Hajduk Split

Origins

The club was founded in the centuries-old pub U Fleků in Prague (then also part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), by a group of students from Split: Fabjan Kaliterna, Lucijan Stella, Ivan Šakić and Vjekoslav Ivanišević. They went to the pub following a match between AC Sparta and SK Slavia and decided it was time their own town founded a professional club. They all knew how popular the sport was in their home city of Split, and how well their friends can play.

The club was officially registered with the authorities on 13 February 1911. While trying to come up with a name for the club (other options being "Velebit", "Uskok", "Marjan"...), the students went to their old teacher Josip Barač for advice and according to accounts, after enthusiastically storming into his office, he told them to take the name "Hajduk" which symbolized "that which is best in our people: bravery, humanity, friendship, love of freedom, defiance to powers, and protection of the weak. Be worthy of that great name".

Hajduks were romanticized bandits that fought the rule of the Ottoman Turks. It is speculated that famed hajduk Andrijica Šimić, who triumphantly arrived in Split in 1902 to cheering crowds (after a long stint in an Austrian prison), was perhaps the inspiration for the name. The founders subsequently designed the club's emblem, and a group of Catholic nuns from a monastery in Split, created copies which were distributed to fans. Both the name and the checkered board on the crest were found provocative by the Monarchy, but it eventually allowed them having been convinced that a football club is a good way to train soldiers.

Hajduk gathered the pro-Croat party of citizens of Split, Croat unionists or puntari. That is why the club specifically has the name "hrvatski nogometni klub" ("Croatian football club") and has the Croatian coat-of-arms in its crest. The club itself was against the Austrian-Hungarian government's policy of not allowing the unification of the Croatian provinces and keeping them separated (the government and the emperor did not allow the reunion of Dalmatia with the rest of Croatia). Hajduk's first opponent were Calcio Spalato, the club of an autonomist party from in Split, and the match ended with a 9–0 (6–0) victory for Hajduk. The first to score for Hajduk was Šime Raunig, legend has it – with his knee.

In 1912, Hajduk played their first match in Zagreb against the HAŠK football club, and lost 3–2. The first international match against an eminent opponent was held in 1913 against Czech club Slavia Prague, which at that time were one of the strongest squads in Europe. Hajduk ended up losing the match 1–13 (0–13). After the formation of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, Hajduk first entered the Yugoslav league in 1923, losing their first and only match that season against SAŠK. However, that same year while on tour in North Africa, Hajduk defeated Marseille 3–2 in their first international match, sparking mass celebrations in Split. The next year, the squad was considered so strong that 10 out of the 11 players which played an international friendly for Yugoslavia against Czechoslovakia were contracted to Hajduk (only exception being the goalkeeper, as Hajduk had an Italian goalkeeper at the time).

In 1926, in honour of the club's 15th birthday, composer Ivo Tijardović dedicated an operetta "Kraljica baluna" to the club, making it the only football club in the world to have its own operetta. Apart from national championship, from 1920 to 1936 Hajduk continuously competed in Dalmatian Championship, having won all but one of them.

Hajduk reached their first period of glory in the late 1920s, when they won their first two Yugoslav championships (1927 and 1929), which earned them a slot in the Central European Cup. Some of the best players in that period were Leo Lemešić and Vladimir Kragić, with Ljubo Benčić managed to become the best goalscorer of the 1927 season. Long-lasting coach of the team was one of clubs greats, Luka Kaliterna. During the 6 January Dictatorship the adjective "Croatian" in "Croatian Football Club" was forcibly replaced by the adjective "Yugoslav" to the dismay of the team. Furthermore, the 1930s proved disastrous for Hajduk, as they won no tournaments or championships, recording only a few successes in international matches.

They did manage to win one title during the Banovina of Croatia era in 1940–41, with an impressive 14–3–1 record. As a Croatian champion the club was about the play the playoffs for Yugoslav championship, but with World War II emerging, the championship was never finished. During this time, Hajduk could have had a fantastic generation led by young Frane Matošić, Ratko Kacijan, as well as prominent Czech international Jiří Sobotka.

