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| Foto: Ultras Avanti |
Varvari are the main organised supporters of Budućnost Podgorica and the most prominent ultras movement in Montenegro. Founded in 1987, they occupy the North Stand of Stadion pod Goricom and follow the blue-and-white colours across football, basketball and other sections of the Budućnost family.
Their history has developed alongside the transformation of Podgorica itself. The group was born when the city was still known as Titograd, survived the collapse of Yugoslavia and later adapted to the creation of an independent Montenegrin league. Through each period, Varvari remained closely connected to the city, the club and the idea of defending local identity from the terraces.
Support Before Varvari
Organised terrace culture in Titograd did not begin suddenly in 1987. Groups of Budućnost supporters had gathered at Stadion pod Goricom since the late 1970s, attempting to coordinate songs and create a more active atmosphere. These early gatherings lacked the structure, symbols and travelling culture that would later define a proper ultras group, but they prepared the ground for what followed. The decisive moment came during the 1986/87 Yugoslav Cup. On 1 April 1987, Budućnost hosted Rijeka in the second leg of the semi-final. Around 10,000 spectators watched the match end 1-1, with Rijeka progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
Within the history of Podgorica’s organised support, that match is remembered as the first major supporter record of the future Varvari generation. It brought local fans into contact with Rijeka’s developing terrace scene, although the Armada name would not be formally presented until the following month. For this reason, the fixture should be regarded as an important influence rather than an established meeting between two fully formed ultras groups. Later in 1987, the name Varvari, meaning “Barbarians”, became the identity of the new movement. The title reflected the raw energy of the first generation and their refusal to conform to the expectations of a relatively conservative environment in which ultras culture was still widely dismissed as delinquency.
The First Generation
The early Varvari introduced larger banners, scarves, flags, coordinated singing and pyrotechnics to Budućnost matches. Their approach was influenced by the Italian ultras model and the terrace cultures developing elsewhere in Yugoslavia, but the group quickly created an identity rooted in Titograd. Rather than building the movement around one celebrated leader, the early group presented itself as a collective. Decisions, preparations and travel depended on a core of active members, while the wider following grew to several hundred during important matches.
The group also developed a strong away culture. Budućnost supporters travelled throughout Yugoslavia to cities such as Belgrade, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Novi Sad, Skopje and Priština. Matches against the major Belgrade clubs regularly attracted the largest home gatherings and helped turn the North Stand into the centre of active support in the city. The first years also brought confrontations with rival supporters and the police. These incidents became part of the group’s reputation, but they also resulted in arrests, restrictions and pressure from the authorities. Violence and pyrotechnics would remain among the most controversial aspects of the Varvari story.
Disruption and Revival
The collapse of Yugoslavia transformed football across the region. War, international sanctions, economic hardship and the disappearance of the old federal league disrupted organised support in Podgorica. At one point, Varvari effectively ceased to operate as a continuous movement. A new generation reorganised the group in the mid-1990s. Varvari history traditionally connects this revival with a match against Vojvodina in 1994. More important than the precise fixture was the emergence of younger supporters determined to restore the group’s name, banners and place in the stadium.
The revived movement had to rebuild almost everything. New material was produced, away travel was reorganised and contact between different generations was gradually restored. By the end of the decade, Varvari had again become a recognisable force at Budućnost matches. This generation experienced three different football systems: the final Yugoslav competitions, the leagues of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, and finally the independent Montenegrin championship after 2006. Few supporter movements in the region have been forced to redefine their surroundings so many times while continuing to represent the same club and city.
The North Stand
The North Stand, commonly known simply as Sjever, is the traditional home of Varvari at Stadion pod Goricom. It is the visual and vocal centre of Budućnost’s support, filled with blue-and-white flags, group banners, drums, scarves and choreographies. Varvari’s terrace identity is based on uninterrupted singing, local pride and loyalty to the Budućnost name. The group has frequently criticised spectators who attend only major European matches or fixtures against famous opponents, promoting the idea that genuine support should not depend on results, opponents or league position.
Over time, different crews and neighbourhood-based sections have operated within the wider movement. Although generations and internal structures have changed, they have continued to gather behind the Varvari name rather than replacing it with a new central organisation. The architecture and condition of Stadion pod Goricom have often limited the development of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, Sjever remains one of the most recognisable terraces in Montenegro and the symbolic home of the group.
Morača and the Budućnost Family
Varvari are not limited to football. Their identity is connected to the wider Budućnost family, particularly the basketball club, whose matches are played at the Morača Sports Centre. They have also supported Budućnost teams in handball and other disciplines. Basketball became especially important during the late 1990s and early 2000s. While the football team struggled with financial and organisational problems, KK Budućnost competed for major domestic trophies and appeared in European competitions. As a result, Morača became another central home of the group.
