Is the state strong enough to confront fascism at football stadiums?

By: Haris LJEVO

Final cup game played a few days ago at the stadium 'Pecara' between Siroki Brijeg and Sarajevo will undoubtedly enter the history of BH football as one of the most scandalous ever.

To listen and watch the local fans at the game was terrifying enough. What was more worrying was a report by the game delegate who failed to notice anything inappropriate taking place during the game of the final cup.

The full stadium was promising a genuine spectacle, however, it became clear it was going to turn into a debacle at the very beginning, when the anthem of BiH began to play. Most of the spectators showed disrespect, to say the least, to the anthem of the state in which they live and get their paycheck, where their children go to school thanks to tax payers. Nobody can be forced to love their country but it is matter of civility to keep silent during the anthem.

It was unrealistic to expect the fans of Siroki Brijeg to fly Bosnian flags. When somebody is born and raised in one country, yet grows to prefer a neighboring country and bring its flag to football games, that's their problem, but when they bring flags of former Nazi NDH (The Independent State of Croatia), that is a problem for law enforcement agencies.

Is it possible that, with so many police officers and security agencies at one place, nobody spotted the NDH flag – the insignia of a country that committed so many horrifying crimes? How come that judges interrupt football games on the account of one paper role thrown into the field, and coldly ignore chanting of NDH and 'ustasha' slogans?

Four years ago, a football judge, Ognjen Valjic from Banja Luka, interrupted a game in stadium Kosevo between Sarajevo and Leotar because of a banner of the Sarajevo team 'Army of RbiH' and the Bosnian flag with fleur de lis. The game was resumed only after the banner and the flag had been removed. How is it possible that the games are interrupted because of the flag under which this country was accepted into a full UN membership, while the flag under which a genocide was committed in World War II – is freely flown?!

It took BH Football Alliance one full day to condemn the happenings in Siroki Brijeg. They did so probably on the account of media pressure. However, had they seen anything dubious during the game themselves, they should have reacted right there.

Besides the rampage at the stadium Pecara, TV broadcasting of the game also turned into a fiasco. Anywhere else in the world, national cup games are broadcasted but national TV; it is only in this country that private TV (and a foreign one!) gets the honor. The culmination of shame was when TV Arena Sport played TV commercials during penalty kicks.

In their official reaction, the Football alliance of BiH condemned behavior of the fans but praised the management of Siroki Brijeg for good organization of the game. Unbelievable. How come the Disciplinary committee issues huge financial fines to the football clubs whose fans light torches during the game, yet praises the clubs whose fans call to violence?

And just when we thought that we had seen it all in domestic football, the events during and after the game in Pecara confirmed that – everything is possible.

The icing on the cake was when the BiH Presidency member, Dragan Covic, congratulated the team of Siroki, without one single reference to the stadium stands. Perhaps it would have been weird if he had done so, as his politics and tactics are quite clear. It is demonstrated by those who follow him.

- You have shown sports skills, you have justified well deserved position of champions and proved that with enthusiasm, hard work and endeavor in the field, as well as with love for the game and homeland, fair play, one can achieve amazing results, Covic said.   

Is expression of fascism 'love for homeland' and would Covic congratulate 'Sarajevo' football team had the result been different...

Until when will those who promote 'road to Europe' continue to divide us?