roma's ultras, where before kick off, Roma legend Marco Delvecchio
comes and greets the fans in the stand. At half time Danny goes round to the other side of the stadium to experience the derby from the Curva Nord with Lazio's Irriducibili ultras. Lazio end up winning the match 3-0, sparking wild celebrations in the Curva Nord.
Episode 4: Croatia
In his trip to the Balkans
, Dyer visits both Croatia and Serbia who fought one of the bloodiest wars
in recent European history. A war which some believe began with the riot between fans of (Croatian club) Dinamo Zagreb
and (Serbian club) Red Star Belgrade
in May 1990. In Croatia he attends the biggest derby in their footballing calendar, Hajduk Split vs Dinamo Zagreb in Split
.
He then sets off on a road formerly known as the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity into Serbia, where he gets rejected by Red Star Belgrade
's fans Delije
who refuse to appear on the programme, but manages to meet Partizan Belgrade
’s hardcore Grobari
(the Grave Diggers) ultras. Exclusive access is seen of a Grobari party, which involves food, drink, drugs, karaoke, and guns. One of the songs featured in this episode is AC/DC
's Back in Black
when showing highlights of the Grobari party. Dyer is also on hand for the Belgrade derby between FK Partizan
and Red Star, both the football as well as the basketball one.
Episode 6: Brazil
Brazil is considered to be one of the most violent societies in the world; a society with a high murder rate. Brazilian football is rife with passion and brutality. In Rio de Janeiro
Dyer visits the Raça Rubro Negra, a Torcida
group from Flamengo
. He learns that in Brazil the firms are waging war, with guns and shootings commonplace. In Porto Alegre
he meets one more torcida group, Geral do Grêmio of Grêmio
, and he attends a game between the team and Flamengo.
In São Paulo
he meets the torcida group, Mancha Verde (Green Stain) of Palmeiras
who he travels with to Rio de Janeiro. During the trip gun violence is experienced first hand as they come under fire from a rival group from Botafogo
. In São Paulo he also meets the Hawks of the Faithful (Gaviões Da Fiel in Portugese), which is the second biggest firm in Brazil.
Episode 7: Poland
During this film
Dyer visits Poland, a country
which has been saddled with the yoke of oppression throughout its history. At the beginning of his journey, he heads to Gdańsk
where he meets Lechia's
supporters
Chuligani Wolnego Miasta - a firm that helped to abolish the communist regime. He then travels on to Kraków
to sample the The Holy War (pol.
Święta Wojna) - the Kraków derby between Cracovia and Wisła. First he meets one of Cracovia hooligans groups - Anty Wisła, later he meets Sharks (main of Wisła's hooligans firm). On October 28, 2006, Danny experienced what The Holy War really is.
In the stadium, a fight broke out between Cracovia hooligans and the police
. During the 18 months leading up the derby, eight fans have died due to football-related violence in Kraków, a city also ominously known, in hooligan circles, as The City of Knives. Dyer wanted to talk with two main groups of Polish ultras
- Legia's TB'95 and Lech's
LPH, but they refused to meet with him on television.
Danny leaves Poland reflecting on a country whose football violence problem appears to be stuck in a 1980s time warp.
Episode 8: Russia
In Russia, Dyer visits Moscow
and Saint Petersburg
. Whilst in Moscow it quickly becomes apparent that it is a city which is out of the ordinary. Moscow has its own rules, and beneath its exterior it becomes apparent that anything goes. He meets Vasilli the Killer the leader of Spartak Moscow
's Gladiators firm.
Whilst in Russia his fame from the film, Football Factory precedes him when outside a game he is mobbed. He learns that the CSKA Moscow (Galland Steeds Firm, leader - "CashPoint") and Spartak firms went to watch the film together in the same cinema, and to celebrate they took to the streets for a fight afterwards.
