Derby games are fiercely-contested fixtures between two teams from the same city, and these two teams are 250 miles away from each other, so this shouldn\u2019t be considered as a derby, right? Tell that to the Croatians. This is the Eternal Derby between Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split \u2013 the most viciously contested fixture in Eastern Europe, and a true spectacle for any football fan.<\/p>\n
This Eternal Derby isn\u2019t only exclusive to Croatia. It\u2019s a prominent term in Eastern European football with countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia and Greece and teams such as Olympiacos, CSKA Sofia, Red Star Belgrade and FK \u017deljezni\u010dar Sarajevo amongst so many others contesting such fixtures in their respective nations. The Croatian version\u00a0is arguably the one that brings out most the true hallmarks of a frightening derby atmosphere, despite the two teams not sharing the same city.<\/p>\n
The rivalry between the two traces back to the 1920s when Dinamo Zagreb were called Gra\u0111anski Zagreb and they often contested with Hajduk Split for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia championship. Zagreb’s disbandment following the Second World War didn\u2019t change much apart from their name. They continued to clash with Hajduk and formed the \u201cBig Four\u201d of Yugoslavian football along with Partizan and Red Star Belgrade of Serbia.<\/p>\n
Following Croatia\u2019s decision to become an independent nation in 1992, Hajduk and Dinamo have formed a dynasty in the Croatian football scene, having won 23 out of the 24 league titles since as well as 19 of the 24 domestic cups since. The two are the most dominant sides in the country and have cemented their legacy as the region\u2019s most dominant footballing sides ever, but it is Dinamo Zagreb who feel a greater sense of pride.<\/p>\n
The team from the capital, Dinamo, feel a greater sense of superiority over Hajduk Split and their ambitious owner, Zdravko Mami\u0107 has helped them form a dynasty in the country over the last decade. Upon taking the helm of the club in 2003, he proclaimed the club would win every league title in the next decade and they\u2019ve done just that.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also been quite a success for the club in terms of finances, with some high-profile sales, including that of Mario Mand\u017euki\u0107 to VfL Wolfsburg, Luka Modri\u0107 to Tottenham Hotspur and Mateo Kova\u010di\u0107 to Inter Milan amongst so many others to stabilise the club and help them progress amongst the European elite.<\/p>\n
But while Mami\u0107 has reaped so many benefits for the club, he\u2019s equally hated by the Dinamo faithful as well as the rest of the Croatian footballing fraternity. Despite the club being a citizens\u2019 association where they aren\u2019t required to pay taxes and all members are given equal right to be elected, he\u2019s used his lawyers to alter elections so that he can win them, and has often been highly abusive of the media in public.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he\u2019s signed \u201ccivilian contracts\u201d with several past and current Dinamo Zagreb players which enables them to pay off a percentage of their wages to Mami\u0107 for as long as they are playing. That list includes Luka Modri\u0107, Mateo Kova\u010di\u0107, Dejan Lovren, the prior two who currently play at European Champions Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively, earning a large amount of money between them.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most heinous act concerning both sides of the rivalry fell in 2014, when Mami\u0107 and Dinamo Zagreb unceremoniously blacklisted the Torcida\u2014Hajduk\u2019s ultras group\u2014and subsequently banned them from entering the Stadion Maksimir for the first derby of that season. Six months later, ahead of the final derby of the season, the Hajduk supporters themselves announced they would boycott the fixture, and the Bad Blue Boys\u2014Dinamo’s own ultras group\u2014followed suit in an act of unity to defy Mami\u0107, who then had the audacity to host an empty stadium on the nation\u2019s biggest footballing date.<\/p>\n
The fans are of a different calibre on a day like this, with the tifos, confetti, banners and chants being on a different level to most derbies. Hajduk Split\u2019s Torcida ultras are one of the oldest in European football history, having being formed in 1950, and occupy the North Stand of their Poljud Stadium where they form an incredible atmosphere before most Eternal Derbies to rally their team to the maximum.<\/p>\n
Dinamo\u2019s supporters, the Bad Blue Boys, are arguably the most passionate set of supporters a football fan is likely to come across. Having being formed in 1986, they\u2019ve gone from strength to strength in terms of support and are always in full voice. Very often they are\u00a0accused of hooliganism and indecency and have disciplinary punishments placed on them by the respective footballing federations.<\/p>\n
The Hajduk supporters always garner a sense of pride, claiming they are the real fans as Dinamo receive support from the men in the royalty as they are the team from the capital.<\/p>\n
“Dinamo fans get financial support from the Mayor of Zagreb and local government. We rely on money from our members, and you know what, we prefer it that way, because when politics and sport mix it always ends badly. That\u2019s what makes us real fans, not puppets for the politicians.\u201d\u2014Torcida member Ivan Pupacic<\/a><\/p>\n The rivalry is one with hate and abhorrence and fans will be willing to go to any length to support their team. Each supporter regards the name of the other with disgust and that\u2019s what makes the Eternal Derby one of the most hotly-contested football fixtures in the world.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE DERBY SERIES: BENFICA VS SPORTING CP<\/a> |\u00a0FENERBAH\u00c7E vs GALATASARAY<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0ATLETIC BILBAO VS REAL SOCIEDAD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Main Photo<\/p>\nGameday<\/strong><\/h2>\n