The Sarajevo Football Club has traditionally had great support and outstanding fans since its inception. “Pitari” was the name of the former supporter group situated on the eastern stand of the Koševo Stadium. This group consisted of around a standard 300 young men, a number that would increase to 1000 or 2000 during matches against “the big four” clubs. After an incident during a match against Crvena Zvezda when a snake painted in maroon and white was thrown onto the visiting team’s bench, Sarajevo’s supporters were characterized as vandals and were relocated to the north stand of Koševo.
This change also led to the idea of changing the name, which was implemented a few months later. At a meeting where the leaders of the supporters decided on the new name, “Horde Zla” (Hordes of Evil) was chosen. The name came quite accidentally, as the number of a popular comic book ‘Zagor’ was on the table, and the name happened to be “Horde Zla.” After the name change, the supporters also established their association, “Horde Zla Marketing.” Through membership fees they paid themselves, they created the first banners, procured pyrotechnics, made scarves, caps… Horde Zla quickly rose to the top of the Yugoslav supporter scene. The number of supporters in the stands increased to 5,000, a number only matched by Hajduk, Dinamo, Partizan, and Zvezda. Horde Zla were always against any form of nationalism, and at that time, all members identified themselves as Yugoslavs.
It’s worth mentioning the numerous away trips and clashes with other supporter groups throughout Yugoslavia, including memorable visits to Mostar at Pod Bijeli brijeg Stadium, Belgrade, Zagreb, Split… Then came the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and most supporters stood up in defense of their city. During the war, Horde Zla lost many members, but after the war, they made a comeback in a big way. They turned nothing into something significant, and Horde Zla quickly became the strongest supporter group in Bosnia and Herzegovina once again. Officially, Horde Zla returned at the celebration of their 10th anniversary in 1997. In the following two years, Horde Zla accompanied Sarajevo to all stadiums in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 1998 derby, 300 flares were lit simultaneously, and a year later, the largest flag in Bosnia and Herzegovina was made.
After winning the title in 1998/99, there was another period of poor results. The title was not won in the next 5 years, but Horde Zla continued to progress steadily. During the match against Beşiktaş at Koševo Stadium, a choreography was displayed on 3 stands.
After that, attendance at the Asim Ferhatović – Hase Stadium began to decline, with many people giving up on Sarajevo, so even the north stand did not record any special performances until 2008 when the organization of the stand and support passed into the hands of a new generation of Horde Zla. Since then, Sarajevo’s players have received great support at all stadiums in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as during away games across Europe. In addition to thunderous support, both at home and away, Horde Zla creates beautiful choreographies, large flares, and everything else that goes with a supporter group and a stand. Soon after, “Hz Marketing” was launched to finance the group.
October 4th, 2009, will remain etched in history as the scariest and saddest moment for all Sarajevo fans. On that day in Široki Brijeg, Vedran Puljić was killed while on his way to watch his beloved club play. These were the biggest riots in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with several supporters being shot. His killer has not yet been brought to justice, and in memory of him, Horde Zla chant his name in the 24th minute of every match.