World War II

In April 1941, during World War II, Yugoslavia was invaded, occupied and carved-up by the Axis powers, with Split being annexed directly into Italy. Residents and players were both opposed to the assimilation to Italy, thus the club ceased to compete in defiance throughout the occupation of Split, declining an offer to join the Italian first division under the name "AC Spalato". Instead, Benito Mussolini founded Societa Calcio Spalato, and renamed the club's home ground after his son's name. After the capitulation of Italy in 1943, the Partisans temporarily liberated Split and disarmed the Italian garrison, but the German Army quickly re-occupied the city and granted it to the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) they had installed in Zagreb back in 1941. The attitude of the club did not change when the NDH authorities attempted to include Hajduk in the Independent State of Croatia Cup, as NDH earned resentment in Split for allying and partitioning them to Italy. With the Allies invading southern Italy and controlling the Mediterranean, the Adriatic islands became a haven for the resistance, prompting Hajduk's rebirth on one of them in 1944.

The club's players then joined the Partisan general headquarters on the island of Vis in the Adriatic. On 7 May 1944, on the Feast of Saint Domnius, the patron saint of Split, in presence of Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito's and British officers (one of them being Randolph Churchill) Hajduk was formed again and began playing as the official football team of the Yugoslav resistance. They competed with Allied service football teams from across the Adriatic in Italy, where they famously played the British Army in a friendly match in Bari on 23 September, in front at least 40,000 spectators, losing 2–9. The match is considered to be one of the most attended football games during the war years, with a rematch in liberated Split few years after (Hajduk won 1–0). At this time, the club leadership adopted the Partisans' red star as the badge on the white-and-blue club dress. During 1945, Hajduk embarked on a tourney through Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Malta. Traveling roughly 30,000 kilometers, and playing over 90 matches, the club won 74 of them, while at the same time Allied airplanes dropped fliers all over Europe prompting other football clubs to follow Hajduk example. While in Beirut, Charles de Gaulle gave Hajduk the title of honorary team of Free France, the trophy being treasured ever since.

With its proficiency and its "unique Dalmatian spirit", the club reportedly impressed Tito, who frequently attended matches. After the war, he invited Hajduk to move to the Yugoslav capital Belgrade and become the official Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) team, but the club refused, wanting to continue to play in their hometown of Split. One of their biggest future rivals, FK Partizan, were founded instead. However, Hajduk continued to enjoy the reputation of "Tito's favorite" long after the war, and it was because of the friendly relationship with the resistance, it became one of the few Yugoslav football clubs (and the only prominent one) not to be disbanded after the war by the communist government (as was the case with a number of other clubs, especially prominent ones such as BSK, Građanski, Jugoslavija, Concordia, HAŠK and Slavija).

Iconic 1950s

After World War II, Hajduk continued to play in the Yugoslav championship and its cup. In 1946, they won Croatian championship and established the magazine Journal of Hajduk. In 1948–49, Hajduk visited Australia and became the first team from Yugoslavia to play on all continents. The club won the 1950 Yugoslav championship without a single loss, setting a record that no one managed to accomplish before the breakup of Yugoslavia 40 years later. On 28 October 1950, a day before a decisive match against one of its biggest rivals Red Star Belgrade (a 2–1 win), the official fan organization Torcida was founded. It was created by engineering student Vjenceslav Žuvela, who chose the name after the enthusiastic Brazilian fans, and Torcida become the first organized group of supporters in Europe. The following year, reconstruction of "Stari Plac" stadium was finished, and it homed the club for more than three decades.

Consequent seasons showed Hajduk's supremacy, but also the political manipulations to prevent them winning the championships. For one, Torcida was viewed as a hostile organization by the communist authorities, which posed a risk to the national consciousness of the new Yugoslavian state. Hajduk's leadership was sanctioned, the team's captain expelled from the communist party, and Vjenceslav Žuvela imprisoned. Also, during the winter break of the 1952–53 season, following an invitation from Juan Perón, Hajduk went on tour to South America and eventually extended their stay there. This caused them to come home late, but instead of promised delay of games in the Championship, they faced defeat against BSK and a draw with Spartak Subotica as their youth team and couple of veteran players had to play them. Although Hajduk later beat both Red Star (4–1) and Partizan (4–2) in Belgrade, Red Star became the champion by only a two-point margin.

