The NK Široki Brijeg–FK Sarajevo football riot refers to the riot involving the football clubs NK Široki Brijeg (supported mostly by Herzegovian Croat fans[1]) and FK Sarajevo (supported mostly by Bosniak fans[citation needed]) during a leg of the 2009Bosnian-Herzegovian Premier League in the Herzegovian town of Široki Brijeg. During the riot members of Horde Zla ("Legions of Evil", a FK Sarajevo supporters group) and Škripari (a NK Široki Brijeg supporters group) confronted each other in altercations which subsequently spilled out to the majority of the town. Horde Zla burned cars and demolished shops while Škripari and residents of Široki Brijeg stoned Horde Zla buses and shot at supporters. Horde Zla also claim multiple counts of severe police brutality which led to the death of Horde Zla member Vedran Puljić from gunshot wounds.[2][3][4]
There are conflicting reports about who started the violence. Horde Zla accused local residents and police for their mistreatment on their way to the match, saying that the incident was planned by local politicians and that their buses were separated and parked too far from the stadium which left them open to stoning and attacks. They also claim that initially there were only 30 local policemen present, and they did nothing to prevent the violence.[5] Local police and residents said Horde Zla fans were the first to attack.[6] According to local police officials, most of the regional police had earlier been sent to the nearby city of Mostar to prevent possible violence during the match between the rival Zrinjski and Velež clubs scheduled for the same day thus leaving the match in Široki Brijeg relatively ill secured.[5]
Some 500 fans of the Sarajevo football club were present during the match in Široki Brijeg[5][7] as well as between 150 and 200 members of the Red Army (supporters of FK Velež closely aligned with Horde Zla).[8] According to Croatian media, members of Horde Zla have a history of starting riots in nearby Posušje[9][10] and that Horde Zla were involved in similar riots before. In September 1990 they had a conflict in Belgrade and they stabbed 2 members of Grobari (supporters of FK Partizan).[11] While Škripari have been accused by Bosnian media of harboring far-right Ustaše sympathies including displaying the Nazi swastika in their stands on multiple occasions.
31 people were injured in the riots, 6 of them severely.[citation needed] One member of Horde, named Vedran Puljić (a Sarajevo Croat),[12] was shot and subsequently died.[13] According to Zlatko Galić, the chief of West Herzegovina Canton police, Vedran Puljić had a record for multiple violations related to hooliganism.[14] Police arrested Oliver Knezović as a suspect of shooting Vedran Puljić. Knezović is believed to be a former member of Kažnjenička Bojna unit of HVO. He reportedly fired at the FK Sarajevo supporters using a Kalashnikov automatic rifle.[15] Knezović escaped from prison only hours after he was apprehended.[15][16] Eight Široki Brijeg policemen were detained for allowing the escape of Oliver Knezović.[17]
Oliver Knezović fled to Zagreb, Croatia, where he would not be extradited to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as there is no agreement on this issue between the two countries. He gave an interview for a local TV network, asserting his innocence.[18] After the interview Knezović surrendered to a Zagreb police station with his lawyer.[19] An autopsy revealed that Puljić was killed by a bullet from a police pistol.[20] Knezović reportedly had been shooting from an AK 47.[21][22] Citing unnamed police sources, some media reported that Knezović took the pistol from an officer before shooting Puljić.[23][24] Knezović said that he had taken the pistol but returned it to the policeman before the shooting. He later came to the police station, but escaped after claiming that the police were looking to arrest him for not only shooting at members of Horde Zla (which he does not dispute he did) but also for the murder of Vedran Puljić (which he claims was committed by someone else.[19] The policeman Dragan Vujović was also taken into custody in relation to the murder of Puljić. Citing unnamed police sources, some media reports claimed Vujović is being investigated as an accomplice to murder.[24] Other media reports said that Vujović's hands tested positive for gunpowder residue, which he purportedly claimed was due to his coming into contact with the large quantities of fireworks used that day. Some reports say that the policeman has failed a polygraph test in relation to the event.[24]
Some members of Horde zla were arrested and put in custody. But after Horde Zla spokespeople claimed they had reports that those members were being mistreated in prison the Federal Minister Of Justice Mirsad Kebo had them transferred to Sarajevo and released.[10] This move was met with disapproval by citizens of Široki Brijeg.[25]
Reactions
Široki Brijeg
During the following days many citizens had gathered in front of the West Herzegovina county headquarters. They blamed the violence on Horde Zla. Miro Kraljević, the mayor, addressed the audience giving them his support. The official representative of Škripari read a list of requests to the authorities of West Herzegovina county.
