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Grobari

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Grobari celebrating Partizan's 19th champion title won in 2005.
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Grobari celebrating Partizan's 19th champion title won in 2005.

Grobari are supporters of Belgrade football club Partizan. They are one of two major football fan groups in Serbia. They are generally supporting all clubs in Sports Association Partizan, and are mostly wearing black and white symbols which are the clubs colors.

Contents

The name

In Serbian language Grobari means gravediggers. The nickname itself was given in the late 70's by their biggest rivals FC Crvena Zvezda fans, referring to club's mostly black colors which were similar to official uniforms of cemetery gravediggers in those days. In accordance to this, Grobari named FC Crvena Zvezda fans - Cigani (Gipsies) pejoratively refering to a great number of Serbian Roma people minority that was supporting their club.

History

First groups of organized Partizan fan supporters began to visit the JNA stadium in the late 50's. Those were mainly young men from Belgrade's municipalities Čukarica, Rakovica, Senjak and Topčider, and they occupied northern stands of the stadium. In those times supporting was expressed by loud singing and polling of judges and oposit football players. Partizan's participation in the final of European Cup in 1966. attracted much more fans to the stadium, and is considered to be the crucial moment of the organized fans moving to a south stand of the stadium where they are gathering up to this day. During the 70's as well as all over the Europe, Grobari started bringing fan equipments to the stadiums such are supporting scarfs, transparents, flags and flame torches (in the late 70's), which gave a whole new aspect to the sport club supporting. In the 80's Grobari grew in to one of the four main fan groups in Yugoslavia and began outmarching to all Partizan's games across the Yugoslavia and Europe. Because of their expressed hooliganism toward other clubs supporters in those times, fans who represented the core of Grobari firm were often refered to as a "punishment expedition". They were best known for their English style of supporting which was mainly based on loud and continuous singing. 90's mostly brought nationalism to a fan supporting in Yugoslavia, which resulted in a some number of Grobari members participating in the war in Yugoslavia. Today Grobari are still supporting Partizan in a number of couple of hunderad (in domestic matches) to a several thousand organised fans (in international competitions).

Fan goups

In 1999 there was a big split when newly formed fan group named Južni Front (South Front) accused several top members of Grobari 1970 organization for abusing their privileges, and the club itself for favorising those individuals. Grobari 1970 were actualy accused of manipulating with the money given by the club for organizing fan support. Several hundread members of Južni Front left traditional south stand and occupied north stand of the stadium. The split lasted for few years untill in 2003. fans have settled their differences. Today Grobari are consisted of many fan groups which mostly developed in the late 90's. Some of the larger ones (in the meaning of the number of supporters) are : Grobari 1970, Južni Front, Alcatraz, Stoka, Young Boys, Anti Romi, Shadows, Grobari Zapadna Srbija, Čuvari Časti, Grobari Valjevo,... They are traditionally raising good relations with Greek PAOK football club supporters "Gate 4", as well as with Bulgarian CSKA football club supporters "Sektor-G". The unique yet unofficial mascot of mostly all Grobari fan groups is an angry looking bulldog.

Boycott

Grobari during boycott protest in front of the Partizan stadium in october 2005.
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Grobari during boycott protest in front of the Partizan stadium in october 2005.

Revolted by Partizan being eliminated from the Champions League qualifications, elimination from the first round of the UEFA cup, elimination from the national cup competition by a third division team, and poor results as well as continuous defeats in the domestic league, Grobari decleared complete boycott of all Partizan football club matches. Several thousand supporters gathered in september 2005. in front of the stadium and accused in public president Ivan Ćurković, sports director Nenad Bjeković and general secretary Žarko Zečević of being thiefs and manipulators with the clubs money. On that occasion they reminded on some previous club officials machinations. They demanded their resignitions as a clause for getting back to the stadium stands. Grobari repeated the massive gathering and their demands in october 2005. in front of the national theatre in the center of Belgrade where Partizan's officials were celebrating the 60th year of club's foundation. Both city football derbies between Crvena Zvezda and Partizan in the season 2005/06 were played without traditional support toward Partizan from the south stands. Although these matches used to gather up to tens of thousands and even more fans to the stadiums, the infamous record was established this season when there was only few thousand spectators on the Partizan stadium, since the Crvena Zvezda fans also agreed to boycott the derby (but for other reasons). The Grobari boycott is still active.

See also

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