The real world of football hooligans (now known across Europe as ultras) has always been a very secretive one, often conducted away from the public eye and mainstream media.
However, Bradford-based documentary photographer John Bolloten was able to gain the trust of one of the most notorious groups in the Caucasus region, his photographs now published in a new photo book Tbilisi Raw.
Access within groups of ultras is almost impossible. Members never reveal their identity and faces are never shown. It is a code that stretches across the whole world of ultras. Letting a stranger inside to photograph their world is an extremely rare occurrence.
John explains: “I was in Tbilisi for a few days and I found out that the top club there, FC Dinamo Tbilisi, had a fanatical ultras group called Elita. I made contact with them and after some conversation, they invited me to join them inside their sector at a home match the following day.”
When John arrived at the stadium, he discovered that Elita control a whole sector of the ground which is gated off and no outsiders, even regular Dinamo supporters, are allowed inside.
What was to follow was a disturbing and shocking experience.
Tbilisi Raw
Documentary photographer John Bolloten goes deep into the underground world of the FC Dinamo Tbilisi Ultras providing an extremely rare and intimate insight into the world of football ultras and right-wing skinheads.
The photo book contains 81 black and white photographs across 88 pages and includes an interview with the Elita ultras group. Please note that this book contains explicit images that may be considered offensive.
John explains: “After only a couple of minutes inside I noticed that Elita were having an argument with two Russian far-right ultras. Seconds later, the Russians were beaten inside the stands. I understood why Elita had such a feared reputation in the region and that a situation could explode at any moment.”
Elita were formed in 2018 and became the main ultras group following Dinamo Tbilisi after the demise of a few ultra groups before them.
They quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with and had taken part in organized fights against rival hooligans, clashing with groups from Dutch giants Feyernoord, NK Maribor from Slovenia and Israeli fans from Beitar Jerusalem.
Their main rivalries are with Russian clubs, although to date they have not had the opportunity to meet.
Hatred of Russia is notable on the streets of Tbilisi, particularly since the war in Ukraine began. Offensive graffiti can be seen across the city centre and out in the surrounding areas.
The establishment of Elita therefore needs to be seen in the context of Georgia’s relationship with Russia and the lack of stability in the region.
Georgia became independent in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union and then had its own internal civil war and a was against Russia itself a few years ago. Two Georgian regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, are now outside Georgian control and unrecognized by most of the international community. Elita’s own banners at matches state that these regions are part of Georgia.
John continues: “The rest of the match passed off without incident. I was able to take many photographs and I had agreed beforehand that I would put a black line over members’ faces to protect their identity.
Trust and communication is a massive part of John’s work: “All of my work is based on trust and I never betray it. I have worked on many underground projects and trust is always at the central to being able to take and publish such photographs. When Elita met me, I think they just had that feeling that I was someone they could trust. They told me after that I was the first person ever to be invited inside their sector.”
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Tbilisi Raw£15.00 -
Baby Squad 1984 | Steve Pyke£8.50 -
Napoli – Campioni d’Italia | Boogie£8.50
This trust was cemented after the game when Elita invited John to join them. When driving out of the capital, Elita then revealed that they were going to ambush their most detested rival ultras from Torpedo Kutaisi at a small stadium in the city’s suburbs.
Around thirty Torpedo ultras were ambushed by 20 from Elita in a few street skirmishes. John photographed the fighting between the two groups. When Elita left the scene, John was able to slip away unnoticed.
John recalls: ”I got on a local bus to take me to the metro station and then received a call from one of the Elita leaders asking where I was. I said I was on my way back to my apartment and that I was fine.”
It was this that fully gained the trust the of the ultras. He was invited the following day to take some more photos and then decided to return a few months later to work on the Tbilisi Raw book, with the full co-operation of Elita.
“Despite their notorious reputation, Elita gave me incredible access”, John says. “I travelled with them to games, went to their gatherings and also when they were making graffiti in Tbilisi”.
The photographs that make up the book Tbilisi Raw are often shocking and disturbing. But they show a hidden world that is rarely, if ever, seen by ordinary people.
John explains: “My documentary work is about making honest and authentic photographs that accurately depict the lifestyles of those on the margins of society. I don’t seek to glamourise or condone any of this, just to show the reality that exists. The viewer can then make up their own mind in an informed and balanced way.”
Since John returned to the UK, Elita have continued to wreak havoc at football matches in Georgia. Violent incidents have taken place matches with one even being covered on Georgian television. When Elita were contacted by local media for comment they deliberately stayed silent. However, in the book they gave a three page interview to John about the origins, their philosophy and what the hooligan lifestyle means to them.
Elita state that their political philosophy is right-wing and Georgian nationalist. They claim to represent the common views of many Georgian people on political matters, in particular in relation to their Russian neighbour. Elita say that they are not interested in being the most notorious hooligans outfit in Georgia itself but in the whole of the Caucasus region.
Lower Block does not condone any type of violence. This feature is a photo documentary portraying the reality of its subjects. The culture of football, and the groups of supporters and communities that make it up is unique to towns, cities and countries worldwide. Football is for everyone, and always will be.
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