The protesters left after a speech by Stanko Škorba, the president of the Union of handicapped people from the Homeland war. Škorba told them that the ministry of internal affairs has accepted to look into their requests. Although, he said, that does not mean that the Ministry necessarily sees these complaints as valid.
The council of Široki Brijeg also held an extraordinary meeting. The counselors made a declaration denouncing the violence that occurred.[26]
The protests were repeated the same week. There were between 13,000 and 15,000[27] protesters. Besides citizens of Široki Brijeg the fans of Croat dominated clubs from Mostar, Tomislavgrad, Livno, Žepče, Kiseljak, Posavina and a number of people from Croatia attended. Representatives of Škripari demanded the resignation of Mirsad Kebo and Zvonimir Jukić.
Sarajevo
In Sarajevo, members of Horde Zla also organized citywide demonstrations. They were joined by fans of Velež, Željezničar, Čelik, Rudar (Kakanj), Travnik, Sloboda and many other, mainly Bosniak, clubs as well as over 10,000 citizens.
They alleged that the causes for violence started even before they entered the town of Široki Brijeg in the form of provocations by local residents shouting ethnic slurs at them and gross negligence by the Široki Brijeg police which split them up into small unprotected groups and completely ignored any misconduct on the side of the Škripari up to and including doing nothing to stop the Škripari from hurling rocks at them. The supporters of many other Bosnian clubs present during the demonstrations have also reported that they were subject to similar ethnic provocations and willful police neglect when visiting Western Herzegovina.
They also expressed shock at the fact that as soon as physical confrontations broke out between them and the Škripari, the police started attacking members of Horde Zla in unison with Škripari and other local residents instead of doing their job of separating them. They demanded a thorough investigation into the misconduct of the Široki Brijeg police force which later confirmed that multiple policemen have been aiding and abetting assaults on members of Horde Zla including, in the case of policeman Dragan Vujović, being accomplices to murder. They also accused the police of ignoring local residents who had been shooting automatic weapons at the members of Horde Zla as in the case of Oliver Knezević who can be seen holding an AK-47 while being ignored by a nearby police officer on surveillance footage.[28]
^. e-novine.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
External links
facebook page
YouTube video
March 21, 2023
2009, Široki, brijeg, sarajevo, football, riots, Široki, brijeg, sarajevo, football, riot, refers, riot, involving, football, clubs, Široki, brijeg, supported, mostly, herzegovian, croat, fans, sarajevo, supported, mostly, bosniak, fans, citation, needed, duri. The NK Siroki Brijeg FK Sarajevo football riot refers to the riot involving the football clubs NK Siroki Brijeg supported mostly by Herzegovian Croat fans 1 and FK Sarajevo supported mostly by Bosniak fans citation needed during a leg of the 2009 Bosnian Herzegovian Premier League in the Herzegovian town of Siroki Brijeg During the riot members of Horde Zla Legions of Evil a FK Sarajevo supporters group and Skripari a NK Siroki Brijeg supporters group confronted each other in altercations which subsequently spilled out to the majority of the town Horde Zla burned cars and demolished shops while Skripari and residents of Siroki Brijeg stoned Horde Zla buses and shot at supporters Horde Zla also claim multiple counts of severe police brutality which led to the death of Horde Zla member Vedran Puljic from gunshot wounds 2 3 4 Siroki Brijeg football riotsDate4 October 2009 2009 10 04 LocationPecara Stadium Siroki Brijeg Bosnia and HerzegovinaCoordinates43 22 45 8 N 17 35 50 88 E 43 379389 N 17 5974667 E 43 379389 17 5974667 Coordinates 43 22 45 8 N 17 35 50 88 E 43 379389 N 17 5974667 E 43 379389 17 5974667Deaths1Non fatal injuries31 6 severe Contents 1 The riots 2 Reactions 2 1 Siroki Brijeg 2 2 Sarajevo 3 References 4 External linksThe riots EditThere are conflicting reports about who started the violence Horde Zla accused local residents and police for their mistreatment on their way to the match saying that the incident was planned by local politicians and that their buses were separated and parked too far from the stadium which left them open to stoning and attacks They also claim that initially there were only 30 local policemen present and they did nothing to prevent the violence 5 Local police and residents said Horde Zla fans were the first to attack 6 According to local police officials