Are football's new 'Ultras' a force for good? - The Sports Agents
The News Agents
Global
4.1 • 5.4K Ratings
🗓️ 27 March 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The fan phenomenon of ‘Ultras’ has taken Scotland by storm… TIFO’s, flares and drums - like we’re used to seeing in Europe - popping up everywhere from the Old Firm right down to the 4th division.
So can this sub-culture be a force for good in an online sphere dominated by the ‘manosphere’ or is it actually just another mask for something more sinister?
Gabby & Mark are joined by Andy Hughes, host of The Crime Agents - who has spent time undercover reporting on football hooliganism in England, and Blair McNally - who has amassed millions of views online documenting Scottish ultras.
📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7
💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6
🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod
📱Follow us on socials:
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/
X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod
📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com
Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides
Producers: Sophie Penney & George Sexton-Kerr
Video Producer: Sam Trudgill
Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart
Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network
Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global
You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".
👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Get more of what matters with the new Google Pixel 10A on EE, the UK's best network. |
| 0:06.6 | Save £16 a month, all while getting Gemini, your personal AI assistant, 30 hours battery life, and data gifting. |
| 0:14.6 | You'll save when you trade in two. |
| 0:16.5 | Get your Google Pixel 10A on EE today. |
| 0:19.8 | Launch offer ends 30th of March. |
| 0:22.2 | Saving momentum 24 month, 125 gigabyte essentials airtime plan. Eligibility, credit check in terms of |
| 0:26.8 | high, credit by EE limited, clarify best network at e.c.catek.claims. |
| 0:32.4 | This is a global player original podcast. Being part of an altarscript is like a mini-school. |
| 0:38.5 | They're learning literacy. |
| 0:39.7 | They'll learn numeracy. |
| 0:40.8 | Even like music, for example. |
| 0:42.7 | And they turned into hooligans that day. |
| 0:44.7 | They started hurling bottles at police officers. |
| 0:47.5 | They were assaulting police horses. |
| 0:49.6 | It was as bad as it gets. |
| 0:51.2 | Riots before the game. |
| 0:52.8 | Teard gas. |
| 0:53.4 | We got locked inside a cafe, fans, police, rioting. |
| 0:58.2 | Football fans remember the moment they fell in love with the beautiful game. |
| 1:01.6 | It could be the sport itself or even the culture that surrounds it. |
| 1:05.0 | The fan phenomenon of Ultras has taken Scotland by storm. |
| 1:09.0 | TIFOs, flares and drums, all like we've seen across the continent |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Global, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Global and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.