A controversial incident has taken place at Poljud during the match between Hajduk Split and Lokomotiva, after members of Hajduk’s Torcida supporters group burned a banner belonging to fans of Sparta Prague. The action came just one day after Sparta supporters displayed the banner during the Prague derby against Slavia, with a message that was interpreted by Czech media as a reference to former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić. The incident has since attracted attention in Croatia and across the region, adding another politically and historically sensitive moment to the atmosphere surrounding football in the Balkans.
According to reports, the Sparta fans had displayed a Serbian flag alongside a banner reading “POČIVAJ U MRaku GENERAL,” a message that Czech media linked to Mladić. During the second half of the Hajduk match, members of Torcida reportedly burned the banner after connecting it with the message displayed in Prague. The incident was accompanied by chants from the northern stand referring to Mladić. The actions have drawn attention because football supporter groups in the region have long been closely associated with political, national and historical symbolism, making displays in stadiums capable of quickly becoming part of wider public debates.
The incident comes shortly after Mladić’s death in custody in The Hague on August 27. His name remains one of the most controversial associated with the wars of the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia, and references to him continue to provoke strong reactions throughout the region. For that reason, the banner displayed by Sparta supporters quickly became controversial, while the response from Hajduk fans turned the incident into another example of how historical conflicts and political symbolism can enter football stadiums decades after the events themselves.
The episode also highlights the continuing influence of supporter groups on the atmosphere surrounding major football clubs in the Balkans. Torcida, one of the region’s best known fan groups, has a long history of using banners, chants and displays to express political and social messages alongside their support for Hajduk. While football remains the central focus for most supporters, incidents involving historical figures and national symbolism can quickly move beyond sport and attract attention from the wider public. The latest controversy at Poljud is therefore likely to remain a talking point well beyond the final whistle, particularly because it involves a highly sensitive figure and symbols connected to the turbulent history of the former Yugoslavia.
