Pitched Battles: The Role of Ultra Soccer Fans in the Arab Spring
PITCHED BATTLES: THE ROLE OF ULTRA SOCCER FANS IN THE ARAB SPRING* James M. Dorsey† For decades soccer has constituted an alternative public space in the Middle East. Largely unnoticed by internationalexperts, soccer provided a venue for the expression of pent-up anger and frustration against authoritarianism. By the time the Arab revolt erupted in Dec…