He also meets a female hooligan, a unique experience on his travels around the world.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
style program about football hooliganism across the world. The Real Football Factories
The Real Football Factories
The Real Football Factories is a documentary series shown on the Bravo TV channel in the UK and created by Zig Zag Productions. The show looks at the in-depth life of football hooligans and hooligan firms. Interviews are conducted with past and present hooligans.The presenter of the show, Danny...
was the first series, where presenter and actor Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...
travelled the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, meeting some of the more notorious football firms. In this spin-off series, Dyer goes international, meeting firms from across the globe. Dyer played the main character of Tommy Johnson, a main member of a fictional Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
firm in the 2004 film The Football Factory.
In 'The Real Football Factories International', Dyer visits Turkey, Argentina, Italy, Croatia and Serbia, The Netherlands, Brazil, Poland and Russia.
In late 2007, The Score in Canada started to broadcast these episodes along with "The Real Football Factories." But with an altered soundtrack due to copyright issues.
Episode guide
TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
The Netherlands Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Episode 1: TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
In the first episode, Dyer goes to Turkey, one of the more notorious countries for football violence, due to the passion of their supporters. The episode is shot mainly in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, where the countries two biggest clubs and fierce rivals are Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
. Dyer meets two members of Fenerbahçe's firm, KFY (Kill For You) and learns of one of their supporters, nicknamed Rambo, who once broke into Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium
Ali Sami Yen Stadium
Ali Sami Yen Stadium was the home of the football club Galatasaray SK in Istanbul, Turkey, from 1964 to 2010. It is named after the founder of the club, Ali Sami Yen...
with a Fenerbahçe flag and a kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
knife. He then meets Alpaslan, the leader of Galatasarays UltrAslan
Ultraslan
ultrAslan is an ultras group who support Turkish football club Galatasaray. They were named as "ultrAslan" in 2001 but their history goes way back. They have branches both in Turkey and abroad...
Ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...
group. Dyer speaks with them about their hatred of Fenerbahçe; and also their hatred of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
fans, which had been exposed in 2000 when two Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
fans were fatally stabbed in Istanbul at a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
semi-final match against Galatasaray.
Dyer then meets up with a few more of Fenerbahçe's KFY, before they take him to the Fenerbahçe vs Galatasaray derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
match at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium
Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is a football stadium in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, and is the home venue of Fenerbahçe S.K.. It was inaugurated in 1908 and renovated between 1999 and 2006...
. Fenerbahçe win the game 2-1 and Galatasaray fans tear apart the away section of the ground. Dyer then goes to experience lower division football in Turkey in İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, and meets the firms of the two main teams in the city. First he meets the Göztepe A.Ş.
Göztepe A.S.
Göztepe SK are a Turkish sports club in Güzelyalı, İzmir.They were founded in 1925 as a breakaway club from Altay. Their colours are red-yellow. They merged with İzmirspor and were renamed as Doğanspor in 1937. Some supporters of İzmirspor opposed the merger and founded Ateşspor in 1938. Doğanspor...
team and travels with their 'Yali' firm to an away game. He then meets their arch-rivals Karşıyaka S.K., whose firm are run by godfather type figures, who bring the players and management over to the fans after the game to celebrate with them.
Episode 2: ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
In Argentina, Dyer travels mainly around the capital city, Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, meeting firms from all across the city and province. Buenos Aires has the most football clubs in one city in the world. Rivalry and violence between fans is never far away. First is the Avellaneda derby
Avellaneda derby
The Avellaneda derby is the second most important rivalry in Argentine football. It is contested between Club Atlético Independiente and Racing Club, the 3rd and 4th most successful teams in terms of the total number of league championships won...
(Club Atlético Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente is an Argentine athletic, sports and social club, which has its headquarters and stadium in the city of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División....
vs Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...
), in the port town of Avellaneda
Avellaneda
Avellaneda is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 328,980 as per the ....
in the Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires is the generic denomination to refer to the megalopolis comprising the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and the conurbation around it, over the province of Buenos Aires—namely the adjacent 24 partidos or municipalities—which nonetheless do not constitute a single administrative...
