How many football hooligans from The Balkans are related to crime and politics? The answer to this question is given by the latest research of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

In the document entitled ""Dangerous Games: Football Hooliganism, Politics and Organized Crime in the Western Balkans" it is concluded that regional football hooligans including those from Macedonia they resort to violence in the football mile and some of these hooligans are involved in organized crime.

In a statement to Free Press one of the authors of this publication Sasa Djordjevic the coordinator of Global Initiative for Serbia-Montenegro says hooligans in the Western Balkans are known for using violence, especially in derbies and against the police.

"What is less well known is that local politicians sometimes use hooligans to further their own interests, and in some cases there are links between hooligans and criminal groups," he said.

He underlines that in their research they concluded that 78 out of 122 fan groups in the Western Balkans are "ultras", passionate and well-organized associations of football fans. However, according to the author, 21 of these 78 groups can be considered hooligans, which is a security risk.

In the part that refers to Macedonia, "Global Initiative" writes that the most influential ultras are in the capital Skopje, where Macedonians are in the majority. Komiti support it FK Vardar and are the dominant fan group in the country, both in number and power. Another important group in Skopje is Smuggling, which supports it FC Shkupi - a club popular with the Albanian ethnic community in the city. In Tetovo, a city in the northwestern part of the country where Albanians are the majority, Ballistet supports it FC Shkendija, while Dukes are supporters of FC Teteks.

In the part of the document for our country it is added that in the south of the country there are several groups: Chkembari from Bitola cheers for FC Pelister; while the fans of FC Pobeda from Prilep are Monkeys. Fans of FC Ohrid 2004 are Fishermen, and Ajduci cheer for FC Belasica in Strumica. The most influential group in the northern part of the country is Kumani, which cheers for FC Kumanovo.