Rosłoniec: Football from Yugoslavia to Serbia

After twenty-four years of absence, Serbia will play again at the European Football Championship. Serbs are going to Germany!

There's most likely one. It'll be fun. However, there is no euphoria in Belgrade and the surrounding area. On the contrary. He spilled a terrible hatred on coach. Dragana Stojkovicia, to date, a individual untouchable.

The Desire for Success

Total criticism for style, mostly for everything. It was no usage to him versus that he introduced the squad to the European Championship, earlier to the planet Championship, and in addition Serbia will play next period in the “A” Division of the League of Nations. So far this play has failed any selectionist, and it must be said that Serbian representation was carried out by not specified professionals as him. But possibly a small later.

Serbs want success in football. Volleyball, basketball, waterpolo will not compensate for it, and Nole, although great, is only 1 and his era is slow coming to an end. That's what everyone's aware of. Besides, jealousy is an crucial factor. Jealousy for the success of a smaller neighbor, with whom the full football planet has long counted. This is evidently about Croatia.

Yugoslav years of glory

The Serbs made their last known during the tournament at this level as Yugoslavia in 2000. That “Thirty-Year-Old” squad led Vujadin Boškov. Although he was 69 years old at the time, a individual widely respected on the Old Continent due to his class and achievements. Real Madrid coach and Sampdoria Genoa club, with whom he reached for the European Cup Winners' Cup. A man in a beige powder with a belt.

In 1999 he survived the biggest drama of his career. At the time, during the decisive game of promotion to the mentioned championships, his squad stumbled against Croatia. 1 note of the Yugoslav anthem could not be heard. He whistled the full stadium in Zagreb. The pain was besides not alleviated by optimistic staff erstwhile Croatian footballers greet their military colleagues during warm-up, from representation in all categories. After all, they appeared rather late in the colours of the same country. Later, his Croatian friends called the Serbian coach, with whom he acted as an assistant in the representation of the old Yugoslavia. – Don't worry. This is simply a sport. They comforted him. – I know. – he answered. But it wasn't just a sport. erstwhile on a plane to Belgrade, the Serbs returned with a shield, proceeding a song Take me to paradise, my dearest SnowWhich his boys sang erstwhile they drank champagne: Siniša Mihajlović, Dragan Stojkovič, Dejan Savicevič, Predrag Mijatovič, Savo Milosevič, Ljubinko Drulovič, Miroslav Djukič, Slaviša Jokanovič, Deki Stankovič And others, he smiled through tears. He most likely had his full career as a football player and coach in a kaleidoscope brief. Serbs, Croats, Montenegros, Slovenians, Bosnians, Macedonians then formed 1 of the top representations of the 1950s. It's over.

At home or away?

Perhaps an even greater drama survived his predecessor, Ivica Osim. Actually, it's a large documentary about him. Last Yugoslavian Football Team (Followed by Yugoslav tim). It is worth watching, even in view of the drama of that generation – footballers born in the 1960s, who were taken up by the civilian war, even if they later became stars of European clubs and heard about them all over the world.

In May 1990, a typical of the Netherlands landed at Zagreb Airport, the then undisputed European Champion in Football, Rud Gullit He noticed something was wrong. In this belief, he became even stronger on the field at Maksimir, as the squad he led ran out of the tunnel, a immense applause went out. The eleven Dragan Pixie Stojkovic, who was commonly matched by divine successor Diego Armando, greeted the curses and whistles. For the uninitiated, the match was held in Yugoslavia. Gullit, known for his sense of humor, asked 1 of his colleagues: – Are we playing home or distant tonight?

Multinational Team

The coach of the Yugoslav squad was just mentioned Ivica Osim, Bosnian. possibly he was chosen by accident, or possibly by premeditation. As Bosnian, he was to neutralize national conflicts, and he was always alive in the national sports teams. Although this fact should not be demonized besides much. After all, athletes are not fans, although they were subject to the influence of native nationalists and many diaspora spread across all continents. Yugoslavia was already very restless. For a whistle, the most dangerous criminals in Western Europe have been dragged into the country, as if they were carrying a feeling that something was about to happen.

Then, on May 26th, it was a social game. Yugoslavia was to go to the planet Championships in Italy in a fewer days. Not the first time in the function of 1 of the main favorites. It's hard to be surprised. Mature players: Dejan Savicević (Black Hill), Dragan Stojković (Serb), Darko Panćev (Macedonian) plus seniors: Zlatko Vujović (Croatia) and Safet Susić (Bośniak) were to be given a strong drip in the form Robert Pisneecki (Croatia), Davor Suker (Croatia) and Predgraga Mijatovića (Czarnogórzec), stars of the 1987 planet Championships in Chile, where they reached for the title defeating Brazil along the way and both German teams – GDR and NRF. He was inactive Zvonimir Boban (Chorwat), but possibly a small later.

‘Arkan’ in haloli

How did Ivica Osim introduce Yugoslavia to the football elite, first to the planet Championships in Italy and then to the 1992 European Championships in Sweden, it is hard to imagine. That squad can be compared to a volcano that starts bubbling. By the way, the full Yugoslavia has been boiling. 2 weeks earlier in Zagreb, a match was scheduled between Dinam and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, on 13 May 1990. The Croats believe that the civilian war in Yugoslavia began that day. Being a victim is their specialty. respective 100 people were seriously injured during the fight on Maximir. The match evidently didn't happen.

