Match report: Zeljeznicar - Maribor 24.07.2012

Want to buy pyrotechnics? Visit pyro.ultras-tifo.net

Report from The Maniacs vs Viole Maribor.

Željezničar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Maribor (Slovenia)

(Posted by our member AZ -.-, report from Champions League match 24.07.2012)

The Maniacs vs Viole

Fight around noon in the center of the city in front of the cathedral. On some videos it is clearly seen that about 30 Violas are going through the city (I don't know why this group came earlier in the city without any police escort and why they came alone and not with the other buses with Maribor fans which arrived in Sarajevo around I would say 06:00 PM, three hours before the match), lightning up pyrotechnics and similar and making havoc in the summer gardens of some cafes that are located there. It is said that they were chanting "Nož, žica, Srebrenica" and similar, which any citizen of Sarajevo takes very personal and offensive.

After going in the direction of Baščaršija some citizens and The Maniacs attacked them and repealed them back to the cathedral after which they went behind it and that's the moment the special force came and placed them in a building and made a corridor around them. The result was two injured persons, one of them a police officer, the other a Slovenian (said to be attacked with a boxer), but both injuries were minor. I would say a nice fight, but nothing amazing as it could have been, but some nice spirit by both groups, in this case especially Viole.

After that they were put in police cars and brought somewhere where they were said that they must return to Slovenia, which they did. After the fights, the city center was full of supporters of Željezničar, but supporters of Sarajevo could also be seen patrolling around. Also, police vans and police in full body armor at every corner of the city center after the riots.

Somewhere in the north of the country, relatively close to the border (in Derventa) there was a car incident in which the police escort for the Viola crashed with a van, injuring 5-6 police officers, one of them seriously. The Violas immediately rushed out of their bus and helped the police.

The Maniacs

Viole

Bus from Violas with police escort just outside of the city heading back to Slovenia

Videos:

The fight

Police talking with Violas

Police put them in cars

Željezničar (The Maniacs 1987)

Corteo before the game (couldn't find many pictures), nothing special happend:

Pictures of The Maniacs during the game.

In the first half we were mostly just chanting with occasionally lightning up 1 or 2 flares, raising our scarves and similar.

At the begin of the second half, we first raised the banner "Don't forget Srebrenica", then when the referee didn't signalized the second penalty and soon after that we got our first red card we chanted "UEFA Mafia".

In 58 minute we raised the banner "Ćao Platini" (Ciao Platini) and lighted up some flares, chanting "UEFA Mafia". During this, aside of the south stand where The Maniacs are located, the east stand where the normal people sit also chanted and lighted up some pyrotechnics. After we got two more red cards (3 in total) we chanted once more "UEFA Mafia" and chanted to our players "Izlazite napolje" (Go out) in revolt because of the referee decisions. Some ten minutes before the end we raised our third banner in which we gave support to our manager "Osime Amare Manijaci su uz tebe" (Osim Amar The Maniacs are with you).

At the end of the game which we lost 1-2 with only 8 players (we got our third red card around the 65 minute), we called our players to come near the south stand and after they did we sang our song "Kad dođu teški dani" (When the bad days come) to give them support and motivation and to let them know that we are always there with them, on the stands, no matter the result, no matter what.

Begging of the game

Don't Forget Srebrenica (46 minute)

Ciao Platini (57-65 minute)

The east stand (The Maniacs are on the south, 57-65 minute)

Translation: "Osim Amar The Maniacs are with you" (Osim Amar is our manager) around 80 minute

After the game finished (we lost 1-2 this match with 3 red cards, 6-2 on aggregate and 14 yellow cards in two matches) players came to the south stand and we sang this song as a motivation for them to never give up as we (TM87) will always be there on the south stand no matter what.

Maribor (Viole)

Viole during the game.

Aside of that bus which came in the city before 11:00 AM and caused the riots after which they returned to Slovenia, most of the group arrived around I would say 06:00 PM, three hours before the match and were mainly localized around the stadium, particular near the north stand: