Vjenceslav Žuvela

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Vjenceslav Žuvela (born September 5, 1929 in Vela Luka , Korčula ; † August 27, 1990 in Split ) was a Yugoslav football fan and a leading founding member of Torcida , the organized fan base of Hajduk Split .

Life

Žuvela, who was studying in Zagreb at the time , founded Torcida Split on October 28, 1950 with a few other Dalmatian students in what is now the Croatian capital, which is considered the oldest fan organization in Europe . The group, which initially comprised 113 members, was founded on the occasion of the imminent train journey of several thousand young Hajduk fans to Split, where their team competed the next day in the game that was decisive for the 1950 championship against the tied team from Red Star Belgrade . Hajduk Split won 2-1 and thus secured the win of the Yugoslav football championship for the first time since the Second World War .

Immediately after arriving in the early morning hours of October 29, 1950, part of this group went to the hotel where the Red Star team was staying, in order - following the South American example - to disturb the opposing team in their night's sleep with a loud spectacle. For the communist rulers of Yugoslavia, this “anti-social behavior” was a vicious affront. In addition, the Torcida Hajduk logo designed by Žuvela caused a stir. Because through the letter combination T and H, the communist rulers interpreted the abbreviation as "Torcida Hrvatska", ie a nationalist standing for the Croatian state and thus a rejection of the Yugoslavia that had just emerged a few years earlier.

As a result, Žuvela was sentenced to three years in prison, which was later reduced to three months. After his release, Žuvela graduated from the university with a degree in shipping engineering and started a family. He died a few days before his 61st birthday in a hospital in Split as a result of a car accident. His remains are in the family grave of his hometown Vela Luka.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hajduk History 1941-1950 at hajduk.hr (English)
  2. ↑ Torcida - From 1945. Until the end of 60's at ultras.fandom.com (English)
  3. ↑ Vjenceslav Žuvela at torcida.hr (Croatian)
personal data
SURNAME Žuvela, Vjenceslav
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Yugoslav football fan and founding member of Torcida Split
DATE OF BIRTH September 5, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Vela Luka , Korčula
DATE OF DEATH August 27, 1990
Place of death Split