0:00 to every football fan from Croatia or
0:01 Serbia the 13th of May 1990 is a hugely
0:05 significant day for many people across
0:08 the former Yugoslavia it marks a turning
0:10 point that transcended football the
0:13 events of that day at the maxim stadium
0:15 in Zagreb were more than just a game
0:18 they were a symbol of the Brewing
0:19 tensions that would soon erupt into war
0:34 [Music]
0:37 before diving into the events of this
0:39 specific day let's take a brief look at
0:41 the Historical
0:43 backdrop after World War II Yugoslavia
0:47 emerged as a socialist State under the
0:49 leadership of yosip bro
0:50 [Music]
0:52 Tito Tito championed a United Federation
0:55 composed of six republics Bosnia and
0:58 Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia Montenegro
1:02 Serbia and
1:04 Slovenia under his rule any descent or
1:07 talk of Independence was quickly quashed
1:09 Often by
1:10 force Tito's vision of a United
1:13 Yugoslavia held the country together but
1:16 his death in 1980 left a leadership
1:18 vacuum and Unleashed underlying ethnic
1:21 and nationalistic
1:22 [Music]
1:26 tensions throughout the 1980s the
1:29 Yugoslav economy struggled with very
1:31 high levels of inflation and mounting
1:33 debt this economic unrest added fuel to
1:36 an already burning fire centered around
1:39 ethnic tensions and the growing call for
1:41 Independence among the
1:44 republics as the economic situation
1:47 deteriorated the calls for Independence
1:49 grew louder and more
1:53 widespread in April 1990 Croatia held
1:56 its first local elections in over 50
1:58 years the elections resulted in a
2:01 landslide victory for the hdz the
2:03 Croatian National party which advocated
2:05 for full Croatian independence from
2:08 Yugoslavia this Victory intensified
2:11 tensions between Croatia and Serbia
2:13 while Croatia pushed for Independence
2:15 Serbia under the leadership of Slobodan
2:17 milosevich sought to maintain a United
2:20 Yugoslavia leading to a political and
2:22 ideological
2:25 Clash the historical background of
2:27 Yugoslavia is marked by a complex tap R
2:30 of ethnic diversity and political
2:34 tension comprising various ethnic groups
2:37 the nation experienced periodic Strife
2:39 that often spilled over into public life
2:42 this societal friction found a unique
2:45 and Vivid expression in the realm of
2:46 football where local and National
2:48 identities clashed on the
2:51 pitch football matches became more than
2:54 just sports events they were Arenas
2:56 where historical Grievances and national
2:58 pride were fiercely
3:00 [Music]
3:04 contested one of the most notable
3:06 examples of this Dynamic was the Rivalry
3:09 between Damo Zagreb and Red Star
3:12 Belgrade both teams played in the
3:14 Yugoslav first League representing not
3:17 just their respective cities but also
3:19 their ethnic and National identities as
3:22 two of the most successful clubs in the
3:24 league they frequently VI for Supremacy
3:26 embodying the broader political and
3:28 ethnic tensions Within Yugoslavia this
3:31 underlying tension reached a boiling
3:33 point in 1990 during a football match
3:36 that escalated into a riot the match
3:38 between D Zagreb representing Croatia
3:41 and Red Star Belgrade representing
3:44 Serbia in the heated rivalry of Yugoslav
3:47 football redstar Belgrade and D Zagreb
3:50 along with FK partisan and NK hajduk
3:52 split formed the big four that
3:54 consistently battled for the
3:56 championship that particular season red
3:59 star boasted an exceptional team having
4:01 clinched the top spot in the league
4:03 weeks before their scheduled match
4:04 against Damo while the game itself held
4:07 no competitive Stakes it drew immense
4:09 interest from football
4:12 [Applause]
4:22 fans on May 13th 1990 red star fans led
4:26 by the notorious Ultras group deer and
4:29 their lead jelo rajovic also known as
4:31 Aran arrived in
4:33 [Applause]
4:37 Zagreb most of red star's fans boarded
4:39 an international train from Belgrade to
4:41 Munich passing through Zagreb in the
4:43 early morning hours however a smaller
4:46 group from the surrounding areas arrived
4:48 in Zagreb the previous night which
4:50 remained relatively calm as the train
4:53 journeyed from Belgrade to Zagreb
4:55 picking up more red star supporters at
4:57 various stops in Shem and slavonia
4:59 tensions began to
5:02 build by noon the train reached the
5:05 outskirts of Zagreb where over 500 fans
5:08 disembarked avoiding direct
5:10 confrontation with the police they
5:12 gathered in front of the main railway
5:14 station moving into the Zagreb suburb of
5:16 trer the fans began their activities
5:19 singing and causing property damage
5:21 including the vandalism of
5:24 cars violence broke out across the city
5:27 setting the tone for the day
5:31 the delier with their reputation for
5:32 aggression were looking for a fight and
5:35 tensions were running
5:37 high in the heart of Zagreb several
5:39 clashes erupted between red star and
5:41 Damo fans resulting in serious injuries
5:44 to two Dynamo supporters it took the
5:47 Zagreb police around 15 minutes to
5:49 encircle and subdue the red star fans
