Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T16:35:18.206Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The goalposts of transition: football as a metaphor for Serbia's long journey to the rule of law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Christian Axboe Nielsen
Christian Axboe Nielsen*
Affiliation:
Institute of History and Area Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark
*
*Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Football (soccer) provides a useful prism for analysis of the long transition of the Serbian state and society since 1991. To a striking extent, the world of professional football and the attendant phenomena of financial corruption and football hooliganism have informed both the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia and the current concerted attempt to create a “European Serbia.” During the 1990s, football in Serbia to a significant extent became synonymous with organized crime and the criminalization of the Serbian state. Since 2000, the persistent phenomena of crime, violent hooliganism and lethargic reforms have mirrored the difficult and halting transition of the post-Milošević state. Although recent events highlight the reluctance of the Serbian authorities to confront these problems, both government and sports officials are coming to see reform of Serbian football as a key element of the establishment of the rule of law.

Keywords

Serbiatransitionsportsfootball
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , January 2010 , pp. 87 - 103
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adrić, Iris, Arsenijević, Vladimir, and Matić, Đorđe. Leksikon Yu Mitologije [Encyclopedia of Yu Mythology]. Belgrade/Zagreb: Rende/Postscriptum, 2004. Print.Google Scholar
Adžić, A. Ž. “Joca Amsterdam uzdrmao bugarsku skupštinu [Joca Amsterdam Unsettled the Bulgarian Assembly].” Blic 17 Apr 2009. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
B92. “Atentat na sudiju, stradala supruga [Assassination of Judge [But] Wife Dies].” 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
B92. “Kriv za pokušaj ubistva policajca [Guilty of Attempted Murder of Police Officer].” 19 Sept. 2008, Web. 4 June 2009.Google Scholar
B92. “Miladin Kovačević u Skupštini [Miladin Kovačević in Assembly].” 22 Jan. 2009. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
B92. “MUP raspisao poternicu za Terzićem [Ministry of Internal Affairs Issues Arrest Warrant for Terzić].” 4 Mar. 2008, Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
B92. “Šavija: Neka se uprava stidi [Śavija: The Board Should be Ashamed].” 24 Sept. 2008, Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
B92. “Terzić: ‘Svi poslovali na crno’ [Terzić: ‘Everyone Worked Illegally'].” 20 Dec. 2008, Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
B92. “Tuča navijača Zvezde i policije [Melee of Red Star Fans and Police].” 2 Dec. 2007, Web. 4 June 2009.Google Scholar
B92. “Uhapšen Ratko Butorović [Ratko Butorović Arrested].” 29 Jan. 2008. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Barić, Nikica. Srpska pobuna u Hrvatskoj, 1990–1995 [The Serb Uprising in Croatia, 1990–1995]. Zagreb: Golden Marketing, 2005. Print.Google Scholar
Beta. “Za petardu unetu na stadion u Poljskoj do pet godina zatvora [Up to Five Years in Prison for Bringing a Firecracker into a Stadium in Poland].” 23 Aug. 2009, Web. 23 Aug. 2009.Google Scholar
Bilo je časno živjeti s Titom [It Was an Honor to Live with Tito]. Zagreb: Vjesnik, 1980. Print.Google Scholar
Blic. “Dragan Džajić uhapšen zbog transfera Drulića [Dragan Džajić Arrested Because of Transfer of Drulić].” 6 Feb. 2008, Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Blic. “Naša zemlja sigurna kuća za huligane [Our Country a Safe House for Hooligans].” 22 Feb. 2009, Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Blic. “Navijaču deset godina zatvora za linč žandarma [Fan Gets 10 Years in Prison for Lynching of Police Officer].” 20 Sept. 2008. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Borba. “Tadić: Građani ne mogu da plaćaju cenu neodgovornih predstavnika države [Tadić: Citizens Cannot Pay the Price for Irresponsible Representatives of the State].” 1 Mar. 2009. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Čolović, Ivan. Politika simbola: Ogledi o političkoj antropologiji [The Politics of Symbols: Specimens on Political Anthropology]. Belgrade: Radio B92, 1997. Print.Google Scholar