most of the regional police had earlier been sent to the nearby city of Mostar to prevent possible violence during the match between the rival Zrinjski and Velez clubs scheduled for the same day thus leaving the match in Siroki Brijeg relatively ill secured 5 Some 500 fans of the Sarajevo football club were present during the match in Siroki Brijeg 5 7 as well as between 150 and 200 members of the Red Army supporters of FK Velez closely aligned with Horde Zla 8 According to Croatian media members of Horde Zla have a history of starting riots in nearby Posusje 9 10 and that Horde Zla were involved in similar riots before In September 1990 they had a conflict in Belgrade and they stabbed 2 members of Grobari supporters of FK Partizan 11 While Skripari have been accused by Bosnian media of harboring far right Ustase sympathies including displaying the Nazi swastika in their stands on multiple occasions 31 people were injured in the riots 6 of them severely citation needed One member of Horde named Vedran Puljic a Sarajevo Croat 12 was shot and subsequently died 13 According to Zlatko Galic the chief of West Herzegovina Canton police Vedran Puljic had a record for multiple violations related to hooliganism 14 Police arrested Oliver Knezovic as a suspect of shooting Vedran Puljic Knezovic is believed to be a former member of Kaznjenicka Bojna unit of HVO He reportedly fired at the FK Sarajevo supporters using a Kalashnikov automatic rifle 15 Knezovic escaped from prison only hours after he was apprehended 15 16 Eight Siroki Brijeg policemen were detained for allowing the escape of Oliver Knezovic 17 Oliver Knezovic fled to Zagreb Croatia where he would not be extradited to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina as there is no agreement on this issue between the two countries He gave an interview for a local TV network asserting his innocence 18 After the interview Knezovic surrendered to a Zagreb police station with his lawyer 19 An autopsy revealed that Puljic was killed by a bullet from a police pistol 20 Knezovic reportedly had been shooting from an AK 47 21 22 Citing unnamed police sources some media reported that Knezovic took the pistol from an officer before shooting Puljic 23 24 Knezovic said that he had taken the pistol but returned it to the policeman before the shooting He later came to the police station but escaped after claiming that the police were looking to arrest him for not only shooting at members of Horde Zla which he does not dispute he did but also for the murder of Vedran Puljic which he claims was committed by someone else 19 The policeman Dragan Vujovic was also taken into custody in relation to the murder of Puljic Citing unnamed police sources some media reports claimed Vujovic is being investigated as an accomplice to murder 24 Other media reports said that Vujovic s hands tested positive for gunpowder residue which he purportedly claimed was due to his coming into contact with the large quantities of fireworks used that day Some reports say that the policeman has failed a polygraph test in relation to the event 24 Some members of Horde zla were arrested and put in custody But after Horde Zla spokespeople claimed they had reports that those members were being mistreated in prison the Federal Minister Of Justice Mirsad Kebo had them transferred to Sarajevo and released 10 This move was met with disapproval by citizens of Siroki Brijeg 25 Reactions EditSiroki Brijeg Edit During the following days many citizens had gathered in front of the West Herzegovina county headquarters They blamed the violence on Horde Zla Miro Kraljevic the mayor addressed the audience giving them his support The official representative of Skripari read a list of requests to the authorities of West Herzegovina county The protesters left after a speech by Stanko Skorba the president of the Union of handicapped people from the Homeland war Skorba told them that the ministry of internal affairs has accepted to look into their requests Although he said that does not mean that the Ministry necessarily sees these complaints as valid The council of Siroki Brijeg also held an extraordinary meeting The counselors made a declaration denouncing the violence that occurred 26 The protests were repeated the same week There were between 13 000 and 15 000 27 protesters Besides citizens of Siroki Brijeg the fans of Croat dominated clubs from Mostar Tomislavgrad Livno Zepce Kiseljak Posavina and a number of people from Croatia attended Representatives of Skripari demanded the resignation of Mirsad Kebo and Zvonimir Jukic Sarajevo Edit In Sarajevo members of Horde Zla also organized citywide demonstrations They were joined by fans of Velez