Abstract
AbstractCroatia’s monumental second-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup represents the highest football achievement to date for the young nation. This victory, however, masks violent internal divisions between its domestic club football teams. This article examines the most salient rivalry betweenDinamo ZagrebandHajduk Split, two teams that have evolved to represent the interests of Croatia’s north and south, respectively. Using interviews with radical football fans, I argue that the two teams act as reservoirs for regional identity-building while violence between their fans is a microcosm for political and economic tensions between Zagreb and Split. More importantly, this rivalry exposes the dividedness of the Croatian state, as it continues to grapple with the complexity of its radical regional identities in the wake of its independence from Yugoslavia. This article contributes to the existing body of literature on sports identity and regionalisms/nationalism as well as how sporting teams shape the geographies of belonging.
Highlights
On October 21, 2017, I found myself in Split, Croatia, buying a last-minute ticket to one of the soccer season’s most highly anticipated games: Hajduk, the local club football team based in Split, was set to take on their notorious rivals, Dinamo, the visiting team based in Zagreb, representing what is perhaps the fiercest sporting rivalry within the nation
The 2018 Winter Olympics presented an opportunity for North and South Korea to reignite diplomatic relations through their symbolic decision to compete under the same flag (Snyder 2018)
By examining the culture of the two dominant club football teams in Croatia, this article explores the impacts football fanaticism has had onproducing regionalisms and how these regionalisms ideologically undermine the notion of a unified Croatian nation as purported by nationalists, bringing to light the complexity behind Croatia’s national identity
Summary
On October 21, 2017, I found myself in Split, Croatia, buying a last-minute ticket to one of the soccer season’s most highly anticipated games: Hajduk, the local club football team based in Split, was set to take on their notorious rivals, Dinamo, the visiting team based in Zagreb, representing what is perhaps the fiercest sporting rivalry within the nation. The streets of Split were colorfully adorned in red and white, as passers-by came and went dressed in the colors of the local football team. Game day it was, and a stiff feeling of anticipation filled the air of the old town. The game had ended in a tie, 2-2, and the spectators thunderously cheered On the outside, this game represented a hotly contested rivalry between the two most dominant teams of Croatia. To the radical fans of Dinamo and Hajduk, this “derby” symbolized something much greater than just a sporting match
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