The first chapter of How Soccer Explains The World jumps right into the gritty underbelly of Eastern European soccer booster clubs and their violent antics. Grabbing the attention of the reader with violence this chapter delves into the connections these soccer fan gangs have within the political infrastructure of Eastern European nations. Instances of fans beating and clubbing their way through an entire stadium in 20 minutes, even through police resistance, sparked my interest a great deal. Even more interesting are the connections the author makes between these soccer clubs and the culture of the countries they come from. When the Red Star Club of Serbia and their Ultra Bad Boys traveled to Croatia in a match against their rivals the Dinamo Zagreb a minature Yugoslavian Civil War occured. During the period of communism post WWII the differences between Serbs and Crots lay dormat, but as communism began to dissolve the bad blood of old roused within the peoples. It was the first time in fifty years Yugoslavia saw it's two ethnic groups openly battle.
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