belgrade soccer stadium murals

a mural of icons representing 'heroes' or 'delije' and the red stars plasters one of the stadium walls
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the stadion crvena zvezda - also known as marakana stadium after the infamous brazilian stadium -
is a multi-use facility in belgrade, serbia. it has the capacity to house 55,000 fans and opened in 1963,
three years after construction began. today, it is currently used mostly for football matches
and is the home of the serbian red stars sports club which was founded march 4th, 1945.


stadion crvena zvezda's field
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the word 'delije' has been painted onto the seats of the stadium by the sports club to show appreciation to the fans
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'delije' is the name which has been given to the supporters of the sports association red star belgrade.
in english this means 'heroes' or 'courageous and brave young men'. its singluar form is 'delija'.
during the 1990s, the name was used by a hooligan group.


delije of the north
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today, murals, graffiti and stenciled art cover the expanse of the stadium walls.
they share a varied history of events, express political opinions and undertones, their support for the
red stars belgrade and are a reminder of the struggle between support groups over the last decades.

during the 1980s there was a huge fan boom on the football scene. there were two big supporters
from the north - the ultras and red devils emerged. the ultras approached football the italian way,
singing long and melodic songs, with fireworks and choreographed routines. however,
the red devils group was more aggressive with a lot of drinking, violence against rivals
and consuming marijuana.

at the end of the 90s, ultra subgroups: brigate, goblins, heroes, iron boys, kenjaj, lunatics, north army,
red boys, red devils, ultra boys united to become the belgrade boys. evidence of these subgroups
can be found through wall art and graffiti around the grounds.


the belgrade boys, ultra boys, red boys...
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signs of the ultra boys, one of the serbian red stars supporting subgroups which has united into one of the most
significant fan mobs, the belgrade boys
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the year 1989 is painted boldy across a wall marking the inaugural year of the delije group
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painted 1989s remind supporters of the delije's beginnings
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belgrade heroes
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it's apparent that the 'heroes' are true heroes
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there have been violent clashes between supporter groups ultra boys and united force (F.C. rad belgrade fans).
in the 1996 / 1997 season, 400 of them fought against one another in a violent brawl and several were
wounded by knives.
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red devils, red stars...
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this stencil states 'justice for uroš (mišić)' a red star supporter who was sent to prison for 10 years,
for the attempted murder of a policeman. mišić and a group of red star belgrade's notorious 'delije' (heroes)
tried to set him on fire with flares.
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'justice for uros!' - a portrait of the imprisoned supporter can be found stenciled on various walls
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'selected heroes - justice for uros' is loosely sprayed on a wall.
beside it is uros' painted portrait.
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large portrait of uros mišić
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a rough interpretation of belgrade's city skyline
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you can see that graffiti has been painted over and then replaced by new work
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at the end of the 70s, the most intense fans moved to the central part of the stadium's north side, where even today,
the 'crazy north' begins, often illustrated in graffiti.
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'proud grail' - pride of the north
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loose interpretation of the red stars emblem
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more stencils
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BSCZ - stenciled red star logos appear everywhere
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section numbers boldly painted amidst the tags
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white vs. red
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'movement cheering never quench'
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the ticket booth covered in red stars logos and justice for uros are stenciled in a pattern along the facade
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graphic painting amidst the walls decorated in graffiti by delije
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belgrade boys
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more red star logos
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'hyena 21 block' - serbian protestors are sometimes called hyenas
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graffiti that's been crossed out and repainted
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'delije sever'
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