Brotherhood and unity: An alternate history of football

[ArupinumMaivista]

Euro 2000
"Campione 2000"
Semi-finals
Spain v Portugal ​

The Iberian derby has always been a bit of a lesser-known rivalry, at least when compared to Germany-Holland, or recently Yugoslavia-Italy. That said, this year could see a change in that as Portugal and Spain met in the semi finals, in what would be their first encounter in a major tournament since Euro 1996. Back then, the meeting ended 2-2, but Portugal had the last laugh by finishing in the semis. Now, four years later, Spain looked more and more formidable, and the Red Ones were keen on finally beating the Navigators, a feat they haven't accomplished since 1950.

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The match started well for the Portuguese, as Nuno Gomes scored in the 19th minute, and they held that lead for most of the first half, until Fernando Morientes equalised with an absolute screamer.

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The rest of the match was just as entertaining as the first half, with both sides creating great chances, and their players battled like mad. The game soon enough went into extra time, and both sides began to play carefully as they did their darnest not to concede. Then, Rui Costa was knocked down in Spain's penalty box by Abelardo, and all hell broke loose. Portugal was awarded a penalty. Costa aligned himself and shot - and he scored! A golden penalty was a fitting name for what had occurred, and Rui Costa has written himself into the history books, as the man who led Portugal to its first ever Final!

Rui Costa - Portugal's magnificent #10

Italy v Netherlands ​

Unlike the thriller between Spain and Portugal, Italy's game against Holland was much more methodical, with neither side managing to score during regular time. But what made this match notable though, was Netherlands' absolutely terrible showing in the Penalties, with Jaap Stam pulling off what could only be described as one of the worst spot kicks in footie. Toldo didn't exactly need to hold his nerve, and the Azzurri in the end managed to advance after beating the side that thrashed them just two years ago.

The Italian players rush to embrace Francesco Toldo ​

Final
Portugal v Italy ​

And so, the European Final would be an all-Latin affair, with Portugal facing off against Italy. To think that almost a decade ago, this would've been considered a David vs Goliath story. But no, Portugal has now truly become a force to be reckoned with, and its players were a fantastic bunch. That said, Italy wasn't any different. If anything, this side was brewing with talent, and many were keen on watching them play in the 2002 World Cup.
The match started well for both sides, with Portugal threatening the Italians several times, and with Luís Figo scoring in the 12th minute, but that was ruled Off-side. So, the match remained 0-0. Following the first half, the match continued to be a tactical game between the two, only the Italians looked like they were finally kicking things into gear, and Marco Delvecchio confirmed that with a fine header. Italy was now one step ahead of Portugal, and she could proudly hold one hand on the trophy, while Portugal now had to play Catch-up.

Marco Delvecchio listening for the cheers (or the jeers)

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Italy dominated the rest of the match, as their strong defense prevented Portugal from creating an coherent chance, bar Rui Costa kicking the ball from 20 meters out of desperation. The 87th minute saw Francesco Totti putting the nail on Portugal's coffin, as the players ran up to him in order to celebrate early. The final 3 minutes saw a dejected Portugal trying any trick in the book to break the Italians, but the Azzurri were practically running circles around them now, and the celebrations would soon take place as Andres Frisk blew the whistle. Italy were the Champions of Europe. Campioni 2000.

Changes in this timeline:
1. Without France, we get a thrilling Iberian derby Between Portugal and Spain, followed by Italy lifting the trophy. Tough luck for the Portuguese, but they deserve an A+ for their efforts.

For the 2002 World Cup, the tournament will take place in Korea, with North Korea collapsing following the famine and death of Kim Il-Sung. It's a far-fetched idea and an incredibly unrealistic one, since Korea would probably go through an Eocnomic crisis due to the Northern region being so poor, but the World Cup might be just what the country needs. Plus, I think FIFA would love to expand football in Asia while also saying "Football unites the world".

Here are the following Teams for the 2002 World Cup:
Group A: Australia, Denmark, France, Senegal
Group B: Paraguay, Spain, South Africa, Yugoslavia
Group C: Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Costa Rica, Iran
Group D: Korea, Poland, Portugal, United States
Group E: Cameroon, England, Ireland, Saudi Arabia
Group F: Argentina, Germany, Nigeria, Sweden
Group G: Belgium, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico
Group H: Japan, Russia, Scotland, Tunisia

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[ArupinumMaivista]

The 2000-01 season in Yugoslav Football:
"The White Rhapsody"​

After lifting the trophy for the third time in just 5 years, Ljubiša Tumbaković and his Partisan Team looked almost unstoppable. The Steamroller had by now come back into the European scene as one of Yugoslavia's greatest teams after almost decade of obscurity, and where their rivals prospered while they were picking up the dirt. Now, the tables had turned. Red Star had suffered several seasons of either finishing runners-up, or wallowing in the mid table; Hajduk Split was going through a financial crisis; And Dinamo Zagreb was seeing a generational shift. Speaking of Generational shifts - the new 2000-01 season of the Federal League (and the Inter-Republics league) would see an emergence of a new generation of players that would carry the torch of their respective clubs. Darijo Srna, Tomislav Šokota, Tomislav Butina, Andrija Delibašić, Mirko Vučinić, Goran Pandev, Niko Kranjčar and Ivan Bošnjak were just some of the exciting young players that would play their first ever matches in this season, while some of the more experienced folks would head abroad - most notably Brazzo Salihamidžić to Bayern Munich, Ivan Tomić to Alaves, Dragan Ćirić to AEK, Mateja Kežman to PSV Eindhoven and the late Cune Gojković, who would tragically die in Belgrade in his first season with Iraklis. Many of these would one day become players for the National team.

(A trio of future stars - Darijo Srna, Goran Pandev, Niko Kranjčar)

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Elsewhere, the major transfer of the summer period was Ivan Bošnjak's switch to Hajduk Split. The young Vinkovci native had spent five of his first professional years as Dinamo Vinkovci player, where he quickly caught the interest of the big guns of the region. Offers came from NK Osijek, Dinamo Zagreb, and even from Vojvodina, but the club that won him over was Hajduk Split. Indeed, the Master of the sea, despite going through a "Financial crusade", managed to sign what was seen as a future star in the making, and that wasn't the end of it, as they managed to sign NK Zagreb's best player of the past several years - Nino Bule.
The league itself saw a return to the traditional 18-team format, following the 21 team disaster of the previous year. With the new format meant that no new teams were let in, which in itself prevented Dinamo Vinkovci and Sutjeska Nikšić from entering the competition.

(Nino Bule having a laugh with Hajduk graduate Mario carević)

The 2000-01 First Federal League​

The season started well for Red Star Belgrade, as they managed to amount an early lead over Dinamo Zagreb, with Partisan lagging behind, and unexpectedly NK Osijek in 3rd! Indeed, the blue-whites from Slavonia, led by charismatic manager Stanko Poklepović and inspired by the goalscoring prowess of Stanko Bubalo (the "Ronaldo from Turčinović") looked as if they could challenge for the European competitions this season, and it didn't help that Poklepović himself claimed this team was ready for the Champions League. Bold words, but they are also coming from a bold man. On the other hand, Vojvodina's regression continued this season, with the Old Lady struggling in the mid table, while NK Zagreb (Led by former Dinamo coach Zlatko Kranjčar) was fighting for relegation against Zemun, Rad, Rijeka and Budućnost Podgorica.

There was once again controversy over fan violence, this time for the 107th Belgrade Derby.
The incident began with Partizan fans, Grobari, pelting the pitch with flares at which point the match play got interrupted. The rioting kept escalating with the southern stand seating being torn off by the Grobari and thrown onto the athletic track. At one point, the team captain Saša Ilić was seen in front of the stand pleading to no avail with the Partizan ultra supporters to stop rioting. Dozens of Grobari eventually either jumped over or broke through the fence and began invading the pitch at which point the more numerous Red Star fans from the opposite end of the stadium stormed the pitch en masse, attacking the Partizan fans as well as Partizan players and coaching staff that were still on the pitch.

What ensued was mass brawling and running battles among the two sets of fans that led to the more numerous Red Star ultras quickly overpowering their Partizan counterparts and pushing them back towards the southern stand. In addition to injuries to a number Partizan fans that invaded the pitch, several Partizan players and members of the club's coaching staff reported injuries as a result of being attacked by the Red Star fans. Partizan's twenty-year-old forward Ivica Iliev received head injuries with hematoma from being punched in the face while the team's head coach Ljubiša Tumbaković ended up with a laceration above his eye. 35 fans were injured, including 14 police officers. The match was replayed 5 months later, with Red Star winning 2-1, thus knocking Partisan out of the title fight.

Perhaps the greatest dissapointment of the first half of the season was Hajduk Split. Despite fielding some great players, Petar Nadoveza was unable to enter the Champions League against Roda JC, and his eventual sacking came in October, as he lost 3-2 against Podgorica. His replacement was former Hajduk captain Zoran Vulić - but he didn't have a manger's license! No manager meant no results, only 2 losses and one draw as Hajduk wallowed in 8th, all while their rivals collected points, with Red Star standing on top. By the time Vulić was eligible to be a manager, Hajduk seemed to be out of the championship, with Vulić claiming to the press - "It's impossible to win anything with this sort of team."

