BigTimeFootball Cup. Semi Final. Spain v Italy

"How in the hell was Pep passed over for this game"? Luis had been a Barcelona supporter all of his life. His father named him after the legendary Barca playmaker Luis Suarez. The night before the Spanish all-stars took on the all-stars from Italy, Luis and his son Johan, sat discussing the match

"UEFA wants attention dad. If Pep is the manager, Spain wins with style and class. With Mourinho as manager UEFA gets clownish quotes and plenty of drama. The bigger the circus the more attention people will pay and the bigger the TV contract". Not only does young Johan possess the footballing skill of the great Johan Cruyff, but is as intelligent as the Dutchman once described as “Pythagoras in boots”.

Pleased with his son’s assessment of Spain’s manager, Luis moves on to personnel. "So who will shine for Spain Tomorrow?"

Quickly Johan replies, "Too Easy. With Messi up front and Pique in the back there is no way Spain will lose. Xavi will come off the bench for some second half play making. And Navas on the wing is real trouble".

"Good. And who is the trouble for Italy?"

Johan had been studying the Italian squad for months. Boys of this age obsess of every player and every stat of the sports they love. Again, Johan was ready for his fathers query.  "Their front three is very good. Sneijder can make plays for both Di Natali and Cavanni. If Banega and Pique can cut out his distribution we should be able to outscore them"

            The next morning, Luis and Johan were joined for breakfast by Luis’s older brother Zoltan. Zoltan was named after Hungarian and Barca legend Zoltan Czibor. Zoltan is by far Johan’s favorite uncle. Their love for football and especially Barcelona has made them very close. Johan had been told of his uncles past and it made him all the more mysterious and intriguing.

His uncle is former Ultra with the Barcelona Firm Boixos Nois (Crazy Boys in Catalan). He left the group in 1985 after a Barca - Juve match where Boixos showed a banner where there was written: “Thank you Liverpool for Juve's deaths” (in reference of the Heysel disaster). Zoltan joined the Boixos to promote the Catalan separatist agenda and go crazy for Barca, not to cheer mass deaths from a tragic stadium disaster. Zoltan was out.

            “Tell me Johan. Whose ass did your father have to kiss to get off today? Shouldn’t he be tasked to keep our Catalonian streets safe from the invading hordes of Italians? ” This is another reason Johan loved Zoltan. He never missed an opportunity to give his father a little trouble.

            Luis had recently been promoted to Inspector in the Citizen Safety division in the Barcelona Police department, the Guardia Urbana. “Now that you mention it brother. We know for a fact that at least three groups of Italian Ultras are here. Probably more. Flags and songs from Drughi (Juventus),  Curva Sud (Roma) and Brigate Rossonere (AC Milan) were seen all over La Rambla to the wee hours of the morning ”.

            “Not to worry though. We have riot police all over the Nou Camp and all of the surrounding Metro stations. We will have men in uniform riding the metros all day, both before and after the game. I expect the real problems to come after the match when the Italians have lost 6 nil”. 

            The men finished their breakfast and head for the Nou Camp.

As our three heroes travelled closer and closer the Nou Camp, the Metro cars began to fill with football supporters. The car they were traveling in just happened to be packed with Italian supporters. More specifically, Drughi Bianconeri. The Drughi took their name from the film A Clockwork Orange. In the film Alex and his band of Droogs roamed the countryside looking for a bit of the old “Ultra Violence”. The Drughi are easy to spot wearing black and white and waving Juventus flags.

Johan was not afraid of the traveling Italian supporters. He was with his father the Inspector and his uncle the former Ultra. Another reason for comfort was his father’s correct account of the police force. There were two members of the Guardia Urbana in the car and they were not taking their eyes off the Drughi.

As the heroes stop Les Corts approached the behavior of the Drughi intensified. Members of the firm began getting on each others shoulders and yelling at the Guardia. A few had begun giving the Guardia a few menacing hand gestures. This was intentional. The Drughi (or a few of them anyway) wanted the police close by when the metro came to a stop. When the metro halted at Les Corts there was a rush to get off the car. Members of the Drughi managed to get the two Guardia off with them.

 Luis noticed this and gave quick hushed instructions to Zoltan. “Take Johan to the match. I am going to stay on a few more stops. Johan, I may miss the opening 15 so text me a play by play”. The three did not speak after the instructions had been given. Zoltan knew that his brother was bound by an oath to protect the city. Luis knew that Johan would be safe with his brother and that he would see them soon.

When the train began to move again Luis knew he had made the right decision. The 20 Drughi remaining all put their scarves in their pockets and huddled around each other in quiet conversation. There was no more signing. No more taunting. With the uniformed Guardia off the car they were regrouping … and planning.

