Blickfang Ultra Nr. 27

Text: Georg Maier & Philipp Natzke - Bilder: Philipp Natzke 

ULTRAS IN 

Marokko 

In the last two years we have heard a lot about North Africa. The revolutions that had been 

triggered by a desperate young greengrocer in the small Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzeid have been 

watched on TV screens all over the world. In Egypt, Ultras have played a central role in the overthrow 

of Mubarak. In Libya, in turn, the NATO bombing is supposed to have prevented a prolonged 

civil war. Media reported about the first free elections, the success of the religious parties and the 

difficulties in the process of transformation. 

But there are also regimes that 

have barely been affected by the 

revolutionary turmoil. In addition 

to President Bouteflika of Algeria, 

Mohammed VI of Morocco 

occupies the throne of the only 

monarchy in North Africa as firmly 

as before the Arab Spring. In 

this context, Moroccan intellectual 

Abdallah Laroui describes his 

homeland as an island separated 

from all neighbours and with its 

own laws, which is a rough euphemism. 

Youth unemployment 

and the lack of political participation 

in Casablanca are as present 

as in Cairo or Tunis. According to 

the movement of February 20th, 

in Morocco arouse a protest movement 

fighting for the country‘s 

comprehensive democratization 

as well. Unlike Egypt and Tunisia, 

however, it is not called for the 

regime‘s fall, but reforms are aimed 

at. These requests the king 

prepared to come up to. He let the 

people vote on a new constitution 

and declared the representative 

of an Islamist opposition party as 

the new head of government. Ac- 

80 - 116 // Blickfang Ultrà - Das Magazin

PORTUGAL 

SPANIEN 

Königreich Marokko: 

Amtssprache: Arabisch, Tamazight 

Hauptstadt: Rabat 

Staatsform: Konstitutionelle Monarchie 

Staatsoberhaupt: König Mohammed VI. 

Fläche: 446.550 

(mit Westsahara: 710.850) km² 

Einwohnerzahl: 32.597.000 

Bevölk.dichte: 72 Einwohner pro km² 

Währung: 1 Dirham (DH) = 100 Centimes 

Unabhängigkeit: von Frankreich 2. März 1956 

und von Spanien 7. April 1956 

Rabat 

Casablanca 

MAROKKO 

Marrakech 

ALGERIEN 

cording to experts, however, not 

much has been changed concerning 

the king‘s function within the 

political process. He still holds the 

rein of the system of power, called 

“makhzen”, which consists of a 

wide range network with important 

political, economic and cultural 

persons, as well as the security 

forces. Without Mohammed VI, 

no political work is possible. The 

king knows where to pull in order 

to get his way even after the constitutional 

amendment. Against 

the background of the uprising 

events in neighbouring countries 

since December 2010, however, 

it‘s in the lap of the gods whether 

this control over the political process 

will continue for a short time 

or last longer. At least for the moment 

the statement of Mohammed 

VI of 2001 is valid, saying that his 

political rhythm is equal to that of 

his country. Provided that the king 

wants to do more than beat time, 

he will have quite a difficult task 

synchronizing the multitude of different 

voices within the complex 

Moroccan society. 

// 81

There is, for example, the rhythm 

of the muezzin‘s call to prayer. 

Morocco is an Islamic country and 

even if religion does not occupy 

such an important role as it does 

in Saudi Arabia, it is nevertheless 

present in everyday life. We experienced 

this during a meeting of the 

Ultras Eagles, which of course was 

interrupted during prayer time in 

order to give those members who 

wanted to pray the opportunity to 

go to the nearby mosque. Faith 

takes on to all sorts of shapes and 

can be observed in various forms. 

Not everyone who prays regularly 

believes that religion should play 

an important role in politics. In 

this respect, it may be doubted 

whether the king‘s function as 

“Commander of the Faithful” and 

descendant of the Prophet Mohammed 

still holds a great deal of 

political importance in it. Religion 

for Mohammed VI already has become 

a double-edged sword. Both 

Marrakech and Casablanca have 

been shaken by terrorist attacks 

in the last decade. Especially in 

the poor districts of the big cities 

that have been left behind economically, 

groups 

of religious fundamentalists are 

very popular. These groups take 

advantage of the gap between the 

king‘s representation as leader of 

the Muslims and the lack of implementation 

of religious laws in the 

country in order to agitate against 

other ways of life apart from that 

as a conservative religious. For 

sure, the unequal and certainly 

inhumane conditions of living in 

the slums of the big cities act as a 

catalyst for fundamentalist ideas. 

The call for a fairer distribution of 

the country‘s income and a better 

keeping of religious beliefs is also 

found with political parties competing 

in elections for governmental 

participation without violence. 