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At the top, Osijek's healthy form helped them stay relatively close to the leading two, while Partisan, with the magic of Mateja Kežman remained ever present at the top. Petar Divić once again dragged OFK Belgrade through another difficult season, and Varteks was another welcome surprise as the Tailors were unbeaten at home, drawing against the big dogs and even winning 3-0 against Dinamo, further stalling the citizens.

Osijek's Stanko Bubalo in action

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Then, as 2001 came in, Hajduk went into motion. One of their biggest victories came against Olimpija where they won 6-0 against the team from Ljubljana. This win gave Hajduk momentum, and now they were 5th in the standings. Vulić's strategy was clear - win the matches against the direct rivals, and play it safe against the minor teams. A squeaky 3-3 draw against Partisan was followed by the derby against Red Star Belgrade - on Good friday. Once again, there was violence between Hajduk's Torcida and Red Star's Delije, and it looked like the match would be called off. But it wasn't, with a police intervention calming things down on the stands. The subsequent Yugoslav Derby would see Hajduk celebrate its first win against Red Star in two seasons, with a 3-1 win bringing Hajduk four points behind Red Star, and one ahead of Dinamo. The win further propelled Hajduk, and they seemed unstoppable as they were unbeatable through the next 12 games in which they won 10 and tied twice. NK Osijek, which looked like they could still be within a title shot were thoroughly eliminated, with losses against their main rivals sealing the deal, and their 4-1 loss against Hajduk sealing the deal. Hajduk was now one point away, as Partisan won 2-0 against the Stars, and now everything looked set for a photo finish.

The scenes from the 108th Belgrade Derby

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Finally, there was the last matchday. Red Star would play away against NK Maribor, which had suffered its worst season since entering the 1st League, Hajduk played against Varteks away, and Dinamo at home against Velež Mostar. The three matches all played at the same time, and the pressure was on to see who was to be Yugoslavia's champion. Red Star played desperately, as they tried to win the match, and it looked like it would be that way as Mihajlo Pjanović scored for 1-0, but Maribor fought back hard, and the match ended 2-2, with Maribor's Damir Pekič scoring two goals. Dinamo had even worse luck, as they managed to lose 2-3 against Velež after Dinamo's defender Darijo Šimić was sent off for a nasty tackle, and all eyes now switched to Varaždin, where Hajduk played against the lovable tailors. Incredibly, the 10 thousand capacity stadium was filled to the brim with Hajduk fans, and it looked like the entirety of Dalmatia moved to Croatia's north, where one of the season's most dramatic games would take place. In a match that saw 6 goals being scored, Hajduk prevailed with a massive 4-2 win against Varteks, with Ivan Leko opening the gates, and Ivan Bošnjak and Nino Bule contributing for what would end up being the crowning achievement of Hajduk's mid-90s generation. The party that took place soon after carried on to Split, where at midnight - Zoran Vulić and his players were awaited at the Poljud stadium by 40 thousand euphoric supporters, and Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanišević. For the first time after 6 years, Hajduk has become the national champion after at one point sitting in 8th.

Hajduk's players climbing the stands to celebrate with their fans

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Yugoslav Cup finals
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In what was a replay of the previous year's final, Hajduk Split once again played against Dinamo Zagreb at Poljud. Just like the year before, dramatic scenes of violence could be seen as the Torcida invaded the pitch right after Dinamo scored for the second time, and the game would be stopped as a result. Dinamo walked away with another cup, after beating Hajduk for the first time in a whole year. But once again, the violence that took place was worrysome, and many families weren't coming over to watch the matches, seeing how every derby was a massive security risk.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

The Prince is back
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The big news of 2001 were the arrival of Alexander Karadjordjević - the heir of Peter II, who himself was Yugoslavia's final monarch after the April Coup in 1941. The man who had lived in exile with his family in America was for the first time setting foot on the soil of a country his father once briefly ruled over, only this time, he was to stay. His arrival along with Spouse Katherine in Belgrade was awaited with great enthusiasm by the general public, who were for the first time seeing the monarch of their country. 56 years of exile were indeed a long time, and many marked this as the dawn of a new era in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. But, not everyone saw it like that.

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The Croats, Slovenes, Bosnians and Macedonians were weary of this arrival, unlike the enthusiastic Serbs. Many politicians, in particular from the Republic's Left-wing parties were opposed to him becoming a Monarch in fear of him likely establishing a similiar to the 6th Janurary dictatorship that existed before the Second World War. The Parliament of the Federal Republic, with a 48% vote passed a legislation on the 27th February of 2001, in which the decree that stripped Karadjordjević family of Yugoslav citizenship was anulled. If that wasn't enough, the Prince himself voiced his approval of a constitutional monarchy, while the opposition were pro-Confederacy, and some Pro-Federation, as it has been the case since the establishment of the 1992 government.

The protests in front of Yugoslavia's parliament

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Football wasn't safe from this either. Some advocated for the renaming, or even restoring of specific clubs that were banned by the former communist government, to "Respect the historic results that existed, since history didn't began in 1945". Biggest advocates for this were Dinamo Zagreb (That wanted the results of former HŠK Gradjanski), NK Zagreb (supposed successor of Concordia Zagreb), Olimpija Ljubljana (for Ilirija Ljubljana), OFK Belgrade (for the former BSK Belgrade), NK Rijeka (for US Fiumana) and perhaps most notably Red Star Belgrade! Indeed, the Red-and-Whites wanted to associate themselves with the defunct club of SK Yugoslavia, which existed since 1913. The May 5th 1945 decree signed by Mitra Mitrović was more and more denounced by the clubs, and the Yugoslav FA were now thrown into a crisis, as a tug-o-war commenced between the FA and the teams of the country, and the fans weren't any happier. Many saw these as attempts to just pump up their respective club's statistical results, all while risking to throw away their identities. Olimpija Ljubljana and Dinamo Zagreb were especially criticised over this, as they attempted to change their crests to associate themselves with the pre-war sides. Their fans, Olimpija's Green Dragons and Dinamo's Bad Blue Boys claimed how the boards were messing with their religion, and advocated for their boards to be ousted for attempting such sin.

The presented crests for Olimpija Ljubljana and Dinamo Zagreb

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With Stjepan Mesić as the current president of Yugoslavia since 1997 (who himself was taking strides in bringing Yugoslavia closer to the EU), many advocated for emergency elections in order to bring in the change of the constitution as soon as possible, while the opposing side advocated for Mesić to serve his term all the way to 2002, and from then on for the Country to finally decide how it should function. Needless to say, this was a confusing time in FR Yugoslavia, as it seemed like folks couldn't decide if they wanted a confederation, Federation, or a Monarchy.

While this was all happening, the teams were preparing for the new 2001-02 Season of the Yugoslav Federal League. Partisan were poised to strike, with Hajduk as reigning champions. Can the Masters from the sea win it again, or will Ljubiša Tumbaković lead the Steamroller to another title, or will perhaps Dinamo, er, I mean, Gradjanski (?) pounce to take the title and add in their 5th, er, or would it be 10th (?) title. Boy, all of this politicking between teams sure is exhausting...

Hajduk's 2001 team. The reigning champions featuring:
Nino Bule, Darijo Srna, Ivan Bošnjak, Stipe Pletikosa, Tomislav Erceg, Mario Carević, Igor Štimac, Igor Musa, Aljoša Asanović and Zvonimir Deranja

And that concludes my terrible attempt at establishing the current Political climate in Yugoslavia by 2001. Hopefully something here makes sense, because I think it's obvious that my forte is sports, not politics

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2001-02 in Yugoslav Football:
"Poetry in Zagreb"​

For 10 years now, NK Zagreb has been a consistent participant in the First Federal League, and it has seen its fair and share of ups and downs. The Top 5 finishes in the early 90s were followed by years of mid table stagnation and occasional relegation battles, but the Poets have consistently been a likable team with a crew of hard working boys always sticking it up to the big guys of Yugoslavia. Zlatko Kranjčar has by now has spent a good 3 years as the club's manager, with relatively mixed results, but he had an ace up his sleeve for this year. Ivica Olić, a young man from Slavonia had spent his first years of professional football by playing for local side Marsonia, a club that represents the city of Slavonski Brod. But, "Cico" Kranjčar saw potential in the young man, and he organised a deal for him to play for the greens from Zagreb. So uneventful was the summer transfer window in Yugoslavia that the only really important move was Tomo Šokota's move from Dinamo Zagreb to Benfica, where he would spend his next few years at. Some veteran players finally called it quits, most notably the national team's defender Igor Štimac and midfielder Aljoša Asanović. Amidst the political turmoil over Karadjordjevic's return in Yugoslavia, the 2001-02 season was under way, with newcomers to the league being Montenegrin side Sutjeska Nikšić, and the popular Sarajevo side Željezničar after an astounding 9 year absence. The blues from Sarajevo were now finally back, and they wanted to stay in the top flight of Yugoslavia, and hopefully score some trophies.

