Zašto navijači Hajduka izvikavaju Rijeci da su Delije

In the derby match between Hajduk and Rijeka, a verbal conflict occurred after items with Red Star symbols were burned. Rijeka managed to secure a victory after a significant comeback at “Poljud” (2:1) in the 20th round of the Croatian championship, thus taking the leader position in the league, with the same number of points as Hajduk (41). Behind them is Dinamo with 37 points, but with a game in hand against Varaždin.

The match between Hajduk and Rijeka also witnessed a “fan clash,” as in the second half – when the visitors made a comeback – Torcida chanted at Armada: “You are Delije, can suck it Torcida.” Red Star symbols were set on fire and an Armada banner was taken, leaving many baffled as to what connection the Serbian champions had with this match.
According to the media in Croatia, this was a “reminder” of the final of Marshal Tito’s Cup in Belgrade in 1987 when Hajduk and Rijeka faced off at the JNA stadium in Belgrade. At the time, Hajduk fans were situated on the south stand and Rijeka’s on the north. There are two versions of the story about the “support” from Red Star fans. According to one version, which Hajduk supports, Rijeka supporters joined forces with the Red Star fans because earlier that day the junior cup final was played at the JNA, featuring Red Star. However, Rijeka claims this is not true.

Despite the explanations, the incident led to Hajduk considering Rijeka as “Serbian” that day, and Armada as a faction of Delije. This resulted in the scandalous chant from Torcida: “Smelly Rijeka, full of Serbs, don’t worry Rijeka, there are still willows,” for which the club from Split was penalized. The previous evening, their punishment was a loss and the injury of their best player, Marko Livaja.