(belonging to the Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
). This match was played in the stadium of Independiente (Libertadores de América
Estadio Libertadores de América
The Estadio Libertadores de América is a stadium located in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province.It is home to the Argentine football club Independiente...
). Dyer is taken to the popular of the stadium, a stand said to be so crazy, that even the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
will allegedly not enter it. Before the game, Dyer spoke with Pablo "Bebote" (Big baby) Álvarez, the leader of the Los Diablos Rojos (The Red Devils), the barra brava
Barra Brava
Barra brava is a name for organized supporter groups of football teams in Latin America. This style of supporting is very similar to European ultras. It includes standing throughout the match, singing and other enthusiastic behavior. Some barras bravas have developed reputations for hooliganism...
of Independiente; and entered to the stadium with him.
Ten minutes into the game, the stand is jumping so much that the Independiente firm member Dyer is with takes them out of the popular and into a safer stand. Independiente take a 2-0 lead, and the Racing fans take matters into their own hands. The game is abandoned due to crowd trouble in the away section. We then meet members of Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...
's firm, who take Dyer onto the pitch of their stadium and around the trophy room, something that Dyer would never get back home in his home country of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Finally he meets Rafa Di Zeo, the leader of the La 12 firm from Boca Juniors. Dyer learns that firms are an integral part of the clubs in Argentina, and that it is very different from just the pre-arranged violence between sets of supporters in the English game.
Episode 3: ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
has a reputation for football violence, in part due to the Ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...
culture. Dyer firstly travels to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, and meets the Drughi Ultras from Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. The Drughi are named after the Droogs in the cult film A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
. Dyer speaks with members of the Drughi about the Heysel Stadium disaster
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
in 1985, and is told of Juventus fans hatred of all English football fans.
Dyer then briefly travels to Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
in Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, and meets a top member of Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
's Curva Nord Ultras. Dyer then goes to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and attends the biggest derby in Italian football, the Derby della Capitale
Derby della Capitale
The Derby della Capitale , also known as Derby Capitolino and Derby del Cupolone, as well as The Rome Derby in English, is the football local derby in Rome, Italy, between the two major teams of the city, Roma and Lazio...
, between S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
and A.S. Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
. The two teams share the Stadio Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
, with Lazio fans using the Curva Nord as their home stand, and Roma fans using the Curva Sud as their home stand.
In the first half, Dyer stands in the Curva Sud with Roma's ultras, where before kick off, Roma legend Marco Delvecchio
Marco Delvecchio
Marco Delvecchio is an Italian retired footballer. He spent the most of his career at AS Roma where he is still remembered for his ease in scoring against the rivals of SS Lazio in the Derby della Capitale....
comes and greets the fans in the stand. At half time Danny goes round to the other side of the stadium to experience the derby from the Curva Nord with Lazio's Irriducibili ultras. Lazio end up winning the match 3-0, sparking wild celebrations in the Curva Nord.
Episode 4: CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
In his trip to the BalkansBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, Dyer visits both Croatia and Serbia who fought one of the bloodiest wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
in recent European history. A war which some believe began with the riot between fans of (Croatian club) Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
and (Serbian club) Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
in May 1990. In Croatia he attends the biggest derby in their footballing calendar, Hajduk Split vs Dinamo Zagreb in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
.
He then sets off on a road formerly known as the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity into Serbia, where he gets rejected by Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
's fans Delije
Delije
Delije roughly translated to English as Heroes is an umbrella name referring to the supporters of various sports clubs that compete under Red Star Belgrade Sports Society banner....
who refuse to appear on the programme, but manages to meet Partizan Belgrade
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
’s hardcore Grobari
Grobari
Grobari are supporters of the Belgrade football club Partizan Belgrade. They are one of two major football fan groups in Serbia...
