Moroccan ultra groups of football: from Tifos to street politics

Yassir Yousfi

Chapter 6 in Public Policy in the Arab World, 2024, pp 123-137 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The ultras phenomenon has become the most spectacular form of football fandom in the early twenty-first century. Yet, since their appearance in Morocco, they have been associated with violence and vandalism. This chapter aims to explain the political dimension of the Moroccan ultra group in terms of their chants in Morocco in the post-February 20, 2011 era. It seeks to analyze their narratives which have shifted to a form of social Hirak, or, using Asef Bayat’s term, non-movement. The chapter focuses on the dynamics of two nationally, and universally notorious, groups located in Casablanca, Morocco’s biggest and most densely populated city, namely the “Winners” (supporters of the Wydad Athletic Club) and the “Green Boys” (supporters of the Raja Club Athletic) of Casablanca. The chapter adopts a critical perspective analysis that attempts to sketch out some examples of their “political” chants to understand their discourses, spaces of their activities, levels of their impact on the street protests, and their prospects in the political scene. It also seeks to deconstruct the concept of “social movement” while referring to the Ultras as well as discussing their political transition.

Keywords: Development Studies; Economics and Finance; Law - Academic; Politics and Public Policy Sociology and Social Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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