Delije
Encyclopedia
| Delije | |
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| Founded | 1989 |
| Nicknames | Zvezdaši, Crveno-Beli, Stars. |
| Arenas | Stadion Crvena Zvezda Stadion Crvena Zvezda The Red Star Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Belgrade, Serbia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Red Star Belgrade. The stadium is all-seated and the capacity is 51,328. It was opened in 1963 after construction which had started three years... , Pionir Hall Pionir Hall Pionir Hall, or Pionir Arena is a sports arena in Belgrade, Serbia, located in the Belgrade's municipality of Palilula... |
| Official Website | delije.net, delijeonline.com |
Delije roughly translated to English as Heroes is an umbrella name referring to the supporters of various sports clubs that compete under Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
Sports Society banner.
Nowadays, the term in Serbian generally signifies a brave, strong or even handsome young man.
Though the Red Star Sports Society has clubs in over twenty sports, Delije mostly focus on football (FK Crvena zvezda
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
) and basketball (KK Crvena zvezda
KK Crvena zvezda
Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
). The name Delije first began to be used by hardcore Red Star supporters during late 1980s, with official inauguration taking place on 7 January 1989. Up to that point, the die hard Red Star fans were scattered amongst about eight fan groups that shared the north stand at the Red Star Stadium (known colloquially as Marakana), most prominent of which were Red Devils, Zulu Warriors and Ultras.
Delije organizational structure is fairly decentralized with many subgroups present at the stadium's north stand - the gathering point of the club's most loyal and passionate fans. At any given time, one or two subgroups assert themselves as the most prominent through dedication, regular attendance, willingness to fight, etc. and as a result get to hang their banners on the most visible parts of the stand, their leaders get to lead the chants, etc. Currently, the subgroup Belgrade Boys enjoys the greatest clout while others such as Ultra Boys, Brigate, Heroes, KCZ, Ultras, HCZ etc. also wield a lot of influence. In the past, subgroups such as Padina Corps, Fontana, etc. have all left their mark. Since Red Star enjoys a lot of support outside of Belgrade as well, various fan groups exist in cities across Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, and Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
.
As a sign of appreciation, during the late 1990s, Red Star Football Club painted the word Delije in block letters across their stadium's north stand. Since the mid 1980s Red Star's most devoted fans maintain friendly relations with Olympiacos CFP
Olympiacos CFP
----Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus, , , transliterated Olympiakos Sindesmos Filathlon Pireos, is the most popular multisport club and the most successful in Greece, based in Piraeus....
ultras - a friendship based on common Orthodox faith and same club colours. Since the mid 2000s FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
fans are also included in this friendship.
1940s
Since the very founding of Red Star Belgrade, 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 LeagueYugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
. The section was mostly made of young men from the affluent parts of the city - Senjak
Senjak
Senjak is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. Located in Savski Venac, one of the three municipalities that constitute the very center of the city, it is an affluent and distinguished neighborhood lavished with embassies, diplomatic residences, and mansions...
, Topčidersko Brdo
Topcidersko Brdo
Topčidersko Brdo is an urban neighborhood and former municipality of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Savski Venac.- Location :...
, Dedinje
Dedinje
Dedinje is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Savski Venac...
, Knez Mihailova Street, 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 young men had something special, because they represented the very soul of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. Almost all of these young Serbs did not like the JNA
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
or the communist system in general.Because of this, and because many decedants of "chetniks" (military of Karadjordjevic dynasty in World War II) were in Delije, they are often called "reactioners" by communist regime.
1950s
During 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 ŠekularacDragoslav Šekularac
Dragoslav Šekularac Dragoslav Šekularac (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгослав Шекуларац) Dragoslav Šekularac (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгослав Шекуларац) (born November 30, 1937 in Štip, Vardar Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia is a Serbian former football player and coach....
to Red Star many things changed. The fans saw their reflection on the field, because Šekularac had class as well as talent. Supporters especially appreciated Šeki's battling spirit, which was a magnet for new red-white fans young and old.
1980s
In the 1980s 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 were often mixed with English habits such as heavy drinking, and constantly fighting rivals. Ultras and Red Devils leaders were not aware that they had become idols to the younger generation, which was very numerous at the stadium. These two groups regularly caused unrest, which brought them into conflict with the communist police. Because of many incidents people belonging to these two groups were regularly arrested.During the mid 1980s, Ultras and Red Devils were strengthened by a new group, the "Zulu Warriors". These three groups became the body of the North Stand. However, 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.
