Partizan Belgrade 4-0 Rad Belgrade, Saturday 27th August 2016

Partizan 4-0 Rad Belgrade, att. 2,500 (Super Liga)

Welcome to....Partizan!

Being in Belgrade for the weekend, the last leg of my holiday, how could I not go and try and see one of the Big 2?  And this weekend, it was Partizan’s turn to be at home, in their 32,000 capacity Stadion Partizani bowl.  Just a shame it was only me and two and a half thousand others who bothered.  Too expensive?  I doubt that very much.  But since the break up of the old Yugoslav Republic, there’s only one game worth waiting for all year: Red Star.  However, tonite wasn't Red Star.

Outside the ground.

It was a promising start.  Not only had I caught the right bus (#31) from Hotel Moskva in the centre, I’d managed to get off at the right stop, near Red Star’s stadium.  Belgrade is such a big place, yet both major stadiums are right near each other.  I enjoyed a circular of Red Star’s stadium, peeking in through the gaps, before strolling to Partizan.  Only one problem: I’d forgotten my passport.  Seems I needed a passport, or some decent ID, to get me a ticket.  Fortunately, the young lady in the ticket booth took pity, judged I was harmless, and sold me a ticket for 400 (less than 4 quid).  I scurried away, muttering thanks.  The stadium was another 100 metres on. I nipped into the club shop, which only sold stuff in black.  Good for hiding that figure, I thought.  Then, as I headed up and round the stadium, I heard the away fans arrive.  About 100, in good voice, with plenty of flags, and plenty of police escort.  Rad were another, much smaller, team from Belgrade.

Ultras' graffiti

Then it came to the search.  Nevermind handing over all your knives, you had to hand over all coins and pens.  No-one argued.  But who pocketed all the loose change later?  Serbian football must be in a bit of a bind if fans aren’t allowed in with change.  Inside, there was little to spend your money on anyway.  A bloke set up a few coke bottles on a table on the concourse, ready to pour into plastic beakers, while sunflower seed sellers floated around the crowd.

All concrete and rust; Stadion Partizani.

Partizan’s stadium is an open bowl, with a row of executive facilities above one side.  Not much call for a roof in these parts.  The seats formed neat stripes of black and white, though it all felt a bit like peas rattling around a tunnel. The Partizan ultras were behind the goal, and probably took half the support.  The away contingent was to my left, while a few hundred of us were interspersed by the touchline.  Still, I do like to pick and choose my seat. The match itself was a walkover.  Rad’s resistance lasted all of 3 minutes when  header from a cross broke the deadlock.  

A sparse refreshment counter.

The lead doubled before half-time, another header, this time from a corner.  After the break, a free kick was scored and the player went berserk, while a 4^th was poked goalwards from a corner, before being hammered in from close range.  Rad were well beaten, but their fans carried on singing and waving their flags.  For me, it was back into Belgrade city centre and £3.50 mojitos.  Oh, and did I mention I was staying at the hotel the Busby Babes were in before their fateful crash?  No, I didn’t know either till I read their blurb…

The Damage:
RSD 400 ent
RSD 100 coke

= RSD 500 (£4)

Night time panorama

Dusk panorama

What can it mean?

The sleek lines of Stadion Partizani.

Looking toward the away end.

The Rad ultras keep up their racket.

Where the big knobs hang out.

Match action

Looking towards the home end.

Partizani ultras (partisans?)

Two-nil and counting.

Watch your step (electricity cables!)

Plenty of space.

The Main Stand.

The subs warm up.