Torcida Sandžak - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Torcida Sandžak

Founded	1989
Nickname	Torcidaši
Arena	Novi Pazar City Stadium Novi Pazar City Stadium Novi Pazar City Stadium is a football stadium in Novi Pazar, Serbia, and the home of FK Novi Pazar. It's capacity is 7,000.-External links:* at World Stadiums...
Website	Official Site

Torcida Sandžak is a football supporters group, founded in 1989, that follows FK Novi Pazar

FK Novi Pazar

FK Novi Pazar is a football club based in the city of Novi Pazar, the largest city in the Sandžak region . The team currently plays in the Serbian SuperLiga, which is the top division of the Serbian football league system. Current president of FK Novi Pazar is Rasim Ljajić, Minister for Welfare in...

The city of Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar is a city and municipality located in southwest Serbia, in the Raška District. According to the official census in 2011, number of inhabitants of municipality is 92,776, while the city itself has a population of 60,638...

was always considered as the city of boxing, and it was known around the former Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

for this sport only, until the 1980s. In the 1980s, FK Novi Pazar

FK Novi Pazar

became a regular team in the Yugoslav Second League, and everything changed. Novi Pazar City Stadium

Novi Pazar City Stadium

Novi Pazar City Stadium is a football stadium in Novi Pazar, Serbia, and the home of FK Novi Pazar. It's capacity is 7,000.-External links:* at World Stadiums...

became a tough ground for the opposition. It is one of the last few stadiums on the territory of the former Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

where excellent attendance is still present. Even though second division has been the biggest success in the history of FK Novi Pazar, its stadium has been in the top five in the country for attendance since the breakup of Yugoslavia. Amazing atmosphere and organized support has been present since the 1980s. In those days, the news reporters described these home matches as "the unheard of" for such a small city, and compared the supporters to the famous "Torcida Split

Torcida Split

Torcida is a Hajduk Split supporters group, from Croatia, founded on 28 October 1950. The name "Torcida" is the Brazilian Portuguese word for "supporters". Club fans operate from Zrinsko Frankopanska-17, Split...

", the oldest organized group of supporters in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. The greatest away visit of FK Novi Pazar's supporters in the 1980s was in Belgrade

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

, away to OFK Belgrade, when 8.000 supporters showed up. FK Novi Pazar's support in those days were the "Pazarci", or the supporters of Novi Pazar. Although they were well organized, they cannot be called real supporters. First organized group of supporters in Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar

started in 1984, under the name "Blue Hunters". FK Novi Pazar was always "at the front door" of the Yugoslav First League

Yugoslav First League

The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...

and these supporters traveled with the club around the country. While organized groups were being formed all over the country in the 1980s, a few more groups were formed in Novi Pazar. "Fighters" in 1987, "Pirates", "Eagles", and "Blue Girls" in 1988, and "Blue Warriors" in 1989. As nationalism started growing in the country before the breakup and the wars, it came to Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar

, the capital of the region of Sandžak

Sandžak

Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...

, as well. The name "Sandžak" represents a region in Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

and Montenegro

Montenegro

Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...

populated by Bosniaks

Bosniaks

The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...

, and it derives its name from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar

Sanjak of Novi Pazar

The Sanjak of Novi Pazar was an Ottoman sanjak that existed until the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 in the territory of present day Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.-History:It was part of the Bosnia Vilayet and later Kosovo Vilayet and included...

, a former Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

administrative district that existed until the Balkan Wars

Balkan Wars

The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...

of 1912. During Communism

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

, this name was made illegal and everything was done for it to be forgotten. As Communism fell, and nationalism grew, the supporters decided to all come together and form one group under the name "Torcida Sandžak". The name "Torcida

Torcida

Torcidas organizadas are formal associations of football fans in Brazil in the same vein as Argentine hinchadas and European ultras. The name is based on the verb torcer, which means "to root for" but also "to wring" and "to turn"...

" was taken from well known supporter groups in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

, and elsewhere in Europe, and the name "Sandžak" was taken to represent the city and the region, and to represent something unique only for that Torcida. From that day forward, Torcida Sandžak has been present at home and away matches of FK Novi Pazar and was considered as the protector of Novi Pazar during the wars. Torcida Sandžak's motto is "Na braniku grada - nekada i sada!", which means "Defending the city - then and now!"

Early 1990s

As the breakup of Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

started in 1991, the beginning of an end for the quality of the domestic football leagues started as well. A lot of derbies were lost, and a lot of rivals were never to meet again. It was a time for new groups to step up and for new rivalries to be made. Some smaller supporter groups were suddenly starting to make the headlines. One of those was Torcida Sandžak. The biggest recognition came in October 1993, when FK Novi Pazar hosted a club from Pristina

Pristina

Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....