These parties that see themselves 

partly as Islamists, partly as 

secular parties with an Islamic 

reference, desire a more religious 

society. 

Those who dance to wild beats in 

exorbitantly expensive clubs on 

the beach promenade of Casablanca 

or philosophize about the 

hardships and beauties of living in 

Morocco‘s economic capital while 

they drink whiskey and beer in 

shaggy dives, might have a quite 


different 

opinion. After all, this is Morocco, 

too: a secular middle and upper 

class, which takes advantage of 

their new financial opportunities 

and which would rather look the 

other way. 

Morocco is, however, not only in 

this context a country of contrasts. 

Port cities, such as Casablanca or 

Agadir, have little in common with 

inland villages, where life has not 

hardly changed during the last 

fifty years. Nowadays, there is 

nationwide electricity, you can 

watch satellite TV and perhaps 

in a nearby village, even Internet 

is available. The way of life, 

however, is still very different in 

the cities and in the countryside. 

In rural areas, the fields sometimes 

are tilled 

with oxcarts, 

whereas in the 

cities people 

work in hightech 

jobs for 

international 

global players. 

As before, 42% 

of Moroccans live in the country 

(in Germany about 25%). Poverty 

and wealth as well as ethnic differences 

between Berber and Arabs 

prove to be further dividing lines. 

Apart from all these rhythms of a 

society between tradition and modernity, 

there are of course also 

songs that are at least currently 

largely free of political overtones. 

Even if they may not be interesting 

to many observers from outside, 

the terraces of the football stadiums 

captivate the football fan 

all the faster. With long melodic 

songs, a good dose of chaos and 

Bild: René Löbel 

// 83

a n 

exuberant passion for their club 

and their stand, the ambitious 

football traveler always encounters 

fascinating details that distract 

from the often awkward happening 

on the pitch. 

The passion for football is likely to 

be one of the things which unite 

this often 

contradictory country – especially 

the Lions of the Atlas, which is the 

nickname of the national team. 

Being a football fan, however, is 

meant here not only in a local or 

national context. For little money, 

Al-Jazeera Sports brings the European 

leagues to any home, or at 

least to every street café – even 

to the remote 

mountain 

villages. The 

international 

football has, at 

least according 

to our impressions, 

a much 

higher value 

than the domestic 

league. 

The Clasico 

between Real 

and Barcelona 

will therefore 

probably 

put far more 

people under 

its spell than 

the derby between 

Raja and 

Wydad. Some 

Raja fans told 

us that the North Moroccans derogatorily 

are called “Spaniards”, 

since the question of the favourite 

club in the Primera Division 

to them is more crucial than the 

question of belonging to one of 

the local clubs. 

To German observers, on the other 


hand, Moroccan football is likely to 

be known only because of the famous 

Casablanca derbys between 

Raja and Wydad. Wydad is the older 

of the two clubs. It was founded 

in 1937 as protest against the 

racist colonial policy of controlling 

the public baths in Casablanca, 

where Muslims increasingly were 

denied the access. As a result, the 

wish came up to found a swimming 

club for Moroccans. This 

club was also supported by Jewish 

Moroccans, which was nothing unusual 

in North Africa at that time. 

It is told that the founding fathers 

were rather pragmatic finding a 

name for the club. As one of the 

members came late to their first 

meeting, because he had seen the 

film “Wydad” (“Love”) with the famous 

Arab singer Umm Kulthum, it 

was decided that for a sports club 

no better name than this one could 

be found. Thus, the Wydad Athletic 

Club was founded and two years 

later, a football section was founded, 

which up to now could win 12 

national titles. 

Twelve years later, a second important 

association was constituted 

in the port city. In the working 

class neighbourhood Derb Sultan, 

members of the Moroccan resistance 

movement against the colonial 

regime founded their own 

sports club. The name of Raja and 

the colour green should symbolize 

the hope for an independent Morocco. 

The first president of the 

club, however, was an Algerian 

with a French passport. Not until 

six months after the founding, the 

French colonial power allowed the 

club members to elect a Moroccan 

president. 

In order to explain the intense rivalry 

between the two clubs, you 

have to look at these very early 

years. First, the enmity of the two 

naturally comes from a sporting 

aspect. Although Raja started in 

the third and lowest division, it 

soon managed to climb to the upper 

house of Moroccan football. 

Until now, the two clubs compete 

for championship titles and places 

for international competition. The 

first encounter between the two 

clubs after the Moroccan independence 

was characterized by a very 

personal story that laid the foundation 

stone for today‘s relations. In 

the year 1955, a football coach and 

functionary known by the nickname 

Père Jego joined Raja Casablanca. 