– At 1 point I noticed during the warm-up that the stands broke and the crowd began to overflow. I cried out, "burning," which in our football jargon meant we had to run away. There was no protection. We headed for the tunnel to the locker room. – mentioned Dragan Stojković, captain of the Belgrade team. Later frightened Red Star footballers visited Zvonimir Boban, who, during the riots, already on the stadium's plate, kicked a Milicjant and inactive remained at large. – Boys, don't be afraid. You'll be all right. – he tried to calm his emotions. The stadium was besieged by respective tens of thousands of Croats for hours. In the modern world, Zagreb’s communicative dominates those events. And you gotta admit, these are very good documentary films, constructed according to the master assembly explanation Sergei Eisenstein. So, of course, the Serbs were liable due to the fact that the head of the Croatian militia was Croatian Serb, the protection of the match was the Croatian Serbs, etc. In many key moments during the riots appears the character Željko Ražnatovicia ‘Arcana’, lit with halo. He was the leader of the fans of Crvena Zvezda, later headed the paramilitary “Tigers”. Accused of war crimes in Yugoslavia, he said in 1 of the last interviews that whistles for it. He was shortly shot at the InterContinetal Hotel in Belgrade. But destiny was gracious to a good friend of Arkan, Ante Gotoviny. First sentenced by the Hague Court to 24 years in prison for crimes in Serbach and then unexpectedly acquitted after protests organised by the Catholic Church throughout Croatia.

Yugoslav boiler

However, let's go back to Zagreb for a minute and those events that could scare contemporary stadium smokers. In perfectly assembled films of Croatian documentaryists with a weak accent, it is mentioned that erstwhile the nominal 1 was informed already, and shortly actual glavnika Croatia, Franjo TudjmanaWhat is happening in Zagreb was expected to say not to disturb him due to the fact that he is preparing an crucial paper. Of course, on historical topics. The movie besides features Bad Blue Boys leaders – Dinama ultras. Of course, by acting as angels. Devils were Delije – fans of Crvena Zvezda Belgrade.

In Yugoslavia, it's anchored. It is worth looking at the face of the captain of that team, Pixy Stojkovic, during a press conference erstwhile he announces that “Plavi” due to the civilian war in Yugoslavia will not play for the tournament in Sweden, although their plane has already landed in Stockholm. For those championships, a second in Denmark's elimination group was downloaded from the emergency holiday. The Danes have reached for the title. There's no end to the discussion, what if there were...

Later sanctioned by Yugoslavia, more specifically the remaining pieces of Yugoslavia, missed the planet Championships and the European Championships in England. At the second of these tournaments in 1996, the Croatian squad presented themselves rather decently, losing in the quarter-finals to the later winner of the tournament, Germany. It was much better 2 years later at the planet Championships in France – Croats finished third. At those championships after 8 years of absence, Yugoslavia besides performed, after a good game ending its participation in the 1/8 tournament. But then it was just bad. The state changed its names (Serbia and Montenegro, and after a referendum and declaration of independency by Montenegro – Serbia), and the representation played badly. Certain hopes came to life erstwhile Serbia first won the European championship until 19 in 2013 and 2 years later the planet championship until 20. Unfortunately, these successes did not translate into the results of the "A" representation. On the another hand, the neighbors moved forward. Croatia became runner-up in 2018 and won bronze 4 years later. At both tournaments, Serbia did not even leave the group. In Qatar, she besides met the Serbs with another sorrow. He died of leukemia on June 16, 2022. Sinisa Mihajlovic, an different footballer. A day later, Croatia competed with Morocco for 3rd place. The face of legendary Miha did not appear on the telebimas, he was not celebrated with a minute of silence. That's what FIFA decided.

Without large hope

Today, only incorrect optimists believe in the success of Serbia's representation at the European Championships in Germany. Dragan Pixi Stojković, as well as the Serbian Football Union are attacked from all sides. Nemanja Vidić, legend of Manchester United, sparked a storm of unconfirmed information that over the last 2 years Pixi's staff had invested EUR 16 million! How does the Serbian Football Union have specified money if neither representation nor clubs have spectacular success? Vidić wanted to become president of the union, talked a lot about transparency, the request for reforms, the introduction of modern training methods. However, at the last minute he withdrew from rivalry with Dragan Jajić, who erstwhile went to jail, accused of financial embezzlement erstwhile he was president of Crvena Zvezda Belgrade. – I don't know, I guess I gotta go to jail first so I can get a occupation in a relationship. – mocked in 1 of Vidić interviews. The president for the next 4 years was elected unanimously by Jajić. The next attacks will most likely come in the spring erstwhile Serbia plays social games and something goes wrong. In the past of this country, the coach was fired just before the tournament. The Serbs went to a tough group, with England, Denmark and Slovenia. But given their potential, anything is possible. 1 warune: they are not allowed to run out to the grass in their pajamas. And the fact that almost nobody counts on them has a large plus – the game is much easier.

Adam Rosłoniec