It was in 1950. Decisive game for a national title was to be played, Belgrade's Crvena zvezda was coming to Old pitch in Split. After so many years without a title, championship was very near for the Whites.
Just like Hajduk itself was founded as a spite, when four students from Split in Prague sworn their club will be better than the then Czechoslovakian prides Sparta and Slavia, same happened with Torcida. Traditional Split's spite was also a foundation of Torcida, fans' group of the "best team in the world and vicinity".
That year World Cup was played in Brazil, and that will have direct influence on Split and Hajduk's fans.
Due to the Old Pitch renovation in the spring part of the season, Hajduk played all his games of the first part of the league away, and had a streak of success. With five wins and four draws team entered the second part of the season, when all the games were to be played at the newly renovated stadium.
Crvena zvezda followed Hajduk's step, thanks to both good plays, but also with some doubtful referees' decisions.
Final decision was to be made on October 29 in Split. Teams were equal in points, with Belgrade's side having better goal difference. Victory was the only option for Hajduk to win a title. Team needed its fans more than ever, that was an impulse for unforgettable atmosphere both in town and at the stadium.
Everyone lived for this game, Split and Dalmatia were awaiting national title. The fiercest fans from all over Dalmatia and Croatia announced its arrival to Split.
That's when an idea of organized fans group was born. It all started from Zagreb University student Vjenceslav Žuvela. He managed to gather several hundreds of students from Split and the rest of Dalmatia who travelled together to Split to support the Whites in this game.
A day before the derby, on October 28, fans created an organization, and named it Torcida.
"Our role models were Brazilian fans, we watched them that year supporting their team at the World Cup," remembers Ante Dorić.
He was the one of original four founders of Torcida, next to Žuvela, Ante Ivanišević and Ante Valenta.
About twenty thousand fans packed at the Old Pitch, and at least ten thousand remained outside, listening news from the stadium. Atmosphere was magnificent, town lived for this game for days.
However, things went badly at the pitch. Crvena zvezda took the lead in minute 31, with Rajko Mitić scoring. Fans feared that prepared celebration might be canceled, so they rooted stronger and stronge. Bajdo Vukas scored an equalizer in 74, and four minutes before the end Božo Broketa kicked from 20 meters for glorious victory.
"What happened after that, can't be described with words," says Dorić.
Excitement was overwhelming, and game was interrupted for five or six minutes because fans broke into the turf. It was continued, but when referee marked the end, crowd entered again. All players were brough on shoulders to a dressing room, some of them even to the main square where celebration of the title won without a single loss lasted till the next morning.
Unprecedented rooting for the team, and celebration after the game were strongly condemned by the regime and the Belgrade press. Torcida was accused to spread a hate among teams, even to promote nationalism.
From the very beginning Torcida was trying to bring something new, as being the oldest organized fans group in Europe. Dorić remembers a detail from the early 1970s.
"I was in London in 1969, watching Tottenham vs. Arsenal game on TV in my hotel. Tottenham played in white jerseys and blue shorts. I was sleepy, and it seems like I'm watching Hajduk's game. I was watching stands, all in white. I was impressed with that sight. I returned to Split, and two years later, in 1971, we played against Olimpija of Ljubljana the last game of the championship we have won. I suggested to unforgettable chairman Tito Kirigin to do something like that in Split. In newspapers we invited fans to show up in white shirts, and next Sunday our Old Pitch turned up fully in white. That tradition survived till today," says Dorić.