Inside the arena, the confined acoustics, drums, flags and constant singing created a different type of atmosphere from the North Stand. Matches against Partizan and Crvena zvezda became particularly intense, while regional basketball gave Varvari regular opportunities to travel throughout the former Yugoslavia. The controversial ABA League finals between Budućnost and Crvena zvezda in 2018 and 2019 demonstrated both the power and the problems of this rivalry. The series produced exceptional atmospheres, but also serious tension, pressure on players and incidents involving supporters. They remain examples of how quickly passion can cross into conduct that damages the game and the reputation of the terrace.
Brotherhood With Meraklije
The most important friendship maintained by Varvari is with Meraklije, the organised supporters of Radnički Niš. The relationship developed during the final years of Yugoslavia and was strengthened through mutual hospitality, visits and support. The connection goes beyond a temporary friendship between individual members. Both movements emphasise loyalty to their home cities and support clubs that have often lived in the shadow of wealthier teams from the capital. Podgorica and Niš also share strong cultural and historical links, giving the relationship a wider foundation.
Members and banners from one group have repeatedly appeared in the other’s stand. The brotherhood remains active, with Varvari and Meraklije continuing to mark anniversaries, attend matches together and display messages of support during difficult moments. Unlike many terrace friendships that disappeared following generational changes, the relationship between Podgorica and Niš has survived political transformations, separate leagues and the passing of time.
Rivalries
The defining domestic rivalry is with Vojvode, the supporters of Sutjeska Nikšić. Matches between Budućnost and Sutjeska form the Montenegrin Derby, representing the rivalry between the country’s two largest cities and two of its most successful football clubs. For Varvari, the fixture is about more than league points. It is a contest between Podgorica and Nikšić, between Sjever and the Vojvode, and between two groups competing for status within the relatively small Montenegrin terrace scene. The rivalry has produced major choreographies, large away followings, police restrictions and frequent incidents.
Historical hostility also exists with Delije and Grobari, the supporters of Red Star and Partizan. These rivalries developed during the Yugoslav and Serbia and Montenegro leagues and later continued through regional basketball. Encounters with the Belgrade clubs remain among the fixtures most likely to mobilise a larger Varvari presence. Relations with several smaller Montenegrin groups have also changed according to league circumstances, regional tensions and personal contacts. However, none carries the same historical significance as the rivalry with Vojvode.
Identity, Politics and Protest
It is difficult to place the entire Varvari movement under one political label. Montenegro’s divisions over statehood, national identity and relations with Serbia have inevitably appeared inside the stands, but the group’s most consistent public identity has remained local: Podgorica, Budućnost and the blue-and-white colours. Varvari have repeatedly insisted that they do not exist simply to decorate the stadium or provide an atmosphere on demand. They see themselves as guardians of the club and have regularly criticised directors, coaches, politicians and city authorities when they believe Budućnost is being neglected or mismanaged.
This position has sometimes brought the group into direct conflict with the club’s leadership. Boycotts, protest banners and public statements have been used to demand greater transparency, stronger investment and respect for Budućnost’s history. Their activity also extends beyond matchdays. Varvari have participated in memorial events, charitable actions and distributions for children, showing that the group’s internal solidarity is not limited to football. At the same time, confrontations with police, the use of pyrotechnics and other incidents remain an inseparable and controversial part of their history.
Budućnost’s Centenary
The centenary of Budućnost in 2025 demonstrated the complicated relationship between Varvari and the club. The group helped cover Podgorica in blue and white, organising public celebrations, banners and pyrotechnic displays to mark one hundred years of the Budućnost name.
At the same time, Varvari openly criticised the club’s leadership. They argued that the anniversary had not been treated with sufficient seriousness and accused political appointments, poor planning and weak management of preventing Budućnost from fulfilling its potential. This combination of celebration and protest captures the central role of the group. Varvari are among Budućnost’s most devoted supporters, but their loyalty has never meant automatic approval of those running the club. They believe that defending Budućnost sometimes requires confronting its own officials.
More Than Three Decades of Varvari
Since 1987, Varvari have experienced the collapse of a country, the interruption and rebuilding of their group, changes of generations and the creation of an entirely new domestic football system. They have followed Budućnost through three state frameworks and carried the same colours into stadiums and arenas across the Balkans and Europe. Their history cannot be reduced to choreographies, pyrotechnics or incidents. It is also a story of city identity, away travel, friendship, internal solidarity and the belief that Budućnost belongs to the people of Podgorica.
Whether gathered on the North Stand, inside Morača or on an away terrace, Varvari remain the loudest organised expression of that belief. Players, directors and competitions will continue to change, but for the group the central message remains the same: Podgorica, Budućnost and Sjever come before everything else.