Delije (Serbian: Делије) is an umbrella name referring to the supporters of...(More)

Delije (Serbian: Делије) is an umbrella name referring to the supporters of various sports clubs that compete under Red Star Belgrade Sports Society banner. Delije is plural of the singular form delija which is originally a Turkish word that entered the Serbian language during the Ottoman occupation of Serbia (15th to 19th century). Nowadays the term in Serbian generally means brave, strong or even handsome young man, but in 19th century it was a colloquial name for a Janissary - a member of the elite (and infamous, among the Christians of the Ottoman Empire) warrior caste of the Ottoman army whose ranks were often filled with young men who had been abducted, in their early youth, from their Christian families, converted to Islam and raised as soldiers. Though the Red Star Sports Society has clubs in over twenty sports, Delije mostly focus on football (FK Crvena zvezda) and basketball (KK Crvena zvezda). The name Delije first began to be used by hardcore Red Star supporters during late 1980s, with official inauguration taking place on 7 January 1989. Up to that point, the diehard Red Star fans were scattered amongst about eight fan groups that shared the north stand at the Red Star Stadium (known colloquially as Marakana), most prominent of which were Red Devils, Zulu Warriors and Ultras. As a sign of appreciation Red Star Football Club painted the word Delije in block letters across their stadium's north stand - the gathering point of the club's most loyal and passionate fans.(Less)