. During that year, Bosnia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

, which is considered a motherland to all Bosniaks

Bosniaks

, including the ones in Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar

, was deep into the war. One of the war criminals in Bosnia was the president of FK Pristina, the club visiting FK Novi Pazar that day. That man was Željko Ražnatović

Željko Ražnatovic

Željko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars...

, better known as Arkan. This alone awoke many feelings for this match. Together with Arkan came a large group of nationalists from all over the country, wanting to humiliate the Bosniak population in the city and to prove that Arkan and his army were unstoppable. With the help of the local police, backed by Slobodan Milošević

Slobodan Milošević

Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...

's regime, they entered the stadium and started attacking the neutral supporters before the match started. Every attack was allowed by the police, who did nothing to protect the people. The whole city was on its feet, and what they feared most had already started. As Torcida Sandžak started entering the stadium, things have gone from attacks to just verbal attacks. Throughout the match each side sang their nationalist songs, praising war criminals, and singing about mass genocide each side wanted to commit upon the other. In the meantime FK Novi Pazar had scored. The whole stadium erupted. It seemed as justice was coming and that Arkan's team would go home defeated, until the second half when they leveled. As they leveled Arkan came out of the VIP section of the stadium, wearing a jacket on a sunny day, covering up his bulletproof vest. As he tried to celebrate the goal with his bodyguards, objects started flying from the terraces. Tension was high. Shortly after the goal, an object hit FK Pristina's goalkeeper in the head. The match was stopped and the chaos had started. The police started using tear gas against Torcida Sandžak and the home crowd, which just drove them outside of the stadium where the real battlefield was forming. Ten of Arkan's bulletproof military Jeeps were destroyed by Torcida Sandžak as they tried to make their way out. Not one vehicle was able to leave the city, and once they did, after the police, which used machine guns and tear gas, cleared the way, they were not the same vehicles that had entered the city that day. Those same people that came to humiliate were the ones humiliated. They needed the help of the Yugoslav Army

Yugoslav Army

Aside from the Yugoslav People's Army, the terms Yugoslav Army, Army of Yugoslavia, or Military of Yugoslavia may refer to:* Yugoslav Partisans , the Yugoslav resistance army during World War II...

to leave the city, and never came back. The next day, images from inside and outside of the ground were all over the television and the newspapers.

"Arkan got away with it because of the help of the local police. This was his first and only loss" - newspapers Parliament

"A caravan to Pristina looked as if it had just gotten out of a war. Ten destroyed vehicles, and twice as many injured is the result of this football match" - newspapers Sport

After a few more incidents with Milošević's police, the name Torcida Sandžak was banned. Flags were banned and burned, and many supporters were arrested and then beaten by the police. Some were given sentences for hooligan related crimes, or for conspiring against the country, and some were just brutally beaten and let go. Many had brain damage from the brutal beatings. The result was as brutal as the beatings. Torcida Sandžak was disappearing.

Late 1990s

Although the name was banned, the supporters never stopped coming to the stadium. They had to use different songs and different banners, but that feeling was still present. After a few tries to recruit under a different name, in 1998 a group was formed under the name of "Ultra Azzurro". The people creating the group were the same people who, nine years earlier, created Torcida Sandžak. The people who made up the group were mostly the same people who made up Torcida Sandžak. Nothing had changed. As the last war in Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

was fought in 1999, and as Slobodan Milošević

Slobodan Milošević

's regime fell, Torcida Sandžak decided it was time to bring back its name. Ten years after officially being formed, Torcida Sandžak brought its old name back. Most of the supporters welcomed the old name with open arms, while some newer members decided to stay with "Ultra Azzurro". The question on everyone's mind was a possible problem of having two separate groups, and if they can co-exist.

21st Century and the Present

Together with Ultra Azzurro, Torcida Sandžak never allowed anyone to "feel at home" when they came to Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar

. Nobody was welcome uninvited. The city became known as the "Forbidden City". Torcida Sandžak went all over the country with FK Novi Pazar

FK Novi Pazar

, visiting major cities such as Belgrade

Belgrade

, Niš

Niš

Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...

, Novi Sad

Novi Sad

Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....

, Kragujevac

Kragujevac

Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...

and the rest. Many incidents occurred fighting for territory against supporters and locals from the neighboring cities of Raška and Ivanjica

Ivanjica

Ivanjica is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of Serbia. The population of the town is 11,810, while population of the municipality is 32,047....

