Introduction

On 22 March 2013, the national football teams of Croatia and Serbia played against each other in Zagreb in a qualifying round match for the World Cup Finals in Brazil in 2014. Ahead of the match, much was made of the rivalry of the respective managers of the teams, former international players IgorŠtimac (Croatia) and Siniša Mihajlović (Yugoslavia). A 20-year feud had existed between the two, largely based on their conflicting nationalist allegiances to the countries of the football teams for which they now have managerial responsibility. In anticipation of crowd violence, supporters of Serbia were not allowed to attend the match at the Maksimir Stadium. The absence of potential conflict between supporters saw the spotlight instead placed on the managers. Despite the promise from bothŠtimac and Mihajlović to ‘bury the hatchet’ their personal dislike for each other was feared too strong to be put aside on such an important evening. The match was won deservedly by Croatia, the result 2 goals to 0. At the conclusion of the game, as the opposing players shook hands, Štimac and Mihajlović walked to the centre of the field and embraced one another. The significance of this gesture, according toŠtimac, is its sending of ‘a very clear message’ to ‘forget the past’. He continued, ‘we have a great future, we cannot build a future on the past, we are neighbours, there is plenty to live for in front of us.’ ¹