ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief description of the White Angels’ move to a community club model. Following this, informal fan networks are briefly discussed. The remainder of the chapter examines how the White Angels’ participation in international initiatives shaped understandings of fan authenticity present among the membership. It is argued that their relationships with European actors such as FSE (Football Supporters Europe) and FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) played a significant role in constructing oppositional identifications both at the Zagreb level (with other fan groups) and in relation to perceived European fan groups. It relates these to struggles over fan authenticity that took place within the group, wherein a more ‘football’- and ‘ultras’-oriented section of the membership expressed their dislike of involvement in NGO project initiatives and also of the believed incursion of left-wing political activists with only a secondary interest in football. The discussions over sub-cultural authenticity are related to hierarchy formation in relation to the White Angels’ increased participation in NGO project initiatives. Finally, the ways in which members mobilized a ‘politics–people’ distinction, to label people outside of the boundaries of their network, are examined. In the conclusion, the ethnographic material is related to theoretical studies of subcultural authenticity.
