Jugoslovensko-poljski fudbalski kontakti u međuratnom periodu
Football contacts between Yugoslavia and Poland in interwar period

Summary/Abstract: In the period between the First and the Second World War, two new states on the political map of Europe, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia and the Polish Republic, had similar patterns of political, cultural and economic development. Both states had emerged from the victory of the Entente forces, both were surrounded by the revisionist adversaries and both fought frantically for survival and stabilization of its international position. In the ongoing process, certain convergence between the two nations had occurred. This convergence was visible in different spheres of social and political life, but mostly in culture and sports. Sport and physical exercise, football and Sokol exercising in particular, which were very popular in both countries, were used as a bridge for connecting and introducing the Poles and Yugoslavs better. Out of 109 football matches in total that Yugoslav national football team had played in the period between 1920 and 1941, 11 (or 10%) were played against Poland (9 friendly football matches and 2 world cup qualifiers). In the time when no all-European football competition existed, in which all nations were forced to play against one another, football relations between the two nations would represent the general reflection of their relationship. Yugoslav Football Association was informal but very important ambassador of the Yugoslav state and the YFA had the best relations with the states which were in friendly terms with Yugoslavia. Testimony of such a practice is the fact that Yugoslavia played most of its matches against Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland and Greece. Beside the football matches of the national teams, several prominent matches were played between the best Yugoslav and Polish clubs. In the conclusion, the football matches represented an opportunity to show the strength of the Yugoslav-Polish alliance and often were the display of the friendship between the two nations.

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