He was one of the founders 

of the Wydad football department 

and had been a motor for success 

until 1952. For unknown reasons, 

however, after returning from a 

trip to South America in 1952, the 

management asked him to leave 

the club. Henceforth, his attitude 

towards the Reds was no good 

and his greatest interest lied in 

payback the Wydadis for their behaviour. 

Today the rivalry between the two 

clubs determines even the streets 

of Casablanca. At almost every 

corner there is a territorial marking 

of one of the Ultra groups of 

both clubs. One of the groups of 

the club Raja Casablanca allowed 

us to have a look at the Moroccan 

Ultra scene and we had the honour 

to spend several days as guests of 

the Ultras Eagles 06. At this point 

we want to thank you again for 

the warm hospitality and the interesting 

discussions. Merci and 

shukran! 

// 85

Interview with 

Ultras Eagles 

by Raja Casablanca 

The Ultra movement in Morocco 

and North Africa in general 

is not yet 10 years old 

but football has been a popular 

sport for much longer. 

What did the fan culture and 

the activities in the stands 

look like at the turn of the 

century and before? 

Of course, there used to be groups 

of friends from the neighbourhoods 

that went together in the Magana, 

as our stand was called because 

of the large Omega clock on the 

scoreboard. But there was no real 

organization like today. In general, 

the stand looked quite different. It 

seemed much more colourful than 

today, where the green and white 

colours of Raja dominate the picture. 

This was mainly because everyone 

went to the stadium wearing 

the jersey of his favourite team – 

which was mostly a European one. 

Thus, even if all possible colours 

and nations were represented, the 

green and white jerseys of Celtic 

were already popular. Because of 

these jerseys, the Raja fans were 

also nicknamed the “clique celtic”. 

Before the ultras came, in Morocco 

there were only the two clubs 

from Casablanca who were able 

to present a relevant number of 

supporters. Now, if you ask how 

the relationship between the Moroccan 

supporter camps was, we 

can tell you that there was a rivalry 

only between Raja and Wydad. But 

this doesn’t mean that there never 

have been any incidents on away 

days. In terms of away games, the 

scene of Raja was kind of a pioneer 

in Morocco and has introduced the 

custom of accompanying the club 

abroad. Due to our green and white 

team colours, it was often said colloquially, 

that the grasshoppers 

would come to town. It wasn’t quite 

that wild. Many Rajaoui (Raja fans) 

combined the away game mostly 

with celebrations or visiting baths 

and stayed several days in each 

city. However, a part of the fans 

traveled without money and had 

the goal to fill their pockets and to 

benefit from the journey. But the 

towns were prepared for this kind 

of grasshopper and thus, shops 

and bars remained closed for fear 

of the Rajaoui. There was no trouble 

with the local fans since they virtually 

were non existent or clearly in 

the minority. But you were increasingly 

bothered by the police who 

often acted randomly and brutally. 

And suddenly there came 

groups who wanted more 

than just watching the game 

and to having a good time on 

away days? 

Yes, you could say so. As in the 

other North African countries, in 

Morocco came up more and more 

groups in 2005 and 2006. One 

reason is that a that time an internet 

boom started and suddenly 

everybody was covered with 

pictures and videos from Europe. 

Also in the Magana now various 

groups with different goals and 

orientations emerged. It didn’t 

take long that five people 

decided to leave one of 

the groups because they 

missed the Ultra mentality. 

Via internet in a Raja-forum 

it was called for a meeting. 

Thirty people accepted the invitation 

and the Ultras Eagles were 

born. There were no criteria for 

the membership. The only requirement 

was to be Rajaoui. Those 

who felt comfortable in the 

group stayed and those who 

did not went their own way. At 

the beginning, we didn’t care 

that much about identity and 

the profile of the group. Up 

to now, we are convinced 

that Ultra mainly means 

the club and its colours 

and after that comes 

the group. Unfortunately, 

this mentality is 

not to be found in all 

groups of the Magana. 

One of our first 

aims therefore 


„Unsere Mentalität 

kommt aus 

dem Volk.“ 

// 87

was that the Magana should be 

dominated by the colours green 

and white. We asked the people 

to wear these colours when they 

come into the stand. If you look 

around today, you might say that 

we have been successful. The 

multicoloured jersey blend decreased 

and now the Magana shines 

in green and white. 

But surely thirty members 

cannot change a complete 

stand. How did you prevail 

over the many groups 

and how did you differ from 

them? 

