Zagreb was one of the hotbeds of football in the former states of Yugoslavia, and whilst it hasn’t continued to make an impact on the European stage since gaining independence in 1991, Croatia’s capital city is still a true football hotbed in the Balkans. The number one team in the Croatian capital continues to be Dinamo. Formerly known as Croatia Zagreb after independence in 1991, the fans petitioned and protested until 2000 when they were renamed back to Dinamo and pride was once again restored. The club were formed in 1945 after the merger of a number of teams in Zagreb. They won their first Yugoslavian championship in 1948 and went on to win two further championships in the next ten years as well as the Yugoslavian cup in 1951. All of this was quite remarkable considering that they were competing against Partizan Belgrade, the Yugoslav army team, who could buy and sell the country’s best players at will.
The club added Yugoslavian cups on a regular basis in the 1960’s, and thus qualifying for the European Cup Winners Cup from inception. In that first tournament in 1960/61 they reached the Semi-Final’s before losing 4-2 to Fiorentina. In 1963/64 they fell at the first hurdle to Celtic, and a year later they went out to Torino in the quarter finals. Their greatest European moment though came in 1967 when they won the Fairs Cup, beating Leeds United in the final.
The team went through a barren run in the 1970’s, apart from a couple of UEFA Cup campaigns of insignificance. However, they bounced back in the 1980’s with two Yugoslavian Cup wins in 1980 and 1983, sandwiching their fourth league title in 1982. Their poor run, though, continued in the European Cup when they exited in the first round, beaten convincingly by Sporting Lisbon.
After Croatia gained its independence from Yugoslavia, Dinamo went head to head with Hadjuk Split for the title of best team in Croatia. Dinamo’s first title came in 1993 with former Osijek goalscorer Goran Vlaovic ending the campaign as top scorer in the whole of Croatia. The luck didn’t follow on a European stage though as the team crashed out of the Champions League to Steaua Bucharest in the first round on away goals.
Hadjuk took the title in 1994 and 1995 before Otto Baric took over the reigns. With the inspirational coach in charge, Croatia Zagreb won the double in 1996 and 1997. In 1998 Zlatko Kranjcar, the current national team coach, took over the team and repeated the feat, capturing the double in 1998. The following season the club at last made an impact in the Champions League. After beating Celtic in the qualifying rounds, the team finished second in their group, but did not get one of the two best runners’ up spots that would have taken them into the semi-finals.
The following season with Zajec taking over from Kranjcar and the team containing wan away players such as Mark Viduka, Dario Simic and Maric they took the title again. Zajec reign lasted but a few months and he was replaced by Ossi Ardiles in a hope to bring some glory in Europe. In his first campaign in 1999, the team made the group stages again but finished the winnable group featuring Man Utd, Marseille and Sturm Graz in bottom place, despite starting the campaign with a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
The disappointing campaign signalled the end of Ardiles’s reign and despite the team retaining its title in 2000, its first back under the Dinamo name. Two further Croatian cups were won in 2001 and 2002 but this is where the titles ended. Aborted campaigns have followed in the UEFA Cup each year including an embarrassing 5-1 exit to Fulham in 2003. However, good times may be returning. As at the end of October, Dinamo sat level on points with Hadjuk, although a long way ahead of 3rd place Varteks, having dropped just 7 points. The current coach, Josip Kuze has built a good young team that looks like it can compete at last in Europe.
The Stadium – The Maksimir Maksimiska 128, Zagreb
Capacity: 38,923 All seater
The Maksimir is classed as the national stadium despite not being the biggest stadium in the country. That honour sits with Hadjuk Split, and their redeveloped Poljud stadium. However, the Maksimir is one of the most atmospheric. The club have played at the stadium since their inception in 1945. The first real redevelopment didn’t take place until the mid 1980’s when the stadium was chosen to host the World Student Games of 1987.
The stadium today is an odd affair. All four stands are uncovered, with two large two-tier stands, one smaller single tier stand and finally the original curved bank behind the goal. The stadium suffers by having a running track, meaning that some fans behind the goal are quite a way from the action. The home fans – the Blue Boys are located in the north stand. There are plans to completely redevelop the stadium, with the inclusion of a new south stand, corner in-filling as well as one of the largest retractable roofs ever installed in the world. There are no definite timescales for this work, and it is expected that Dinamo will continue to play at the Maksimir whilst the work is carried out.
