Meet The Green Monsters: The Wild Fans Of Ferencváros
The nature of soccer is as competitive as it is controversial. It can cause healthy fanaticism towards a team. But, it also can become a factor that generates violence and hatred. Sadly, there are many teams whose followers have become famous for their actions against civic order. They are the so-called "ultras," mostly identified with the right and far-right. These violent groups are a historical reality in world football, especially in Europe. Over the years, they have become radicalized in their support of neo-Nazi ideologies that border on hatred and discrimination.
Although there are countries where this phenomenon does not occur, in others, it is part of a dark tradition. Here, we can talk about Hungary, one country that was once a soccer glory. However, it also has developed terrible fame as far as soccer fans are concerned in that country, where ultras groups abound. At some point in history, Hungary was one of the giants of European football. During the 1950s, Hungarian football was at the level of the best in the world, led by players such as Ferenc Puskás and Laszlo Kubala. Many milestones make up the history of Hungarian football. But it will always be necessary to mention the beating they gave England at Wembley (3-6) in 1953, and then they destroyed the English again, this time in Budapest, 7-1 in 1954. The ideological currents of the far-right have dominated the tendencies and behavior of many fans since 1900. These currents are directly associated with the socio-political currents that have been part of the country's history. Likewise, they maintained a very controversial relationship with the Third Reich. Such political tendencies created a dark aura and a bad reputation for Hungarian football fans.
The Ferencváros Torna Club team is the most successful in Hungarian football. The team was founded 123 years ago, has won 31 Hungarian leagues, and participated in many international tournaments. Also, the team with the most followers in the country, including a feared ultra-group (Green Monsters), has caused innumerable episodes of violence. At some point, they were banned from entering the team's stadium, the Groupama Arena. They could return thanks to reaching a legal agreement with the authorities and team leaders. But, the Green Monsters are part of something called the Carpathian Brigade. The Hungarian government created this organization, aiming to unify all football fans in one peaceful movement. But that has worked in the worst way since it certainly served to unify... but all the ultra-groups. Now, they are better organized than ever. Due to the negative actions of both the Green Monsters and the Carpathian Brigade, the Hungarian government created a campaign against racism and discrimination,
The Ferencváros team led this movement intending to generate a peaceful climate among the team's supporters. In the last two years, the Green Monsters have returned in several violent incidents. Still, we hope the crusade for peace which is now the new emblem of Ferencváros, will become the basis for the future of Hungarian football.