Zlatko Kranjčar, a Dinamo Legend - now a leader of Zagreb's poets

The 2001-02 First Federal League​

The league started as expected, with the big 4 all scoring victories, and Zagreb, Varteks and Maribor looking like the best of the rest. Still, the first real surprise occured when at the Zagreb Derby - NK Zagreb managed to draw 3-3 against Dinamo, in what was a highly physical and highly scoring game. Ivica Olić, the newcomer in Zagreb proved to be a jackpot for the underdogs, and a following win against Sarajevo saw Zagreb place themselves 5th, right behind Hajduk Split, Partisan and Red Star Belgrade. The reigning champions Hajduk Split looked like they could be challenging for the title once more, and the most of the season looked like it would be a three-horse race for the championship, A shock result then occured when Zagreb beat the Master from the sea 2-0 away, while Maribor beat Partisan 3-1 at home, thus helping Zagreb jump the top two in the standings, right when Red Star was already beginning to faulter. Dinamo Zagreb was at first seemingly a contender, but a poor run in form after just the first four opening games, in which Dinamo won once and lost thrice led to the sacking of their manager Ilija Lončarević, and in came Marijan Vlak, who in the end almost lost the UEFA Cup position to the dazzling Varteks team.

Partisan's players having a chat

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Newcomers Željezničar and Sutjeska had relatively decent seasons, with the club from Sarajevo managing to qualify for the Intertoto cup, all while playing an incredibly low-scoring and tactical football, which was considered by many as boring to watch. But, it was working, and the blues, led by Amar Osim were safely placed in the top league. Same could not be said for NK Osijek and Velež. The biggest surprise of the previous year and the club which managed to go all the way to the second round in the UEFA Cup was at the risk of relegation, but a loss against their direct competitor Olimpija Ljubljana saw the Blue-and-Whites going down, while Velež never stood a chance. The loss of Sergej Barbarez and Brazzo Salihamidžić was the final straw, and now the rodjeni were going down for the first time in 48 years. The legacy as one of the most consistent sides in Yugoslavia was shattered just like that, and the fans at the Bijeli Brijeg stadium began to riot.

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Finally with just three games to go, Partisan; Hajduk and Red Star all suffered losses against their rivals, while NK Zagreb was winning against Rad from Belgrade. Knowing that they could no longer be caught, Zagreb's players began to celebrate as they took their first ever title since 1932. It was poetry that could hardly be replicated, and the first time that an underdog left the big teams of Yugoslavia in the dust.

NK Zagreb's XI posing for a photo, with all of them dyeing their hair in white

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Yugoslav Cup finals
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Once again, the reigning champion managed to go all the way to the final, and this time Dinamo Zagreb was meeting with their friends from Belgrade. In a highly physical match that saw next to no chances by both teams though, Serbia used their opportunity, and Mihajlo Pjanović made the most of it to once again qualify the Stars for the Champions League, while Dinamo would have to duke it out in the UEFA Cup.

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In what is essentially the Leicester story of Yugoslavia, NK Zagreb wins against all odds, reminiscent of the 2001-02 season of the Croatian League, when they won their only title. I know that there's a typo with the second league being of Serbia and Montenegro, but I don't have the time right now to re-make the entire league table, not until I come back home that is. The next posts will see the Yugoslav National Team, as champions of the World, head to Korea for the 2002 World Cup! Can the Blues defend the title, or will they bottle it?

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

The 2002 World Cup
"Peace, Unity and Friendship"
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Following the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994, North Korea spiraled into chaos, as famine, poverty and horror. The country that was once seen as the prime example of a communist country in Asia was now but a corpse, that was only being held by strings. The famine, and the ardous march of the mid 90's was soon enough the straw that broke the camel's back, and the country plunged into a coup, when the protests by the starving people were intercepted by the army. In scenes similiar to the Romanian Revolution of 1989, and the protests in Yugoslavia in 1991, North Korea was on a brink of collapse. Miraculously, the people had prevailed, when the army turned against the government. In late 1996, when Kim Jong Il flew away from the country, wishes for unification with the prospering south became even louder, and they would occur in 1997, when the 38th parallel saw the Northern guards welcoming their southern neighbours. The following years were ones of significant financial struggle, as the North was being intergrated in the Korean Republic. By 2002, a divide could still be seen as the Northern cities looked much more desolate compared to the southern cities, but progress was slow and steady.

The unification of the Korean peninsula saw a gateway for the Koreans to host a tournament, following the success of the 1988 olympics. Now, with venues of North Korea at their disposal, FIFA saw this as a chance to expand football to Asia, and the ceremony would take where else but in the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, a behemoth that could hold 115 thousand people, and where a mass choreography took place. The sun rising over Mount Paektu was followed by a Korean peninsula, where three words were shown - "Peace, Unity, Friendship". The thousands of young men and women that were part of the opening ceremony stunned the onlookers. The first World Cup to be held in Asia was now opened, and it promised to be a spectacle.

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Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Having a united Korea as a host is as far-fetched as it can be. I am well aware of that. But, I hope that the tournament itself will be a fun time for you readers, as it will be for me. Main differeneces:
1. Korea is the sole host, thus Iran and Japan had to qualify
2. Australia knocks out Uruguay in the qualifications
3. Scotland qualified after beating out Bulgaria in the Qualifying play-offs
4. England finishes second in their Qualifying group, thus both them and Germany switch positions
5. Czechoslovakia qualifies right during their Golden Generation

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

Hello dear readers. I am afraid that I have to delay the 2002 Group Stage post for perhaps a week, due to situations that are simply out of control in my private life. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2002 World Cup
"The tigers broke free"
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Group A
After the spectacular opening ceremony, the first match would take place between minnows Senegal and France. Remarkably, the African team stunned the French courtersy to Bouba Diop, while the other underdog in Australia managed to survive their encounter with Denmark. Indeed, the Socceroos ended up being an invincible team during the group stages, but it just so happens they were outscored by Senegal as they subsequently drew with Denmark, while the latter demolished the French. Les Bleus walked out of the tournament with tails between their legs, wondering what went wrong with the machine, while Australia's players could just laugh it off by not losing a single game. Well, it is definitely one way of going invincible.

Group B
The defending world champions Yugoslavia had a catastrophic World Cup, as a defeat against Spain (3-1) and a surprise defeat against Paraguay (2-1) meant that the Brazilians of Europe wouldn't even reach the knockout stages. Manager Srečko Katanec was in constant conflict with his players, and the whole team played in a style that was simply unrecognisable when compared to how they played in the Euros. Either way, this horrible showing marked a definite end of Yugoslavia's Golden Generation, as most of their players hung up their boots, while the new boys dissapointed. A win against South Africa (2-1) did give their fans some hope, but it just wasn't enough to see the Blues go on, and Paraguay was now for the second time in two World Cups in the knockout stage.

Group C
The Brazilians started off their 2002 campaign with phenomenal demolitions of both Iran (4-) and Costa Rica (5-2), and their progress was only slowed down by a hard-working Czechoslovak side that sported the likes of Vladimir Šmicer, Milan Baroš, Pavel Nedved, Peter Nedved and more. The Velvets did a solid job defeating Iran 3-0, and their comfortable draw with Costa Rica should've been a win if not for a dodgy offside by Nedved. Nonetheless, it was a promising return of the Czechoslovak side after a 12 year absence, while Brazil looked perhaps even deadlier than they were in the last iteration of the World Cup.

Group D
The hosts came guns blazing into the tournament, as Korea managed to defeat Poland (2-0), before stunning everyone by beating the Golden Generation of Portugal (1-0). The subsequent 1-1 draw with the United States not only meant that Korea was entering the Round of 16 at the top of their group, but it also meant for the USA that they were entering the knockout stages ahead of Portugal. Indeed, the Lusos had failed spectacularly, despite fielding a mighty squad of players that just two years ago managed to reach the European finals.

Group E
Ireland and England both managed to do a stellar job in their respective group, as they finished 1st and 2nd. Not only that, but Ireland showed grit against their English rivals with a brave 1-1 draw, but a rocky draw against Cameroon meant that the Boys in green would have to stay in second place, while poor Saudi Arabia looked like they were out of their depth.

Group F
Following their terrible showing in Europe the previous two years, Germany went through further dissapointment as the Mannschaft drew with Sweden and surprisingly against Nigeria, only to lose against Argentina courtersy to Gabriel Batistuta. Speak of the devil, Argentina and Sweden both looked rather stellar in their pursuit for the knockout stages, while Germany looked like they truly need an overhaul after almost a decade of stagnation.

Group G
In perhaps the least attractive group of the tournament, bar Group H - Mexico did a stellar job in topping the group after beating both Ecuador and Belgium, and then drawing with the Azzurri. Italy had a similiar journey, although they did have to put up with a stubborn Belgian side that in the end finished on the bottom after the Ecuadorians won against them by a small margin.