 After a few more stations Luis got his first text from Johan. This made him feel good and also made him look more inconspicuous as a man just riding the metro and texting.

First Text ...  Kick off delayed 10 minutes due to supporters clashing outside the grounds. Just made it to our seats as Natali Kicks to Cavanni. ...

 --Reply… Thx. Keep me posted. Don’t worry

Second Text  ... Minute 10. Messi played through by Navas. Chips Stekelenburg for a goal.

--Reply … MESSI!!!

Luis and the now incognito Italians rode the metro a few more stops to the Zona Universitària station. Luis exited with the Italians staying a comfortable distance behind them going unnoticed. He was beginning to wonder what these Drughi were up to. Why did they remove their colors? Why were they not at the Nou Camp raising a ruckus? Where the hell are we going?

.Third text ... Minute 20. Another Messi goal, This time he ran through three defenders. Where are you?

--Reply ... just got off at Metro Zona Universitària. On foot.

Before Luis sent his last text, it dawned on him that he should not only be texting his son. He was now CC’ing his second in command Sgt Pedro Valdes. He would not reply to Sgt Valdes but he would keep copying him. Pedro was bright and would figure out Luis’s replies.

Fourth Text ... Pretty Boy Ronaldo gets on the board. Excellent Free kick after he dove to get the call. The Italians look lost. Where are you?

--Reply ... Walking west. Other ultras have joined this group. The number is now about 50

            Luis was fully aware of how these groups of Ultras worked. Walking around with 200 of your best hooligan buddies is a tad suspicious. So smaller groups around 20 – 30 all take different forms of public transportation (trams and tubes usually) and meet up in a designated area.

Fifth Text ... Italian Ultras inside the stadium are letting off bangers and throwing flares. Some bastard just lobbed a flare off of the Gol Sur!! The match has been halted and riot police are on the pitch! Where are you?

--Reply ... I'm about 50 meters behind the Italians. The real crimes will be committed outside the Camp today. The tactics of Ultras in the Nou Camp must be to draw attention away from this clash.

Sixth Text ... Halftime. 3 - 0 to Spain. Too much possession and too much Messi :-)

-- Reply ... Entering the Parc de Cervantes.

By this time Luis has seen the number of Italian Ultras grow to 150. Many of them are now putting on their balaclavas. Luis could see the trams on the other end of the park are emptying. Based on colors he spotted members of the Frente Atletico, Boixos Nois and the lunatics from the Basque region of Spain, The Herri Norte Taldea. This was their pre-designated spot. This is where it is going to happen

Seventh Text ... Xavi replaces Banega and Ozil is in for Carzola. Daniele De Rossi is in for Seedorf. Second half is underway. Where are you?

-- Reply ...

Leaders of the groups step to the front. There are several minutes of taunting and finger pointing. A lot of adrenalin is being worked up. Flares and missiles are lobbed from the back of the groups. And then ... the spark. A member of the Boixos Nois pulls out a Liverpool flag. The Italians are enraged and they charge the Spanish.

Eighth Text ... Minute 56. Messi completes the hat trick. 4 - 0 Spain. Please text me back.

-- Reply ...

The scene is now a chaotic mass of smoke, bodies and screams. Flesh on flesh. Bone on bone. A riot is taking place in Barcelona's Parc de Cervantes. If any of these mad men paused for a second they could hear the sirens coming. Two police helicopters arrive overhead and this starts panic amongst the troops.

Ninth Text … 67th minute. Sub Lavezzi gets Italy a gol. 4 - 1. Are you ok? Father?

-- Reply ...

Riot trucks and officers wielding batons arrive. Water cannons knock fighting teenagers and middle aged men to the ground like rag dolls. Tear gas from the riot police scatters the men from both sides into gagging and coughing huddles.

All hell has broken loose. There is blood. There are bodies on the ground. Why do they do this? What drives this violence? Is it ideology and opposing world views? Perhaps xenophobia? Even in the year 2011 are we afraid of what we do not know? Maybe these men are looking for a sense of community, though it looks more like tribalism and blind rage.

Or is the easiest answer the most logical? Shall I use Ockham's Razor…

These bastards simply like hitting people.

Tenth Text ... Great Finish. Sergio Ramos scored a header. But the gol of the night belonged to Juve man Arturo Vidal. He scored on  bicylce kick from a Cavanni cross. To little to late though. Spain win 5 - 2. We are headed to the Les Corts metro. See you there?

-- Return Call: "Johann? This Segeant Valdes. We have your father’s phone...."