Zeljeznicar Celik Rudar Kakanj Travnik Sloboda and many other mainly Bosniak clubs as well as over 10 000 citizens They alleged that the causes for violence started even before they entered the town of Siroki Brijeg in the form of provocations by local residents shouting ethnic slurs at them and gross negligence by the Siroki Brijeg police which split them up into small unprotected groups and completely ignored any misconduct on the side of the Skripari up to and including doing nothing to stop the Skripari from hurling rocks at them The supporters of many other Bosnian clubs present during the demonstrations have also reported that they were subject to similar ethnic provocations and willful police neglect when visiting Western Herzegovina They also expressed shock at the fact that as soon as physical confrontations broke out between them and the Skripari the police started attacking members of Horde Zla in unison with Skripari and other local residents instead of doing their job of separating them They demanded a thorough investigation into the misconduct of the Siroki Brijeg police force which later confirmed that multiple policemen have been aiding and abetting assaults on members of Horde Zla including in the case of policeman Dragan Vujovic being accomplices to murder They also accused the police of ignoring local residents who had been shooting automatic weapons at the members of Horde Zla as in the case of Oliver Knezevic who can be seen holding an AK 47 while being ignored by a nearby police officer on surveillance footage 28 References Edit ABC Portal NK Siroki Brijeg se potvrdio kao sportska institucija Hrvata u BiH in Croatian http abcportal info clanak nk siroki brijeg se potvrdio kao sportska institucija hrvata u bih Archived 2016 06 01 at the Wayback Machine Pocetna BH News Archived from the original on 2016 03 05 Retrieved 2013 04 30 FC Sarajevo fan dies in riots Riot terrace fashion blog Riotonline com Archived from the original on 2013 12 02 Retrieved 2013 04 30 Kaos u Sirokom Brijegu propucan navijac Sarajeva huligani tukli po kucama VIDEO i FOTOGALERIJA gt Slobodna Dalmacija gt Nogomet Slobodnadalmacija hr 24 October 2009 Retrieved 2013 04 30 a b c The Dirty Side of Football ISN Isn ethz ch 2009 10 23 Retrieved 2013 04 30 All Balkans Home Balkan Insight Retrieved 2013 04 30 DNEVNIAVAZ BA Dogadjaji Ubijen navijac Sarajeva Vedran Puljic u Sirokom Brijegu www dnevniavaz ba Archived from the original on 7 October 2009 Retrieved 17 January 2022 Policija tukla navijace Veleza u Sirokom Brijegu Klix ba Sarajevo x com Retrieved 2013 04 30 Maintenance Mode skibyusa com Archived from the original on 2011 07 16 Retrieved 2013 04 30 a b SUDSKI POLICAJCI OSLOBOĐENI TUZITELJICA Postivala sam zakon a ne Kebu Poskok info 2009 10 08 Retrieved 2013 10 26 Sve pocelo s ubij cetnika Turcina ustasu Livno online com Retrieved 2013 04 30 Orgijanje nad Vedranom Puljicem Poskok info 2009 10 08 Retrieved 2013 10 26 No vengeance will ever apalliate my pain Current Events Croatia Dalje com Javno com 2009 10 08 Retrieved 2013 04 30 Pise cetvrtak 8 10 2009 17 11 2009 10 08 Sudski policajci pusteni na slobodu ubijeni navijac Puljic policiji poznat po kaznenim djelima Vijesti net Index hr Retrieved 2013 04 30 a b All Balkans Home Balkan Insight Retrieved 2013 04 30 Bosnian football fan s suspected killer escapes police custody Wikinews the free news source En wikinews org Retrieved 2013 04 30 All Balkans Home Balkan Insight Retrieved 2013 04 30 The Leading Pincom Site on the Net Pincom info Retrieved 2013 04 30 a b All Balkans Home Balkan Insight Retrieved 2013 04 30 Navijac ubijen policijskim pistoljem ali ne od policajca Video dana DW DE 06 10 2009 Dw world de 2010 03 20 Retrieved 2013 04 30 Puljic je ubijen iz pistolja a Knezovic imao automat 24sata 24sata hr 2011 12 05 Archived from the original on 2010 02 09 Retrieved 2013 04 30 1 dead link EKSKLUZIVNO Dnevni list u posjedu fotografija Olivera Knezovica s oruzjem Dnevni list ba 2009 10 18 Retrieved 2013 10 26 a b c 2 Archived October 19 2009 at the Wayback Machine Danijel Srb Ujedinit cemo hrvatsku desnicu i promjeniti politicku sliku Hrvatske Otvoreno ba Archived from the original on 2013 10 29 Retrieved 2013 10 26 Siroki Brijeg sluzbene stranice USVOJENA DEKLARACIJA O OSUDI NASILJA Sirokibrijeg ba Archived from the original on 2013 10 29 Retrieved 2013 10 26 3 dead link Kako je ubijen Vedran Puljic e novine com Archived from the original on 2013 10 29 Retrieved 2013 10 26 External links Editfacebook page YouTube video Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2009 NK Siroki Brijeg FK Sarajevo football riots amp oldid 1134046405, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