Group H
For their second ever appearance in the World Cup, Japan managed to put up a solid effort. A squeaky 2-2 draw with Scotland was followed by wins against Russia and Tunisia, while the Scots had plenty to celebrate as they managed to escape the group stage. Their tense 3-2 win against Russia saw scenes of mass celebrations all over the country, and Billy Dodds was heralded as the hero of scotland, since he scored the winning goal. The subsequent draw with Tunisia was met with complacency, as it was already clear that Scotland was going through, and so for the first time since the 90s, the World Cup would see the two of the Home Nations participating in the Knockout stage.

Apologies for taking so long with this one, but I have finally gotten the hang of some things which has given me enough will to continue with my timelines. The changes in this timeline are pretty minor, with Belgium practically sharing Croatia's fate in the OTL, and Scotland performing reasonably well in their Group. Special thanks to QTXAdsy for helping me out a bit with the Scottish side of things, while Yugoslavia goes back to their underperfoming ways. Perhaps the biggest change is England and Germany switching places in their Group Stage, and that promises to be quite the spectacle indeed. Let me know what you think of the timeline so far, and let me know who you see going through in the Knockout stages. Until then, cheers

Upcoming matches:
England v Paraguay
United States v Mexico
Spain v Ireland
Korea v Italy
Denmark v Sweden
Brazil v Scotland
Argentina v Senegal
Japan v Czechoslovakia

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2002 World Cup
"A golden goal for all of Africa"

England v Paraguay​

The Three Lions dominated the plucky underdogs from the very first minute, as Rio Ferdinand scored in the 4th minute. The rest of the match wasn't any different, as England's players performed a fine show by scoring two more goals, Before Celso Ayala made things worse for the Paraguayans by being at the wrong place at the defense, thus leading to an own goal. Out of frustration, Roberto Acuna then punched Owen at the last minute of the match.

Mexico v United States​

In one of the most entertaining matches of the World Cup, United States for the first time met with their arch rivals Mexico. Two countries with completely different Football philosophies up against one another, all while being regional rivals. The game was on, and to the shock of everyone betting for El Tri, Landon Donovan and Brian McBride dismantled the Mexicans with a fantastic US win. It is a historic win for the Stars and Stripes, and a historic dos a cero loss for the Mexicans.

Spain v Ireland​

In an Unexpectedly tight match, Spain had to endure a ferocious Irish side that caused more trouble than they should've, with the Red Ones taking the lead early on courtesy to Fernando Morientes. But from then on, the Boys in green began to fight like lions. Some phenomenal defending from both sides kept the score at 1-0, but a Morientes knocker at the 40th minute seemingly put the match to rest. But, Roy Keane gave Ireland hope as he converted a chance in the 62nd minute, and from then on the Irish began to attack like mad. Then in the 90th minute, Robbie Keane makes it a 2-2 with another penalty! Extra time came in, and it soon led to penalties. The Irish nation held its breath as the Boys in Green held a shootout with the Spanish, but Shay Given held his nerve just enough to help Ireland take the win!

Korea v Italy​

From two of the most entertaining matches of the tournament, we switch to one the most controversial, as the Tigers From Asia met with one of the favorites in Italy. Before the match, the Korean fans over at the Daejeon stadium made a great choreography that spelled "Again 1966", referencing the famous match where the Plucky underdogs from Korea defeated Italy. This time though, the Italians hoped it would be different. Right at the 19th minute, Bobo Vieri made it 1-0 for Italy, but the Koreans kept on fighting. The second half saw some terrible fouls by both sides as the increasingly frustrated Italians had to endure the Increasingly desperate Koreans. Football became Kung fu as Choi Jin-Cheul fouled Gianluca Zambrotta, leading to both being sent off due to injury and a red card each. Coming into extra time, both teams tried not to concede, with the Koreans having increasingly more trouble defending due to being reduced to 10 men. Finally, Damiano Tommasi scored the Winning Golden goal. A well deserved win after a tough fight, but The Azzurri are now going to the quarters.

Denmark v Sweden​

In what was perhaps the most uneventful match of the tournament, the Nordic duel between Sweden and Denmark saw the Blagult open the scoring at the 11th minute, before closing off the match against the Danes. The Danish Dynamite did all they could to equalize, but the Swedes essentially threw water on the lit up fuse that were the Danes, and the Swedish National Team was now placed in the quarter-finals once more after their absence in 1998.

Brazil v Scotland​

The Party that the Tartan Army had brought into Korea thanks to Scotland's performances was surely one of the factors to this being such a memorable tournament thus far. But unfortunately, the party was over when Rivaldo and later Ronaldo Nazario scored two solid goals to help Brazil go through. Nonetheless, the Scots could certainly be happy with their performances the past two years.

Argentina v Senegal​

Despite Gabriel Batistuta's genius that brought the Albiceleste 1-0 over the African underdogs, Senegal shocked the Argentines when Henri Camara equalized in the 37th minute. From then on, it was a free-for-all, as the Argentines desperately tried to take the lead, but Camara made himself into a hero of Africa as he scored a golden goal during extra time.

Japan v Czechoslovakia​

In another uneventful match, Czechoslovakia met Japan in what was the Asian nations' first foray into the knockout stages of the World Cup. Indeed, it was hard to imagine the likable Japanese beating the Velvets, but at least they put up a good fight even after Vladimir Šmicer put the match to rest. Now, Czechoslovakia was embarking into Uncharted territory, where they would face off against the sensation of the tournament in Senegal.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2002 World Cup
"A golden goal for all of Africa"

England v Paraguay​

The Three Lions dominated the plucky underdogs from the very first minute, as Rio Ferdinand scored in the 4th minute. The rest of the match wasn't any different, as England's players performed a fine show by scoring two more goals, Before Celso Ayala made things worse for the Paraguayans by being at the wrong place at the defense, thus leading to an own goal. Out of frustration, Roberto Acuna then punched Owen at the last minute of the match.

Mexico v United States​

In one of the most entertaining matches of the World Cup, United States for the first time met with their arch rivals Mexico. Two countries with completely different Football philosophies up against one another, all while being regional rivals. The game was on, and to the shock of everyone betting for El Tri, Landon Donovan and Brian McBride dismantled the Mexicans with a fantastic US win. It is a historic win for the Stars and Stripes, and a historic dos a cero loss for the Mexicans.

Spain v Ireland​

In an Unexpectedly tight match, Spain had to endure a ferocious Irish side that caused more trouble than they should've, with the Red Ones taking the lead early on courtesy to Fernando Morientes. But from then on, the Boys in green began to fight like lions. Some phenomenal defending from both sides kept the score at 1-0, but a Morientes knocker at the 40th minute seemingly put the match to rest. But, Roy Keane gave Ireland hope as he converted a chance in the 62nd minute, and from then on the Irish began to attack like mad. Then in the 90th minute, Robbie Keane makes it a 2-2 with another penalty! Extra time came in, and it soon led to penalties. The Irish nation held its breath as the Boys in Green held a shootout with the Spanish, but Shay Given held his nerve just enough to help Ireland take the win!

Korea v Italy​

From two of the most entertaining matches of the tournament, we switch to one the most controversial, as the Tigers From Asia met with one of the favorites in Italy. Before the match, the Korean fans over at the Daejeon stadium made a great choreography that spelled "Again 1966", referencing the famous match where the Plucky underdogs from Korea defeated Italy. This time though, the Italians hoped it would be different. Right at the 19th minute, Bobo Vieri made it 1-0 for Italy, but the Koreans kept on fighting. The second half saw some terrible fouls by both sides as the increasingly frustrated Italians had to endure the Increasingly desperate Koreans. Football became Kung fu as Choi Jin-Cheul fouled Gianluca Zambrotta, leading to both being sent off due to injury and a red card each. Coming into extra time, both teams tried not to concede, with the Koreans having increasingly more trouble defending due to being reduced to 10 men. Finally, Damiano Tommasi scored the Winning Golden goal. A well deserved win after a tough fight, but The Azzurri are now going to the quarters.

Denmark v Sweden​

In what was perhaps the most uneventful match of the tournament, the Nordic duel between Sweden and Denmark saw the Blagult open the scoring at the 11th minute, before closing off the match against the Danes. The Danish Dynamite did all they could to equalize, but the Swedes essentially threw water on the lit up fuse that were the Danes, and the Swedish National Team was now placed in the quarter-finals once more after their absence in 1998.

Brazil v Scotland​

The Party that the Tartan Army had brought into Korea thanks to Scotland's performances was surely one of the factors to this being such a memorable tournament thus far. But unfortunately, the party was over when Rivaldo and later Ronaldo Nazario scored two solid goals to help Brazil go through. Nonetheless, the Scots could certainly be happy with their performances the past two years.

Argentina v Senegal​

Despite Gabriel Batistuta's genius that brought the Albiceleste 1-0 over the African underdogs, Senegal shocked the Argentines when Henri Camara equalized in the 37th minute. From then on, it was a free-for-all, as the Argentines desperately tried to take the lead, but Camara made himself into a hero of Africa as he scored a golden goal during extra time.

