FC Sarajevo and FC Zeljeznicar Square Off
In Field Freshly-Cleared of Landmines
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — There was no time to practice; the field had just been cleared of land mines. But the thousands of soccer fans in the stadium didn’t care that the teams were a little rusty. They donned their caps and scarves and turned out with vigor Thursday to watch rival Sarajevo teams play for the first time in four years. The ruined Grbavaca stadium was packed with 15,000 people, all thrilled to savor one of the normal pleasures of peace once again.“It is not just the game I am here for,” said Kemal Festic, 29. “It is also the feeling of freedom I have, now that I can come here.”
Organizers waited until the last minute to announce the match between FC Sarajevo and FC Zeljeznicar — the home team known as Zeljo. Hundreds of deadly mines had littered the field, swept away by mine cleaners in time for kickoff but not for practice.
The stadium saw some of the worst clashes between Bosnian government troops and the Bosnian Serb army. A quarter of its stands were completely demolished. Two craters, each several yards wide, still yawn behind one goal. Even the smoke and rattle of a 15-minute pre-game fireworks show reminded some fans of when the stadium marked a front line.
“Every time one of these crackers explodes next to me, my stomach jumps,” said Festic, wearing a blue-and-white Zeljo scarf. “I feel like it is another shell exploding.” City officials decided to hold the game Thursday to mark the fourth anniversary of the day the Grbavica neighborhood and its stadium came under Bosnian Serb control. Grbavica, just south of Sarajevo’s city center, was the last of five Serb-held districts turned over to government control in March as part of the U.S.-brokered Bosnian peace agreement.
Before he introduced the game, Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic freed pigeons to symbolize the peace that has come to Grbavica. At least one Bosnian Serb, who identified himself only as Dragan, crossed into what Serb leaders now regard as enemy territory to watch.
“I am a Zeljo fan. I have always been and always will be,” said Dragan, who traveled 12 miles from the Serb stronghold of Pale and painted his face in Zeljo’s colors. “I came to see the game. I don’t care about the stupid war.”
Nedim Tanovic, who left Sarajevo when war erupted in 1992, now lives and practices law in Croatia. Back on a visit, he postponed his departure to see the game. “I had to see this match to make sure the war is over,” Tanovic said. “Maybe now I will come back for good.”
“This is what Sarajevo was always about,” said another fan, Senad Alic. “If we fight, we should fight for a ball — for a score, and not for politics.”
Still, not everything was normal. In addition to the police, ambulances and firefighters present at any soccer game, the mine clearers were on hand. “We did clear the stadium,” one said, “but you never know.”
Fuad Hozic, 54, brought along his wife and two daughters. “For me, this is not just a game, I don’t care who wins,” Hozic said. “For me, this means the war is over and we are free.” Most people shared Hozic’s feeling as they watched their teams fight to a 1-1 draw. “It feels very, very strange to be here,” Miroslav Pilj said, sipping a beer. “Just a year ago it was unbelievable this could happen. It is hard to explain the feeling that I have,” he said. “Maybe this is what freedom feels like."
Apr 24 · Soccer Returns to Bosnia Today
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