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Football's DARKEST DAY: The Yugoslav Derby
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to every football fan from Croatia or
Serbia the 13th of May 1990 is a hugely
significant day for many people across
the former Yugoslavia it marks a turning
point that transcended football the
events of that day at the maxim stadium
in Zagreb were more than just a game
they were a symbol of the Brewing
tensions that would soon erupt into war
[Music]
before diving into the events of this
specific day let's take a brief look at
the Historical
backdrop after World War II Yugoslavia
emerged as a socialist State under the
leadership of yosip bro
[Music]
Tito Tito championed a United Federation
composed of six republics Bosnia and
Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia Montenegro
Serbia and
Slovenia under his rule any descent or
talk of Independence was quickly quashed
Often by
force Tito's vision of a United
Yugoslavia held the country together but
his death in 1980 left a leadership
vacuum and Unleashed underlying ethnic
and nationalistic
[Music]
tensions throughout the 1980s the
Yugoslav economy struggled with very
high levels of inflation and mounting
debt this economic unrest added fuel to
an already burning fire centered around
ethnic tensions and the growing call for
Independence among the
republics as the economic situation
deteriorated the calls for Independence
grew louder and more
widespread in April 1990 Croatia held
its first local elections in over 50
years the elections resulted in a
landslide victory for the hdz the
Croatian National party which advocated
for full Croatian independence from
Yugoslavia this Victory intensified
tensions between Croatia and Serbia
while Croatia pushed for Independence
Serbia under the leadership of Slobodan
milosevich sought to maintain a United
Yugoslavia leading to a political and
ideological
Clash the historical background of
Yugoslavia is marked by a complex tap R
of ethnic diversity and political
tension comprising various ethnic groups
the nation experienced periodic Strife
that often spilled over into public life
this societal friction found a unique
and Vivid expression in the realm of
football where local and National
identities clashed on the
pitch football matches became more than
just sports events they were Arenas
where historical Grievances and national
pride were fiercely
[Music]
contested one of the most notable
examples of this Dynamic was the Rivalry
between Damo Zagreb and Red Star
Belgrade both teams played in the
Yugoslav first League representing not
just their respective cities but also
their ethnic and National identities as
two of the most successful clubs in the
league they frequently VI for Supremacy
embodying the broader political and
ethnic tensions Within Yugoslavia this
underlying tension reached a boiling
point in 1990 during a football match
that escalated into a riot the match
between D Zagreb representing Croatia
and Red Star Belgrade representing
Serbia in the heated rivalry of Yugoslav
football redstar Belgrade and D Zagreb
along with FK partisan and NK hajduk
split formed the big four that
consistently battled for the
championship that particular season red
star boasted an exceptional team having
clinched the top spot in the league
weeks before their scheduled match
against Damo while the game itself held
no competitive Stakes it drew immense
interest from football
[Applause]
fans on May 13th 1990 red star fans led
by the notorious Ultras group deer and
their lead jelo rajovic also known as
Aran arrived in
[Applause]
Zagreb most of red star's fans boarded
an international train from Belgrade to
Munich passing through Zagreb in the
early morning hours however a smaller
group from the surrounding areas arrived
in Zagreb the previous night which
remained relatively calm as the train
journeyed from Belgrade to Zagreb
picking up more red star supporters at
various stops in Shem and slavonia
tensions began to
build by noon the train reached the
outskirts of Zagreb where over 500 fans
disembarked avoiding direct
confrontation with the police they
gathered in front of the main railway
station moving into the Zagreb suburb of
trer the fans began their activities
singing and causing property damage
including the vandalism of
cars violence broke out across the city
setting the tone for the day
the delier with their reputation for
aggression were looking for a fight and
tensions were running
high in the heart of Zagreb several
clashes erupted between red star and
Damo fans resulting in serious injuries
to two Dynamo supporters it took the
Zagreb police around 15 minutes to
encircle and subdue the red star fans
but not without difficulty a brawl broke
out between the police and the fans
during which one officer was seriously
injured
as the kickoff approached the Zagreb
police escorted over 2,000 red star fans
to the southand of Maxim Stadium even
while the stands were being filled with
Spectators verbal abuse and name calling
between red star and Damo fans began
including nationalistic insults
[Music]
be to
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
much the people
[Music]
just a few minutes into the game D's bad
blue boys fans tore down the protective
fence on the North Stand of Maxim
Stadium tensions exploded the red star
fans broke out of their section clashing
with Damo zagreb's Ultras group the bad
blue boys the entire Stadium turned into
a Battleground the atmosphere was
electric charged with nationalist chants
and the threat of violence the police
caught in the middle struggled to
control the situation as the violence
[Music]
escalated the most iconic moment of that
day was when Damo captains vmir ban in a
moment of high emotion kicked a
policeman who was attacking a Damo f
[Music]
this act was caught on camera and
instantly became a symbol of resistance
for many croatians Ban's kick was more
than just an impulsive act of violence
it was a statement against what many
croatians Saw as oppressive forces this
Act made boban a hero to many croatians
symbolizing resistance against perceived
oppression and the fight for Croatian
Independence over 60 people were
seriously injured in the riot with
injuries ranging from being shot stabbed
beaten trampled and affected by tear gas
miraculously no one was killed inside
the stadium that
day the political Fallout was immense
with accusations that the riot was
orchestrated to destabilize the newly
elected Croatian leadership many croats
believed that the Yugoslav government
the police and and the daily Jay were
all complicit in the violence to
undermine the hdz
authority every year on May 13th
commemorations are held at the maxim
Stadium to remember the riot and those
who died in the struggle for Croatian
Independence a monument was built after
the war beside the stadium to honor the
D Zagreb fans who fought and died in the
Croatian war of independence from 1991
to
1995 the maxim Riot wasn't the sole
cause of the Yugoslav wars but it
highlighted the Deep divisions and
foreshadowed the conflict to
come the riot was a significant moment
in the leadup to the Yugoslav wars
illustrating How Deeply politics and
football were intertwined in the
region the maxim Riot was not just about
a football match it was a reflection of
the growing unrest and the imminent
collapse of
[Applause]
Yugoslavia moreover the figure of jelo
rajat Aran adds a chilling Dimension to
the narrative Aran was not just a
football hooligan he would later become
a notorious warlord during the Yugoslav
wars leading paramilitary units known
for their brutal tactics his involvement
in the maxim Riot foreshadowed the
violent role he would play in the years
to
come Raj natovich led the Serb volunteer
guard known as arkans Tigers a
paramilitary group during the Bosnian
War formed in 1992 initially part of the
ministry of internal affairs they later
operated as a special unit under the
Shem baranga core aran's forces based in
erut were notorious for committing
numerous crimes including ethnic
cleansing and massacr particularly
against Bosnian
Muslims following the war key figures in
Aran Circle were systematically
eliminated by the Serbian State security
service to silence witnesses to their
crimes despite being wanted by Interpol
for genocide Aran lived openly in
Yugoslavia engaging in politics and
business in 2000 he was assassinated in
a Belgrade Hotel a murder speculated to
be a Gangland hit rather than a
politically motivated act his death
prevented him from standing trial for
war crimes to the regret of
international leaders who had sought his
prosecution in conclusion the maxim Riot
remains a powerful and symbolic event in
the history of the Balkans it serves as
a stark reminder of how Sports can
intersect with politics and nationalism
leading to significant and often tragic
outcomes the legacy of the riot is a
testament to the complex and often
volatile relationship between identity
politics and sport in the
region thanks for watching if you
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