By Natan Widmark, FE23

When I’m watching football games I can´t stop getting distracted by the big flags and burning flares. I´m always wondering who the people behind the masks and smoke truly are, and how everything works, so I’ve chosen to interview a person who’s active in the Swedish football supporter-scene. He wished to stay anonymous, so I am going to call him Kalle. Kalle and I met in my neighborhood because he apparently lives pretty close to me. 

Widmark: Could you tell me something about yourself first? 

Kalle: Well, I am 18 years old and I live in Stockholm where my club is located.

Widmark: When and why did you become a supporter? 

Kalle: I’ve always loved my club, and my parents took me to a lot of games in my childhood, but at the end of 2019, I think October maybe, I got really interested in the Ultras that always show their passion at the games, and in the summer of 2022 I started getting more and more involved. Today I’m a prospect to one of the groups.

Widmark: You said Ultras, what is that? 

Kalle: An Ultras is a person who gives everything for the club and is a member of an Ultras group. It will consume a pretty big amount of your life to live that lifestyle, and I mean a lot. We contribute to the atmosphere in the stadium with for example: flags, flares, banners and tifos.

Widmark: What’s a “Tifo”?

Kalle: I would describe a tifo as an artform. If you look at it from a larger perspective, it’s often a big painting that the supporters put over the stands right before the game is about to start, but it can also include things like flags, banners, pyrotechnics, confetti and crêpe paper rolls. The tifos are only used one time, and can cost hundreds of thousands of Swedish crowns, all paid for by the supporters.

Widmark: How has this lifestyle affected your personal and social life?

Kalle: Both negatively and positively. 

Widmark: How?

Kalle: I’ve met many people who I call friends now, and a pretty big amount of my friends are people that I’ve got to know through football. Almost everyone close to me, like my family and girlfriend, have expressed extreme displeasure, it’s a lot of late nights, and plans that have to be compromised because of this.

Widmark: And is it worth it?

Kalle: Of course, every second and penny spent is worth it.

Widmark: Are all the dangerous pyrotechnics and fighting really necessary though?

Kalle: Yes, pyrotechnics contribute to like half of the atmosphere in the stadium and attract a lot of people to the games, and the club benefits by selling more tickets. 

Widmark: And the fights?

Kalle: Not all supporters fight but some do. Probably because they feel like they have to defend the honor of the club, and by backing out you´re showing that you’re weak. Also the adrenaline kick, some people just enjoy taking and giving punches. This question is probably more complex than that, and you would have to ask a psychiatrist or someone of that caliber for a better explanation.

Widmark: If you one day have children, would you like them to follow your footsteps?

Kalle: Yes, I would. Of course I wouldn’t want them to be super violent and get hurt, but I wish for them to find the same kind of friendships, the sense of belonging and joy that I have.