I think of national wars and the long-lasting negative effects they have on citizens and nations as a whole. Sports, for example, can not live and survive in chaotic, war-torn environments, with dissatisfied nationals. Yugoslavia, a country blessed with talents, comes to mind.
Yugoslavia was a strong multi ethno-cultural European country with different identities, histories, and diverse beliefs. The Balkans were formed after World War I, but by World War II, Yugoslavia had been distinctively divided into 6 key ethnic groups. They spoke the same language, but there was a lot of disparity.
President Jozip Broz Tito led the country from 1953 until he died in 1980. At least, it was still one nation.
Communism was the system practised by many countries back then. (Remember the USSR). Once Tito died, communism died in Yugoslavia. Tito had a Croatian father and a Slovene mother, but there was a lot on the table politically. Popular Serbian politician and local communist party leader Slobodan Milosevic was elected as the president in 1989. Of course, we know the sad events that happened two years later.
Yugoslavia was very good in sports. Noted for football, basketball, handball, tennis, and athletics. The country participated in 16 Summer and 14 Winter Olympics.
In this article, my leaning will be on football. It has been mentioned on several fora the impact of football on Yugo politics.
Something happened on the 25th of October 1987. The Yugoslav U-20 team had just won the World Cup!
The Mirko Jovic-led team comprised talented warriors that blew every team away; including the then East and West Germany with their effectiveness and unique brand of football. A new generation of footballers was born, and that was it. These teenagers and 20 year olds had 'the world on their palms’.
Robert Prosinečki was named the Player of the tournament, Zvonimir Boban the runner-up, while Davor Šuker won the Silver boot, having registered 6 goals. The Yugoslavian senior national team also qualified for the Italia '90 WC.
Youngsters Suker, Prosinecki, Jarni, Boksic, and Savicevic made the final cut. Boban missed out because he was on a 6-month suspension by the FA. Yugoslavia went on to the quarter finals before losing on penalties to favourites Argentina. While football provided national gloss, the country was tearing apart.
The Croats, Slovenes, Bosnians, and Macedonia were all declaring their independence with Croatia to first show intent. The ethnic majorities were planning to pull out of the national team. The tension was high.
Fast forward to the 1990/91 European Cup final, Red Star Belgrade, which comprised many of the aforementioned stars beat Marsielle 5-3 on penalties. Here was another major feat which seemed to colourize a nation beset by deep divisions and war.
The tensions reached the crescendo
at Maksmir on May 13, 1990. At a local game between the two leading clubs, Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade, the bad blue boys of Dinamo and Delije of Red Star took laws into their hands. Over 60 people were maimed. It was utter chaos. That marked the beginning of the end for the Yugoslav First League. By the end of the 90/91 season, the key ethnic nationalists had pulled out.
In Oct 1990, Croatia played her first game as a national team. The Croats couldn’t just play second fiddle to the Serbs anymore.
The Breakup of Yugoslavia and the Ban of the National team from Euro '92:
The tension continued across the regions, and while President Milosevic tried to bring warring factions together, it seemed the end was in sight for Yugoslavia. The highly successful clubs lost their teams. Since there was political instability in the country, many players had to seek fortunes abroad. Tightly knitted clubs disintegrated. Big clubs came for them. Shame.🤨 The capital was a bedlam. But there was a big tournament ahead in Sweden the following year: The 1992 Euros ⚽️.
Yugoslavia, qualified for the Euros in 1st place, scoring a whooping 24 goals and conceding a paltry 4. Yugoslavian coach Ivica Osim (from Sarajevo) resigned 19 days before the start of the Euros. The team’s plsyers if Bosnian ethnicity pulled out as well. Without the Croatian players, many believed Yugoslavia was still a favourite for the tournament.
Sarajevo was under siege. The more shellings and destruction swung UEFA and FIFA into action.
May 31 1992: Yugoslavia was thrown out, suspended from all football activities 10 days before the start of the Euros. Denmark, who came 2nd to Yugoslavia in the qualifying group, was called up as an instant replacement. The Danes were on holiday, on the beach, when they received the UEFA offer. The rest, they say, is history.
I read Slavisa Jokanovic’s story, where he explained the hurt he and his colleagues felt seeing Denmark lift the trophy. Hear him:
"It should have been us." It was a very ugly time. Teams didn’t want to play pre-tournament friendlies against us. It was a very ugly time. We couldn’t take part, that’s that. We were banned from qualifiers for USA ’94 and Euro ’96. People say we could have done many things, but we didn’t get the chance.” “They took the Euros away from us, and we never got it back”.
There are no winners or losers in war, conflict. Destinies are punctured, and careers are scattered. That’s the truth. The SFR Yugoslavia football team had a beautiful future. I witnessed some of their feats as a young boy growing up. The breakup affected their present and future. WC 1/4 finalists, U-21 European Silver medalists, Euro Cup Club Champions, U-20 WC in 1987.
Take a glance at these ex-Yugoslav talents:👇
Robert Prosinecki (Croatia), Dejan Savicevic (Montenegro), Robert Jarni (Croatia), Zvonimir Boban (Croatia) Davor Suker (Croatia), Darko Pancev (North Macedonia), Alen Boksic (Croatia), Sinisa Mihajlovic (Yugoslavia, later Serbia), Igor Stimac (Croatia), Vladimir Jugovic (Serbia), Pedrag Mijatovic (Yugoslavia, later Montenegro), The older guys in the team include: Srecko Katanec (Slovenia), Dragoljub Brnovic (Montenegro), Dragoje Lekovic (Serbia), Refik Šabanadžović (Bosnia), Safet Susic and so on.
As it is domiciled in the historical books, the 1987 Chile experience will never be forgotten. For context, below are the successor countries:
Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia (formerly FYROM), Kosovo (gained independence from Serbia in 2008).
