Nemo nisi mors… no one except death (will part us)
What is it that draws us to a particular football club?
For some it is no doubt the associated glory of supporting a successful team. While there are many fans of clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea who go to games and get involved with the club on an intimate level, there are many more who’s only connection with the club seems to be to dust off their replica shirt during the week of a major trophy… and if they win it, to keep the shirt on for at least another week before heading off back into the woodwork.
They are the fans who use their club as a personality substitute, and whose understanding of the game is limited to the number of trophies won, but what about the fans of other clubs such as Portsmouth, Hull or even Plymouth Argyle? What do they get out of the game? What reward do they get for hours spent travelling to and watching a miserable defeat in the rain against lowly opposition?
The same could be asked of the fans of the sleeping giants of Everton, Tottenham or Villa. Outside the top four, there has been little reason for these clubs to celebrate in recent years, so why do the fans still flock to see these teams?
Perhaps part of the answer can be found in Sweden. I went there last weekend to watch AIK take on Henrick Larrson’s Helsingborg, and was once again amazed by the passion shown by the AIK fans. I felt really at home there, it reminded me about what football was all about, and maybe we’ve forgotten that a little back in the UK?
Let’s be honest, the Swedish league is not the Premiership. They have some great footballers there, but the football is at a Championship level at best. But AIK still regularly has twenty thousand plus fans for every home game, more if its a local derby with one of the other two teams from Stockholm.Why is this? AIK has a strong history, but its not the most successful team in Sweden. Yet it still attracts the biggest crowds, and draws fans from across the socio-economic scale. Perhaps its origins help to explain its current position. It was formed as “the Common People’s Club” or “the Public Club”. A club for the people, a little like Everton’s claim to be the People’s Club in Merseyside.
Perhaps thats why their fans are so passionate? Their passion, however, sometimes gets them into trouble with the law and AIK’s firms have a formidable reputation with both other fans and the Police.
After the game we met up with a senior member of one firm. He’s been an AIK fan all his life, but circling the tattoo of his club’s crest, are the words “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum”. He is also a big Everton fan and so was happy to meet up with us and have a chat.
He is an imposing young man, tall and broad and heavily muscled, and with his shaven head, he looks the part of football hooligan, but speaking to him shows he has an eloquence and dignity about him that belies his off field activities. He is well read and has travelled the world, and when talking and laughing with him in the pub next to the stadium, you could easily forget his violent reputation.
We talked about the club and his passion for it and about the firms that surround the game in Sweden. During our discussions several people came over to shake his hand and say hello, but he looked more embarassed than pleased. This isn’t an Andy Nicholls type character who revels in his infamy. He brushed over the fighting and talked instead about his past and his plans for the future.
He isn’t someone who enjoys violence, rather it just doesn’t bother him that much. To him, the most important things in his life are his friends and family, and if someone threatened them then he’d willingly jump to their defence, and that’s how he sees his club, as his family, and for all their faults he loves them and would protect them with everything he had.
When a close family member died a few years ago he had another tattoo done. This one read “Nemo nisi mors”, an old latin saying, which is short for “No one except death (will part us)”, and when he points to it, the look on his face help explain how he feels about his club and his friends.
At a time when the Premiership is being overrun by big business, it was a stark reminder to the money men not to forget that its the fans and their passion that help to make the club what it is.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Uncategorized
1 opinion for Nemo nisi mors… no one except death (will part us)
monstermom
May 13, 2007 at 12:26 am
couldnt agree with you more…
i guess the fans are what sports is all about..
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: