Grobari

During one of the Eternal Derbies, the south stand of Partizan Stadium was filled with army officers and agents in black coats, all supporting Partizan. Across the field, on the north stand, a rowdy, ragtag crowd cheered for Red Star. They were loud and chaotic, with some even stripping naked. As the first half neared its end, the officers in the south stand stood up and began shouting at them: "Gypsies! Gypsies! Gypsies!" In an instant, the ragged crowd on the opposite side spontaneously shouted back: "Gravediggers! Gravediggers! Gravediggers!" They were mocking the black coats worn by the officers, which resembled those of gravediggers. Over time, Partizan fans proudly adopted the name "Gravediggers," wearing it as a badge of honor. ==History==

's 27th league title won in 2017 1940s With the establishment of JSD Partizan in 1945, its first fan groups began to form. However, it was not until the early 1950s that organized supporter groups started to take shape, gathering in the stadium's south stand. 1950-1970s By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the first flags appeared, while the 1970s brought the introduction of chants, large banners, and the official adoption of the name Grobari. These years marked the true 'birth' of Grobari as an organized group. The 1966 European Cup final, played between Partizan and Real Madrid, further boosted the club's popularity, introducing even more supporters. Their loyalty and dedication remained strong even during the club's downturn in results, with growing crowds continuing to gather at every match. 1980s The 1980s marked a period of dominance and expansion for the Grobari, in terms of their numbers, organization, and influence. This avant-garde generation, known as "Punitive Expedition", became synonymous with the emergence of a young and tough breed of supporters and set the foundation for what would become the enduring identity of the Grobari for generations to come. In large, unrelenting groups, they followed Partizan to every away game, driven by their slogan, "With Partizan to the Grave". Remarkably, this generation never truly left the stands, cementing their reputation as the most loyal and extreme fanbase. 2000s After the club's management decided to revoke all privileges granted to other fan associations, fulfilling part of the demands of the "Južni Front," they returned to the south stand for the first time in several years during the 124th derby on April 23, 2005. They are also in disagreement with some other Grobari subgroups, primarily Alcatraz. They attend the games of other teams from Partizan multi-sports club, such as ice hockey or women's basketball teams. In November, a small group were at the match against Borac Čačak. In 2012, they started attending Partizan football games on the east stand. Contemporary period (2021-present) In 2021, after the arrest of prominent south stand leader, Veljko Belivuk and his crew, tribune was relatively damaged after years of separation, split and internal infighting for domination. During that period FK Partizan was in heavy period due to various criminal complaints and alleged manipulation by then director of the club, Miloš Vazura, Grobari from the south stand called for a boycott of Partizan's football games. During that time, KK Partizan's new team and incoming legendary coach, Željko Obradović, saw enormous success and Grobari mainly attended basketball and handball matches of the club. In 2024 a protest took place in Belgrade against the administration of Partizan's football club, which turned out to be a success. Most of the groups returned to the south stand in the beginning of 2024–25 Serbian SuperLiga season, marking the end of the boycott, and possibly new wave of younger, fresher fans at the south stand. This marked the time when Grobari displayed only general marks and banners of the supporters and not having individual groups display their banners too, symbolizing the end of the divide that was happening in the last decade and more. During 2025–26 EuroLeague season, KK Partizan experienced harsh 4-7 beginning of the season, making coach Željko Obradović officially leave the club. Grobari decided to surprise and wait him at Nikola Tesla Airport while he was returning from Athens. It sparked massive pushback and chants against Ostoja Mijailović, president of the club, for allegedly manipulating decisions made by Obradović to make him step down from coach of the club, without him officially firing him, due to Obradović supporting ongoing protests in Serbia. ==Structure==

Grobari's organizational structure is relatively decentralized, consisting of multiple subgroups based at the south stand. The number, influence, and visibility of these subgroups have varied over time. Current groups are: • 40+, Južni Front (loose connection of multiple groups from Pančevo, Šabac, Loznica, with smaller groupings in other cities too), South Guard (from Ruma), Još Neko Kopa (mainly from Vračar, with smaller groupings in other cities), Principi (mainly from Galenika and Zvezdara, with smaller groupings in other cities), Anti Romi (from Karaburma, with smaller groupings in other cities), Brain Damage Firm (from Leskovac, with groupings in other cities), Zla Deca (a known nickname for Grobari from Zemun), Alternativa (from various parts of Belgrade), Vandal Boys (from Block 61, 62, 63), Shadows (from Braće Jerković and Medaković, with smaller groupings in other cities), Commando (from Braće Jerković and Medaković, also in Zemun), Partizan Offender (from Konjarnik and Mali Mokri Lug), Ludnica Kovin (from Kovin), Alo Požega (from Požega), Obrenovac Headhunters (from Obrenovac), Temerin Defender (from Temerin), Niški Kartel (from Niš) With Grobari from other cities, without specific names: • Grobari Padinjak (from Padinska Skela), Grobari Trstenik (from Trstenik), Grobari Fontana (from Fontana, New Belgrade), Vračar (from Vračar, Belgrade), Grobari Kraljevo (from Kraljevo), GVB (from Vrnjačka Banja), Grobari Kruševac (from Kruševac), Grobari Niš (from Niš), Grobari Leskovac (from Leskovac), GNS (from Novi Sad), Grobari Vršac (from Vršac), Grobari Republika Srpska (grouping of subgroups from different cities in Republika Srpska), Grobari Vukovar (from Vukovar), Grobari Nikšić (from Nikšić), Grobari Bar (from Bar), Dijaspora (grouping of diaspora subgroups, including Zurich, Paris, Vienna, Ljubljana, Vicenza, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Ontario) With other attendees on the south stand being either from an unorganized group or regular supporters. ==Notable leaders==

• Nebojša Andrić "Belgija" • Zoran Živanović "Čegi" • Ljubomir Marković "Kića" • Miloš Radisavljević "Kimi" • Rade Petrović "Rade" • Aleksandar Stanković "Sale Mutavi" • Veljko Belivuk "Velja Nevolja" • Marko Miljković "Mare" ==Politics==

Anti-government sentiment Since 2016, Grobari have consistently expressed their vocal opposition to the government of President Aleksandar Vučić, frequently chanting the derogatory slogan "Vučiću pederu!" ("Vučić, faggot!") at various matches. This opposition stands in contrast to Delije, whose silence is interpreted as tacit support for both the government and President Vučić, a self-identified Delija. The Grobari have repeatedly called them out, chanting slogans such as "Delije, ajmo svi u glas, Aleksandar Vučić jedan je od nas!" ("Delije, let's all shout together, Aleksandar Vučić is one of us!"). Since the collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy and the start of subsequent anti-corruption protests, the Grobari's dissatisfaction has only grown louder. They have displayed banners such as "Students IN, Vučić OUT" in the south stand and chanted slogans like "Vučiću pederu!", "Pumpaj!", and "Ko ne skače, taj je ćaci!" at numerous matches, all of which are popular slogans from the protests. During the eternal derby in April 2025, a scandal broke out when the country's largest sports channel, Arena Sport, muted the live broadcast to prevent the airing of anti-government chants by Grobari. For the major protest scheduled for March 15, the Grobari sent a strong message with a banner reading "Partizan i studenti iznad svih" ("Partizan and students above all") and an announcement that they would be taking to the streets to protect their fellow citizens, saying, "If they attack you, let us handle it!" Neo-Nazism Partizan faced numerous fines and sanctions due to Grobari's racist, nationalistic, and violent behavior, accumulating over €2 million in penalties between 2010 and 2023. In a 2014 match against Tottenham Hotspur, fans unfurled an antisemitic banner inspired by the Only Fools and Horses logo, which read: "Only Jews and Pussies". Another incident occurred in 2019, when fans showed a Neo-Nazi Celtic cross banner in a match against Yeni Malatyaspor. This was not the first instance of such imagery being used, as the symbol had appeared on the south stand as early as 2009 or earlier. In 2020, the official group YouTube channel uploaded a video featuring fans wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Love Partizan, hate Antifa" on the front, where the letter "O" was replaced by a shield featuring the Nazi Týr rune. On the back, the shirts displayed a Celtic cross and the Serbian eagle used by the Government of National Salvation. In the background, the Celtic cross banner appears once again alongside banners reading: "Europe knows, but refuses to admit it – Ratko defended us from terrorism." and "Stop Islamization of Serbia, stop migrants!" while the fans chanted "Ratko Mladić". ==References==