The late 1980s 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
Flag of Serbia
The flag of Serbia is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands, red on the top, blue in the middle and white on the bottom. The same tricolour, in some variations, was the flag of Serbia throughout its history, and is the ethnic flag of the Serbian people.The state flag bears the...
. 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 afterward fans got their own room for meetings, and membership 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.
1990s
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 BalkansBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, and a war was proclaimed unavoidable by many. On May 13, 1990 an estimated 3,000 of the Delije members traveled to Zagreb's
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
Maksimir
Maksimir Stadium
Maksimir Stadium is a stadium in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. It takes its name from the neighbourhood of Maksimir. It is primarily the home of Dinamo Zagreb, the top football team in the country. It is also home to Dinamo Zagreb's farm team NK Lokomotiva....
to see Red Star take on Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
. Always an intense rivalry, the fact that this particular match took place just weeks after Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
had held its first multi-party elections in about 50 years (which, incidentally, was won by the parties favouring Croatian independence) only served to increase the tension between the two. The ensuing riot
Dinamo Zagreb-Red Star Belgrade riot
The Dinamo Zagreb–Red Star Belgrade riot was a football riot that took place on May 13, 1990 at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia between the Bad Blue Boys and the Delije...
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.
The Delije however would shortly be rewarded with the best Yugoslav football team ever assembled. During their run in the 1990-91 Champions League the Delije followed Red Star wherever they played. They traveled all over Europe, defeating Grasshopper Zürich
Grasshopper-Club Zürich
Grasshopper Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshopper is a Swiss multisports club based in Zürich. The oldest and best known section of Grasshopper Club Zürich is its football team...
, Glasgow Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...
and German giants Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
along the way to Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
(the host of the final), where they faced Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
. The 1991 Red Star team gave the fans something that many Delije could only have dreamt about until then; the European Cup trophy, defeating the French side 5-3 on penalties, with Prosinečki
Robert Prosinecki
Robert Prosinečki is a Croatian football manager and former football midfielder. Prosinečki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered...
, Binić
Dragiša Binic
Dragiša Binić is a retired Serbian footballer who played for Red Star and was part of their European Cup victory in 1991. He had 3 caps for the Yugoslavia national football team, scoring one goal...
, Belodedić
Miodrag Belodedici
Miodrag Belodedici is a Romanian former football player.Nicknamed The deer due to his elegant tackles, he won the European Cup twice, in 1986 with Steaua Bucureşti and 1991 with Red Star Belgrade, thus becoming the first player to win the trophy with two different clubs...
, Mihajlović
Siniša Mihajlovic
Siniša Mihajlović is a Serbian football manager and former player. He was in charge of Serie A club Fiorentina since June 2010 to November 2011....
and Pančev
Darko Pancev
Darko Pančev is a retired Yugoslav and Macedonian footballer, and winner of the Golden Boot award in 1991.-Club career:Pančev was the highest scorer in top-division European football in the 1990–91 season with 34 goals, and should have won the European Golden Boot award...
scoring. This same team even went on to become world champions, by defeating Colo-Colo
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo...
of Chile 3-0 in the Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
.
Members of the Delije provided the base for Arkan's Tigers, a Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
force later implicated in multiple acts of genocide during the war in Yugoslavia
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
. The Tigers made a dramatic appearance on the north stand during the Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
derby game of 22 March 1992, played between Red Star and Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
, where they held up road signs saying: '20 miles to Vukovar
Vukovar
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
'; '10 miles to Vukovar'; 'Welcome to Vukovar'. More signs signs followed, each named for a Croatian town that had fallen to the Serbian army
Serbian Army
-Objectives:The Serbian Army is responsible for:* deterring armed threats* defending Serbia's territory* participation in peacekeeping operations* providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief-Personnel:...
. Arkan was then director of the Red Star supporters' association.
After the war in Yugoslavia and the NATO bombings during the Kosovo crisis
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
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 lock horns with Partizan. After a long series of struggles and armed conflicts in Bosnia and Croatia, which took five years in all, Red Star was allowed to take part in a first European competition after five years of ban in European cups. The first international game after the civil war ended was a friendly match with Olympiacos (4–1) at Marakana. A large flag with "Welcome Orthodox Brothers" was set along the east stand as a welcome gesture to Greek fans and players. Today there is a solid friendship between the two supporting groups, and they have an ultra-union group, Orthodox Brothers. Spartak Moscow fans also joined the group, so seeing fans of all the three clubs at one stand supporting the same team - especially at away European matches.