The disintegration of Yugoslavia and football

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a multi-national state, consisting of six republics and two autonomous regions. However in 1991, the country descended into a tragic and bloody civil war, causing over two hundred thousand deaths and the migration of thousands. The disintegration of Yugoslavia produced seven independent countries: Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo. The disintegration of Yugoslavia has been analyzed from different analytical perspectives. This project utilizes the analytical context of Yugoslavian popular culture, and focuses on the most popular sport in the country, football. Football is analyzed in two historical periods of former Yugoslavia, the rule of Josip Broz Tito (1945-1980) and after the death of Tito (1980-1991). Yugoslavian football once served as an important unifier of Yugoslavia by fostering ideals of “Brotherhood and Unity”. However, once Tito died, football took on a different role, fostering ethnic nationalist sentiments and contributing to the demise of Yugoslavia