One soul and two bodies, as the quote reads, best depicts how intertwined Torcida and Hajduk are. And today, Hadjuk’s beloved fan group celebrates its 71st birthday, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.
For decades, October 28, 1950, has become as crucial in the history of Hajduk as the date of its founding on February 13, 1911.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=kkftqe1g-gM
Namely, on October 28, 1950, a group of Hajduk fans organized in Zagreb, with students from Dalmatia, and made their way to Split. The next day, Hajduk played the decisive championship match against Red Star (Crvena Zvezda). Hajduk ultimately won 2:1 and thus became champions with goals by Bernard Vukas and Božo Broketa. It was a famous title for Hajduk, which they clinched without a defeat.
But why ‘Torcida’? In the summer of 1950, when the World Cup was played in Brazil, five Hajduk members (Vladimir Beara, Bernard Vukas, Božo Broketa, Ervin Katnić, and Ivo Radovniković) were part of the Yugoslavia national team. They spoke about the chants and cheering they experienced in Rio de Janeiro, at the Maracana, the pride of Brazil, and the largest stadium in the world.
“Those fans in Brazil, their name is Torcida, and they make such a loud noise that at the start of the game, you are immediately at a loss. It is difficult to resist that and get a favorable result in that atmosphere!”
Those words published in the press drummed in the ears of Dalmatians. As a result, Vjenceslav Žuvela, a student from Korčula, became the ideological leader of that first Zagreb gathering, leaving the capital for Split on a Hajduk fan train.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=HBQ03Ltslg0
Today, Žuvela’s grave on Korčula is regularly visited by delegations from Hajduk and Torcida. The fan group has become somewhat of a social movement with incredible influence on the Split club. And with its founding on October 28, 1950, Torcida is the oldest supporters group in Europe.
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