The story of the Blues

By Kadira Malkoč

The shifting map of the former Yugoslavia has been a confusing constant for geography students across the globe, but while borders have shifted one thing has remained constant.

Reassuring constant
The Football Association of Yugoslavia (FSJ) served the various incarnations of the country faithfully since its formation in 1919 until, with the nation changing its name to Serbia and Montenegro, it ceased to exist on 11 February 2003.

Key figures
Governing the interests of 2,723 clubs, 125,462 players, 7,553 referees and 5,500 coaches at the time of its dissolution, Vinko Vurta was the first of 33 presidents of the FSJ while Dragan Stojković was the last in a period that saw 27 national coaches from Vinko Ugrinčić to Dejan Savicević.

'Difficult task'
Now, the new Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro (FSSCG) is aiming to bring glory to the former Yugoslavia, but Stojković – who made 84 appearances for Yugoslavia – is well aware of the burden of history. "There is always a nostalgia when I speak about the old Yugoslavia," he said. "It will be a very difficult task even to come near to those successes."

Grim bookends
Yugoslavian international football had neither a bright beginning nor a happy ending. Their first international game against Czechoslovakia on 28 August 1920 was a 7-0 defeat, while the last, against France in Paris on 21 November 2002, was a less humbling 3-0 loss. However, 600 international games provided their share of thrills.

Global success
The FIFA World Cup gave Yugoslavia their first global exposure, as they reached the semi-finals of the inaugural competition in 1930, but only a fourth-place finish in the 1962 competition in Chile saw them replicate the promise of their debut.

European frustration
The UEFA European Championship was to prove even more agonising for Yugoslavia. They were beaten finalists twice, losing out to the Soviet Union in 1960 and Italy in 1968. However, 1960 was not to prove to be an entirely frustrating year, as the Olympic Games saw the senior national side beat Denmark 3-1 in the final to claim the gold medal.

Young masters
At youth level, there were to be greater successes, with a side including future household names Predrag Mijatović, Zvonimir Boban, Davor Šuker, Robert Prosinečki, Dragoje Leković and Robert Jarni winning the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile.

Club scene
Four clubs dominated in the former Yugoslavia, with FK Crvena Zvezda, HNK Hajduk Split, FK Partizan and NK Dinamo Zagreb the most successful. However, with Hajduk and Dinamo joining the Croatian league, the final seasons of the Prva Savezna Liga were to prove something of an anticlimax.

Colder climate
Though Crvena Zvezda reached the final of the 1978/79 UEFA Cup and took the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup against an Olympique de Marseille side featuring current FSSCG president Stojković, more recent years saw the European climate turn much colder for the two Belgrade giants.

Diminished resources
With the former Yugoslav republics having gone their separate ways, former national coach Vujadin Boškov is worried that the modern Serbia and Montenegro simply does not have the playing resources to match those great old sides. "Once upon a time we were producing great players and coaches," he said. "Today we are weaker and only hard work can save us."

Pioneer spirit
Hard work, however, has been one of the hallmarks of the great sides of old. As the FSSCG makes its first steps into international football, the spirit of past glories and the excitement of a new beginning may yet bring the nation the success it has so long deserved.