Marakana: 11 years ago, everything but football was played

On this day, October 12, 2005, the national football teams of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina met in Belgrade, at the famous Marakana. The match for winning points and qualifying for the World Cup was played between the hosts Serbia and Montenegro, and the visiting team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Rivers of fans flowed from BiH towards the capital of the eastern neighbors. One river cheering for Serbia and one for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Young and promising teams in a group with Spain played well and had an open path to the world football gathering until the last round.

Instead of Kežman, Barbarez, and other brilliant footballers, some other heroes entered the scene with tractors, from the Republika Srpska and other rural parts of Serbia and Montenegro. They had Chetnik caps, banners celebrating genocide, and hatred for export.

A real small war was waged in the stands. Inadequate police forces did not protect the handful of Bosnia and Herzegovina fans. Stoning, firecrackers, and the most primitive insults were an integral part of the folklore of quasi-Serbian hooligans that Belgrade autumn. UEFA stood by and watched. Barbarez drew the referee's attention to the war in the stands, but nothing. The war lasted as long as they wanted, just like the one from '92 to '95. It should be mentioned that the Serbian national team won with a score of 1-0 and qualified for the 2006 World Cup, which was held in Germany.