The politics of ‘no politics’ in Pula, Croatia: an ethnography of the Demons football fan group

Abstract

When a football fan group claims to be non-political, what does this mean, and what are the broader implications? This article examines such claims in a European context, through an ethnographic case study of the Demons, a small fan group in Croatia who follow Pula’s main club, NK Istra 1961. The literature on ‘ultras no politica’ is first reviewed. Interview material and ethnographic descriptions of group activities then form a springboard for a discussion of themes relevant to fan groups the world over: terrace atmosphere & group hierarchy; gender, sexuality & race; the role of the internet, social media, and branding; and violence and illegality. In the final section, I discuss and interpret the group’s ‘no politics’ positioning as: (i) a strategy for managing diversity, (ii) a rejection of party politics, and (iii) a foil that has facilitated a Croatian nationalist position among younger group members.