Next season saw a similar occurrence, with players Vladimir Beara and Bernard Vukas arriving late for national team training and receiving a month-long ban from football. Without these essential players, Hajduk lost important matches and Dinamo Zagreb finished as champions. All this prompted club legend Frane Matošić to storm a meeting of the Yugoslav Football Association and say, "Have you at least a gram of integrity?" On 3 April 1955 in Zagreb, Hajduk defeated Dinamo 6–0, recording its biggest win in the derby between the two largest Croatian clubs, and later won the championship. However, the Football Association of Yugoslavia qualified them to the European Mitropa Cup, while Partizan was chosen to participate in the inaugural European Cup.

During the early 1950s, the club had one of its most iconic generation of players, winning three Yugoslav championships. Two such players – goalkeeper Vladimir Beara and Zagreb-born midfielder Bernard Vukas (called "Bajdo") – were called to represent Team Europe in friendly matches against Great Britain. In one of the matches, Vukas scored a hat-trick. Apart from them, Frane Matošić scored his 729 goals in 739 official and unofficial games, setting a club record likely never to be broken. Other famous players included Božo Broketa, Ljubomir Kokeza, Slavko Luštica and Lenko Grčić.

Miserable 1960s and another Golden Generation

Generation of 1950s broke down after 1955 title, with Matošić retiring, Beara moving to Red Star Belgrade and Vukas to Italian club Bologna. The 1960s were remembered as some of the hardest times in Hajduk's history. In four seasons (1963 to 1966), the club finished no better than tenth and no better than fourth in the next half of the decade. In the 1965–66 season, due to the "Planinić affair" accusing Hajduk of rigging matches during those unsuccessful seasons, five points were deducted (down from the initial penalty of relegation), and Hajduk managed to stay in the top flight with much thanks to Petar Nadoveza, who managed to become the league's top scorer with 21 goals. During this era, the club won just one trophy – the 1967 cup, which was also their first Yugoslav cup trophy and send the team to European Cup Winners' Cup the next year, their first appearance under UEFA-organized international competition. Prominent players of the time included Ante Žanetić (member of 1960 World Soccer Team of the Year), Ivica Hlevnjak, Vinko Cuzzi and Andrija Anković.

From 1970 to 1980, Hajduk had achieved its most successful years in Yugoslavia. The new "Golden Generation" won five consecutive cups and four championships in the period from 1972 to 1979, accompanied by notable international success. In 1971, and after a 16-year wait, Hajduk won the title after a memorable 4–3 away win over Partizan in a decisive match Hajduk were at one time behind 0–3. This unexpected success was achieved with a team of youngsters, and Nadoveza as a league top scorer yet another time. After winning their first out of five consecutive domestic cups in 1972, the team achieved first major international success, playing in the semi-finals of next year's Cup Winners' Cup against Leeds United. The team's manager at the time was one of Croatia's finest, Branko Zebec.

After Zebec left the club, he was replaced by the young and talented Tomislav Ivić, who would later become the club's coaching legend and one of the most successful managers in Europe, winning eight league titles in seven different countries. The first three years under Ivić saw Hajduk win two Yugoslav titles and three cups. In 1976, Hajduk could have won a third-straight Double after defeating the top league team Partizan 6–1 away. However, there was a scandal in the last match of the season when Partizan defeated Olimpija after scoring in the 95th minute of the match (despite UEFA not yet introducing added time for another 20 years) after numerous dubious referee decisions during the match. With the season finishing, Ivić left Hajduk for Ajax, but would return two years later only to win another league title, the club's last in the former Yugoslavia.

During these years, Hajduk reached quarter-finals of both the European Cup and Cup Winners' Cup, with notable home wins against PSV (2–0), Arsenal (2–1) and Saint Etienne (4–1). Notable Hajduk and Yugoslav international players included goalkeepers Ivan Katalinić and Radomir Vukčević; defenders Ivan Buljan (1975 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year), Zoran Vujović, Dragan Holcer, Vilson Džoni, Luka Peruzović and Vedran Rožić; midfielders Jurica Jerković, Dražen Mužinić (1975 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year), Branko Oblak (1974 Ballon d'Or candidate); and strikers Ivica Šurjak (1976 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year) and Slaviša Žungul. The club's respected president at the time was Tito Kirigin.