The 05/06 season was a turbulent 

time for the stand, because 

each group wanted to set the tone 

and recruit members. The Ultras 

Eagles grew steadily, we have added 

and integrated other groups 

that shared our understanding 

of Ultra and thus we established 

ourselves. This wasn’t always 

non violent and on the last day 

of the season it ended in a large 

punch-up in the Magana. Our 

group went out of this fight victorious. 

Since then our position 

is no longer called into question 

and we are accepted by everyone 

in the stand. The last part of the 

question we actually have already 

answered. We try to convey 

to people the reason why we are 

doing all this and we also want 

them to ask themselves the same 

question. We represent an answer 

which says: Because of loyalty 

for Raja. A loyalty that expresses 

itself through our acting as defenders 

of the club, its colours and 

its fans. 

Can you perhaps tell us more 

about how you have been influenced 

by the pictures from 

Europe? Did you copy certain 

things? 

Of course we were influenced by 

the pictures from Europe. Above 

all, those from the Italian stadiums, 

where we always have especially 

admired the banners and 

were trying to understand why 

they did this and that. Despite the 

linguistic vicinity, France didn’t 

fascinate us that much, quite in 

contrast to Germany, where we 

especially liked the big terraces. 

Particularly pictures of Schalke, 

Dortmund and Nuremberg did impress 

us. 

At this point we would like to 

stress something. One thing that 

we recognize as crucial and that 

we always pass on to our folks: 

you cannot import mentality! 

Undoubtedly, the pictures inspire 

and give new ideas, but we really 

want people to understand the 

meaning behind it all. Our mentality 

comes from the people. If it 

wouldn’t, we would not be more 

than a copy. We are the voice of 

the Raja fans, the representative 

body of the people, so to speak. 

If you want to be a part of that 

voice, then it’s necessary to live 

for Raja. That is what we demand 

from our active members. This 

also means that as Ultras we are 

warriors, too. For us, to be a warrior 

doesn’t mean searching for 


trouble constantly. Primarily, a 

warrior defends his community. 

We aren’t criminals. From what we 

hear from Eastern Europe, it sometimes 

seems to us as if it‘s all 

about drugs and dead bodies. In 

our group, drug addicts leave sooner 

or later. As far as possible, we 

try to avoid violence. Sometimes 

it‘s just inevitable and if it comes 

to contact with a hated group, it 

happens. Same goes for the police. 

For a long time, the police 

was highly respected. Often, we 

are completely at their mercy and 

are threatened by severe punishment 

– even if you only are accused 

by a police officer without 

having done anything. Although 

the fearful respect for the police 

is slowly dwindling, the attitude 

towards the police is still different 

from what we hear from Europe. 

We remind ourselves again and 

again that we all still are Moroccans 

and Muslims. As long as the 

police doesn‘t provoke, we have 

no reason to look for trouble. But 

if they act towards us with disrespect, 

then it can also happen that 

we answer with violence. 

In most European countries, 

Ultras are considered as the 

evil of football and in Germany 

it can even be called a success 

the media now makes a 

difference between Ultras 

and hooligans. What does it 

look like in Morocco? Especially 

considering the Derby 

transmissions, we notice that 

much is reported on the choreographies 

and their making 

of. 

The positive aspects are presented 

willingly, the media take interest 

in us and thus the groups get 

some positive attention. As you 

correctly noted, this is particularly 

true for our choreographies. On 

the day of a Derby the television 

is always looking for interviewees 

of both sides and wants to learn 

about the preparations. 

At the same time we are also in 

the focus with all the negative 

reports. If anything happens, we 

automatically are guilty. The media 

condemn us without seeking 

information. This is one of the reasons 

for the increase of repression. 

For example, last summer a 

law was passed that allows detainees 

to be locked away faster and 

for a longer time. If you know the 

right people or your parents have 

money, then this isn’t a big problem 

and you are out again quickly. 

Unfortunately, this applies to very 

few football fans here in Morocco. 

But we also have to say that 

within the last few years, the Ultra 

scene has changed. It has become 

popular and draws large crowds. 

Therefore, the ongoings around 

the stadiums are more difficult 

to control for the groups. If we go 

on an away game to another city, 

it’s quite normal that they throw 

stones at us. In front of the stadiums, 

sometimes adventurous 

hunting scenes take place with 

unfortunately already fatal accidents. 

One of them happened 

only recently. Before the game 

FAR Rabat against Wydad in September, 

fans of both teams were 

throwing stones at each other. 

The stadium lies right next to a 

highway. A Wydad fan tried to flee 

from the hailing stones and ran 

onto the road. There, he has been 

hit by a car and was killed. 

