Ragazzi di Stadio

Could you briefly explain the Ragazzi di Stadio project and its underlying vision?

In the 1970s, Daniele Segre worked as a Photojournalist, documenting student and workers’ movements fighting for their rights. In 1978, he came across a slogan painted on a wall: “Il potere deve essere bianco-nero” (“Power must be black and white”), a twist on the famous “Il potere deve essere operaio” (“Power must be in the hands of workers”). That’s when he realized that political expression was shifting from public squares to the stadium terraces.

This was the origin of Ragazzi di Stadio, a long immersion that lasted two to three years, during which Daniele followed football fans in their transformation into ultras. The project first became a photographic investigation, the original book, then a short film and later a feature-length documentary.

Ragazzi di Stadio was never intended to talk about football per se, the pitch itself never appears. Instead, it focuses on the people behind the stands, those who give life to the terraces. The camera never looks toward the field, but always toward the faces of those watching, supporting, and living football.

You described this reissue as a “labour of love.” What personal and familial meaning does this project hold for you?

After Daniele’s passing, we instinctively decided to work together on republishing this book. It became a way to process grief while engaging both mind and heart, collaborating side by side, as our father always encouraged us to do, and to celebrate his work in a way we might not have dared while he was alive.

We enriched the new edition with previously unpublished photographs from Daniele’s archive, along with three documentaries accessible via QR code. We wanted the book to reflect the richness and diversity of his work, and all the nuances he captured in the ultra movement.

We chose to start with Ragazzi di Stadio because it’s one of his most iconic works, and because it’s the very first visual inquiry into the ultra world in Italy and Europe. The book marked the start of a lifelong commitment to documenting social issues and human stories, defining Daniele as one of the pioneers of Italian cinéma vérité.

For us, the book carries deep personal meaning. It’s the product of a collective, cathartic and passionate effort, made possible by our family, our collaborators, and ETS, the publisher.

How would you describe the look of Italian ultras in the 1980s, as seen in the book? Which pieces appear most frequently and why?

In the interviews featured in the book, the youths describe the aesthetic and “identity” codes of different ultra groups. Clothing was part of their essence, they didn’t take it off once the match was over.

As Gianni says:
“For us, going to the stadium isn’t about clowning around, dressing up a certain way, and then turning back into respectable people. That would mean being part of the system. We go to the stadium the way we go out on the street, wearing our red berets proudly.”

And Marco adds:
“Joining the ultras was like taking an oath. You had to stay loyal. On certain nights, this would be decided at the stadium, we all had to dress the same: combat boots, jeans, camouflage jackets, black beret tilted to one side.”

Have any of the visual details from the book resurfaced or inspired current fan practices?

We’re not entirely up to date with current ultra trends, but we’ve noticed that many young groups enthusiastically embraced the reissue, organizing exhibitions and events around the book and its photographs.

At the openings, many attendees wore clothing styles closely resembling those shown in Daniele’s images.

Even if the identity quest today is different from the one Daniele captured, we were surprised, and amused, to see similar looks reappearing in other contexts, inspired by visuals from another era.

The ragazzo di stadio style was an extension of the political struggles of the ’60s and ’70s, and we now see traces of that legacy in urban and alternative subcultures.

The power of the book lies in its directness: close-up portraits, intense stares, young and determined faces. Why do you think this approach still resonates today?

Much of Ragazzi di Stadio’s success lies in the fact that it was the first to portray this world, and these people, from the inside, without judgment.

At the time, people weren’t used to being photographed. They didn’t know how to “perform” in front of a camera. Their pride was real, not an aesthetic, not a pose, but a genuine identity.

Daniele built trust and used his lens not to judge, but to witness. The book reveals a raw and honest authenticity: a youth full of contradictions and social complexity, grounded in their context. That’s what makes Ragazzi di Stadio timeless.

The book celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. What place does it hold in Italy’s visual football memory today?

We decided to republish it when we realized how iconic the 1979 edition (originally published by Mazzotta) had become in the visual memory of Italian football, and beyond. The book had become a cult object, impossible to find except for a few copies on eBay at astronomical prices.

The reissue proved how alive the images still are: even fans from rival clubs acknowledge it as a milestone, because it tells the story of the ultra movement as a whole, not a single team. It’s also a document of a world that no longer exists. Back then, a match ticket cost 10,000 lire, a Fiat factory worker could afford to go. Today, football is a luxury.

The experience of fandom has changed, as has the political and collective dimension that once defined the terraces. Daniele’s portraits reflect an intensity and a kind of devotion that feels almost anachronistic in today’s football.

One year after the reissue, how have younger readers, especially those born after the 1980s, reacted? Did you expect this kind of response?

The response has far exceeded our expectations, both from younger and older generations. We received countless warm messages, sold-out screenings at the Turin Film Festival, and had to launch a second print run just a week after the book’s release.

Requests came in for exhibitions, screenings, and interviews, from institutions like the Turin National Cinema Museum and MAXXI in Rome, but also from younger collectives and popular Instagram pages focused on fashion and youth culture. For many young people, Ragazzi di Stadio had become mythologized, a rare, legendary book representing a vanished era.

They speak of it with awe, often without being fully aware of the historical contradictions it captures. We’re sincerely moved and proud that Daniele’s work is receiving this level of recognition, and from such a broad range of audiences.

Have any reactions or encounters stood out to you personally?

Yes. We were especially touched by people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, those who lived through that era, who told us how much the book meant to them. Some quoted passages from the documentary by heart. Others showed up with printed or photocopied pages of their photos from the book.

There was immense pride in being included, Ragazzi di Stadio became a kind of manifesto or even a “bible” for ultras. Before this reissue, we hadn’t realized just how iconic it had become. Daniele probably did… but we were only just beginning to understand the scope of its legacy.

Do you see this book as a closed chapter or as a living project?

We would love to share Ragazzi di Stadio more widely on an international scale. The new edition was well received across Europe, especially in France. A beautiful piece by Pierre Adrien in L’Équipe moved us deeply.

Some of Daniele’s photographs have been acquired by the MUCEM in Marseille, and the book can now be consulted in their library. We’re currently working on a potential French edition.

Since 1978, Ragazzi di Stadio has followed a winding and surprising path, and we hope it will continue to evolve, paying tribute to Daniele, to the young people he photographed, and to that extraordinary moment in football history.