Something a little different this week, the first of what we hope are a series of interviews with members of fan / ultras groups, giving an insight into the workings, political affiliations, fan friendships, community activities and more.

We spoke to Dr. Andrew Hodges who lived in Zagreb for a number of years. During his time there he became involved in a fan group called “White Angels Zagreb”.

WAZ were the ultras group of the lesser known Zagreb club NK Zagreb and later the community club NK Zagreb 041. The most fascinating thing about WAZ? In an area of Europe dominated by politically right-wing ultras groups, WAZ are quite politically left-wing in their beliefs and affiliations.

We spoke to Dr. Andrew Hodges to try and gain a better understanding of the fan group, the group dynamic, their activities and the community club NK Zagreb 041 itself.

TTT - Before we get into talking about the White Angels Zagreb, could you give us a brief history of the club NK Zagreb? Most fans would be aware of GNK Dinamo Zagreb but may never have heard of their city neighbours.

AH - Sure. NK Zagreb are one of several Zagreb clubs, notable for having won the top league in the 2001–2002 season. While there has been a group called the White Angels since the late 1980s, the more recent group only has continuity with members going back to 1999. In 2004, a new manager Dražen Medić came in and made several changes to the football club, including changing the strip colour and design. Members of the White Angels fought against these changes.

The group made a strong break with Medić’s leadership, which they viewed as close to local ‘mafia’-style corrupt networks, and oriented themselves towards the political left, inspired by examples from across Europe such as FC St. Pauli. More recently, they split off and formed a community club called NK Zagreb 041. Since then, the whole project has changed somewhat and several of the members who were heavily involved previously have taken a backseat.

TTT - How did you come to get involved in the group?

AH - I became involved around 2011. I’d been living in Zagreb for a few years then and had heard about them through my involvement in the Zagreb antifascist network (MAZ). The fan group shared a social space with MAZ for a while in the city centre, I started going to matches with them and was hooked!

TTT - As you alluded to in some of your publications, it is rare for an ultras group to be so politically left-wing and vocal about it, in what are now the former Yugoslav nations. Why do you think this is?

AH - In my book I argue that this is due to how power works in the new states. In the public sector especially, allegiance towards certain political parties is key and the nationalist HDZ (the Croatian Democratic Union) is widely viewed has having exacerbated and instrumentalized national tensions for their own economic gain.

During the nineties, the new elites kept football fans at arm’s length due to their unpredictable and spontaneous elements, but in many ways, there was at that time a synergy between aspects of organized football fandom and right-wing politics.

Two other researchers of football – Ivan Ðorđević and Relja Pekić-Carić – have covered this topic in more detail in Serbia and the Zagreb-based sociologist Paul Stubbs has written about the situation there. 

TTT - Fan friendships have become a huge part of the culture of many ultras groups around Europe, do the White Angels Zagreb have any official fan friendships? 

AH - The group has strong links with other leftist and antifa clubs across Europe. They have been involved in initiatives with FC St. Pauli and other groups as part of the Football Supporters Europe network and Rebel Ultras. Besides these networks, there are informal links but no official fan friendships. Personally, I have met up with fans from other clubs in Prague, Amsterdam and across the former Yugoslav region in places like Mostar and Novi Sad.

TTT - Many people who follow fan or ultras culture may be aware of who the Bad Blue Boys are. For those who don’t, could you give a brief overview of the group? And then could you comment on the relationship, if at all, that exists between the White Angels Zagreb and the Bad Blue Boys?

AH - The Bad Blue Boys are the organized fan association who follow the main Zagreb club; GNK Dinamo Zagreb. They far outnumber White Angels Zagreb. They are really quite different in many ways. They have a strong group hierarchy with a core, and a strong presence in many urban neighbourhoods in Zagreb with groups all over Zagreb, the surrounding area and certain other parts of Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Their style makes a nod in the direction of the UK hooligan tradition, but how they organize is much closer to Italian ultras (social spaces in the city centre, membership cards, terrace choreographies etc.).

BBB have generally ignored WAZ, but they were an important ‘Other’ for many members of WAZ over the years. In recent years there has been more contact between group members, as WAZ kind of semi-disbanded with several members forming a community club that played in an urban Zagreb neighbourhood with a strong BBB group. Some members of the BBB disliked this role and WAZ’s organizing events with refugees and asylum seekers.

TTT - As we now know the White Angels Zagreb are politically left which goes against the grain of most ultras groups in Croatia and indeed the rest of the Balkan region. Are / were the White Angels Zagreb specifically targeted at away games due to their political stance?

AH - It depends when – now with the community club NK Zagreb 041, they have little to no presence. When they were attending top league away games, they were often ridiculed or emasculated by opponent teams, but generally left alone. There were a couple of situations where something happened to an individual group member, but I can’t remember any large scale, coordinated attacks. There were always a few haters among the BBB, but as a group they have largely ignored WAZ.

TTT - Ultras groups are often highlighted and ridiculed in the media for all the negative things associated with their activity, but in recent years many groups have also been seen to be doing good inside the communities in which they operate. Are the White Angels Zagreb community active in Zagreb?

AH - Both the BBB and WAZ are or have been active in the local community. I would say that the BBB are more focused on charity or humanitarian activities, which resonates with some of their member’s Catholic religious beliefs. WAZ and, now NK Zagreb 041, operate more within a solidarity rather than charity paradigm. The community club has increased their presence in Dugave, a neighbourhood in Novi Zagreb, and widened their membership considerably.

TTT - Finally, where can people read more of your publications or contact you about your work?

AH - You can find my book available for purchase here. Almost all of my publications can be downloaded for free here. I now work in publishing and run an editorial and translation business so you can drop me an email at info@andrewjohnhodges.com if you have any further questions!

Finally, in case you were wondering, the 041 in the community club’s name is a reference to the area phone code for Zagreb during the socialist Yugoslavia – it has nothing to do with the Second World War.

A big thank you to Andrew Hodges for his time in conducting this interview.