Celebrating 40 Years of BBB: From Athens to Maksimir, a Story of Blue Pride
Bad Blue Boys marked four decades of existence with a spectacular choreography on the north stand, and the match against Viking also had a humanitarian touch.
Bad Blue Boys marked four decades of existence with a spectacular choreography on the north stand, and the match against Viking also had a humanitarian touch.
The Bad Blue Boys, Dinamo Zagreb's fan group, celebrated on Tuesday evening the 40th anniversary of their official existence. The celebration took place during the match against Norwegian side Viking at Maksimir, where the north stand shone in full festive glory.
At the very start of the match, the BBB unveiled a special choreography. From the upper tier of the north stand, a banner reading "Number of the Beast" was unfurled, while the lower section was covered with an image of a bulldog, the group's symbol. Below it read "1986," the year of official founding, although August 17 is cited as the date of the BBB's official existence.
Flares were lit, and the north stand briefly disappeared behind a smoke screen. The chant "Dinamo ja volim" echoed through the stands, and thunderous support for the Blues never ceased throughout the 90 minutes. The west stand joined in, giving Dinamo strong backing in their battle against the Norwegians.
Sportske novosti brings the emotional story of Mislav, a 70-year-old fan who celebrated his birthday two months ago and never misses a Dinamo match at Maksimir. He also recalled the time before the BBB's official founding.
"I was in Athens in 1985, at the final of the European Cup for basketball. As fans, we conquered Athens, and Cibona 'steamrolled' Real and brought Zagreb its first European champion title. It was our most massive away trip up to that point; the BBB didn't officially exist yet, but several thousand of us in the Greek capital were, in fact, the forerunners of the BBB," Mislav told Sportske novosti.
Mislav also added that his last wish is an away trip to Barcelona's Camp Nou if Dinamo secures a spot in the Champions League.
The match also had a humanitarian note. A portion of the ticket sales revenue will be donated to help those affected by the recent fires in Dalmatia.
On the south stand, there were 220 visiting fans from Stavanger, and just under 20,000 spectators attended the match. Dinamo was seeking qualification for the Champions League in their tenth attempt.
The club announced the match on social media with posts like "Only 20 more minutes" and "Behind the scenes," accompanied by photos from Luka Stanzl, the club photographer. Boban had earlier stated that without the BBB, Dinamo is not the same.
