Football Poets

1982. Beatiful year.I ‘m just getting interested in football game. And it is in the early May.The club I started following was called “Dark Blues” and they came from Zagreb while I was living in Sarajevo. At the end of that football season “Dark Blues” or in the croatian “Modri” are becoming the champions. All my attention was turned to football and TV reports on Dinamo. The football is very eventfull and when there is end of one football season there may be the start of the World Cup. Everything is set up for pleasure. Football became fortunately or unfortunately big ceremony. For instance the club who is crowned has its own celebration and its own ceremony and the lifting of the trophy. But what follows is the opening of the World Cup.In this climate I started following the football. I remember the opening match of the World Cup in 1982. Argentina played Belgium and Coca Cola adverts dominated the live coverage of the match.Belgium won 1-0 The drama and shame marked the last match of the Yugoslavia at this Cup. The Yugoslavians were struggling with Honduras who needed just draw to qualify for the knock-out stage. Very poor performance of Yugoslavia and near the end very cruel decision of the referee. Honduras concedes penalty.Honduras players were lying in tears and disbilief on the grass and everyone who saw that will never forget.In the group were Spain, Northen Ireland, Honduras and Yugoslavia. The hosts Spain did nothing at this Cup and Northen Ireland had memorable team but the tears of Honduras players were reminder that life and football may be unfair. Or how the life can be unfair.This World Cup ended and in this climate I started following the matches. Italy was the winner and because many of Italian squad members were wearing Juventus shirt that club looked like the Italy 2 and the continuation of Squadra team. In the way AC MILAN of Silvio Berlusconi was filled with Dutch trio Gullit, Van Basten, Rijkaard. I was living near the stadium known as Grbavica, home of Zeljeznicar football club. Not only I attended their League matches on Sunday afternoons I was also spending very often all the morning and early afternoons at the stadium and around the stadium when any match was played. I could watch the matches of the lowest Divisions of football at additional grounds around stadium or played football on the playground by the stadium.I have this experience to have one football club in the community. Somehow they were the title contenders in 1983/1984 and when Elton John had the concert in Sarajevo in April of 1984 there was the decisive match at Grbavica between Zeljeznicar and Crvena Zvezda( Red Star Belgrade) I was at the match with my father. At the time many supporters were on the stands without the seats and Elton John took his seat at the old Middle Tier of the famous West Stand of the stadium.Zeljeznicar lost but the newspapers reported he had supported the hosts.Because of theirs vintige displays in the Uefa Cup games against tough opponents Zeljeznicar couldn’t keep the unity of genial team when that 1984/1985 campaign ended. Every good player was sold and the coach Ivan Osim took over Yugoslavia national team who met Bobby Robson’s England in Euro 1988 qualifying campaign. The World Cup held in Italy was epic for many many reasons. It was very eventful World Cup. There has been Paul Gascoigne’s bravery, England v Germany semi-final and many other events but I will remember two things. I was impressed by Jackie Charlton’s Ireland and that generation of Ireland players.As Kevin Sheedy was Everton player I was very keen to know everything about Everton. Yugoslavia seemed to be able to reach the final. They played Argentina in the quarter-final and after goalles draw they lost on penalties even Diego Maradona penalty was saved. There was, however, one of football’s greatest legends in the years later who said had Yougoslavia won the Italia 90 World Cup its people would never make the war.