However, the media doesn‘t report 

about the Ultras‘ efforts 

trying to stop the most extreme 

developments. For example, last 

summer, the Fatal Tiger of MAS 

(Maghreb de Fes) have published 

a communiqué saying that 

they welcome all guests in town 

and that they ask the MAS fans 

to behave respectfully towards 

the guests. Of course only if the 

guests behave respectfully in Fes. 

Meanwhile, several groups have 

followed. There have also been taken 

steps against the criminality 

in the stands. Earlier, pick pocketing 

had been quite normal in the 

Magana and many children took 

advantage of the crowd in order 

to earn some money. Meanwhile, 

the groups are so respected, that 

they dare less to do so and if it 

still happens, an appropriate reaction 

follows. Unfortunately, the 

problem will rather not be solved 

for the complete stand. 

Okay, let‘s get back again to 

your group and to Casablanca. 

You talk of approximately 

1.000 members for the Ultras 

Eagles. That sounds very 

powerful and hardly to imagine 

since the group came 

to existence in 2006. How is 

this possible and how do you 

control this large number? Is 

there a strong competition 

towards the city rival? 

The number is correct and increases 

year by year, as more and 

more people are coming and 

with each start of the season we 

give everyone the opportunity to 

become a group member for this 

season. The membership fee per 

season is about 15 euros and it’s 

// 89

used solely for choreographies 

and other group expenses. Having 

become a member, everyone 

gets a new scarf or t-shirt and 

the right to purchase additional 

group products. As Raja is the 

most popular club in Morocco, 

our members come from all over 

the country. For this reason, we 

have organized ourselves in sections 

that are spread all over the 

country and help our members 

outside of Casablanca a lot. There 

also exists a European section. 

In addition to the normal members, 

there is also an active core 

of about 50 people. These members 

will get the latest information 

sooner than the others and 

they are regularly and actively 

involved in what is going on in the 

group. There are no fixed rules 

how to become a part of this core. 

It simply develops corresponding 

to the personal commitment of 

each individual, we don‘t look for 

right candidates. For the most important 

decisions, we have a still 

smaller group with the five group 

founders and a few more members. 

Preparing a choreography, 

however, there is far more secrecy. 

Only 3-4 members know about 

the final design in advance. 

If you ask for our relationship with 

the Reds, then we can say that 

it is, of course, not a good one. 

But we don‘t waste our time with 

small battles. The neighbourhoods 

are clearly divided. The 

club representing the majority in 

one area shows this by marking 

the streets with graffiti. For us, 

it’s usual to accept such markings 

if they meet the real conditions. 

It therefore hardly ever happens 

that such graffiti get crossed. 

But as a funny anecdote we can 

tell you that at the beginning of 

each season we always have to 

be careful as hell at our big meetings. 

Since some Reds sneak 

around trying to snag our latest 

products in order to present them 

as trophies at the next Derby. 

Talking about the Derby. The 

choreographies shown on 

both sides are famous all over 

the world and impress everybody 

with their detailed realization 

using paper sheets in 

giant stands without numbered 

seats. What is your focus 

concerning choreography or 

tifo in general? 

Unlike our red opposite or other 

groups, we don‘t want to build 

a simple image with a few numbers, 

letters or a logo that simply 

serves to glorify the own group. 

Before each season, a meeting 

with the most important groups 

of the Magana takes place where 

the responsibility for the Derby 

choreographies is distributed. In 

addition to the Derby choreos, we 

only prepare choreos for special 

events because with a choreography 

we always want to make a 

special statement. 

To give you an example from the 

year 2010. In addition to supporting 

the own club, Ultra also 

means to outdo the enemy on 

the stands. We therefore prepared 

a special choreography. On 

the preceding Derby, the Winners 

once again presented their usual 

boring stuff. In order to hit out at 

this simplicity, we came up with 

an answer to their choreo and decided 

to depict a great “progrom” 

using the same font, because 

when Wydad was set up, many 

Jews were involved. We prepared 

the choreo on the eve of the 

game, but due to heavy rain the 

Derby was canceled and postponed 

to next weekend. In addition, 

the police had got notice of 

the meaning of the choreography, 

which is why the action was for- 


Vivo per te 

Bianco verde 

la vida del casablanca 

vivo per te 

3la chanek kul yum ma3raka 

White-green 

this is the life of Casablanca. 

We live for you 

and fight for you every day. 

Bianco verde 

Nostra vida rakha blanca 

vivo per te 

3la chanek kul yum ma3raka 

White-green. 

Our green-white life. 

We live for you 

and fight for you every day. 

khadra hbibti 

ntia ruh ntia dinyiti 

sa3ra 3lik nti 

3la les culeurs machi 3la l comite 

Green treasure 

you‘re my soul and my life. 

We only fight for you 

and your colors and not for the president. 

