Groups of fans known as "Ultras" are invading Egyptian stadiums, bringing a new atmosphere to the events, not all of it good. Inas Mazhar looks into the phenomenon The Ultras are known worldwide but they are a relatively new people in Egypt with their own fans and detractors. Ultras are predominantly European and South American followers of football teams, but who have invaded Egypt with various names -- the Ultras of the Ahli club, White Knights for Zamalek, Yellow Dragons of Ismaili, Masri's Green Eagles and Ultras 300, supporters of Tanta. The biggest and most impressive are the backers of Ahli, Zamalek and Ismaili. "Ultras" is a Latin word derived from beyond in English, with the implication that their enthusiasm is "beyond" the normal, a form of sports team supporters renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. The behavioural tendency of Ultras includes the use of flares, primarily in tifo choreography, vocal support in large groups, defiance of the authorities and the display of banners at football stadiums, which are used to create an atmosphere which intimidates opposing players and supporters, as well as encouraging their own team. Consistently rivals with opposing supporters, Ultras are often identified with their respective team. This particular fan subgroup appeared in Italy in the late 1960s when football teams reduced ticket prices in certain stands of the stadiums. Since the early 1990s, the Ultras subculture has increasingly become similar in style to hooliganism. Violent acts of hooliganism by groups of Ultras have led to some deaths, as have police reprisals. The Ahli Ultras were introduced almost two years ago. The group felt they needed to improve the club's support bloc. They began with less than 10 members and in April 2007 the new Ultras Ahli banner was unfurled in the North stand. In the first six months membership grew to about 60. The Ultras White Knights made their debut in March 2007 when their team was playing against Sudan's Hilal in the African Champions League. Within weeks the Ultras mentality began to spread across Egypt and the number of members rapidly increased. "Ultras of Egypt, especially the leaders, are very well educated and come from high-class families. They have been exposed to Ultras in Europe and are trying to copy what can be applied here. They are not media-friendly people. They don't talk about themselves but deliver their message of loving their teams through their strong support in the stands," says sports critic Amr Kamal. "Interestingly," continues Kamal, "Ultras groups help each other. For example, Ahli Ultras helped Zamalek fans form the White Knights Ultras." Kamal says Ultras groups are usually based around a core group (who tend to have executive control over the whole group), with smaller subgroups organised by location, friendship or political stance. "They tend to use various styles and sizes of banners and flags with the name and symbols of the group. Some Ultras sell their own merchandise such as scarves, hats and jackets." "Because of their deep loyalty to the players and their teams they have become friends with the players and the technical staff. They even meet with them and sometimes agree on certain songs," adds Kamal. The Ultras culture is a mix of several supporting styles, including scarf-waving and chanting. An Ultras group can number from a handful of fans to hundreds and thousands, and often claim entire sections of a stadium to themselves. Ahli Ultras are usually located behind the goals in the West stands whereas the White Knights are based at the East end. Kamal says Ultras usually have a representative who liaises with the club owners on a regular basis, mostly regarding tickets, seat allocations and storage facilities. Some clubs provide the groups cheaper tickets, storage rooms for flags and banners, and early access to the stadium before matches in order to prepare the displays. Karim "Kiko" is one of the founding members of Ultras of Ahli. "Ultras around the world have four core points and we here in Egypt have the same," says Karim: never stop singing or chanting during a match, no matter what the result, never sit down during a match, attend as many games as possible [home and away], regardless of cost or distance." Ultras sing popular melodies of Egyptian and foreign songs, write their own lyrics and sometimes compose their own songs. They usually prepare their own tifos in secret. "Only about 20 people know about it. It should be a surprise when the teams enter," says Karim. "We use balloons, huge banners, flares, drums and dolls." The displays, which can be expensive to make, often take months to prepare. "But we bear all the expenses from donations from members of the groups. We sell our products -- T-shirts, scarves, caps -- among ourselves to raise money to help us in our support." The Egyptian media, and some spectators and officials have in many cases not taken the Ultras to heart. They criticise -- or perhaps envy -- them for having a good relationship with the teams, for never sitting during matches and for displaying banners and flags which hinder the view of those sitting behind them. Others point to Ultras physical assaults and the intimidation of non-Ultras fans. The anti-Ultras sentiment intensified following ugly riots by Zamalek Ultras in a basketball semi-final against Gezira and more recently in the Ahli-Ismaili league football match last month. Egyptian Ultras are trying to clear up the misconceptions. "Some believe we are evil people, hooligans, have no morals, violent and lack patriotism," complains Karim. "But we are not. We are loyal fans to our club and to the national team. Our motto now is 'We are Egypt' because we'll be supporting the national team in its World Cup qualifiers and a group of us plan to travel to South Africa to support the national team at the Confederations Cup." Still, Egyptian Ultras have yet to win everybody over. During the Ahli-Zamalek derby last month, security officials thoroughly searched the Ultras. In future matches, the Ahli Ultras started boycotting their team's games because of what they described as excessive police monitoring. Ahli officials realised the danger when only 8,000 tickets were sold up until the eve of Ahli's African Super Cup match against Sfaxien of Tunisia. Ahli President Hassan Hamdi met security officials to try to make it easier for the Ultras to enter Cairo Stadium. The tight security measures were indeed lessened and the Ultras poured into the stadium, giving Ahli a helping boost to victory. "The existence of the Ultras is very healthy in Egypt if it is non-violent," Medhat Shalabi, the Egyptian federations media director, said. "No one can deny that the Ultras have made our stadiums lively and have created a legacy by bringing supporters to the stadiums. What we saw in 2006 [the Africa Cup of Nations which Egypt hosted] proves that. They have shown how powerful they are and their support will create more competition among the teams."