5:51 but not without difficulty a brawl broke
5:54 out between the police and the fans
5:56 during which one officer was seriously
5:58 injured
6:01 as the kickoff approached the Zagreb
6:03 police escorted over 2,000 red star fans
6:06 to the southand of Maxim Stadium even
6:09 while the stands were being filled with
6:11 Spectators verbal abuse and name calling
6:13 between red star and Damo fans began
6:16 including nationalistic insults
6:23 [Music]
6:33 be to
6:45 [Music]
6:48 [Applause]
6:54 [Music]
6:57 much the people
7:01 [Music]
7:06 just a few minutes into the game D's bad
7:09 blue boys fans tore down the protective
7:11 fence on the North Stand of Maxim
7:21 Stadium tensions exploded the red star
7:24 fans broke out of their section clashing
7:26 with Damo zagreb's Ultras group the bad
7:29 blue boys the entire Stadium turned into
7:32 a Battleground the atmosphere was
7:34 electric charged with nationalist chants
7:36 and the threat of violence the police
7:39 caught in the middle struggled to
7:40 control the situation as the violence
7:46 [Music]
7:50 escalated the most iconic moment of that
7:52 day was when Damo captains vmir ban in a
7:55 moment of high emotion kicked a
7:57 policeman who was attacking a Damo f
7:59 [Music]
8:09 this act was caught on camera and
8:11 instantly became a symbol of resistance
8:13 for many croatians Ban's kick was more
8:16 than just an impulsive act of violence
8:19 it was a statement against what many
8:20 croatians Saw as oppressive forces this
8:23 Act made boban a hero to many croatians
8:26 symbolizing resistance against perceived
8:28 oppression and the fight for Croatian
8:31 Independence over 60 people were
8:34 seriously injured in the riot with
8:35 injuries ranging from being shot stabbed
8:38 beaten trampled and affected by tear gas
8:42 miraculously no one was killed inside
8:44 the stadium that
8:46 day the political Fallout was immense
8:49 with accusations that the riot was
8:51 orchestrated to destabilize the newly
8:53 elected Croatian leadership many croats
8:56 believed that the Yugoslav government
8:58 the police and and the daily Jay were
9:00 all complicit in the violence to
9:02 undermine the hdz
9:04 authority every year on May 13th
9:08 commemorations are held at the maxim
9:09 Stadium to remember the riot and those
9:12 who died in the struggle for Croatian
9:15 Independence a monument was built after
9:17 the war beside the stadium to honor the
9:19 D Zagreb fans who fought and died in the
9:22 Croatian war of independence from 1991
9:25 to
9:26 1995 the maxim Riot wasn't the sole
9:29 cause of the Yugoslav wars but it
9:31 highlighted the Deep divisions and
9:33 foreshadowed the conflict to
9:35 come the riot was a significant moment
9:37 in the leadup to the Yugoslav wars
9:40 illustrating How Deeply politics and
9:41 football were intertwined in the
9:44 region the maxim Riot was not just about
9:46 a football match it was a reflection of
9:48 the growing unrest and the imminent
9:50 collapse of
9:52 [Applause]
9:56 Yugoslavia moreover the figure of jelo
9:58 rajat Aran adds a chilling Dimension to
10:01 the narrative Aran was not just a
10:04 football hooligan he would later become
10:06 a notorious warlord during the Yugoslav
10:08 wars leading paramilitary units known
10:10 for their brutal tactics his involvement
10:13 in the maxim Riot foreshadowed the
10:15 violent role he would play in the years
10:17 to
10:21 come Raj natovich led the Serb volunteer
10:24 guard known as arkans Tigers a
10:27 paramilitary group during the Bosnian
10:28 War formed in 1992 initially part of the
10:32 ministry of internal affairs they later
10:34 operated as a special unit under the
10:36 Shem baranga core aran's forces based in
10:39 erut were notorious for committing
10:41 numerous crimes including ethnic
10:44 cleansing and massacr particularly
10:46 against Bosnian
10:48 Muslims following the war key figures in
10:51 Aran Circle were systematically
10:52 eliminated by the Serbian State security
10:55 service to silence witnesses to their
10:58 crimes despite being wanted by Interpol
11:00 for genocide Aran lived openly in
11:03 Yugoslavia engaging in politics and
11:06 business in 2000 he was assassinated in
11:09 a Belgrade Hotel a murder speculated to
11:12 be a Gangland hit rather than a
11:14 politically motivated act his death
11:16 prevented him from standing trial for
11:18 war crimes to the regret of
11:20 international leaders who had sought his
11:23 prosecution in conclusion the maxim Riot
11:26 remains a powerful and symbolic event in
11:28 the history of the Balkans it serves as
11:31 a stark reminder of how Sports can
11:33 intersect with politics and nationalism
11:35 leading to significant and often tragic
11:37 outcomes the legacy of the riot is a
11:39 testament to the complex and often
11:41 volatile relationship between identity
11:44 politics and sport in the
11:46 region thanks for watching if you
11:49 enjoyed this video please like share and
11:51 subscribe for more historical insights
11:53 feel free to leave your thoughts in the
11:54 comments below see you next time
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