3aychine sabrine 

ghir 3la schanek ya khadra 

fi domaine msofrine 

c´est la mentalita ultras 

We life patiently 

just for you, my green precious, 

even if we had to suffer. 

This is the mentality of the Ultras. 

3aychine sabrine 

fidele o yesra lui yesra 

comme même 7akmine 

ultras au pays des Eltras 

We life patiently 

and stay loyal, no matter what comes. 

Anyway, we rule, 

the Ultras is the country of the Eltras. (derogatory 

term for the other groups) 

7kamnaha snine 

tal3ate forts 

la3qale hire 

qualite et madmoune 

We rule for years. 

Our tifo 

makes the others be astonished at, 

with its quality and message. 

jil 3la jil 

wa yama dour et 

wa li chaftih bareh matchoufo lyoum 

From generation to generation 

days pass by 

but no day is like the last one. 

la Liberte 

wa 3liha tarat tawra 

3ich bi la fierte 

hada zman anti paura 

Liberty, 

people are fighting for it. 

We‘ll live with honor. 

This is the age without fear. 

la Liberte 

3liha ch7al sa3rate men dawla 

3ich bi la fierte 

hada zman anti paura 

Liberty, 

people were fighting for it. 

We‘ll live with honor. 

This is the age without fear. 

chi masouline fardo qanoune 

et hna 3aychin mnissine fi balone 

chi moufsidine tghaw fi maroc 

manach khayfine la guerre et la mort 

The government passes new laws 

but at football we forget our problems. 

Scoundrels rule in Morocco 

but we are not scared. Ether war or die. 

bidden and we were threatened 

with arrest. We didn‘t want to do 

without, so through the few days 

remaining, we worked out a choreo 

anyway. On match day, the 

saying “Vivo per te” was shown in 

the Magana. For us, this seemed 

to be the right slogan for our situation 

with a forbidden choreography 

and little time to prepare 

something new. But joining our 

efforts, we succeeded preparing 

a nice graph and therefore “Vivo 

per te” since then is the guiding 

principle of our group, which we 

already use in a song. 

Another example for what is most 

important to us in the stadium, 

are our banners. They are a perfect 

way to express our opinion 

on current events to the public or 

to hurt the enemy without that a 

physical attack is necessary. We 

also defend our country and the 

Islam in case of attack. When 

Berlusconi once again agitated 

against the Islam and the Arab 

world, we showed “Tartaglia uno 

di noi!” because Massimo Tartaglia 

was the one who had attacked 

and injured Berlusconi at an event 

in 2009. 

One more question about 

your songs. Looking 

for North African Ultra 

groups on Youtube, 

you immediately 

find CDs with studio 

versions of the songs 

sung in the stadium. 

Just like other groups, 

it can be noticed that 

in the hymns of your 

Gruppo Aquile between 

all the Arabic 

texts some French, Italian 

or Spanish words 

appear. Isn‘t this a bit 

too complex? As many 

people won‘t understand 

what is being 

sung there? Moreover, 

we would like to know 

which of the pre-ultra 

stadium hits are still 

bellowed out throughout 

the Magana and 

to which songs you 

haven‘t hold on to. 

Let‘s start with the last 

part of the question. There 

aren‘t any old songs that 

have survived until today. 

It was just part of the folklore to 

go to the stadium and watch the 

game. If anything was sung, then 

it happened to be folk songs without 

football reference. But we 

don‘t want to disappoint you. There 

are a few old battle cries which 

probably sound unusual for you. 

They come from the time when 

everyone was sitting in front of 

the TV and watching the foreign 

terraces. So until today “San Siro, 

San Siro” is chanted when flares 

are let off and when after a penalty 

everybody‘s running down the 

stand and climbs onto the fence, 

we call it “Boca Junior”. In the meantime 

we try to replace the old 

habits. It is the task of the Gruppo 

Aquile to find new songs for the 

stand. It consists of three group 

members who compose and write 

songs and publish them. There 

are two types of songs. Those that 

are heard at home and in everyday 

life and those that are sung 

in the stadium. A good stadium 

chant develops from itself and without 

specific guidelines. It has to 

pop up in your head spontaneously 

and stay there. If this happens 

with a song from the CD, then we 

sing it in the stadium. Of course, 

the songs are about Raja and not 

// 91

about our group. The songs have to tell stories and 

can also be about such issues as unemployment and 

violence. These are issues that affect every Raja fan. 

It’s no problem that words of other languages are 

used. We constantly meet a lot of words from foreign 

languages, as the Moroccan language has been influenced 

by the Mediterranean region. Most striking 

with the French language. In addition, these foreign 

language words often fit better to the tune than Arab 

words. 

