On Serbian Hooligans, or How and Why Thugs Are Getting It Their Way
On Serbian Hooligans, or How and Why Thugs Are Getting It Their Way

Summary/Abstract: The late 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s introduced an exploding mixture of nationalist rhetoric that found its way into domestic politics and from there spread into sport manifestations where it was politically directed. Football stadiums became hotbeds of nationalist fervor and therefore a recruiting ground for conflicts Serbia officially never participated in. This volatile mix of politics and organized supporter groups eventually backfired against Miloševiæ’s regime that was its chief architect, and by the end of the 1990s the regime’s previous allies became its enemies. Democratic changes of 2000 did indeed initiate a major change in the country, but unfortunately violence orchestrated by organized supporter groups has remained an issue without a proper solution for Serbia. With the country going through rather problematic transition, organized hooligans have become very vocal and increasingly aggressive in their doing, and, in addition, have also come into a position of being influential players in political and social life in the country. In that respect, main argument of this article is that, on the one hand, reluctance and lack of political will of the state to use all legal means have principally allowed hooligans to act almost unhindered, and, on the other, failure of political elites to initiate a “value change” has also had considerable influence in this respect. If Serbia wants to join the EU Belgrade seriously needs to reconsider its future options with hooligans on the loose.

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