Hajduk Split supporters group Torcida celebrate 68th birthday

Torcida, the famous supporters’ group of Croatian football club Hajduk Split, celebrates its 68th birthday on Sunday. 

Torcida was founded on 28 October 1950 by a group of students who were studying in Zagreb.

The group decided before a match against Red Star Belgrade that they wanted to stage an unprecedented spectacle in order to help their club, and took the name Torcida from the Brazilian Portuguese word for “supporters”, after fans at the 1950 World Cup at the time in Brazil had impressed them so much.

Torcida, which was started by just over 100 students, and has grown to thousands today, have built a fierce reputation around the world for gathering in the north stand behind the goal at Poljud stadium and creating a special atmosphere via their imaginative choreography, chants, and pyrotechnics.

Torcida has a number of branches in other countries, mostly among Croatian communities, but not exclusively. Torcida is the oldest firm in Europe.

Torcida organised a humanitarian concert last night to celebrate the birthday and raised money for fire departments.