Shocking and insightful walk alongside football hooligans from Pernik, Bulgaria. Tsetso, a single father and proud skinhead, takes us with him from one match to the other, and shares his convictions, feelings and doubts. Directed by Nikolay Stefanov, himself born and raised in Pernik.
Pernik was once a thriving mining city. Now its inhabitants relish the days when the mines were a symbol of national Bulgarian pride. When local football club Minyor Pernik is on the verge of promoting to the second league, it's a chance its supporters don’t want to miss. We follow them during this crucial season, getting drunk, bringing the Nazi salute, singing battle songs, and intimidating people.
We meet their leader Dado, aggressively firing up the gang. Mimeto, the only woman, trying to calm the men down and talking to the authorities when needed. And Tsetso, a security guard and single father. When he falls ill, he realises he’s not the youngest anymore. It prompts him to muse about his childhood, his doubts and mistakes, and what he wants to teach his son Tony. ‘I don’t want to teach him to hate people, no matter their race,’ he says philosophically. ‘I don't want him to go there.’