Cvijić, V. Z. “Kovačević pred sudom u Srbiji [Kovačević in Court in Serbia].” Blic 2 Apr. 2009. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Danas. “Napadi na policajce [Attacks on Police Officers].” 16 Apr. 2009, Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Delić, L. “Blokirani Zvezdini računi [Red Star's Accounts Blocked].” Politika 15 Apr. 2009, Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Delić, L. “Ispadi huligana skupo koštaju Zvezdu [Incidents of Hooligans Costs Red Star Dearly].” Politika 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 23 Aug. 2009.Google Scholar
Derikonjić, M. “Ispadi huligana skupo koštaju Zvezdu [Stricter Penalties for Hooligans Envisaged].” Politika 23 Aug. 2009. Web. 23 Aug. 2009.Google Scholar
Dulović, Jovan, and Švarm, Filip. “Vukovi i zmije [Wolves and Snakes].” Vreme 27 Mar. 2003. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Foer, Franklin. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. Print.Google Scholar
Fudbal, nogomet i još ponešto [Football, Soccer and Something More]. 8 episodes. Prod. Igor Stoimenov and Zoran Panjković. B92, 2007. Television.Google Scholar
Georgijev, Slobodan. “Divljanje do samouništenja [Running Wild until Self-Destruction].” Vreme 2 Oct. 2008. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Georgijev, Slobodan. “Javi Đuri da blokira aerodrom [Tell Đuro to Block the Airport].” Vreme 16 Apr. 2009. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Giulianotti, Richard, Bonney, Norman, and Hepworth, Mike, eds. Football, Violence and Social Identity. London: Routledge, 1994. Print.Google Scholar
Golubović, Zagorka. Kuda ide postoktobarska Srbija, 2000–2005 [Whither Post-October Serbia, 2000–2005?]. Belgrade: Službeni glasnik, 2006. Print.Google Scholar
Gordy, Eric D. The Culture of Power in Serbia: Nationalism and the Destruction of Alternatives. University Park, PA: Penn State UP, 1999. Print.Google Scholar
Guardian. “51 Arrested in Belgrade Derby Fracas.” 9 Apr. 2009. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Huber, Zdravko. “Derbi mržnje [Derby of Hatred].” Borba 14 May. 1990. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Hudelist, Darko. “Austrougarska liga za Hrvate, Srbe i Slovence [An Austro-Hungarian League for Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes?].” Globus 27 Feb. 2009: 34–40. Print.Google Scholar
Imami, Petrit. Beogradski frajerski rečnik [Belgrade Cool Dictionary]. Belgrade: NNK, 2000. Print.Google Scholar
Janković, Dobrivoje. “Masovna tuča na stadionu u Zagrebu [Massive Melee in the Stadium in Zagreb].” Politika 14 May. 1990, Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Judah, Tim. The Serbs: History, Myth and the Destruction of Yugoslavia. New Haven: Yale UP, 1997. Print.Google Scholar
King, Anthony. “Violent Pasts: Collective Memory and Football Hooliganism.” Sociological Review 49.4 (2001): 568–85. Print.Google Scholar
Kurir. “Ukinuta presuda Urošu Mišiću [Verdict against Urošu Mišić Dismissed].” 4 Mar. 2009, Web. 6 June 2009.Google Scholar
Lalić, Dražen. Torcida: Pogled iznutra [Torcida: The View from Within]. Zagreb: AGM, 1993. Print.Google Scholar
Lysiak, Matt, Belenkaya, Veronika, and McShane, Larry. “Binghamton University Student at Heart of Miladin Kovačević's Attack.” Daily News 27 Jun. 2008. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Milivojević, Cvijetin. Na prvu loptu: Političko komuniciranje u Srbiji, 1990–2007 [At the First Ball: Political Communication in Serbia, 1990–2007]. Belgrade: Dobar naslov, 2008. Print.Google Scholar
Mills, Richard. “It All Ended in an Unsporting Way': Serbian Football and the Disintegration of Yugoslavia, 1989–2006.” International Journal of the History of Sport 26.9 (2009): 1187–217. Print.Google Scholar
Milošević, Milan. “Godina u kojoj su hapsili Džaju [The Year in which they Arrested Džaja].” Vreme 29 Dec. 2008. Web. 5. June 2009.Google Scholar
Mintchev, Emil. “Von der Geisel der Parteipolitik zur Geisel der Korruption.” UUberall ist der Ball Rund: Zur Geschichte und Gegenwart des Fuβballs in Ost- und Südosteuropa – Die zweite Halbzeit. Ed. Dahlmann, Dittmar, Hilbrenner, Anke, and Lenz, Britta, Essen: Klartext, 2008: 169–80. Print.Google Scholar
Mitrović, M. “Strava u maksimirskoj šumi [Horror in Maksimir Forest].” Borba 14 May 1990. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Nielsen, Christian Axboe. The Bosnian Serb Ministry of Internal Affairs: Genesis, Performance and Command and Control, 1990–1992. United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Expert Report in Prosecutor v. Momčilo Krajišnik (IT-00-39), 2004 (revised 2008). Print.Google Scholar
