UEFA Cup Preliminary Rounds

The Gravediggers "bury" their own team

Ozren Podnar

Partizan Belgrade, one of the top Serbian teams, suffered the ignominy of being thrown out of Europe by UEFA because of the violent conduct of their fans in the Bosnian city of Mostar.

During the first leg of the 1st preliminary round against Zrinjski, which Partizan incidentally won 6-1, their ultras, the Gravediggers (Grobari), attacked the local fans and then took on the police. The clashes resulted in 36 injured (27 of them policemen) and 7 arrests.

The Serbs accused the local police of having provoked them during the journey to the stadium and the Bosnian-Croat fans of having attacked them first. Still, Europe's ruling soccer body determined that the blame lay with Partizan's supporters and consequently imposed a one-year ban on the team.

Curiously, when Partizan's appeal was being considered, UEFA allowed the return game to be played in Belgrade (5-0 in favour of the Serbs), before the Appeals Committee confirmed the initial ruling.

Hajduk of Split feared they would be kicked out too, not on grounds of their fans' violence, but because of an administrative error. Their midfielder Drago Gabric somehow dropped from of the official players' list for the 1st leg in Podgorica against Buducnost (1-1), but UEFA failed to uphold the Montenegrins' appeal, allowing Hajduk to progress to the 2nd round, where they meet Sampdoria.

1st Preliminary Round (July 19 and August 2)

Dinamo Tbilisi - Vaduz 2-0 0-0
Santa Coloma - Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-0 0-4
Vojvodina - Hibernians Paola 5-1 2-0
Aktobe Lento - Mattersburg 1-0 2-4
Slaven Koprivnica - Teuta Durres 6-2 2-2
Nistru Otaci - Honved 1-1 1-1, 4-5 (pen)
Metalurgs Liepaja - Dinamo Brest 1-1 2-1
Torshavn - Ekranas 1-3 2-3
Helsingborgs - Trans Narva 6-0 3-0
Lillestrom - Kaerjeng 2-1 0-1
Omonia Nikozija - Rudar Pljevlja 2-0 2-0
Sliema Wanderers - Liteks Lovech 0-3 0-4
Hacken Goteborg - KR Reykjavik 1-1 1-0
Gorica - Rabotnicki Skopje 1-2 1-2
Artmedia Bratislava - Zimbru 1-1 2-2
Carmarthen Town - Brann Bergen 0-8 3-6
Vardar Skopje - Anorthosis 0-1 0-1
Rhyl - Haka Valkeakoski 3-1 0-2
MTK Budapest - Mika Erevan 2-1 0-1
Buducnost - Hajduk Split 1-1 0-1
Belchatow - Ameri Tbilisi 2-0 0-2, 4-2 (pen)
Dungannon Swifts - Suduva Mar. 1-0 0-4
Siroki Brijeg - Koper 3-1 3-2
MTK Araz - Dyskobolia 0-0 0-1
Bezanija - Besa Kavaje 2-2 0-0
Banants - Young Boys 1-1 0-4
Zlate Moravce - Alma Ata 3-1 1-1
Skonto Riga - Dinamo Minsk 1-1 0-2
St. Patrick's - OB Odense 0-0 0-5
Zrinjski Mostar - Partizan 1-6 0-5
Helsinki - Etzella Ettelbruck 2-0 1-0
Flora Tallinn - Valerenga 0-1 0-1
MyPa Anjalankostki - Streymur 1-0 1-1
Keflavik - Midtylland 3-2 1-2
Ried - Nefci Baku 3-1 1-2
Libertas - Drogheda 1-1 0-3
Glentoran Belfast – AIK Stockholm 0-5 0-4

2nd Preliminary Round (August 16 and 30)

Otelul Galati - Anorthosis Famagusta
Uniao Leiria - Maccabi Netanya
Slaven Belupo - Galatasaray
Hajduk Split - Sampdoria
Maccabi Tel Aviv - Erciyesspor
Atlético Madrid - Vojvodina Novi Sad
Rabotnicki Skopje - Zrinjski Mostar
Siroki Brijeg - Hapoel Tel Aviv
Omonia Nicosia - CSKA Sofia
Basel - Mattersburg
Reid - Sion
Mika Erevan - Artmedia Bratislava
Dnipro - Belchatow
Honved Budapest - Hamburg
Young Boys - Lens
Tobol Kostanay - Groclin
Austria Vienna - Jablonec
Zlate Moravce - Zenit St. Petersburg
Rapid Vienna - Dinamo Tbilisi
MyPa Anjalankoski - Blackburn
Drogheda - Helsingborg
Metalurgs Liepaja - AIK Stockholm
HJK Helsinki - Aalborg
Ekranas - Valerenga
Dunfermline - Hacken
Brann Bergen - Suduva
Haka Valkeakoski - Midtyilland
Kaerjeng - Standard Liege
Fredrikstad - Hammarby

Ozren Podnar

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