How to get to the Maksimir Stadion The easiest way to reach the ground is to jump on tramline 4 from the central station, alighting at Bukovacka, which is 7 stops and 15 minutes away. If you coming from the bus station then catch tram line 7 which is ten minutes away. The stadium’s main (west) stand is just beside the tram stop.
How to get a ticket for the Maksimir Stadion With the ground 3/4th of the way to full redevelopment, the stadium is rarely full. Only the big European matches and the Croatian derby between Dinamo and Hadjuk raise the average attendance above the 10,000 mark. Tickets can therefore be purchased on the day of the game from the booths to the right of the stadium as you approach it from the tram stop. Traditionally, the hardcore Bad Blue Boys take up residence in the north stand, so it may be worth avoiding this stand if you want to watch the football, and not your back. Around the Maksimir Stadion The stadium is situated to the east of the city centre in the recreation area of the Maksimir Park. To the south of the stadium are a few bars and cafes that are definitely home only. To the north of the stadium is the park area. If you walk 5 mins through this park you will come to the training grounds of Dinamo, which has a nice clubhouse and on matchdays have an outside BBQ and bar.
NK Zagreb
Whilst NK are light years away from the operations run by Hadjuk and Dinamo, they are currently winning the battle to be considered the best of the rest in Croatian football. A third place finish last season coupled with some solid performances this season, and the appointment of legendary 71-year old coach Miroslav Blazevic has given the club some hope that they can start to build a story to break the monopoly. The club were formed in 1903 and have had a quiet history in the Yugoslavian leagues. In 1992, the club proudly took its place in the first ever Croatian league and won its one and only championship in 2002. Their most famous player is Ivica Olić who was the leading scorer in Croatia during their march to the championship and went on to be capped 41 times by the national team.
The Stadium – Stadion Kranjceviceva Kranjceviceva 4, Zagreb
Capacity: 12,000 All Seater
The small and compact Kranjceviceva has been home to NK for over 50 years. It is a simple affair, with two long side stands – the main one of which is covered, and two curved banks behind the goals. The ground has a banked track around the pitch, which has been used in the past for athletics and cycling competitions.
NK only average 1,500 and so the atmosphere at the stadium can be slightly subdued, especially for those used to the noise created by the Blue Boys across the city at the Maksimir.
How to get to the Stadion Kranjceviceva The stadium is located in the south west of the city, just outside the main ring road. The simplest way to reach the stadium from the old town square of Trg Bana Jelacica is to head south down one of the pedestrian streets then turning right onto Masarykova. Follow this until you reach the square Marsala Tita where you should turn left and follow the wide avenue of Frankopanska. At the second major junction, head right into Krsnjavoga. This road then runs under the railway line, and the stadium will be on your left. Tram numbers 2, 12, 14 and 16 pass close to the stadium, the former running from the main railway station.
How to get a ticket for the Stadion Kranjceviceva With a capacity of 12,000 and average crowds of 1,500 you will not have a problem buying a ticket on the gate for any game – even the derby versus Dinamo. Tickets start from just €4 for a place behind the goal.
Around the Stadion Kranjceviceva The stadium is hemmed in on two sided by roads, and is almost cut off from the city by the train line and so suffers a bit from isolation. However, it does have a couple of bars close by and the huge Hotel Westin is a five minute walk away and that has a couple of bars and restaurants.
SPLIT - HAJDUK SPLIT - CAPACITY: 34,000 ALL SEATER
About the Stadion Poljud The Poljud Stadion is the second biggest in Croatia, behind Dinamo Zagreb’s Maksimir Stadium. It was originally opened to host the 1979 Mediterranean Games by the Yugoslavian President Tito. The original capacity was 55,000, and was seen as a perfect venue for local side Hajduk Split to build on their championship success of the same year. In the next few years the capacity was increased to 62,000 during the 1980’s.
The stadium is located just north of the old town close to the port area and is one of the most impressive buildings in the city. It is a huge bowl structure, with two elliptical roofs that cover the main stands, leaving the end stands open. Views are good from the main stands, whilst from behind the goals they are quite distant.
In 1980 during a game between Hajduk and Red Star Belgrade in front of a sell out 50,000 crowd, an announcement was made that Josip Broz Tito, the Yugoslavian President had died. In a very moving moment the game was abandoned as the players and crowd alike were overcome with grief. The stadium was also one of the venues pencilled in for the joint Croatia/Hungary bid to host Euro 2012 championships that was awarded to Poland and Ukraine in April 2007.
