March 15, 2019 - You might recall Hajduk making international headlines last month as their iconic badge became the center of Liam Gallagher’s clothing line Pretty Green. The Split club has grabbed media attention once again, but this time, for a goal celebration by one of their youngsters. 

Namely, Hajduk U19 player Tino Blaž Lauš put Hajduk up 3:1 against Hrvatski Dragovoljac in the Junior Croatian First League over the weekend. Lauš scored in the 57th minute to win the game, and after the ball hit the Dragovoljac net, he chose to celebrate in the rather controversial style of Cristiano Ronaldo and Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone. 

The Hajduk player’s celebration, which is now coined the ‘Cojones Celebration’, was first done by Simeone after Atletico scored the second goal in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Juventus. You can see the act below.

No one:

Diego Simeone: pic.twitter.com/ao1EuDTpoO

— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) February 20, 2019

“I did it as a player at Lazio and I did it again to show our fans that we have cojones,” Simeone said after the match. 

Cristiano Ronaldo then mimicked the famous move in the second leg after scoring a hat trick to advance Juventus to the quarterfinals. 

#Ronaldo come Simeone #JuveAtelti pic.twitter.com/hh3veIMKuk

— Tutti Convocati (@tutticonvocati) March 12, 2019

While Simeone was only fined for his celebration, UEFA announced they would open an inquiry into the Ronaldo gesture, which could see the famous footballer receive a fine, and even a disqualification for a game.

Who did the celebration better..

Simeone or ronaldo? ???#JuveAtleti pic.twitter.com/MDOc5gBQUA

— Night_kyng (@Public_Enemyy) March 12, 2019

In Croatia, however, referee Ivan Vučković was not so forgiving. After Lauš imitated Simeone and Ronaldo, he received a red.

Hajduk Split youth star sent off for Diego Simeone celebration https://t.co/tLLGxodj6K pic.twitter.com/CYF7wsHWV0

— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) March 15, 2019

International media including Bleacher Report, The Sun, Daily Mail, and Sport Bible have all picked up the story, and many users on Reddit wonder if the Croatian call was fair at all. 

“Am I the only one who doesn't think anyone should get carded for this?” said one user. “Let the boy play” said another. “Refs are just football mods. Ignore half of the rule-breaking but if you dare make fun of them they'll use all their spergy rage upon you,” was also among the comments. 

And then there are those who believe it was the only fair decision. 

“Deserved. Have some manners on the pitch” and “Don’t do everything you see on TV kids” are just a few. 

Should Lauš have been sent off? We’ll let you decide. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Marin Brbić led Hajduk as the president for four years, from 2012 to 2016. He was remembered as the man who managed to save the club from bankruptcy during one of its toughest times. On Wednesday, Hajduk announced that Brbić would lead the club once again. 

You’re all probably familiar by now with the Hajduk v. Liam Gallagher story - and if you’re not, here's a quick recap. Namely, Liam Gallagher and his clothing label Pretty Green have been accused of copying the badge of Hajduk Split, which can be seen on some of their latest arrivals. You can read our initial story here. 

Numerous media reports in Croatia and England have picked up the story since, and now the question remains of whether Hajduk will move forward with the legal action they are currently considering. 

Liam Gallagher, however, claims there is no relation between the features on his Pretty Green garments and Hajduk Split. He even released a Tweet over the weekend saying he’ll see Hajduk in court over the accusation.

“All these cray reports bout the man and his glorious fashion label being accused of ripiforcation of the rubadub dub in Croatia  it bears the soul of a scooter rally mod badgeiforcation I’ll see you in court ya big girls blouses pffff.”

All these cray reports bout the man and his glorious fashion label being accused of ripiforcation of the rubadub dub in Croatia ?? it bears the soul of a scooter rally mod badgeiforcation I’ll see you in court ya big girls blouses pffff

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) February 28, 2019

Well, while there might be similarities to a mod badge, this Pretty Green badge is still far too close to that of Hajduk. 

Did Liam ask Hajduk for permission? Could Hajduk actually take Gallagher to court? Experts chimed into Slobodna Dalmacija on March 4, 2019, to tell us more. 

“From what I have seen, there are very reasonable suspicions that this is a plagiarism of Hajduk and Hajduk's legal team, according to what is seen in the media on this subject, has a strong point in the legal battle to prove the violation of copyright,” says designer Petar Jerković from Split, the owner of the company "Visualsport", which works with the design of sports jerseys, and whose works were often the target of plagiarism.

“I'm not a lawyer, but what I know as a designer, is that it's a matter of plagiarism if seventy percent of the work is the same, and in this case, it's more than that. The ratios, colors, shapes, even the border of the coats of arms are identical. It is hard to believe that the person who designed the coat of arms at Pretty Green didn’t at least see the Hajduk badge before,” says Jerković, adding that, of course, now everything is a matter of proving it in court, that is, if Hajduk's legal team decides to seek justice at all.

“As far as I know, there is English law, which is the protection of intellectually owned property, which is much more rigorously set than the European one, but in reality it is not easy to conduct such court processes because they last and cost,” says designer Jerković, who is currently leading a court dispute of the same nature, and has already experienced plagiarism several times from different parts of the world.

