Ultras Sur
Guess Who’s Back?
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. The greatest club in the history of the Beautiful Game. No. This is not an opinion, but it is a fact. They are truly the greatest team in terms of achievements on and off the pitch. With success, comes the strive for excellence. And this by extension is demanded by the fans of the football club. In their support, through thick and thin, there has been one group, often of controversial nature who have gone through it all. Their name: Ultras Sur.
The most vocal, the most loyal group of supporters you can ever have. Born in the 1980s, the group has been the centrepiece of attention in the south stand of the Bernabéu, for 90 minutes and beyond, showing their support for Los Blancos. Though it all seemed well and good in fandom, it was the political ideology of the group which saw to odds with President Florentino Perez’s vision for the club.
No longer the Spanish locale, by the 2000s, the Royal Whites were a European juggernaut to be reckoned with. With viewership and support coming from all around the world, it was the aforementioned success that grew its worldwide influence that has been stamped upon the terraces of world football. Known now as the most influential club in the world, Real looked to globalising its fanbase relatively quickly after the formation of the first iteration Galacticos, having the likes of Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Ronaldo Nazario all on the same squad, Perez’s desire for a certain image of the club was clear.
First, the toning down of hostility, made exponentially worse with the presence of Ultras Sur, being of right-wing ideology with ideas stemming from neo-Nazism, fascism breeding racist and homophobic imagery. All of the negative connotations of being an ultra — you think it, they embodied it. This was the contentious aspect present in the rift between the Ultras Sur and head officials at the club — particularly Perez. It is under this pretence of “a few amongst the many” that Perez took it into his own hands, after multiple instances where the South Stand had been littered with displays of swastikas and other shows of neo-Nazi allegiance that the President issued a blanket ban, forbidding the Ultras Sur from attending matches within the home ground.
That was in 2014. And the year now is 2022. With an upcoming clash with Paris Saint-Germain under the lights of the Champions League knockout stages, the time has come. Finally, the return of the Ultras Sur. The voice of Madrid. The tifos and banners. All back, in preparation for a match with astronomical stakes. Sometimes, football transcends politics, and while unpopular, this is one of those times. With the legacy of La Real on the line, and as our troops march out for battle, donning the royal white kit, they will have the full support of the Ultras Sur. With this message, the tone is set:
“Rendirse no es una opción.”
On the 9th of March, as the clock strikes 1930 — the return is set in stone. The resurrection is complete. And the game is on.
And oh, to the PSG fans: just remember that 90 minutes at the Bernabéu is a very long time…
Disclaimer: I am not supporting the ideals and political allegiances of the Ultras Sur, simply expressing the fact that with Perez’s support, it seems that there has been another reactivation of the organisation. It is also notable that it is just for the match against PSG.