(the Grave Diggers) ultras. Exclusive access is seen of a Grobari party, which involves food, drink, drugs, karaoke, and guns. One of the songs featured in this episode is AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
's Back in Black
Back in Black
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band....
when showing highlights of the Grobari party. Dyer is also on hand for the Belgrade derby between FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
and Red Star, both the football as well as the basketball one.
Episode 6: BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Brazil is considered to be one of the most violent societies in the world; a society with a high murder rate. Brazilian football is rife with passion and brutality. In Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
Dyer visits the Raça Rubro Negra, a Torcida
Torcida
Torcidas organizadas are formal associations of football fans in Brazil in the same vein as Argentine hinchadas and European ultras. The name is based on the verb torcer, which means "to root for" but also "to wring" and "to turn"...
group from Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo , also known as Flamengo and familiarly as Mengão, is a Brazilian sports club based in the Flamengo bairro, Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro, best known for its professional football team...
. He learns that in Brazil the firms are waging war, with guns and shootings commonplace. In Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
he meets one more torcida group, Geral do Grêmio of Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
, and he attends a game between the team and Flamengo.
In São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
he meets the torcida group, Mancha Verde (Green Stain) of Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras is a Brazilian football club from São Paulo. The club was founded on August 26, 1914, as Palestra Italia but changed to the current name on September 14, 1942...
who he travels with to Rio de Janeiro. During the trip gun violence is experienced first hand as they come under fire from a rival group from Botafogo
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas , also known as Botafogo and familiarly as Estrela Solitária, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, best known for its football team. They play in the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro's state league, and the Campeonato...
. In São Paulo he also meets the Hawks of the Faithful (Gaviões Da Fiel in Portugese), which is the second biggest firm in Brazil.
Episode 7: PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
During this filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Dyer visits Poland, a country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
which has been saddled with the yoke of oppression throughout its history. At the beginning of his journey, he heads to Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
where he meets Lechia's
Lechia Gdansk
Lechia Gdańsk is a Polish football club based in Gdańsk, Poland. The club's name comes from Lechia, a poetic name for Poland. The club was founded by people expelled from Lwów, who were supporters of Lechia Lwów. Founded in 1945, Lechia was a powerhouse in Polish football during the mid-1950s...
supporters
Supporters
In heraldry, supporters are figures usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. These figures may be real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or inanimate objects...
Chuligani Wolnego Miasta - a firm that helped to abolish the communist regime. He then travels on to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
to sample the The Holy War (pol.
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Święta Wojna) - the Kraków derby between Cracovia and Wisła. First he meets one of Cracovia hooligans groups - Anty Wisła, later he meets Sharks (main of Wisła's hooligans firm). On October 28, 2006, Danny experienced what The Holy War really is.
In the stadium, a fight broke out between Cracovia hooligans and the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
. During the 18 months leading up the derby, eight fans have died due to football-related violence in Kraków, a city also ominously known, in hooligan circles, as The City of Knives. Dyer wanted to talk with two main groups of Polish ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...
- Legia's TB'95 and Lech's
Lech Poznan
Lech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways...
LPH, but they refused to meet with him on television.
Danny leaves Poland reflecting on a country whose football violence problem appears to be stuck in a 1980s time warp.
Episode 8: RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
In Russia, Dyer visits MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. Whilst in Moscow it quickly becomes apparent that it is a city which is out of the ordinary. Moscow has its own rules, and beneath its exterior it becomes apparent that anything goes. He meets Vasilli the Killer the leader of Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
's Gladiators firm.
Whilst in Russia his fame from the film, Football Factory precedes him when outside a game he is mobbed. He learns that the CSKA Moscow (Galland Steeds Firm, leader - "CashPoint") and Spartak firms went to watch the film together in the same cinema, and to celebrate they took to the streets for a fight afterwards.
He also meets a female hooligan, a unique experience on his travels around the world.