Talking about Ultras in the Arab world, we 

cannot avoid the topic “Arab Spring”. Since 

the fall of Mubarak, you hear and read over 

and over again of the Ultras of Cairo which 

continue to play a centrol role in the demonstrations. 

Is such a constellation possible in 

Morocco or have there even been similar incidents? 

Generally, it should be stressed that the Egyptian revolution 

came into being through the people which 

spoke with one voice and reached their aims through 

firm determination. Of course, the Ultras are a part of 

the people and supported the actions. The demonstrations 

in Morocco differed from those in Egypt in 

so far that the aims weren‘t always clear and were 

often mixed with personal interests. These aims generally 

have little to do with the bulk of the population, 

which was illustrated by the small turnout at the 

protest events. Should it become necessary for Morocco 

and should we be convinced of the necessity, it 

would be no question for us to take part. Let‘s point 

out another occasion on which we have acted contrary 

to the policy of our government. For the North Africa 

Cup 2009 game against ES Setif from Algeria we 

had prepared a choreography in order to emphasize 

the common ground of the two states and the unity 

of their inhabitants. Even though our state is in conflict 

with the Algerian and on both sides the flames 

of hatred are fanned, the ordinary people still remain 

one great people, even if the politicians don‘t like 

it. Unfortunately our presentation was prevented by 

the security service. Since it became known through 

other channels anyway, in the return match a surprise 

awaited us. Our team and we were received very 

friendly and for a long time again, the national flags 

of Morocco and Algeria waved side by side. We even 

met like-minded Algerian fans and in order to thank 

us they presented a choreography that contained 

the same saying as ours. After the game, the media 

reported several times about this action and thus it 

was remembered for a long time although initially it 

had been forbidden. 

Thank you so much for your hospitality and 

for giving us this interesting insight into the 

Moroccan world of Ultra. Shukran! 


93

Auswärtsfahrt auf marokkanisch 

Unterwegs miT den 

Ultras eagles 

Being a guest of the Ultras Eagles, 

we were invited for the upcoming 

away game against league climber 

Raja Beni Mellal. Although RBM had 

to switch to the nearby stadium of 

former first division JS Kasbah Tadla, 

we did not take the route from 

Casablanca on the now well-developed 

highways, but drove 220 km on 

ordinary roads past the large phosphate 

plateau of Khouribga, which 

guaranteed adventures and sideway 

looks. Although we had to answer 

many questions and doubting glances, 

we were allowed to take a seat 

in the bus of the Ultras Eagles, with 

the compromise to change into a car 

after an hour. As the reason why, 

they told us stories in which old buses 

simply broke down or where the 

bus driver didn‘t want to wait until 

the end of the game and drove home 

without passengers. 

For kick-off time at 16 o‘clock – not 

to mention that the day, including 

Friday‘s game, officially was terminated 

on Thursday – we met at 9am 

for departure time in a neighbourhood 

of the UE and were waiting for 

the bus … and kept waiting. When 

the bus finally came, we drove to 

the next meeting point, kept waiting 

again and finally started at 11am. 

Take it easy. The bus was escorted 

by a couple of cars and a removal 

van full of people. For your next away 

game, try to imagine how many minibuses 

could be saved with this 

method … The bus convinced with 

minimal luxury, everybody was smoking, 

hanging out from the sliding 

windows and was singing to the 

beat of a big drum in the rear. We felt 

like dreaming and while listening to 

the stories of the oldest group member, 

who told us about the two-day 

bus tour to the Champions League 

Final ‚89 in Algier, we imagined a 

journey with a distance of 1100 km 

to the away match in Laayounne in 

the Western Sahara, whose club 

JSM failed remaining in the league 

on the last day of the pre-season. At 

some point, the trip on the bus, that 

drove with the motor covering permanently 

open, was over, we were 

led to one of the traditional Fantasia 

equestrian games, in which a group 

of riders tries to shoot with rifles in 

the air simultaneously, and we followed 

the rest of the group. When 

we caught up with the van, the back 

door was open, with some of the 

boys letting their legs dangling over 

the asphalt, which one of the older 

passengers visibly annoyed as they 

have often pointed out the risks to 

the boys. After wild gestures, which 

were answered by many gestures 

saying that inside the van it was 

cramped, dark and stuffy – with thirty 

passengers inside, we believed 

this at once -, the door of the van 

was closed at full speed. 