Novinar.de. “Arkan hteo da me ubije [Arkan Wanted to Kill Me].” 24 Jan. 2008. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Odalović, Nataša B. “Oči čornije [Dark Eyes].” Danas 2 Apr. 2009. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Oklobdžija, Mira. “The Creation of Active Xenophobia in what was Yugoslavia.” Journal of Area Studies 3 (1993): 91–101. Print.Google Scholar
Pančić, Teofil. “Nedeljna porcija mržnje [Weekly Portion of Hatred].” Vreme 5 Mar. 2009. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Perica, Vjekoslav. “United they Stood, Divided they Fell: Nationalism and the Yugoslav School of Basketball, 1968–2000.” Nationalities Papers 29.2 (2001): 267–291. Print.Google Scholar
Piper, U. “Kovačević: Konzul znao da će mi izdati putni list [Kovačević: Consul Knew that he Would Issue me a Travel Document].” Blic 19 Sept. 2008. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Poligraf. “Interview with Veljko Mijailović.”. B92, 24 Sept. 2008. Television.Google Scholar
Poligraf. “Obračun tužilaštva sa kriminalcima [Settling of Accounts of Prosecutors’ Offices with Criminals].”. Television, B92, 4 Feb. 2009.Google Scholar
Politika. “Istraga u vladi zbog otkrivanja odluke o Kovačeviću [Investigation in Government Because of Leak of Decision about Kovačević].” 21 Feb. 2009. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Politika. “Vlada izdvojila milion dolara za Kovačevića [Government Sets Aside a Million Dollars for Kovačević].” 20 Feb. 2009. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Popović, Milan. “Ko je ko [Who's Who].” Vreme 2 Oct. 2008. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Pravila igre [Rules of the Game]. 6 episodes. B92, 2008. Television.Google Scholar
Ramač, Mihal. 6. oktobar [The 6th of October]. Belgrade: Službeni glasnik, 2008. Print.Google Scholar
Stewart, Christopher S. Hunting the Tiger: The Fast Life and Violent Death of the Balkans’ Most Dangerous Man. New York: St. Martin's, 2008. Print.Google Scholar
Sugden, John, and Tomlinson, Alan. “Football, Ressentiment and Resistance in the Break-Up of the Former Soviet Union.” Culture, Sport, Society 3.2 (2000): 89–108. Print.Google Scholar
Švarm, Filip. Jedinica [The Unit]. 3 episodes. Vreme, 2007. Television.Google Scholar
Thompson, Mark. Forging War: The Media in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. London: Article 19, 1994. Print.Google Scholar
Todorović, Dragan. “Partizan naidgrao Zvezdu [Partisan Outplayed Red Star].” Politika 9 Apr. 2009. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Torcida. “Utemeljeni 1950-e [The Formative 1950s].” N.d. Web. 7 June 2009. <http://torcida.org/site/utemeljeni-1950-e/>..>Google Scholar
Tracy, Jen, and Loza, Tihomir. “Sports as War.” Balkan Reconstruction Report 25 Jun. 2003. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
United Nations, UN Security Council Resolution 757. 30 May 1992. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Vijesti. “Pucali zbog dugova [They Shot Because of Debts].” 26 Jul. 2009. Web. 26 July 2009.Google Scholar
Vrcan, Srđan. “The Curious Drama of the President of a Republic versus a Football Fan Tribe.” International Review for the Sociology of Sport 37.1 (2002): 59–77. Print.Google Scholar
Vrcan, Srđan. Nogomet – politika – nasilje: Ogledi iz sociologije nogometa [Soccer – Politics – Violence: Specimens from the Sociology of Soccer]. Zagreb: Naklada Jesenski i Turk, 2003. Print.Google Scholar
Vučetić, Slobodan. “Čekajući ‘šesti oktobar’ [Waiting for the ‘Sixth of October'].” Blic 10 Oct. 2008. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar
Vuletić, Bojan. Sav taj folk [All that Folk] B92, 2004. Film.Google Scholar
Vurušić, Vlado. “Namjesti rezultat ili ćeš umrijeti [Fix the Result or You Will Die].” Jutarnji list 3 Feb. 2008. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Ward, Russell E. Jr. “Fan Violence: Social Problem or Moral Panic?” Aggression and Violent Behavior 7.5 (2002): 453–75. Print.Google Scholar
Williams, John, Dunning, Eric, and Murphy, Patrick. “The Rise of the English Soccer Hooligan.” Youth & Society 17.4 (1986): 362–80. Print.Google Scholar
Wilson, Jonathan. Behind the Curtain: Travels in East European Football. London: Orion, 2006. Print.Google Scholar
Wilson, Jonathan. “Nations of Former Yugoslavia Prove Size Doesn't Matter.” Guardian 1 Apr. 2009. Web. 7 June 2009.Google Scholar
Žarković, Dragoljub. “Cena krvi [The Price of Blood].” Blic 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 5 June 2009.Google Scholar