A tale of two clubs

Mostar, the unofficial capital of Herzegovina, is a city divided by history, nationality, religion and football -

The Mostar derby is like no other. Despite an enforced hiatus between 1939 and 2000, this is a rivalry that means a lot more than mere bragging rights. The oldest derby in Bosnia and Herzegovina encapsulates a century of political, ethnic and religious division, set against a staggering backdrop of soaring mountains and lush greenery.

There was an added spice to the latest edition, after hosts HSK Zrinjski became the nation’s first club to reach a European group stage. However, not everyone in Mostar was pleased by this pioneering feat, not least city rivals FK Velez.

One of their major grievances relates to the venue for their October encounter. The Bijeli Brijeg stadium was Velez’s home during the club’s glory years until they were evicted at the outbreak of the Bosnian War in 1992. But to understand their expulsion, you have to go back to the break-up of Yugoslavia, which began a year earlier. 

“At the end of the day, Bosnia is very much in a frozen conflict rather than having had peace sorted out,” explains Balkans football expert Richard Wilson.

Mostar is divided almost exactly in half, with mainly Catholic Croats in the west and Muslim Bosniaks in the east, but you might not know it from walking around the city today. The unofficial capital of Herzegovina offers clues, such as Croatian and Bosnian flags only flying in the west and east respectively.

Bullet holes streak bombed out husks of abandoned buildings, and construction work whirrs around every street corner. It is said that around 70 per cent of all property was heavily or entirely destroyed in the Bosnian War, making Mostar the worst affected area in the country.