football hooliganism in Europe.

[partis]

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=...MNO8b1-zYg

[sillyboy86]

In Italy we call these people 'ultras'.

PANEM ET CIRCENSES (& IGNORANCE)
In Italy the government could stole everything from you without the risk of a revolution, but they cannot touch the football...

[Woollyhats]

Yeah I think I'll just watch sports on TV and not die.

Seriously though, hopefully they can stop people from doing these ridiculous things somehow. The article notes improvement, but is mostly noting that there's more to do.

[southbiochem]

In Chile these people are the "barras"

they can get as violent as terrorists...and over a game.

Sad thing really.

[partis]

In Italy we call these people 'ultras'.

PANEM ET CIRCENSES (& IGNORANCE)
In Italy the government could stole everything from you without the risk of a revolution, but they cannot touch the football...

Yeah "ultras"… Italy is in that link.

LOL :p

[sillyboy86]

Yeah "ultras"… Italy is in that link.

LOL :p

Yeah, I was like ...'talking with myself' LOL to introduce the 'panem et circenses'

[partis]

Yeah, I was like ...'talking with myself' LOL to introduce the 'panem et circenses'

what does that mean?

[Tulloni]

Football 'firms' (gangs) are big in the UK too. Some of them double as criminal outfits and they have a violent reputation. supporting the wrong team in some places can get you attacked or killed.

[sillyboy86]

what does that mean?

From the latin, "Bread and circuses": Distract the masses from the important things.
It's phrase used to indicate a method used by the Roman Emperors, they have a lot of slave, there was a lot of poverty, but the politician/government, to keep the population peaceful, uses a free distribution of basic food (corn, mais etc) and every single person in Rome could go to the Colosseum to see the gladiators, the theaters etc.
In the Colosseum there was a seat for the Emperor itself, the space for the aristocracy, but there was also a space for thousands of normal people, hand-worker, farmers, soldiers, etc etc.
So, instead of having a complain, a protest etc (also 'the violence'), send everyone to the stadium to see the chariot races (Roman), the Football Championship (today)...
It was something very powerful to control the masses, and actually it IS...

[partis]

Football 'firms' (gangs) are big in the UK too.

Well yes, were in the link, in the 70’s and 80’s it was known as an "English Disease" look at all the films there is about it, which just encourages more people to act like it.

I must say I dont really have a problem if two "firms" fight each other as long as by-standers dont get hurt, its like modern tribal warfare. Some of them hold respectable city jobs during the week, then come the weekend…

Though if England's playing away, firms will hold a truce to fight the "locals" lol