Delije is the name given to supporters of The Sports Association Red Star Belgrade. The Association has over 20 clubs but the Delije mostly focus on
FK Crvena Zvezda and
KK Crvena Zvezda. A rough English translation might be courageous and brave young men or simply "The Heroes".
Delije is plural and the singular form for a Red Star fan would be a
Delija. The name Delije was actually used by a hooligan group during the early 1990s. The group unofficially ended due to the civil war in
Yugoslavia. Many of these supporters fought in
Croatia and
Bosnia, and were led by
Arkan. However, the name has become a representation of all Red Star fans. The Delije were so appreciated by Red Star that they inprinted the word Delije on the North Stand of
Marakana where the most passionate Red Star fans still call home. The fans of
FK Partizan are usually referred to as
Grobari, and the Delije often have massive armed conflicts throughout the streets of
Belgrade. The Delije have become recognized by many as one of the best hooligan groups in the entire world.
[edit] History
Since the very beginning of FK Crvena Zvezda, there was a section of members-friends of the Sports Club Red Star, which had about 100 faithful supporters encouraging the red-whites which started to follow the club on all away matches in the newly formed Yugoslav First League. The section was mostly made of boys from the bourgeois parts of the city - Senjak, Topcider Hill, Dedinje, Knez Mihajlova St., but amongst the first Red Star supporters there were also children of workers, which would eventually form the "first team" of supporters and leaders in the future. All of these guys had something special, because they represented the very soul of Belgrade.
Most of them were rough city guys. Almost all of these young Serbs did not like the JNA or the communist system in general. Most of these early supporters were at one time Chetniks or at least believers of the cause. The government forbade any nationalistic symbols so that they could end the Chetnik ideology. However, the Chetnik cause lived in the Red Star fans passing down stories to the youth.
Throughout the 1950s a separation between spectators and pure supporters finally became evident, mostly because supporters began to bring rattles, bells and a few flags to the stadium. With the arrival of Dragoslav Šekularac to Red Star many things changed. The fans saw their reflection on the field, because Šekularac had class, not only talent. Supporters especially appreciated Šeki's battling spirit, which was a magnet for new red-white fans young and old. The Supporters where finally given a home as the Stadion Crvena Zvezda was built. The pitch was massive and the biggest one in all of Yugoslavia. They began to call it Marakana, after the world-famous stadium in Brazil. Supporters almost immediately flocked to the North stand and this became the unofficial territory for all true Red Star supporters.
This is when Red Star became the team that represented the country and the most popular team not only in Belgrade but all over Yugoslavia. People had their local team but when it came to Europe they would root for Red Star to represent Yugoslavia which Red Star did well. Many people from all over the world thought of Red Star when Yugoslavian football was mentioned. All other clubs wanted to get to the level of Red Star. Dragan Džajić the new hero for the red-whites led them to victory after victory and quickly became a national icon. Džajić became so well-known, in fact, that the Red Star player became knighted by the Queen of England.
At this time the supporters first began having big fights, not only at the stadiums, but out of them as well. Traditional flags with big carrier bars were banned, but that did not stop the fights - especially with great rivals Partizan Belgrade called Grobari. Partizan supporters tried to insult the Red Star supporters calling them "Gypsies" while they would yell back, "we are Gypsies, we are the strongest". Red Star fans are still called "Gypsies" by Partizan fans even today.
Supporters also started meeting before matches most of them in a pub called "White Town". That's where they have gathered to make jokes, drink heavily, and train their voices before the game. One could also find supporters from the "old days" sharing history with the new fans. "White Town" has a special meaning to the present day supporters. After the pub it was time to go to the stadium; when going to the stadium, the leaders stood in front and walked before the others. If by chance, they met an opponent group, a clash was inevitable. A few minor construction projects to the stadium took place.
When the roof construction of stadium was finished, the most fanatic supporters moved to the central part of the North side of the stadium, where even today the passionate and intense support of the North begins. Red Star was already established as a great club and managed to reach the semifinals of the European Cup, and incredibly without the help of their hero Dragan Džajić. Later on in the decade Red Star led by popular striker Dušan Savić reached the final of the UEFA Cup.