Poljud curse

In 1979, Hajduk moved to the newly designed stadium at Poljud, built to host the 1979 Mediterranean Games. However, the 1980s were noticeably less successful, as the club won only three Yugoslav cups before SFR Yugoslavia fell apart in 1991. The club's struggles were often linked to their new home stadium, which had athletic running track around the pitch, as opposed to Stari Plac, where supporters could cheer much closer to their team. The club's Inaugural season at Poljud saw Hajduk's most iconic official international match: the 1979–80 European Cup quarter-finals against eventual finalists Hamburger SV, and a 3–2 home win after losing 0–1 away. Later years saw Hajduk achieve memorable home wins against Valencia (4–1), Bordeaux (4–1), Marseille (2–0), Universitatea Craiova (1–0), Tottenham Hotspur (2–1) and a friendly win against Manchester United (6–0), considered to be United's biggest loss outside England. Hajduk also eliminated clubs such as Metz (5–1, 2–2), VfB Stuttgart (3–1, 2–2), Torino (3–1, 1–1), Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (2–0, 1–0), Universitatea Craiova (0–1, 1–0, 3–1pen) and Sparta Prague (2–0, 0–1), reaching UEFA Cup semi-final in 1984 and quarter-final in 1986. In 1988, during a Cup Winners' Cup home match with Marseille, releasing tear gas from the crowd caused the game to be canceled at 2–0 for Hajduk to award Marseille a default 0–3 victory; Hajduk was also banned from all UEFA competitions for the next two years.

Apart from international success, domestic results were not as impressive. Although Hajduk spent the entire decade near the top of the league table, competing with Dinamo Zagreb, Partizan and Red Star Belgrade to form what was known as the "Great Yugoslav Four", the club won no title before Croatia became independent. Prominent players of the time included goalkeepers Ivan Pudar and Zoran Simović (1983 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year); defenders Boro Primorac, Branko Miljuš and Jerko Tipurić; midfielders Blaž Slišković (1985 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year), Ivan Gudelj (1982 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year), Zoran Vulić, Aljoša Asanović, Stipe Andrijašević, Dragutin Čelić; and striker Zlatko Vujović (1981 Ballon d'Or candidate). By the end of the Yugoslav era, a young generation of future 1998 FIFA World Cup bronze medalists began playing for the club. These included Igor Štimac, Robert Jarni, Alen Bokšić, Nikola Jerkan and Slaven Bilić.

In the wake of national tensions which would eventually lead to Yugoslav Wars, during a tour in Australia, Hajduk restored its traditional emblem with the Croatian checkerboard, omitting the red star and sparking a massive crowd celebrations upon return. In September of that same year, a home match against Partizan would be cancelled in the 73rd minute due to the crowd entering the pitch and burning the Yugoslav flag. Later, on 8 May 1991, Hajduk won the last held Yugoslav Cup final, defeating that year's European champions Red Star in Belgrade with a goal scored by Bokšić. Tito's trophy for Yugoslav Cup winners was therefore awarded to Hajduk to stay in the club's permanent possession.

Champions League and financial breakdown

In the first four years of the HNL (the Croatian football league), Hajduk became far more successful than rivals Dinamo from Zagreb, winning three league titles, two domestic cups and two supercups, with the 1994–95 season still standing as the most successful since playing in independent Croatia. Hajduk entered that year's UEFA Champions League with a mix of young upcoming stars Milan Rapaić, Ivica Mornar, Tomislav Erceg, Goran Vučević and experienced players such as Igor Štimac, Zoran Vulić, Aljoša Asanović and Tonči Gabrić returning to assist them. After entering the group stage, Hajduk finished second behind Benfica, ahead of Steaua București and Anderlecht, before losing in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Ajax (0–0, 0–3). Domestically, the club won its first and (as of yet) last double crown. However, even though the team was performing well, the club was financially poorly managed, accumulating a massive financial loss that led to blocking of club's account.

