Blue and Red

There are some things in life that you just cannot explain. I heard many times those are the best things that can happen in your life. I don't know if this statement it's true or not. I just say that they are things that are hard to explain.

For example, I like football. Very much. I know it's just a sport, a game like any other games in the planet. But if my team scores, I feel euphoric. A discharge of adrenaline travels all around my body. I feel happy for a second. And also if my team, Barcelona, loses like it did yesterday (4-1) against its biggest rival (Real Madrid) I can't stand my rage for a while. I feel sad. And then I realise that it's just 22 guys running after a ball. They are millionaires and they will still be millionaires today, they don't care about you and your frustration, said someone. And then my mind switches to some of my daily worries.

I saw this graffiti for the first time few months ago. It is just in front of Grbavica Shopping Center, which is next to my office. It's been a long time that I wanted to talk about it, and I think this is the best day. It's a good evidence of Bosnian sense of humour either. (Note: the pronunciation of Barca in Bosnian is similar to the original Catalan word Barça, refered to FC Barcelona).

There are 2 football teams in Sarajevo, both playing in Bosnian Premijer Liga: FK Sarajevo and Željezničar, also known as Željo. The FK Sarajevo plays in Koševo Stadium, the biggest one that hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics inauguration, its colour is red and it is more popular in the center and old town. Željo was founded by some rail workers in 1921 (in fact its name means "rail worker" in Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian), its stadium is located in Grbavica and blue is its colour.

You probably will think that fans from both teams hate each other. I thought the same till I saw fans from Sarajevo and Željo walking together to see the local derby at the Quarter Finals of the Bosnian Cup. During the match, hooligans from both sides compete to be the noisiest. They insult each other following the long tradition of Bosnian swearing. But when the game is finished, they leave the stadium together. Don't be surprised if you see a bunch of blue and red flags together in the trolleybus stop.

But it may happen that the any public transport is working after the match, due to that some hooligans destroyed once some tramways "celebrating" a victory. It's a hothead action we also saw in some other Western countries like the USA or the United Kingdom. In Sarajevo you might hear about some hooligans knocking a tramway down. What is very hard to find in the newspapers is the chronicle of a fight between hooligans of Sarajevo and Željo.

Blue and reds share a passion for a sport that probably they cannot explain either. But at least all of them understand one thing: they are only rivals in the stadium. Because football it's basically just a sport.

I think some hooligans from Spain or Italy should come here to see a Sarajevo-Željo match.



OST Zoster - Hercegovina