In the 80's there was a football fan boom all over the world. The North side was split between two big supporters groups, the "Ultras" and the "Red Devils". The Ultras followed Italian influence which consisted of long and melodic songs, fireworks, and choreography. The Red Devils based their group on Serbian habits which was often mixed with English habits such as heavy drinking, and constantly fighting rivals. Ultras and Red Devils leaders were not aware that they became idols to the younger generation, which was very numerous at the stadium. These two groups regularly made unrests, which brought them into conflict with the communist police. Because of many incidents guys belonging to these two groups were regularly arrested.
During the mid 1980s, Ultras and Red Devils were strengthened by a new group named the "Zulu Warriors". These three groups became the body of the North Stand; however, it should be noted that there were also many other groups with much less influence, such as Winners, Red and White Angels, Brigate, Red Star Army, Red Star Clan, and the Eagles. Opponent supporters would tremble at the sight of the North. There were a lot of supporters at the away games, where they made some friends but also - more often than not - enemies.
The late 80's came with strong nationalism, and Red Star supporters, in the spirit of their tradition declared themselves as extreme Serbian nationalists. They would often chant Serbian songs, and carry Serbian flags. At the moment when politics was already deeply inside stadiums a big meeting of all North groups was held with only one goal that no other names except Red Star, Belgrade and Serbia should be spoken at the games. That rule is obligated to be followed even today, although fans use every opportunity to express their political opinion.
Soon after an info-center for fans was opened, and also a shop for supporters which included caps, scarves, posters, shirts, and audio tapes. They also received a room for meetings, and member cards were also made. This is when most of these groups joined together. In 1989 the Delije were formed and they stated that the intent of the group was to be a modern European group, which became true in a very short while.
During the 1990s the best and the worst came to Red Star and its Delije. The strong hold of Yugoslavia slowly deteriorated, nationalism had taken over across the whole of the Balkans, and a war was proclaimed unavoidable by many. On May 13, 1990 an estimated 3,000 of the Delije members traveled to Zagreb's Maksimir to see Red Star take on Dinamo Zagreb. Always an intense rivalry, the fact that this particular match took place just weeks after Croatia had held its first multi-party elections in about 50 years (which, incidentally, was won the parties favouring Croatian independence) only served to increase the tension between the two. The ensuing riot was one of the most violent events in sporting history, and many believe that the violence in Zagreb that day was the first sign of the war that was going to come. It has served as a prime example of what politics can do when mixed with sport.
[Zvonimir Boban kicking a Yugoslavian police officer] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Waz11ihnY8w
The Delije however would shortly be rewarded with the best Yugoslavian football team ever assembled. During their run in the 1990-91 European Cup the Delije followed Red Star wherever they played. They traveled all over Europe, defeating Grasshopper Zürich, Glasgow Rangers, Dynamo Dresden and German giants Bayern Munich along the way to Bari (the host of the final), where they faced Marseille. The 1991 Red Star team gave the fans something that many Delije could only have dreamt about until then; the European Cup, defeating the French side 5-3 on penalties, with Prosinečki, Binić, Belodedić, Mihajlović and Pančev scoring. This same team even went on to become world champions, by defeating Colo-Colo of Chile 3-0 in the Intercontinental Cup.
After the war in Yugoslavia and the NATO bombings during the Kosovo crisis crippled the economy and ruined sport in the country. A league that used to be one of the best in the world is now considered mediocre at best. The Delije still go to domestic matches but the feeling is not the same; however the Delije can still be seen in action when Red Star is competing in a European tournament or when they locks horns with Partizan. After a long series of struggles and armed conflicts in Bosnia and Croatia witch took 5 years in total, Red Star was allowed to take place in a first European competition after 5 years of ban in European cups. First international game after the civil war ended however, was a friendly match vs. Olympiakos (4:1 ft. score)at Marakana, a huge flag and a writing WELCOME ORTHODOX BROTHERS was set along the east stand as a welcome gesture to Greek fans and players. Today we're talking about a solid friendship between two supporting groups and a strong ultra-union called ORTHODOX BROTHERS witch was told to be one of the toughest hool squads in whole of Europe. Spartak Moscow fans joined the pact a while ago so seeing fans of all three fan clubs at one stand supporting the same team especially on away European matches is a common thing now days.