For the next five years, Hajduk stood in the shadow of wealthier and politically privileged rivals Dinamo Zagreb, and the Champions League was no longer realistically within reach. Between 1995 and 2000, the club won zero trophies. After continuous domestic and European failures, Hajduk fans began to seek the dismissal of administration officials and circulated the story about the possible privatization of the club, which at that time did not happen. While arch-rivals Dinamo (then called "Croatia Zagreb") won titles, Hajduk had problems with the registration of players for the league. Dissatisfaction among the fans grew so much that some broke into the club premises, causing a change in leadership and promises of new beginnings. After the death of the first Croatian president Franjo Tuđman, whom many saw as heavily preferring and financing Croatia Zagreb, 2001 saw Hajduk become champions once more after a memorable 4–2 win against Varteks in Varaždin, a match attended by far more Hajduk fans than locals. Unfortunately, financial conditions in the club were still dire, and the club was often on the precipice of bankruptcy and collapse.

And yet, even if operating with blocked account, chairman Branko Grgić boosted with promises of attractive signings and trophies. Although Hajduk did manage to win Cup in 2003 and league titles in 2004 and 2005, as well as sign Dinamo's promising young captain Niko Kranjčar and their legendary manager Miroslav Blažević, when finances and politically driven leadership finally broke down, so did the club's results. Hajduk spent rest of the decade finishing behind its rival, with numerous coaching and management changes and reorganizations, players of dubious quality and mediocre international performances, worst of which came after being eliminated by Shelbourne and 0–5 home loss to Debrecen. The election of new chairman Mate Peroš in June 2008, upon which he changed the entire professional staff and reorganized the administration, brought only temporary relief. Hajduk achieved first away win against Dinamo after five-and-a-half years (2–0), but again finished behind their arch-rivals, and reached Croatian Cup finals only to lose to Dinamo once again in a two-game thriller which saw two 3–0 wins by both teams, before Dinamo won 4–3 in penalty shootout. More importantly, the club's finances did not radically change until next season, when Hajduk became joint stock company owned by the City of Split. Even if financially secure, newly appointed chairman Joško Svaguša continued the policy of expensive signings and unsustainable expenses to regain the club's former glory. In 2010, Hajduk won the Croatian Cup, its first trophy in five years, and later managed to qualify for the group stage of 2010–11 UEFA Europa League which was the first time since 1994 club secured a place in the group stages of UEFA competitions. Home wins against Dinamo București (3–0), Unirea Urziceni (4–1) and Anderlecht (1–0) were, however, just a temporary reminiscence of former successes.

Notable players of 1990s and 2000s include goalkeepers Stipe Pletikosa, Danijel Subašić and Tonči Gabrić; defenders Igor Štimac, Igor Tudor and Darijo Srna; midfielders Milan Rapaić, Nenad Pralija, Dean Računica, Niko Kranjčar, Josip Skoko, Ivan Leko, Srđan Andrić and Senijad Ibričić; and strikers Ardian Kozniku, Nikola Kalinić and Tomislav Erceg.

On 13 February 2011, Hajduk commemorated its 100th anniversary with a massive celebration in Split and all of Croatia, with both Hajduk players and fans honouring the club. The entire city was decorated with Hajduk banners, flags, posters and paraphernalia, and there was a spectacular firework show over Split. Hajduk played a friendly game with Slavia Prague to honour Hajduk's Czech origins, losing 0–2.

Naš Hajduk

All this time supporters led by Torcida led a struggle to end what they considered to be politically driven management of the club, and install experts to save Hajduk. In 2009, they started an initiative called "Dite puka" (People's Child) that should have prompted fans to buy up the club's shares and gain control of the club, which at the time didn't happen. However, in July 2011, inspired by examples in Germany and Sweden and organized under the association "Naš Hajduk" (Our Hajduk), fans managed to gain rights of organizing elections for members of the club's supervisory board, making Hajduk only fan-owned football club in Croatian First League, and one of only two in former Yugoslavia (the other being nearby HNK Trogir).

In 2012, the club fell into yet another financial trouble caused by former Hajduk presidents, leaving it with more than 100 million kunas in debt, and one town meeting away from being bankrupt. After forming lines in front of the City Hall on 15 October 2012, fans convinced the town leaders to sign a loan insurance to the newly elected chairman Marin Brbić and start the club's long needed financial recovery. Since then, according to the club's annual financial report, Hajduk is under continuous financial and managerial recovery. On 1 April 2015, Brbić was sacked by the club's supervisory board and on 18 May replaced by Ivan Kos.

Notable successes include 2–0 away win over Internazionale and winning the 2012–13 Croatian Cup. By the end of 2016, the club numbered 43.339 members, more than any club in the region.