FOOTBALL IN YUGOLSAVIA

U predratnom dobu su dominirali klubovi iz Beograda, Zagreba te splitski Hajduk. Među njima je postojalo veliko rivalstvo , a animoziteti ta 3 nogometna centra su nastavljeni i nakon Drugog svjetskog rata. Nakon Drugog svjetskog rata, velika većina klubova je ugašena te su u jugoslavenskom nogometu dominirali klubovi velike četvorke koje su činili novoosnovani Dinamo, Crvena Zvezda, Partizan te splitski Hajduk, koji je jedini preživio rat. U prvim godinama socijalističke Jugoslavije je dominirao Partizan, da bi primat preuzela Crvena Zvezda, koja je bila uvjerljivo najuspješniji klub, kako na domaćem tako i na međunarodnom planu. Crvena Zvezda je imala i veliki utjecaj u savezu te je većinu izbornika reprezentacije, kao i predsjednika saveza, činio upravo kadar Crvene Zvezde. Na nacionalnom planu se vidi jedna dominacija Srba te njihova prezastupljenost na ključnim pozicijama u nogometu, no Davor Kovačić u svojoj knjizi te mnogi analitičari tog razdoblja taj utjecaj Crvene Zvezde miješaju s tezom da je Hrvatima bilo nemoguće uspjeti u jugoslavenskom nogometu te kako je upravo Dinamo kao predstavnik hrvatskog nacionalizma bio onemogućen od svih, pa čak i od strane KPH. Ta teza je promašena u više aspekata, te sam u ovom radu elaborirao kako Dinamo nije bio uopće toliko prohrvatski orijentiran, još manje zakidan, nego je upravo suprotno, imao veliki utjecaj, pogotovo zahvaljujući jakim strukturama unutar KPH i JNA. Sukladno s tom tezom je gurana i teza kako je Hajduk kao projugoslavenski klub bio protežiran, no to sam također odbacio, dokazavši kako je Hajduk bio više zakidan od strane saveza od Dinama te kako je cijela priča o Splitu i Hajduku kao miljenicima režima i Tita, promašena. Utakmice Hajduka i Dinama te Crvene Zvezde i Partizana su smatrani najvećim derbijima te se u tim utakmicama „ginulo“ te su ti klubaški interesi bili važniji od nekih nacionalnih, kao npr. da prvak postane hrvatski ili srpski klub. Nacionalni aspekt je postao bitan na stadionima i oko stadiona tek krajem 80-ih, kada su nacionalizmi prodrli u sve pore jugoslavenskog društva, pa tako i nogomet. Komunisti su imali ideju o nogometu kao sportu amatera, no u 60-im godinama je profesionalizam ozbiljno počeo nagrizati amaterska načela. 70-ih su i vladajuće strukture dopustile veliki priljev novca u klubove koji se nimalo nisu razlikovali od zapadnih, osim u činjenici da najbolji igrači do 28. godine nisu mogli ići u inozemstvo. Krajem 80-ih se i tu popustilo te su plaće nogometaša otišle u nevjerojatne razmjere za jedno, makar na papiru još uvijek, socijalističko društvo. Jugoslavenska liga je bila jaka u europskim okvirima, ali je isto malo kaskala za onim najjačim ligama sa zapada te se igralo previše prljavo, a i bilo je mnogo namještanja rezultata. S druge strane, reprezentacija je imala doduše neke crne trenutke, ali je gotovo uvijek bila „sila“ te su je mnogo puta analitičari gurali u najuži krug favorita za osvajanje velikog natjecanja. Jugoslavenski nogomet se konstantno razvijao u skladu s generalnim državnim razvojem te je dobro oslikavao kako Jugoslavija diše te je konstantno išao naprijed dok se nije kao i kompletna država raspao kao kula od karata u naletu nacionalizma.In the pre-war period, clubs from Belgrade, Zagreb and Hajduk Split dominated. There was a great rivalry between them, and the animosities of these 3 football centers continued even after the Second World War. After the Second World War, the vast majority of clubs were closed down, and Yugoslav football was dominated by the Big Four clubs, which consisted of the newly founded Dinamo, Crvena Zvezda (Red Star), Partizan and Hajduk Split, which was the only survivor of the war. In the first years of socialist Yugoslavia, Partizan dominated, and the Red Star took over, which was convincingly the most successful club, both domestically and internationally. Red Star also had a great influence in the league federation, so most of the national team selectors, as well as the president of the league, were Red Star staff. At the national level, one can see the dominance of Serbs and their overrepresentation in key positions in football, but Davor Kovačić in his book and many analysts of that period mix the influence of Red Star with the thesis that it was impossible for Croats to succeed in Yugoslav football. He also states that Dinamo, as the representative of Croatian nationalism, was disabled by everyone, even by the KPH. This thesis was missed in several aspects, and in this paper I elaborated that Dinamo was not so pro-Croatian, even less deprived, but on the contrary, had a great influence, especially thanks to strong structures within the KPH and JNA. In accordance with this thesis, the thesis that Hajduk as a pro-Yugoslav club had been promoted, was pushed, but I also rejected it, proving that Hajduk was more deprived by the alliance than Dinamo and that the whole story about Split and Hajduk as favorites of the regime and Tito, missed. The matches between Hajduk and Dinamo, Crvena Zvezda and Partizan were considered the biggest derbies, and in those matches they "died" and these club interests were more important than some national ones, such as the champion becoming a Croatian or Serbian club. The national aspect became important in and around stadiums only in the late 1980s, when nationalisms penetrated into all pores of Yugoslav society, including football. The Communists had the idea of football as an amateur sport, but in the 1960s professionalism began to seriously erode amateur principles. In the 70s, the governing structures also allowed a large inflow of money into clubs that were no different from Western ones, except in the fact that the best players up to the age of 28 could not go abroad. At the end of the 1980s, there were also concessions, and the salaries of footballers went to incredible proportions for one, at least on paper still, socialist society. The Yugoslav league was strong in Europe, but it also lagged behind the strongest leagues from the west and played too dirty, and there was a lot of match-fixing. On the other hand, the national team had some dark moments, but it was almost always a "force" and many times analysts pushed it into the narrowest circle of favorites to win a big competition. Yugoslav football was constantly evolving in line with the general development of the state and well portrayed how Yugoslavia was breathing and was constantly moving forward until it, like the entire state, disintegrated like a tower of cards in a fit of nationalism