Torcida Split

Torcida fans decorating the stands of Poljud stadium during the Eternal Derby.

Torcida is a Hajduk Split supporters group, from Croatia, founded on 28 October 1950. The name "Torcida" is the Brazilian Portuguese word for "supporters". Club fans operate from Zrinsko Frankopanska-17, Split. The slogan of the fans, "Hajduk lives forever ", testifies to the long and continuing tradition of Hajduk Split, which has survived without change from its establishment until today (While states and leagues have failed, "Hajduk lives forever").

Torcida members and other fervent fans of the club gather in the north stand at the stadium of Poljud from where they fiercely support their club.

History

The founding and beginnings

Before the establishment of Torcida, organized supporting existed since the very beginning of Hajduk in the 1911. The first organized trip to the fans home visit was recorded in 1927. against HAŠK in Zagreb, and on foreign visit 1936 against Roma in Rome. Torcida was established on 28 October in the 1950, before the football match against Red Star Belgrade. The students from Split, who studied in Zagreb, wanted to make the unprecedented spectacle in order to help their club and how they succeeded. Following the example of BrazilWorld Cup was played in Rio de Janeiro), Hajduk on 29 October won against Red Star with result 2-1, with a triumphant goal that has scored a legendary player of Hajduk Split the 86th minute. That season the team Hajduk won the championship without a single defeat, which has remained unsurpassed record.

After the game party and government structures, to the personal intervention of Milovan Djilas, began with repressive measures toward Torcida and its members. Defeat of the privileged Red Star and the circumstances around it were extremely disturbed for the regime in Belgrade. The Hajduk's leadership was sanctioned, Torcida's action and its name forbidden, and some of the members were detained and against them proceedings were conducted. One of the founders, Vjenceslav Žuvela, was excluded from the Communist Party and sentenced to three years in prison. Later, his sentence was reduced to three months.

Despite the ban highlighting names and organized action, the fans continued to support its great players and team.

The first significant case of violent fans in the stadium dates back to the meeting with "FK Sarajevo" from 1 October 1961 when referee Aleksandar Skoric was attacked after the match, because he denied the equalizing goal for Hajduk player Vidosevic. Skoric was beaten and in the auditorium, there was a vandal, with the consequences of which Hajduk had to play three home games in Šibenik. Another large-scale incident occurred on 11 September 1966, when the masses of fans, disappointed by the defeat of Hajduk, staged a massive fight in which they demolished a dorm, bleachers and goals. Hajduk was then punished by playing one match in Rijeka.

The Glorious Years

Torcida continued its activities in the underground. At the beginning of the 1970s a small group of fiercest Hajduk's supporters begins to continuously gather on the east standing on the Stari Plac to lead the supporting.

During this decade supporters adopts the southern manner, which is characterized by emphasizing the large number of club flags and banners, with the symbols of the club and large march through the city before and after important games (popular "carousel"). Also, part of the adoption was and northern manner of supporting which is manifested by wearing scarves and expressive patterns of violent behavior, especially toward rival supporters. Along with scans more and more supporters' anthem are beginning to use.

Until the end of the seventies violent behavior of fans were extended toward most fans of other clubs, so because of that they would not come in larger numbers to match of their teams in Split, on the other side Hajduk fans have supported their club throughout the former Yugoslavia.

Within 1970s Hajduk string of great results (won four championships and five cups). Such exceptional success is followed with maintaining the Mediterranean Games in Split 1979 as part of which was built a new city stadium Poljud, which became the new home of Hajduk.

Renewal of activities

Name Torcida began to publicly use in 1980 when the new generation of fans of Hajduk wanted, by old name and tradition to celebrate and support the club. Since then, the fans began to assemble in the north stand of the new stadium in Poljud. After Torcida's renewal, in the late 1980s the supporters group of the other three big clubs in Yugoslavia – Dinamo, Partizan and Red Star are founded, but also those of smaller clubs.

The incidents of fans in the north stands became more common with unwanted consequences. So before the game, "Hajduk" - "Tottenham", held in Split in April 1984. one fan in the center of the pitch slaughtered rooster, as the symbol of club in London is a "Rooster". This is reacted with a UEFA ban on playing international matches in Split.

Organized group of Torcida starting to spread beyond the city and the stadium begin to appear banners of Hajduk fans from the surrounding towns, and later expanding to much of Dalmatia.

Croatian independence and the Division

During the war many Torcida members together with their counterparts from other fan groups stood at the forefront of fronts to "defend" their homeland. Memorial plaque on the north side of the stadium at Poljud bear the names of 27 members of Torcida killed in the fight for Croatian independence.

In addition to numerous subgroups organized by Torcida Split neighborhoods (Špinut, Brda, Mertojak, Radunica etc.), numerous subsidiaries Torcida organized in the country (Sisak, Zagreb, Makarska, Zadar, Šibenik, Dubrovnik, Trogir, Vukovar, Vinkovci, etc.) and in Europe (Düsseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart, Rotterdam, Zürich, Mostar, Ljubljana, etc.).

• Torcida Rotterdam are numbers of Fanatic Feyenoord Rotterdam supporters who frequently attend the infamous Vak S side. Apart from the Croatian diaspora living in Rotterdam this group also consists of men of Dutch origin who symphatise with Hajduk. Torcida Rotterdam attends all Feyenoord games and European Hajduk games.

Statutes KN Torcida

Statutes of the Club passed on 10 January 1998. The Assembly of the fan club Hajduk Split - Torcida Split.

General provisions, activities and membership

By these statutes were enacted provisions of the name and headquarters of the club (art. 2), coat of arms (Article 4). Club represented by its President and Secretary (Article 6). Among the activities of the club are set out, inter alia, promotion of organized supporting at the games HNK Hajduk, organizing trips to matches HNK Hajduk Split out, the fight against fan violence at stadiums and organized gathering of members (Article 8). Membership is available to all interested parties (Article 10) with payment of fees (Article 13).

Administrative authorities Club

Governing bodies of the club are the Assembly, the Presidency, the Supervisory Board and Disciplinary Commission (Article 17).

Assembly is the highest governing body of the club, which consists of all members of the Club (Article 18). It can be regular, elective and extraordinary and will meet once during the year, while the Assembly meeting, held every four years. Sessions of the Assembly shall be convened by the Presidency of the Club (Article 19), and chaired by her club president (Article 20).

Executive functions performed by the Presidency of the Club (Article 23) which consists of nine members, a meeting convened by the president of the club Presidency (Article 24).

Presidency, inter alia, elected and appointed by the secretary and treasurer of the Club shall be convened by the Assembly, establishes the proposed program activities and plans, manages the assets of the Club and shall report on the work of the Assembly Caucus (Article 25).

The Supervisory Board monitors the Club and supervise the work of bodies established by statute, and on its work to inform the Assembly. The supervisory board supervises the special material and financial operations of the Club. (Article 28). It consists of three members, a decision by majority vote (Article 29).

President, who is the function of Chairman and President, elected by the Assembly for a term of four years. The President, among other things, represents the Club, the discussion on certain issues, cares about the public awareness work of the Club, the Assembly and its bodies and manages the Assembly and the Presidency. In case of absence is replaced by the club secretary (Article 30).

Club secretary elected and appointed by the Presidency for a term of four years to conduct professional and administrative duties at the club. He maintains the Register of Members, in the absence of the President replaces the Club and takes care of organizing the departure of members at HNK Hajduk Split away football game (Article 31).

The disciplinary committee has three members from the presidency of the club. They carry out disciplinary proceedings and report to him the Presidency and the Assembly of the club (Article 32).

Assets

The statute is governed by and property of the Club and how its acquisition. Club acquired the property from membership fees, voluntary contributions and donations, grants, sponsorships and donations and other sources in accordance with the law (Article 35).

Alliances

They are in very good terms with other ultras group from Dalmatia, Tornado Zadar. They are in good terms with the biggest ultra group of Portuguese club Benfica No Name Boys. It started during the Croatian war, NN (No Name Boys) showed a message "Freedom for Croatia", and some time later, Benfica played in Croatia against Hadjuk and in a Bus accident 3 members of NN lost their lives (including the leader of NN, "Gullit"), then, in the return leg of the game, Torcida brang flowers to Benfica's stadium, in memory of that 3 member of NN. So it started a friendship between the two Ultra groups.

External links

• Official Site