Hooligans

A hunted deserter infiltrates Jerusalem's most violent gang, only to find the family he always wanted right where the trap snaps shut.

 

Step into a powder keg where extremist sports fandom collides with organized crime, nationalism, and dangerous political corruption. Starring Ben Sultan, Sean Sofri, Dikla Dori, and Daniel Menuchin Rudoy, the high-stakes social thriller HOOLIGANS exposes the brutal underbelly of radical football culture through a gripping story of survival, identity, and moral betrayal.

 

Produced by Artza Productions and United King Films, the series follows twenty-year-old Meni Azoulay - an explosive lone wolf who arrives at Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium every Saturday with a supermarket cart just to sell drinks. Not a football fan and perpetually struggling to fit into traditional frameworks, Meni's life pivots instantly when he accidentally saves the life of Ovad Hamami, the formidable leader of the ultra-nationalist fan group "Guardians of the Walls”.

 

Pressured by state security forces who leverage his past against him, Meni is thrust into a terrifying double life as an undercover agent embedded deep inside one of the country's most ruthless networks. Yet, in a profound psychological twist, it is precisely within this turbulent, nationalistic world of violent ultras that Meni finally discovers the recognition, safety, and powerful sense of belonging he has long lacked.

 

Building on the international prestige of global Israeli hits like TEHRAN, MANAYEK, and FAUDA, this high-profile co-production moves far beyond typical sports violence. The series deconstructs how dangerous fringe groups exploit disenfranchised youth, transforming the stadium into a high-voltage stage for power and fanaticism. Embraced by monsters and squeezed by the state, Meni navigates a relentless game where every choice threatens everyone he loves. Raw, provocative, and relentlessly tense, HOOLIGANS delivers prestige drama where survival demands the ultimate betrayal.

 

HOOLIGANS taps directly into the cultural pulse of our modern political landscape, offering international buyers a high-stakes psychological thriller that resonates far beyond local sports culture. By exposing the predatory mechanics of loneliness in an increasingly polarised world, the series reveals how extremist networks weaponize isolation - offering vulnerable, rootless outsiders like Meni a counterfeit sense of brotherhood, safety, and purpose when traditional frameworks fail.

 

For global audiences navigating the alarming rise of radicalised fringe movements, this series delivers a timely, deeply urgent narrative about how marginalised individuals find dangerous sanctuary simply because those groups are the only ones willing to listen.

 

Director

Lee Gilat


Writer(s)

Lee Gilat and Yizhar Har-Lev


Running Time

8 x 45'


Year of Production

2025


Cast

Ben Sultan, Sean Sofri, Dikla Dori, and Daniel Menuchin Rudoy

Commissioned By

BROADCASTERS: Kan 11 - (Israel Public broadcasting Corp), Canal Plus - France and SWR - Germany


Available in HD

Yes


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