“The wind howls down a bleak street in Croatia’s Borovo Naselje, lashing the rain against the garage door that Sinisa Mihajlovic’s father had to replace every few weeks because of the force with which his son practised his free-kicks against it. It is not just the garage door that has been replaced. The whole house was destroyed during the Yugoslav war. Mihajlovic, wonderful and controversial footballer and now manager of Serbia, is defined by the war, adding another layer of complexity to the already incendiary meeting between Croatia and Serbia in World Cup qualifying on Friday night.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson (Video)

Croatia v Serbia: the sporting rivalry – in pictures
“Ahead of Friday night’s World Cup qualifier between neighbours and long-standing enemies, Croatia and Serbia, Alex Fenton-Thomas reviews some of their most hostile sporting encounters of the past two decades”
Guardian

Croatia beat Serbia in bitter World Cup qualifier between Balkan foes
“Croatia beat Serbia 2-0 in a highly charged 2014 World Cup qualifier on Friday, the first match as independent states between the bitter Balkan foes since their war in the 1990s. Serbian players were greeted with nationalist chants – including ‘Kill, Kill the Serbs’ – from the packed Maksimir stadium, where thousands of riot policemen were deployed to prevent trouble from the home fans.” Guardian

Assassin. War Criminal. Football Club Owner.
“In 2006, FK Obilić Belgrade, the only team to have ever been crowned champions of Serbia that wasn’t Red Star or Partizan, were relegated from the Serbian top flight. Five more relegations over six seasons followed, meaning a team, who at the start of the 1998/99 season drew 1-1 with eventual finalists Bayern Munich in the Champions League qualifiers, kicked off this season playing seventh tier football. All this in a country whose top two divisions are the only two that aren’t regional.” Slavic Football Union