Hooliganism has been on the rise again in Belgium and surrounding countries in recent years. Tourist LeMC, the Antwerp hip-hop, immersed ‘Chino’ – a member of Antwerp’s hard core – in the world of hooligans.
And he also got to know another side. “A hooligan from Beerschot told how an envelope was delivered for the benefit of a family member by the hard core of Antwerp, the arch enemy. To the regret of those who envy it: hooligans also have a heart,” he says HLN.
He also discovered the urge for violence. “And that is what distinguishes them from the ordinary football fan like me: their penchant for violence. They enjoy confrontations with other hard cores.”
“A hooligan from La Louvière compared it to ‘Braveheart’: where the English and the Scots face each other, the fire in the eyes. I’m not saying that I got excited when he told it so colorfully – I am and remain a pancake – but I understood him better afterwards.”
Those hard cores are also out for power. They can stop a match with a few flares. Chino, the man from the hard core of Antwerp, has an explanation for this. “Do you think that supporters should have nothing to say?” he asks.
“Chairmen, coaches, players: they come and go, supporters are the only ones who always stay in a club. And yet they have less and less to say. All those owners nowadays, often foreigners, are only there to make quick money and have I don’t listen to what the supporters want. Then it is logical that the fans make themselves heard in a different way? I think power is too strong a word for that, it is about having a say.”
Tags: Tourist LeMC delves hooligan world image heart Football News
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