“Frankly, when someone does it outside of our borders, it's challenging to handle, because such court processes, I repeat, are costly. But in this case, if there is a dispute at all, it will be primarily a graphics expert who will give an opinion on the similarities and differences between the two badges. If it was about different colors, and if the checkers, I do not know, were yellow and black, then Pretty Green might have been the author of the coat of arms, but I think that there is simply too much of a similarity here for it to be a coincidence.

In addition, if the model is not the Hajduk coat of arms, but the emblems of the subculture group from England, then Liam Gallagher must prove it in the eventual trial,” says Jerković, who reminds that the fight for copyright protection is one of the most critical issues of today.

Designer Boris Ljubičić, who has been seriously involved in design and national identity throughout his career, agrees that this is most likely plagiarism. 

“Yes, they say that if it covers seventy percent, then it is plagiarism, and this is the question of up to ninety percent of the elements!’

Will Hajduk continue with legal action after all? I guess we will wait and see. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

March 1, 2019 - Liam Gallagher, known best as the frontman of Oasis, has denied claims that his clothing label Pretty Green copied the badge of Hajduk Split. 

February 20, 2019 - The recognizable badge of Hajduk Split has caught the eye of one of music’s greatest frontmen. 

February 13, 2019 - On this day 108 years ago, the beloved football club of Dalmatia, Hajduk Split, was found. 

Hajduk was born in a Prague pub by four Split students, Fabian Kaliterna, Lucijan Stella, Ivan Šakić and Vjekoslav Ivanišević. Delighted by the football played in the world's top clubs, like Sparta and Slavia, they came to the idea of establishing a football club in Split. Despite the Split people's initial lack of understanding, the idea quickly captivated the city. 

Only the name of the club had yet to be chosen. Professor Josip Barač suggested "the club should be called Hajduk", which was accepted with enthusiasm. Hajduk was officially registered on February 13, 1911. 

The first president of the club was Dr. Kruno Kolombatović, and the first coach Čeh Oldrich Just. In their first official match, Hajduk lost 0:9 to Calcio Spalato. 

Hajduk has made it to the Champions League quarter-final three times

Through its rich history, Hajduk has won 18 Championships in five countries, 15 National Cups and 5 Super Cups, and its biggest European achievements are the three Champions League quarter-finals and one semi-final of the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup.

Hajduk boasts the oldest fan group in Europe

As soon as the World Cup in Brazil ended, marked by fantastic and fanatical Brazilians, a group of Split students in Zagreb decided to form a fan group based on the Brazilian Torcida. Hajduk’s Torcida was thus founded on October 28, 1950, by engineering student Vjenceslav Žuvela. Thanks to their loud chants and cheering, Torcida became the twelfth player of Hajduk and helped them win their first post-war title. On October 29, 1950, Hajduk played against Red Star to become the champion of Yugoslavia.

According to the 2005 GfK survey, 24% of the total Croatian population supports Hajduk. Hajduk has fans all over Croatia and even in the world, and there are fans clubs in Australia, America, and across Europe. 

Hajduk is one of the few clubs that has never been relegated from the First League

The Poljud club has never dropped out of the First League, which is rare even in the world. Hajduk's last title, however, was won in 2005, when Niko Kranjčar, Nenad Pralija, Vladimir Balić, Dragan Blatnjak, Hrvoje Vejić, and others were part of the club. 

Who has played for Hajduk?

Many famous Croatian footballers have gone through the Poljud dressing room, and some left an incredibly deep mark in the history of the club like Vladimir Beara, Frane and Jozo Matošić, and Bajdo Vukas.

In addition to them, the Hajduk jersey has been worn by Ivica Šurjak, Stipe Pletikosa, Darijo Srna, Aljoša Asanović, Niko Kranjčar, Milan Rapaić, Slaven Bilić, Ivan Strinić, Danijel Subašić, Blaž Slišković, Zlatko Vujović, Alen Bokšić, Vlade Kragić, Ante Žanetić and many others.

In its 108 years, Hajduk has been led by numerous coaches, and the most significant achievements were achieved by Luka Kaliterna (two championships), Ljubo Benčić (three championships), Tomislav Ivić (three cups and three championships), Stanko Poklepović (championship and super cup) and Ivan Katalinić (two championships, two cups and two super cups).

To the club that lives forever, Happy 108th Birthday, Hajduk!

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Source: Index.hr

The drama at Hajduk continues. 

Igor Štimac has claimed from day one that the Hajduk model is wrong. However, more and more fans are convinced that it’s right.

ZAGREB, August 18, 2018 - Thirteen fans of Croatia's Hajduk football club convicted in Serbia for rioting were released from prison and banished from Serbia for one year on Saturday, Belgrade media said.

ZAGREB, August 16, 2018 - The magistrate's appellate court in Belgrade said on Wednesday it had dismissed appeals lodged by Croatian Hajduk football club fans, upholding a verdict sentencing them to 15 days in prison and subsequent banishment from Serbia.