Red Star Belgrade and the Ratko Mladic Tifo: Why Is a Famous European Club Celebrating a War Criminal?
Quick summary
An Athletic investigation examines why Red Star Belgrade ultras displayed a tifo glorifying Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general convicted of genocide and war crimes.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceFans sparked controversy with a huge tifo honouring Mladic, who was convicted of committing genocide in the 1990s
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What happened
The Athletic reports on a controversial tifo displayed by Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda) supporters honouring Ratko Mladic, who was convicted in 2017 by the ICTY of genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in the Bosnian War, including the Srebrenica massacre. The piece explores the deep entanglement between the club's ultra culture, Serbian nationalism, and the rehabilitation of wartime figures. It also examines how this display complicates Red Star's standing in European football, where the club regularly competes in UEFA competitions, and the broader implications for how football institutions handle the intersection of fan culture and revisionist politics.
Chance analysis
Red Star Belgrade is one of the most storied clubs in European football, a 1991 European Cup winner with a vast global following — but its fan base has long carried uncomfortable political undercurrents. The latest controversy, a tifo glorifying Ratko Mladic, is not an isolated provocation but the latest expression of a culture in which wartime nationalism is openly celebrated in the stands. For UEFA and the wider European football establishment, the incident raises pressing questions about where the line sits between political expression and the glorification of genocide, and whether existing sanctions are enough to deter repeat offences by clubs whose ultras treat the terraces as a stage for historical revisionism.
Red Star Belgrade faces potential UEFA sanctions and further reputational damage; the incident is unlikely to affect playing staff but could lead to stadium closures or fines in European competition.