Post by Hogs on Feb 23, 2016 10:52:56 GMT -5
Being mostly of Croatian, Ukrainian & Scottish descent, it was always easier for me to follow Scottish football because articles, etc. were in English but my family immigrated from a town called Split in the Dalmatia region of Croatia. In this town there is a club that has lived for 105 years: HNK Hajduk Split (usually just called Hajduk). They are, essentially, what I believe City will be like after it's been around 100 years. They are a people's club, inexorably tied to their city.
HNK Hajduk Split Official Homepage (in Croatian)
I knew the history of the club and their insane supporters group, Torcida Split, which was founded in 1950 after Croatian National Team supporters from Split went to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. Torcida claims to be the oldest organized SG in Europe and I have yet to find anything to disprove that claim. It wasn't until the recent advent of Google Translate's ability to convert entire pages at once that I could really start reading about the team & SG in depth. I also discovered Alex Holiga, a Croatian journalist who also writes articles in English. In addition to covering Hajduk specifically, he covers the much larger issue of corruption in the Croatian football league and with the Croatian national team.
I thought other people here might be interested in this team and its supporters since I think it provides a window to the future of City & NGS.
Here are some of Alex's articles in English. You can find more written in Croatian and translate them if you so desire.
Why Hajduk Should Be Your Pet Club
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out: Croatia's Eternal Derby
Hajduk vs Dinamo: Croatia's Eternal Derby Is Europe's Fiercest Grudge Match
How Hajduk Split Supporters Started an Uprising in Croatian Football
HNK Hajduk Split Official Homepage (in Croatian)
I knew the history of the club and their insane supporters group, Torcida Split, which was founded in 1950 after Croatian National Team supporters from Split went to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. Torcida claims to be the oldest organized SG in Europe and I have yet to find anything to disprove that claim. It wasn't until the recent advent of Google Translate's ability to convert entire pages at once that I could really start reading about the team & SG in depth. I also discovered Alex Holiga, a Croatian journalist who also writes articles in English. In addition to covering Hajduk specifically, he covers the much larger issue of corruption in the Croatian football league and with the Croatian national team.
I thought other people here might be interested in this team and its supporters since I think it provides a window to the future of City & NGS.
Here are some of Alex's articles in English. You can find more written in Croatian and translate them if you so desire.
Why Hajduk Should Be Your Pet Club
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out: Croatia's Eternal Derby
Hajduk vs Dinamo: Croatia's Eternal Derby Is Europe's Fiercest Grudge Match
How Hajduk Split Supporters Started an Uprising in Croatian Football
