Bosnian derby ends when home fans chase other team off the pitch

A nice little move around the last defender and a goal from Velez's Rijad Demic in a Bosnian Cup match against city rivals Zrinjski led to Demic celebrating a little to close to the hostile home Zrinjski fans. And as a result, a wave of those Zrjinjski fans hopped the fence and chased the entire Velez team off the pitch. After that, the match was abandoned.

Reuters explains why this derby runs a little deeper than most:

Zrinjski and Velez represent opposite sides in the ethnically-divided town of Mostar, which is split into Croat and Muslim-run sectors.

On Saturday, a Premier League match between Borac and Zeljeznicar was halted after violence by Borac fans, who invaded the pitch and threw stones and torches at rival supporters.

It's always nice when football can cross borders and bring people together. And it's always not so nice when it gives some of those people an excuse to chase others away under threat of a savage beating just for putting a ball in a net. They probably won't be making a heart-warming family film out of this one.

Video via Deadspin


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