Japan v Czechoslovakia​

In another uneventful match, Czechoslovakia met Japan in what was the Asian nations' first foray into the knockout stages of the World Cup. Indeed, it was hard to imagine the likable Japanese beating the Velvets, but at least they put up a good fight even after Vladimir Šmicer put the match to rest. Now, Czechoslovakia was embarking into Uncharted territory, where they would face off against the sensation of the tournament in Senegal.

View attachment 851105
View attachment 851106​

I completely forgot to add the upcoming matches, so here they are for all of you curious ones:

England V United States
Italy V Ireland
Brazil V Sweden
Czechoslovakia V Senegal

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2002 World Cup
"Four Lions"

England V United States
​

In a highly anticipated match that would see United States face off against England, tension was high as many feared that the fans of the respective teams. Indeed, no-one thought that the Stars and Stripes would get this far, but the sole fact that they managed to beat Portugal and later Mexico proved that the USA was improving at Soccer. The match itself was a highly physical one, as The Yanks fought like mad against the English. For most of the match, it was a 1-1 draw after Donovan converted a highly controversial penalty, but David Beckham became the hero of England when, at the 87th minute, he scored a phenomenal free kick that saw the ball flying past Brad Friedel. After 12 years of hurt, England was finally through to the Semi-finals, in the most spectacular way possible.

Ireland v Italy
​

Italy made quick work of their Irish opponents, when Vieri and Totti scored two fine goals against the Boys in Green. Ireland tried, and they tried hard, but the typical Italian defense made them impossible to play against, and in the end Roy Keane was the only man to have made a coherent chance for Ireland. For the fourth consecutive time, Italy was now in the semis.

Brazil v Sweden
​

In a rematch of the 1994 World Cup Semi-finals, Brazil met up with their friends from Sweden. And just like it was the case 8 years before, Brazil dominated the Blagult to win their fourth match of the tournament, while Sweden's players could at least hold their heads up knowing they did a good job getting this far in the tournament.

Senegal v Czechoslovakia
​

The African fairy tale that had started all the way back in the Group Stage against France continued on, as Senegal stunned the Czechoslovaks after taking the win in extra time. Both sides had plenty of chances, especially Czechoslovakia, but the Velvets just couldn't find a way towards the net, and the Senegalese lions capitalised on that to become the first African nation to enter the Semi-finals of the World Cup, thus beating the precedent that the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon had set up in Italia 90. If England were the Three Lions, then the Senegalese are certainly the fourth Lion.

​

Changes in the timeline:
1. Having won against Denmark, Sweden gets to play against Brazil, while England's switching of places with Germany means they get to play with the USA
2. The controversial penalty that wasn't ruled for the USMNT is ruled here, which eventually leads to David Beckham scoring a free kick that is essentially the one he scored against Greece in 2002, if anything I just wanted to include it in some way since it's one of his best moments
3. Senegal manages to amaze everyone by narrowly beating Czechoslovakia in the quarters, thus beating out Morocco on becoming the first African nation to enter the semis

Upcoming Matches:
England v Italy
Brazil v Senegal

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2002 World Cup
"The lone lion meets its end"

Brazil v Senegal​

Had someone told an average Joe that Senegal would come all the way to the Semi-finals, they would've likely told them that they're out of their skull - but here they were, capturing the public's imagination and garnering unimaginable love by the fans that have come to watch the World Cup. The Lions of Teranga had broken the previous record set by Cameroon in Italia 90, when they reached the Quarter-finals and lost out to England. Now though, the Senegalese had a chance to stun the World as they would have to take on the mighty Brazil. In a hard fought match, Senegal did everything they could to defend from the ferocious Brazillians, as they cornered their goal for practically the entire match. Tony Sylva did his best to save his team from conceeding, but Ronaldo with his ever present wisardry found a path where you could least expect it, and he sent the ball flying past Sylva and the rest of the Senegalese players to send Brazil to the final for the third consecutive time.

England v Italy
​

The rematch of the 1990 3rd place play-off was awaited with great anticipation, with both teams seeing this as a historic chance. Italy, for the fourth time in a row, had a chance to go to the final, while England saw a chance to finally stop their 36 years of hurt if they just pass the Azzurri. The streets of London were completely empty, resembling something out of 24 days later. Once the match started, England attacked with full force against the sturdy Italian defense, and it all looked like the Italians were just waiting for extra time, or a small opening.

​

It was a war of attrition, with the match getting more and more physical as it wore on. Frustration grew, but the Three Lions continued to attack Italy's box whenever an opportunity arose. Then, Paul Scholes delivered a masterful ball to Sol Campbell, who sent it flying past Gianluigi Buffon. All of England erupted, and Sol Campbell made the country dream of Football coming back home, now that it looked like it was entering its neighborhood. The Italians on the other hand could just watch, as they once again missed out on the final.

​

And so, we are just two matches away from finishing this World Cup. Brazil v England in the finals, and Italy v Senegal in the 3rd place Play-off. Will it come home, or will the Canarinha add another trophy to their collection, and can Senegal complete their dream World Cup debut by finishing 3rd? Find out next week.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2002 World Cup
"So close, yet so far"

3rd place play-off
​

At the Daegu stadium, in front of over 60 thousand people, fans alike gathered up to watch a historic match take place. Senegal, the sensation of the tournament and the African underdogs that had captured everyone's hearts were now going to face off against Italy, as the Lions of Africa hoped to capture their medal. Italy on the other hand, hoped for consulation, as another loss in the semis meant that they would have to play for 3rd place for the third time in the last four attempts. Indeed, the Azzurri must be wondering just what do they have to do to reach that one more step and reach the final. Nonetheless, the match went underway, and the Italians went guns blazing with Vieri's 1st minute brace. Not even 15 minutes later, Francesco Totti made it 2, and just a little later 3-0, thus helping Italy take the 3rd place of the tournament. But, even though the 3rd place was a great result - The Azzurri knew they could do better, but this generation was running out of time...

World Cup Final
​

The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is one of a kind for being the largest World Cup Stadium, following only the mythical Maracana in Brazil. A product of the former Communist Government - it is no longer made to host mass games, and now it was a towering behemoth that hosted Cup finals, AFC Champions League matches, National Team's home matches and perhaps most importantly - the World Cup Final. With almost 110 thousand people gathering to watch the spectacle, many wondered if today, the world would see Brazil take the crown once again, or if England would win its second ever World Cup trophy. After the spectacular ceremony that took place, in which thousands of young Koreans displayed their finesse and incredible sense of spectacle, the 22 men that would play the finals would emerge from the tunnel, right as the imagery of a unified Korean Peninsula was displayed. The stage was set for what just might be the greatest World Cup Final...

​

After the anthems were played, the players performed their final rituals. Every man of both teams had a reason to be here, and they all had something to prove. Michael Owen; Ronaldo Nazario; David Beckham; Rivaldo; Paul Scholes; Ronaldinho; David Seaman, and Marcos. On one side stands a nation, a proud one that invented the modern game, but hasn't lifted a trophy in 36 years. On the other side - one which is at cusp of becoming the undisputed masters of the World Stage, while also being on a mission to redeem themselves, following the pains of 1998. Pierluigi Collina whistled away, and the spectacle could finally begin. At the start, England looked like they had everything under control, with Brazil having to defend for the first 15 minutes. The Three Lions were fierce, and an entire nation held its breath. Chance after chance came, but nothing would stick. That is, not until a mistake by the Brazilian defense gave Michael Owen an opportunity, and he made the most of it. England 1. Brazil 0.

​

All of a sudden, Brazil had found itself at the same place where they were 4 years ago when Predrag Mijatović stunned the Canarinha. The Golden Generation of England now just had to hold on, and they would surely achieve what the country has been dreaming of for the past 3 decades. Brazil would not give up that easily though. Ronaldinho made a pass through to Ronaldo, who found himself with only Seaman to beat, but the Englishman had everything under control. Entering the dying minutes of the first half, England had a chance to finish off the first 45 minutes with a clean 1-0, but a sudden goal by Ronaldo after a mistake by the English defense stunned the people watching, as Brazil managed to save their first half by the skin of their teeth. 1-1. Another 45 minutes to go. As the match wore on, Brazil became more and more fierce, while England would patiently defend and wait for a counterattack. It looked like it would all go to extra time, with both sides seemingly equal. Then, on the 56th minute, Brazil earned a chance via a free kick, where a young, unknown Ronaldinho prepared to cross the ball to his teammates. Incredibly, the ball that was crossed flew its way above all of the players, and David Seaman was left to collect the ball, which flew past him towards the net. In one stunning moment, Ronaldinho had become a World Star, and Brazil was now leading 2-1 ahead of the Three Lions.

Somehow, England would have to come back from that, and they did everything they could to do so, but minutes were quickly slipping away, as Brazil began to look increasingly comfortable against their rivals. Even as Ronaldinho was sent off, England simply looked more and more nervous, and even more lost. Agonizingly, Pierluigi Collina blew the whistle as one last desperate attack by the English took place, and the Brazilians could now celebrate, as they had won their unprecedented 5th World Cup. England, despite their best efforts, could not rise up to the challenge, while Brazil's triumph definitely puts them as undisputed masters of the World Cup.

​

And so, the 2002 World Cup ends with Brazil taking the spoils. A gallant effort by the English and Senegalese sees both coming out short against their respective rivals, while Yugoslavia walked out with a tail between their legs. I will now take a short break from the Brotherhood and Unity timeline to focus on my other timelines, and some private things over at my village. Until then, here is a sneak peak for the 2004 Euro.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2002 in Yugoslav Football
Introduction
​

Following the horrible showing in the 2002 World Cup, the Football competitions in Yugoslavia were slowly being restarted, with every team looking forward for what was to come. Who knows what might happen for this next season. Perhaps reigning champions NK Zagreb could defend their title and become double champions, perhaps a team from the second or third league of Yugoslavia could become Cup winners, thus breaking the deadlock of the big 4. Many of the players who did participate in the National Team were now returning to their country, joining their respective clubs, while National Coach Srećko Katanec was given the boot after the embarassment in Korea. For now, it was not known who would be appointed as manager for the 2004 Euro qualifications, but everyone was hugely surprised at who became manager of one specific club in Belgrade...

Lothar Matthaus takes over Partisan Belgrade

Indeed, the news of that years' summer was that Lothar Matthaus, one of Germany's greatest ever players, and an icon who took the Mannschaft to the 1992 Euro triumph, was now appointed as manager of the past decade's most succesful club - Partisan Belgrade. The sensational news echoed all over the country, with this being one of the first foreign managers to ever take the lead of a football club in Yugoslavia. The domination of home coaches was seemingly challenged with this appointment, but will it be successful is something that remains to be seen, since Matthaus still needs to lead this club in the first season. His contract is meant to last all the way to 2006. Can Matthaus survive the pressures of leading Partisan? Time can only tell...

More news came during the summer, with the biggest ones being the signing of the league's first ever title sponsor. Indeed, starting from 2002, Telemach, more appropriately, Telemach's Yugoslav branch "Yugoslav Telekom" would become the National league's sponsor, thus renaming the competition into "Telekom First League". The teams would get more revenue as a result, which was great news as the recent few years were slightly concerning when it came to the UEFA Competitions, with only Red Star Belgrade and Hajduk Split showing some kind of success in Europe.

​

New to the 1st League was Croatian club NK Zadar from the coastal city of Zadar. Having played in the 2nd Yugoslav league for much of its history, Zadar has been a rather notable team thanks to hosting the 2nd oldest ultras in Yugoslavia - Tornado, and their first season in the top flight of Yugoslavia poses as a great challenge for the club from Stanovi, a stadium that could host up to 7 thousand people. Although Zadar is mostly known for basketball, the football team's entrance into the 1st league has been met with great enthusiasm by the citizens, and hopes were high that Zadar could be a challenging club to their rivals. Most notably of all, former Hajduk manager Ivan Katalinić was assigned as the club's coach. Returning to the 1st league was also Radnički Niš. After a lenghty period of absence, the labourers were back, hoping that they'll stay here for good. After all, it's a crime that a club with a stadium as sizable as Čair with its 18 thousand capacity would remain in the lower leagues.

The map featuring the teams

Several teams within cities:
Belgrade - Red Star, Partisan, Rad, Zemun, Železnik, OFK Belgrade
Sarajevo - FK Sarajevo, Željezničar
Zagreb - NK Zagreb, Dinamo Zagreb
​

And so, we enter the new season of Yugoslav football with a new kid on the block, followed by the old dog. But who's gonna be the champion? Can Matthaus lead Partisan to the title? Can Red Star Belgrade end their slump, or can perhaps Dinamo Zagreb climb back from a few years of setbacks? It's time we find out.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2002-03 in Yugoslav Football
"Matthaus makes history"
​

With the appointment of Lothar Matthaus as Partisan's new manager, the 65th season of the Yugoslav First Federal League looked like it might be an interesting one. The signing of Telekom as the league sponsor promised revenue for all 18 teams participating in the championship, and with Matthaus becoming one of the first foreign managers, it felt like this was the start of a modern era in Yugoslav Football, which was by 2002 surrounded by the vastly superior competitions like the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, and even the Portuguese Primera Liga.

​

Partisan went on to dominate the league, with its Golden Generation of players like Ivica Iliev; Zvonimir Vukić and Andrija Delibašić proving to be a great combination of young and experienced players that themselves were led by the great Ljubiša Tumbaković (Who himself was now leading AEK Athens). The "Steamroller" was untouchable for most of the season, with minor setbacks occuring against Dinamo Zagreb, who were their closest rivals, Železnik Belgrade and most surprisingly Rad Belgrade, who were doomed to relegation this season. Indeed, The Builders could no longer handle the challenges of the 1st League, and by the last matchday, their outraged fans invaded the pitch to berrate the players and manager Boško Đurovski, who later left the club and claiming that there were disagreements between himself and the board, but many just saw that as an excuse.

​

The reigning champions NK Zagreb looked like a shadow of their former selves, with manager Zlatko Kranjčar even expressing how the real focus of the club was the European Champions League in which they were participating, and if anything - they were at least able to achieve a victory and a draw in their group, but that did not justify their poor form on the pitch, where young Ivica Olić was practically keeping the club out of relegation. However, talks with CSKA Moscow were soon emerging, and many wondered if NK Zagreb will be able to survive in the First League without someone like Olić. Another club that looked like they needed a serious overhaul was Hajduk Split. The Masters from the sea were struggling for a good part of the season, with Zoran Vulić having disagreements with the management over the club's transfer policies. In fact, Hajduk did not bring a single player during the summer of 2002, missing out on a possible return of Milan Rapaić who himself was heading to Celtic. And so, with a crisis within the club, Hajduk could only manage an underwhelming 9th, right behind NK Maribor which in themselves were dissapointed to miss out on the Intertoto Cup.

Meanwhile, Sutjeska Nikšić surprised everyone by achieving their greatest season on record. A phenomenal 5th place, courtersy to Ivan Bošković saw the Blue and Whites qualify for the Intertoto Cup for the first time in their history, and their fellow underdogs from Belgrade - OFK Belgrade - made an even bigger upset by finishing 4th, thus qulifying for Europe. Their fans celebrated like mad, as it brought everyone back to the good old days of the 60s and 70s, when OFK was a force to be reckoned with in Europe. NK Zadar also made it clear that they were not just pushovers in this league, but Radnički Niš's third consecutive relegation showed that there was something seriously wrong in the Serbian Club.

League standings

​

Yugoslav Cup Finals​

It is rarely the case that an underdog has his day in the Yugoslav Cup. Most of the times, the Big 4 would win the trophy and that would be the end of it, bar a few exceptions. However, Olimpija Ljubljana made a galant effort this season, and a spectacular win against Red Star Belgrade thanks to a Ermin Rakovič free kick screamer had the Green Dragons dreaming of their first every trophy. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as Hajduk Split dominated the Slovene side to win 4-1 on aggregate. The White Boys from Split were able to make this season slightly less unpleasant, and their heroics in the UEFA Cup did at least bring some encouragement that the next year could see the Whites compete for the title once more.

​

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

2003-04 in Yugoslav Football
"Tragedy in Ljubljana"
​

Following the end of Stjepan Mesić's tenure as president, there were further talks of what to do with the returning King of Yugoslavia Alexander Karadjordjevic. Many were still split if the monarch should be given a higher status other than simply being a figurehead. However, a further change within the country's political scope, in which Yugoslavia vered into a confederation, and Democratic Liberalism courtersy to newly elected President. With all of this development, Yugoslavia was now officially a confederation made of Serbia; Montenegro; Croatia; Slovenia; Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia, and Tadić himself promised that within a decade, that Yugoslavia would enter the European Union.

​

Meanwhile, in Football. Having endured its first pointless Champions League campaign, Partisan Belgrade and Lothar Matthaus were left with a rather stressful summer to go through, with the Gravediggers desperately searching for new players. Nenad Đorđević was one of the fresh signings, with the Serbian defender leaving the lower league side Obilić to the Black and Whites, while seasoned player Igor Duljaj left for Shakhtar Donetsk. Red Star themselves saw the emergence of two players from their academy. Firstly, there was Goran Pandev, who had already played some crucial games for the stars and contributed to the teams' second place in the standings. Second was Nikola Žigič. The baby-faced young man from Bačka Topola had already impressed in Kolubara and Mornar over at the third division, with the centre-forward scoring 92 goals in his career up to this point. Žigić was obviously talented, and Red Star saw him as their future, along with his brother Branko. Another Red Star graduate was Vladimir Stojković, with the young goalkeeper signing a professional contract with the club from Belgrade.

Nikola Žigić in his fresh Red Star shirt

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While the clubs from Belgrade were bringing in new players, Dinamo and Hajduk remained static, with Srđan Lakić being Hajduk's biggest signing, while NK Zagreb let go of their prolific goalscorer Ivica Olić to CSKA Moscow. Dinamo Zagreb didn't do much as I said, but they did switch coaches. Out was Ilija Lončarević - in was Marjan Vlak. Varteks made a sensation when they managed to get Miroslav Blažević as their manage. Indeed, the former coach of Yugoslavia's National Football Team, and the man who led Iran to the 2002 World Cup was now going to lead the Taylors in his return to Yugoslavia. He didn't expect much, but Ćiro was hopeful that he can lift the lovable team from Varaždin to greater heights.

Ivica Olić in CSKA Moscow

​

Disturbing news came from Olimpija Ljubljana, when the Slovenian club lost almost all of their sponsors prior to the season starting. The Green Dragons were just coming from their best performance in the Yugoslav Cup since the 70s, and the news left the club in large debts. There were doubts if Olimpija would enter the new season, but it looked like there might be light at the end of the tunnel for them. Coming back to the First League were Čelik Zenica, a perpetual Yo-Yo club from Bosnia, and Napredak Kruševac, which was of a similiar status.

Newly promoted teams:

Map of teams

Cities with several teams:
Belgrade - Red Star, Partisan, Železnik, OFK, Zemun
Sarajevo - FK Sarajevo, Željezničar
Zagreb - NK Zagreb, Dinamo

2003-04 Telekom First League​

Red Star managed to win the title, immaculately, but with many problems, mainly because of injuries of the key players and misfortunes in important games. They won the title with 5 matchdays to go, in a game away against Sutjeska from Nikšić, and the new title was pompously celebrated at Marakana in a match with Vojvodina. The Cup was awarded to the Red Star’s captain Nemanja Vidić by the President of the Football Association Dragan Stojković. OFK Belgrade looked to be Red Star's main title rival, but a championship collapse ended up seeing the club finish 4th, while Partisan crawled to 2nd position. Slavoljub Muslin's team in the end had finally managed to qalify for the Champions League Group Stages after a massive 12 year absence.

​

Elsewhere, the two Croatian clubs in Dinamo and Hajduk both had relatively poor seasons, with the Blues switching managers twice over the course of the season. There was priority in the UEFA Cup, at least that's what they claimed, but Hajduk quickly ruined their hopes when they met up in the second round of the UEFA Cup, where Hajduk won 5-1 on aggregate. Zoran Vulić's White Boys looked like they were comfortably sailing, but a poor run of games during the second half of the season, and a failure to make it through the semis in the UEFA Cup had Vulić getting the axe, and in his place came another former player in Blaž Slišković, who had been leading Velež Mostar in the second division for the past three years. With "Baka" on top, Hajduk only finished 7th, qualifying for the Intertoto Cup along with Dinamo. Vojvodina's downfall continued on, as the Old Lady slipped down to 12th place, their worst finish in years. The fans were growing ever more frustrated, and many pundits began to speculate if "Voša" will even be in the 1st league in the next three years.

Vojvodina's highlight of the season - Max Cavalera wearing their shirt on MTV

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But even then, at least Vojvodina didn't suffer the fate of Olimpija Ljubljana. The Green Dragons looked like they might stay in the league following the poor forms of both NK Zagreb (Who sorely missed Ivica Olić) and Napredak Kruševac (Who went down anyway), but Olimpija's finances were only getting worse as time passed, and soon enough the club went bankrupt. In response, Olimpija was excluded from the league, and NK Zagreb was spared from relegation. However, this was a sad day for any fan of Yugoslav football, as one of the country's greatest underdogs have bitten the dust. Olimpija had been around since 1945, and through their time have almost always remained in the 1st league, and even reached the cup finals in 1970. This was now the end of the Green Dragons.

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In an unusually low-scoring season, we have seen the Stars return to glory after years of misery, a few dazzling performances by underdogs such as Zadar, Varteks and Sutjeska, and a sad end to a traditional club. The 2003-04 season of Telekom 1st league was for some one to forget. With Red Star also winning the Cup, they had managed to complete a memorable double, while Maribor had a chance to play in Europe due to being the runners-up. As for the big 2 of Croatia - Dinamo once again dissapointed even with the talents of Goce Sedloski and Niko Kranjčar, while Zvonimir Deranja bid farewell to Hajduk Split after 7 years of service, having scored a 52 goals for the whites from Split. Perhaps his most iconic gesure though, was his kneel towards Torcida

League Table

Yugoslav Cup Finals

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[ArupinumMaivista]

The European Championship 2004
"Vivo en Espana"
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Following the incredible thrills of the 2000 Euro, the 2004 iteration of the European Championship had a lot to live up to in terms of entertainment. The record number of goals, combined with some incredible matches made the previous tournament a phenomenal sporting event, so it made perfect sense to expect another great iteration. Will the 2004 Euros live up to the expectations though? Well, time will only tell. With Spain as the host, the fans of the reds were hopeful that this would finally be the one tournament where Spain will lift its first trophy since 1960. Reigning champions Italy had just come back from their 3rd place in the 2002 WC, and most of the usual suspects were here to participate in the Euros, while England were back in the game after being knocked out by Scotland in the previous euros qualifiers. Now though, Scotland was out thanks to a dramatic defeat against the Netherlands. Finally, Bulgaria made its debut in the Euros this year, and so did Latvia, becoming the first post-Soviet country to qualify for a major tournament that wasn't Russia.
Group A
The first group saw the Hosts Spain open their game with the red beating Belgium, only to draw with their main rivals of the group in Holland and the underdogs from Greece. The latter had a relatively good campaign when compared to their previous Euro venture, as the "Pirate Ship" managed to beat Belgium 1-0, but Holland's eventual 3-0 bashing sadly meant that the Greeks will just have to be happy with a 3rd place in the Group. Belgium on the other hand... Well, even that point can be considered a miracle.

Spain 1-1 Greece
The Netherlands 1-1 Belgium
Greece 1-0 Belgium
Spain 0-0 The Netherlands
Spain 2-0 Belgium
The Netherlands 4-0 Greece
Angelos Charisteas having a close encounter with Iker Casillas

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Group B
The tournament's "Group of Death" would feature some of the most entertaining matches of the Euros, with Portugal stunning everyone with their surprise win against France, who had first beaten England. However, Les Bleus were powerless in defeating the dazzling Portuguese, inspired by Rui Costa, Helder Postiga, Maniche, Nuno Gomes and an unknown boy named Cristiano Ronaldo. England's journey came to an end when the final game saw them needing a win against Portugal to continue onto the group stage. Michael Owen's early goal looked like it would be enough for the Three Lions to enter the Quarter-finals, but a late equaliser by Postiga meant that England was once again knocked out in the Group Stage of the Euros. Switzerland's miserable campaign came to an end with 0 points, while Zidane's France had routinely reached the quarters, despite that odd blip against Portugal.

Switzerland 0-2 Portugal
France 2-1 England
England 3-0 Switzerland
Portugal 2-1 France
Portugal 1-1 England
Switzerland 1-3 France​

Owen outrunning Ricardo Carvalho

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Group C​

Czechoslovakia was arguably the surprise of the Group, with the Velvets demolishing Bulgaria and Denmark, before achieving a phenomenal draw against reigning champs Italy. The Azzurri had a relatively safe journey through the group, while Denmark's exit marked a definite end to the Danish Dynamite's era of glory that had started back in 1984. It will take a while until Denmark will once again become a footballing power, but for now all eyes were on Italy's Golden Generation and the high-scoring wonder that were the Czechoslovaks, who were led by Vladimir Šmicer, Pavel Nedved and a young and charming Milan Baroš.​

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Denmark 0-0 Italy
Czechoslovakia 3-1 Bulgaria
Bulgaria 0-2 Denmark
Italy 2-2 Czechoslovakia
Italy 2-1 Bulgaria
Denmark 0-3 Czechoslovakia

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Group D
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Germany had seemingly escaped its demons of the late 90s and early 00s when in a moment of National bliss, the Mannschaft managed to beat Yugoslavia 2-1 in the final game of the group. Having beaten the one team that had knocked them out of the 2002 World Cup just two years ago, Germany would show that they were finally back after that crisis, and it was obvious that the Reboot was successful. Meanwhile, the Blagult were nowhere near as good as they were in 2002, and the best they could do was a draw with Latvia. Yugoslavia, having lost the goalscoring magic of Predrag Mijatović and Davor Šuker would now have to rely on Savo Milošević, but the added prowess of Milan Rapaić and Dado Pršo meant that the Brazilians of Europe could still fly that name with great pride, and even a young and baby-faced Goran Pandev was showing some promise. Nevertheless, Germany's true test would follow in the quarter-finals, while Yugoslavia was to meet with their old friends from the north in Czechoslovakia.​

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Yugoslavia 2-0 Latvia
Germany 2-0 Sweden
Latvia 0-0 Germany
Yugoslavia 1-0 Sweden
Germany 2-1 Yugoslavia
Latvia 1-1 Sweden
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The German team before their game against Yugoslavia​

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And now, it's time for the Euros! Apologies if this one has taken a bit longer than usual, but what really matters here is that we are now starting another international tournament after the thrills of the 2002 WC. With Spain as hosts, the seeding is a bit different, so the groups aren't as samey as they would've been had Portugal been the host in this case, thus we are going to have some extra juicy duels in the Quarter-finals. I am looking forward to seeing who you lot think will win the next couple of matches. Cheers!​

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Upcoming matches:
Netherlands v France
Czechoslovakia v Yugoslavia
Portugal v Spain
Germany v Italy​

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[ArupinumMaivista]

Euro 2004
Part 2: "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Netherlands v France
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At the newly built la Cartuja stadium, the knockout stage of the Euro '04 was opened by les Bleus taking on the Oranje, with the French National Team wanting to get rid of their past woes, from the extra time blunders against Spain in Euro 2000, to that implosion in the 2002 World Cup. Holland's team on the other hand was hopeful of going one step beyond this year, with a generation blessed with players like Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben and Roy Makaay. The match in itself though was a bit of a bore, with both teams not scoring for the entire 120 minutes. Both were careful, and it didn't take long to see that both teams were waiting for the penalty shootouts, where the Dutch managed to hold their nerve and enter the semis, while France was once again out in a quarter-final match.

