WHEN Yugoslavia took on the Netherlands in a friendly at Ajax's old Stadion de Meer on 25 March 1992 it was seen as a clash between two of the favourites for the European Championships to be held in Sweden later in the year.
Goals from Wim Kieft and Jan Wouters secured a 2-0 win for the Dutch but the Yugoslavs had bigger worries. For months bloody civil war had been raging in the Balkans and its continuing escalation meant Uefa had no option but to suspend Yugoslavia.
Denmark, who had finished runners-up to the Yugoslavs in qualifying, took their place at Euro 92 and famously went onto win the tournament.
The wars led to the break up of Yugoslavia – an uneasy federation of Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia and Macedonia – and these independent states were recognised by Uefa after peace had been restored. Serbia and Montenegro continued to play as Yugoslavia until 2003 but now compete separately.
Yugoslavia reached World Cup semi-finals in 1930 and 1962, and the final of the European Championships in 1960 and 1968. In the late 1980s a golden generation, including Pancev, Prosinecki, Mihajlovic, Jugovic, Boban, Stojkovic, Jarni and Savicevic emerged and Yugoslavia rose as high as fourth in the Fifa rankings. They won the World Youth Cup in 1987, lost on penalties to Argentina in the quarter-finals at Italia 90 and a year later a brilliant Red Star Belgrade side won the European Cup. Who knows how good Yugoslavia would have been if nationalist hostilities hadn't intervened.
Scotland played Yugoslavia eight times, and hadn't lost to them until the last meeting – a 3-1 defeat in World Cup qualification in 1989. They met twice at World Cups (drawing 1-1 in 1958 and 2-2 in 1974). Macedonia today will be the fourth former Yugoslav republic to play Scotland after Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia.
The full article contains 325 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