The area around the stadium is full of supporters’ bars and restaurants, and visitors get a real feeling of the history of both the city and the football club from the walk from the city centre. Who plays there? The Poljud is home to Hajduk Split, one of the most famous clubs to have come out of the Balkans as well as one of the oldest having been originally formed in February 1911. The club was actually founded in a pub in Prague by a group of Croatian students who had been to see the Prague derby between Sparta and Slavia. The name they chose reflects the local name for the bandits who fought the Ottoman Turks.
The team were one of the founder members of the Yugoslav league in 1923, and swiftly became one of the most successful by capturing the Championship in 1927 and 1929. However, during the war years, the city fell into the hands of the Italians and was forced to withdraw from the Yugoslav league, although the club did reject the proposition of joining Serie A. After the war the club won the Yugoslav Championship again in 1950, 1952 and 1955. President Tito was so impressed with the resistance of the club during the war, and how it bounced back that he invited the club to move to Belgrade and become the official army team.
In the 1970’s the club became the top team in Yugoslavia as they won four Championships and four Yugoslavian Cup Final victories. During this period they also reached the Cup Winners Cup Semi-Final, only to lose to Leeds United. However, the more success the club enjoyed on a domestic level, the more foreign teams came a-calling with their cheque books. Apart from three more Yugoslavian Cup victories in the mid-1980’s, and another Semi-Final defeat in Europe to Spurs in the 1984 UEFA Cup final, the trophy cabinet stayed locked until independence was taken in 1991.
The team were the fist winners of the Croatian championship in 1992, and followed this up in 1994 and the domestic double in 1995. The team at the time included such worldwide stars as Alen Bokšic, Slaven Bilić, Igor Štimac and Robert Jarni. Some of these stars did get the opportunity to play on the biggest European club stage as the team qualified for the 1994/95 Champions League. The club nervously made it through a group with Steaua Bucherest, Benfica and Anderlecht before losing 3-0 to Ajax in the Quarter-Final. The following season they lost on away goals to Panathinaikos in the qualifying round.
Since the turn of the century the club have won the Championship on three occasions, the last being in 2005. However, their last two Champions League campaigns have been nothing more than an embarrassment for the team. In 2004 they lost to Irish part-timers Shelbourne, and the following season they were thrashed at the same stage by Debrecen.
Last season the club finished runners up again to Dinamo Zagreb as the balance of power in Croatian football has firmly shifted back to the capital. The club have managed to tempt back Ivor Tudor from Juventus and he will captain the side during the forthcoming season. They will be hoping to progress a bit further in Europe though, and an initial draw in the UEFA Cup to Budućnost of Montenegro should see them progress.
How to get there The easiest way to reach the stadium is actually by foot. Simply follow the crowds along Zrinjsko-Frankopanska. Journey time on foot should be no more than 15 minutes from the train station. If it is raining then you can catch bus 3 or 17 from the station. A single ticket for any bus trip in the city centre is HRK10. Getting a ticket Despite the passion of the Torcida – the loyal hardcore Hajduk fans who sit behind the goal, attendances at the Poljud reflect the current situation in Croatian football – disappointing. Hajduk’s average attendance over the past few seasons has just been above 5,000. With the biggest game of the season versus Dinamo Zagreb only attracting 20,000 at a push, getting a ticket on the day of any match is not a problem.
Occasionally the team have progressed in European competition and at that point it may be worth purchasing a ticket in advance from http://www.hnkhajduk.hr. Tickets for normal league matches cost HRK70 for a place behind the goal, rising to HRK150 for one of the best seats in the house in the main stand. On the odd occasion that the national team play games here then tickets can be purchased via the http://www.hns-cff.hr
Getting around The city centre is very compact, jutting out into the Adriatic Sea. This means that the centre is easily transversed on foot, although if you need to go further a field local buses run from the central rail station.
Zagreb was one of the hotbeds of football in the former states of Yugoslavia, and whilst it hasn’t continued to make an impact on the European stage since gaining independence in 1991, Croatia’s capital city is still a true football hotbed in the Balkans. The number one team in the Croatian capital continues to be Dinamo. Formerly known as Croatia Zagreb after independence in 1991, the fans petitioned and protested until 2000 when they were renamed back to Dinamo and pride was once again restored. The club were formed in 1945 after the merger of a number of teams in Zagreb. They won their first Yugoslavian championship in 1948 and went on to win two further championships in the next ten years as well as the Yugoslavian cup in 1951. All of this was quite remarkable considering that they were competing against Partizan Belgrade, the Yugoslav army team, who could buy and sell the country’s best players at will.