Czechoslovakia v Yugoslavia​

In what ended up being one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament, Yugoslavia met with their old friends from Czechoslovakia for what would be the replay of the Euro '96 finals. Back then, both teams were relatively equally matched, but things were very much different this year. Yugoslavia's nervous, young defence was almost always prone to giving out a chance for the Bohemians, with the Czechoslovaks having chance after chance through the course of the match, but the ball seemingly just didn't want to go in. Then, with just two minutes to go - Kaiserslautern's Vratislav Lokvenc scored what would be his 10th career goal for the Czechoslovak national football team, before Jan Koller finally brought the win for the Velvets.

Spain v Portugal​

It's safe to say that the Iberian rivalry is having a bit of a renaissance. What with the Euro 2000 Semis and this quarter-final match, but Spain was still looking for that elusive win that they have been looking for since the 50s. Unfortunately, the hosts would not see the game go their way today either. Despite the Bernabeu stadium being filled to the brim with loud, gesticulating and passionate Spanish supporters, Nuno Gomes silenced them with a spectaculat 20 yard goal, which ended up being enough for Portugal to once again defeat their Iberian adversaries.

Germany v Italy​

Perhaps fittingly, the final match of the quarter-final phase would see a classic rivalry between Germany and Italy once again producing a great tactical match between the two teams. However, Italy's Bobo Vieri made sure to bring the match to a close after only 18 minutes, with the Italian forward scoring the only goal of the match, thus prompting the Italian team to play their characteristic game of chess against the Mannschaft, where Germany just couldn't find an opening no matter what.

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I apologise for taking so long with this post and if it feels unfinished. I've been having some trouble back home which has prevented me from finishing this post earlier than I wanted. Either way, here are the following matches:

Netherlands v Czechoslovakia
Portugal v Italy

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

Euro 2004
"Portuguese tears and Velvet joy"

Netherlands v Czechoslovakia​

28 years ago - Czechoslovakia, inspired by Antonin Panenka, Zdenek Nehoda and František Vesely met against what was arguably the greatest National Football team of the continent at that time, where they played against the Netherlands in Zagreb for the Semi-final match of the 1976 Euros. In what was a climactic, tactical match, the Velvets pulled off a miracle to reach the subsequent finals of the competition and win against the other finalists in Germany. That triumph in the 1976 European Nations Cup remains as Czechoslovakia's single greatest success in its rich footballing history, dating back before the country even existed. Now, these two teams would meet again, both sporting arguably their new Golden Generations, and once again in the Semi-finals. Already, in the first 20 minutes, the Netherlands made it 2-0 against the Velvets, with Dick Advocaat's Clockwork Orange looking head and shoulders above the Czechoslovak side led by Karel Bruckner. A Jan Koller goal did make things slightly more even, but the first half still read 2-1 for Holland as the players headed off the pitch for a 15 minute break... Coming into the 2nd half, the Oranje continued their domination on the pitch, running in chance after chance, but an inspired Petr Čech kept the Czechoslovak net stationary, and then the Velvets began to counterattack. Then, the Czechoslovak breakthrough arrived. Šmicer had a powerful drive superbly stopped by Van der Sar, but the goalkeeper had no chance as Baroš emphatically netted the equaliser. Incredibly, the game was now once again drawn, and the balance switched to the Czechoslovak side as they began to attack. John Heitinga's dismissal in the 75th minute further slimmed down the Dutch defense, and eventually, the Dutch resistance was breached, and Vladimir Šmicer netted the ball with a delicate kick, and the Czechoslovak's had finally managed to achieve one of the greatest comeback victories in all of Football. The Dutch players could simply watch as Bruckner's men had somehow managed to change a 0-2 loss into a 3-2 win, and for the second time, the Oranje had lost to the Czechoslovak's, who had qualified for their third ever European final.

The Czechoslovak team celebrating

Portugal v Italy
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We now go from Barcelona to the Metropolitan stadium of Madrid, for what would be a replay of the Euro 2000 final. Portugal, still with its Golden Generation (And now decorated with a young and promising Sporting CP kid Cristiano Ronaldo) would meet with their old friends Italy. An attacking side would face off against the characteristically defensive Italian team, that would always form its chances via counterattacks. However, things would be different today, as Cristiano Ronaldo lined up to take a free kick from 25 meters away from Gigi Buffon. In that moment, Ronaldo's already promising debut had brought him into stardom, as the young Madeiran sent the ball past Buffon, and brought Portugal 1-0 over the Italians, and the Lusos did not look back. While the first half ended with only one goal, Portugal started the second half with plenty of chances, and Maniche's header helped to bring an entire country into ecstacy, with an eventual own goal by the Portuguese being a consulation goal from the Azzurri. For the 2nd time in a row, Portugal was in the European finals, and maybe this year, they will finally achieve their first piece of silverware.

Pippo Inzaghi in action

Final
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In front of a packed Bernabeu Stadium, the final would finally take place between arguably two rather unlikely teams. Indeed, it was hard to imagine that Czechoslovakia could've gone this far, but this was certainly no fluke, and neither was Portugal's appearance in the final. Both had completely overwhelmed their respective rivals, and this particular final promised to be a fun one, especially with both sides playing attractive, attacking football. Already, the Velvets made themselves known on the 8th minute, when Miroslav Karhan converted a penalty to bring the game to 1-0, and then Tomaš Rosicky made it 2-0 only 12 minutes after! J

The scenes as Karhan converts his penalty

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ust like that, it seemed that the Czechoslovaks were on the verge of simply cruising to the end and achieving a surprisingly easy victory against the Lusos... But the Portuguese had other plans. It started off small, but Ronaldo further showed his prowess at such a young age as he gave Portugal hope, as his shot from outside the Penalty area went past Čech. The game slowly but surely went in favour of the Portuguese, and then Luis Figo was knocked in the penalty area by Martin Petraš, and referee Markus Merk decisively ruled a penalty. Cristiano once again stepped in, and Čech had no chance against him. All of a sudden, it was 2-2, and the Czechoslovak's had a very disturbing case of deja-vu. The rest of the match went on with both teams exchanging chances, with the Czechoslovak's playing an extremely careful game of "Don't concede!" for the next 12 minutes until finally, Merk whistled for the game to end. It was all going to extra time...

Luboš Reiter having a duel with Costinha

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For the first time since 1996, the Euro finals would go into extra time, and this year was extra unique in the fact that the silver goal rule was put in place. Whoever would score a goal in extra time and hold that lead for the duration of the half time would automatically be a winner. FIFA hoped that such a rule would promote attacking football, but the absolute opposite happened - and the two most entertaining sides of the competition have all of a sudden started playing like Greece. First extra half didn't see much, only a chance by Figo to finally put the match to rest when he found himself 1v1 with Čech, but the Czechoslovak goalkeeper performed black magic to save that ball, and the Velvets lived on to fight for another 15 minutes. It all smelled like the game would go into penalties, and the Czechoslovaks were given one last chance when they lined up to take a corner kick. Karel Poborsky flicked the ball towards the crowd of players as the scrambled, but Milan Baroš found an opening and kicked it past Ricardo and Pandemonium ensues! Czechoslovakia 3, Portugal 2! A silver goal has been scored, by one of the most impressive players of the tournament, and a breathless Portuguese side could no longer attack. As the 120th minute was reached, it was all over - Czechoslovakia are the champions of Europe for the second time!

The Czechoslovak players celebrating as they achieve their greatest feat

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And with that, we end the Euro 2004 of this timeline. Portugal once again fails to win the Euros, this time coming even closer than in 2000, but a stacked Czechoslovak side ended up being too much for them. With this, I am putting the Brotherhood and Unity timeline on hold, as I am switching my focus on the upcoming "Euro" timeline, but more on that later.