. FK Novi Pazar was disqualified from the second division in 2002, after the supporters from Ivanjica came to Novi Pazar and Torcida Sandžak attacked them and even threw some supporters from the terraces onto the streets to show them that nobody comes uninvited. In 2003, after easily winning the third division, FK Novi Pazar was back again. It is very hard to say how many members of Torcida Sandžak there are, but on September 2003, there were 1.436 of those who paid their membership. But that number does not draw the real picture, because there are many more who go to the matches, sing the songs, and celebrate goals with Torcida Sandžak. It is interesting that the supporters of FK Novi Pazar, Torcida Sandžak, are not only located in the city of Novi Pazar. Torcida Sandžak and FK Novi Pazar

FK Novi Pazar

have support all over Sandžak

Sandžak

Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...

, and all over the world. There are Torcida Sandžak strongholds in the cities of Tutin

Tutin

Tutin is a town and municipality in Raška/Sandžak region of Serbia. According to a 2011 census, the municipality of Tutin has a population of 30,770 people. It is the first municipality in Serbia that has renewable wind power.-History:...

, Sjenica

Sjenica

Sjenica , is a town and municipality in the Zlatibor District of Serbia. The population of the town, according to 2011 census, is 13,056 inhabitants, while the municipality has 25,448.-History:...

, and in Rozaje

Rožaje

Rožaje , is a town in northeastern Montenegro. It has a population of 9,121 Rožaje is the centre of the municipality, which has a population of 22,693. The municipality is located in the geographical region of Sandžak.-History:The history of Rožaje goes back to 1571 and 1585 when it was first...

. They have been there with the rest of Torcida Sandžak home and away, during good and bad times. In March 2004, Torcida Sandžak fought its second most important battle, when FK Novi Pazar

FK Novi Pazar

hosted FK Rad

FK Rad

FK Rad is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It plays at Stadion Kralj Petar I, which is located in the southern part of the city's Banjica neighbourhood....

. FK Rad's supporters came in hundreds and as they entered the west part of the stadium they started attacking that, partially quiet, part of the stadium. Members of Torcida Sandžak, located on the east side of the stadium, jumped over the fence, ran over the field to the west side, and joined the fight. As the police joined to try to stop the fight, FK Rad's supporters were quickly thrown out of the stadium, and some minor attacks continued through the city. The fight left some twenty people injured, ten of whom required hospital help. Shortly after yet another successful campaign of protecting the city, things were going to turn on Torcida Sandžak and the football in Novi Pazar in general. After five years of co-existence of the two groups of supporters, some people, for their own interests, decided to try to get rid of both groups, and form a new one. In 2004, "Ekstremi" were formed. They did not want anything to do with either Torcida Sandžak or Ultra Azzurro, and problems started when most members of both Torcida Sandžak and of Ultra Azzurro refused to leave their groups. This completely separated the groups and left the three sides full of hatred for one another. In May 2005, FK Rad

FK Rad

FK Rad is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It plays at Stadion Kralj Petar I, which is located in the southern part of the city's Banjica neighbourhood....

hosted FK Novi Pazar

FK Novi Pazar

: there were verbal incidents between Rad, «whose fans wore T-shirts with image of Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...

» and Torcida Sandžak. «In response to Rad fans slogan "Orthodox Christianity or Death", Torcida fans kept shouting "Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

shall rule the world.". During the football match with Cukaricki

FK Cukaricki Stankom

FK Čukarički Stankom is a Serbian football club from Belgrade that plays in the Serbian SuperLiga.- History :...

held on 5 May fans of Novi Pazar club hoisted that banner, and consequently their club was punished for that and other incidents by a 200, 000 dinar fine. However disciplinary bodies of the Football Association

Football Association of Serbia

The Football Association of Serbia is the governing body of football in Serbia, based in Belgrade. It organizes Serbian football leagues, namely the Serbian Superliga, the Serbia national football team, as well as the Second Leagues....

failed to fine fans of Rad for hoisting a banner "Orthodox religion or death".»

In a matter of two years, the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro

Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro

The Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro was the governing body of football in Serbia and Montenegro, based in Belgrade. It organized the football league, the national team, the cup tournament as well as the Second Leagues of both republics....

punished FK Novi Pazar and its supporters with some twenty-five home matches to be played away, as a punishment for incidents at home. That was the biggest punishment any club in the history of football in the country had received. Things will not be the same anymore. The years flew by, and nothing significant has happened in Novi Pazar as far as football is concerned. In the current 2007-2008 season, the supporters are doing everything possible to make a return, just as they did as Slobodan Milošević

Slobodan Milošević

's regime fell almost a decade ago. There is a new group of supporters called the "Blue White Boys", which was formed as Ultra Azzurro and Ekstremi vanished. Together with them, Torcida Sandžak is on the east side of the stadium, trying to make a comeback.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.