Coming into town, it happened what 

we heard often before. On both 

sides of the road, small groups of 

not more than 15-year old kids were 

standing and throwing stones at all 

vehicles that looked unknown. But 

the excitement was at least so low 


that we continued driving on towards 

the stadium, where the transporter, 

pickups and cars of other 

groups had arrived. We were waiting 

outside of the stadium and were 

sent from A to B and back again to A 

by the haphazard police, when two 

busses with singing fans from Beni 

Mellal came around the corner. On 

the roof of each bus about ten people 

were standing and at the sharp 

corners they prevented falling down 

behaving just like surfers and went 

on celebrating. When we queued up 

with the waiting Rajaoui, we were 

frisked ten times by policemen who 

stood right behind each other and 

thus I forgot to take my water bottle 

with me, which I should regret 

deeply. As there was no shop for 

drinks, no toilet in the away stand, 

just sand, sun and a wall. Luckily, 

there were only 1,5 hours until kick 

off … 

The two stands were already filled 

and we had to mingle with about 

1.000 guests because there was no 

shade anyway. At the beginning, it 

was fun, because we sang, babbled 

and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings 

with the desert and the mountains 

in the background. But eventually 

my mouth was dry and we 

had to save energy. Pointlessly, a 

salesman offered dry baguettes but 

found consequently few customers. 

Two guys did far better with their big 

lollipop boxes and gave each of us 

one lollipop recommending them as 

thirst quencher. And what can I say, 

these things saved me through the 

game. When I spotted the box the 

next time, I did a real panic-buy at 

0,5 cents per piece and filled my pockets. 

And after three more sucked 

pieces the referee whistled at last. 

For the first home game in the top 

class against the famous namesake, 

the terraces were filled to the 

brim and the small fan scene also 

wanted to celebrate this event with 

a big choreography. However, with 

their banner they wanted to show 

that there are RBM fans from Tangier 

(north) to the Sahara (south). 

In the dispute over the southern 

territory of Western Sahara, Morocco 

states that this belongs to the 

Moroccan territory. Therefore, the 

term “Sahara” is superfluous and 

they would rather use the name of 

// 95

the southern city Lagouira. This was 

the opinion of the police officers 

who removed the choreography 

before 

kickoff, which led to 

a boycott by the fans 

on the backstretch 

during the first half. 

Too bad, because in 

the minutes before, 

around 1.500 people 

jumped right off the 

bat and sang melodic 

songs with apparently 

several verses. 

In the away stand the 

different groups installed 

three leaders on 

the fence, who always 

tried to coordinate the singing 

but it didn‘t always work. Sometimes 

they couldn‘t understand 

the calls of each other, because in 

the group in front of them again a 

song was rising, sometimes they 

simply didn‘t want to. As long as 

the group around you is jumping 

and singing madly, you don‘t care, 

but if you look at the potential in a 

stand like this, you inevitably come 

to think of what would be if … 95% of 

the guests were Ultras aged 15 to 35, 

who unfortunately rarely matched 

for a united singing but when they 

managed it was very convincing. 

Now, only the collaboration has to 

work better. 

But generally, everything seemed 

calmer than I had imagined according 

to the stories, because I had 

heard that crutches were a popular 

piece of equipment in away games 

in order to provide an advantage 

in the frequent battles 

in the stands, where always 

pickpockets were 

lurking. However, the 

only fights I noticed 

were fierce struggles 

for water bottles. 

Somewhere 

there probably 

was a water tap 

from which individual 

people carried 

a filled bottle into 

the stand, the way into to 

stand being already difficult 

enough. Once there, everybody 

was lurking until the bottle was

ought into position and was thus 

brought out of hiding, whereas at 

least five hands 

grabbed 

f o r 

the bottle and thus only a small part 

of the water ever found its target. 

As a result, there were always short 

fights among the thirsty guys. It 

therefore was an advantage being 

with the Ultras Eagles and to profit 

regularly from the small drinking 

rounds. Shukran! 

In the beginning, the mood was 

euphoric but dropped off due 

to the merciless heat without 

water and the weak 

game. In the second 

half, the guest team 

at last achieved 0-1, 

whereupon the away 

stand celebrated and 

let off flares. After the 

game, we had to wait 

in the stand but finally 

the way was open and the heated 

water bottles in the car were emptied 

to the last drop. To conclude 

the trip, we stopped at the services 

with the yellow M … of course not. 

Our destination were ten barbecue 

restaurants in a row right beside the 

street. Hanging in front of each were 

animals to choose, which were then 

dismantled and grilled and served 

with plenty of tea. Full and satisfied 

we squeezed again with four people 

on the back seat for the last two 

hours. We had to stop only once 

when the elder group members 

again had to ask the younger ones 

to immediately resume the journey 

from a small village kiosk because 

there was trouble. The young ones 

probably hadn‘t paid...

Blickfang Ultra Nr. 27

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