Police officers escort an 18-year-old suspect (center) in the serious injury of a 31-year-old police officer in the district of Renti to the courthouse in Piraeus on December 14, where he testified before an investigative magistrate for the attack that took place during clashes with police on December 9. [Giorgos Vitsaras/AMNA]

The Connection Between Hooliganism and Organized Crime: Unveiling a Disturbing Reality

It is widely known, from Russia to Latin America and from Eastern Europe to the Western Balkans, that hooliganism and common crime often find common ground. The aggressive fan culture, characterized by violence and war-like rituals, serves as a breeding ground for extremist organizations and organized crime.

The act of attacking rival sports fans with weapons such as crowbars, flares, and knives can easily attract the attention of criminal networks, who seek recruits for illegal activities such as drug trafficking, extortion, and specialized security services.

A recent study conducted by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime shed light on the situation in the Western Balkans, where hooliganism is particularly acute. Out of 122 fan associations analyzed, 78 were identified as “ultras,” representing fanatical, violent, and often radicalized supporters. Shockingly, 21 of these associations were found to have ties to organized crime and even political affiliations. These subsets of society are considered highly volatile due to their connections to the criminal underworld and their susceptibility to religious and far-right extremism.

Behind the havoc caused by the substance-inflated sports superego, hide not only the intoxication of the soccer club, the chants and symbols, but also dark intentions or ideologies of a ‘superior race’ and ‘pure’ identities.

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In recent months, Serbia has been witness to a high-profile trial involving a notorious soccer hooligan and cocaine trafficker, Veljko Belivuk, famously known as “the Trouble.” Alongside his 15 gang members, Belivuk stands accused of committing heinous murders, as well as engaging in crimes such as rape, kidnapping, drug and arms trafficking, and money laundering. Shockingly, Belivuk had strong connections with influential figures and nationalist paramilitary groups.

Belivuk operated within a complex web of protection and terrorized his political opponents, taking advantage of the labyrinthine gray networks of criminal activity. While he and his deputy chief deny the charges, claiming to have acted under orders, this case exemplifies how hooliganism can hide dark intentions and ideologies of a “superior race” and “pure” identities.

Greece, while not part of the Western Balkans, is not immune to the potential dangers associated with hooliganism. If the ongoing judicial investigation into the serious injury of a police officer by a hooligan follows the same standards used in the case of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, where the instigators were accused of forming a criminal organization, it could provide a breakthrough in unraveling the complex web of sports-related violence and its underlying incendiary elements.

In conclusion, the connection between hooliganism and organized crime is a disturbing reality that spans across different regions and countries. Behind the chaos and aggression often associated with sports fan culture lies a hidden world of dark intentions and extremist ideologies. It is crucial for authorities to address this issue with the utmost seriousness and take proactive measures to dismantle criminal networks operating within these fan associations.