He got kicked out of Hajduk for singing the Yugoslav anthem? I was the best with Boksic and I'm bigger Yugoslav than Tito!

Former Hajduk Split footballer Mili Hadžiabdić has revealed that he believes his departure from the club was caused by his public display of patriotism during the Yugoslav Cup final in May 1991. In a wide-ranging interview with the Serbian media outlet Mondo, the former player for Hajduk and Velez detailed the circumstances surrounding his exit from the Split squad. He stated that he received information suggesting he needed to be removed because he placed his hand over his heart while singing the Yugoslav anthem. The match took place on May 8, 1991, in Belgrade, where Hajduk defeated Red Star 1-0 to claim the last Yugoslav Cup title before the country’s dissolution. Hadžiabdić recalled that during the pre-match national anthem, he was the only one among the 22 players on the pitch who sang with his hand on his chest. He did not realize at the time that he was alone in this gesture. It was only after the game ended that he noticed none of the other 21 players had performed the same action. He questioned why the others, many of whom had played for Yugoslavia, did not show similar respect for the state while it still existed. Hadžiabdić expressed frustration at the lack of sentiment displayed by his teammates. He asked rhetorically whether the other players were Chinese, noting that he was playing against humans yet felt no one else cared about the country except himself. He rejected the idea that the 21 others were correct and he was wrong. He described himself as a child of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a native of Mostar, claiming he might have been a greater Yugoslav than Tito at that specific moment. He added that he raised his two children in Germany to avoid nationalist or fascist thinking, encouraging them to recognize individuals regardless of religion. The player also recounted a violent incident involving Red Star players Igor Stimac and Sinisa Mihajlovic during the same final. Hadžiabdić claimed he asked referee Adem Fazlagic to send both men off the field, which the official did. He described the players fighting, spitting, and swearing at each other, stating that their insults could not fit into any book. He warned that the confrontation nearly escalated into a general brawl. Despite winning the trophy, the final marked Hadžiabdić’s last appearance for Hajduk. He firmly denied being dropped for footballing reasons, asserting he was never removed from a team for performance issues. He considered himself one of the best players on the field alongside Boksic, noting he was marking Dejan Savicevic, whom he identified as the best player in Europe at the time. Following his exit from Hajduk, Hadžiabdić’s life changed drastically. He moved to Germany, where he played for lower-league clubs while working to support his family. He described a six-year period where he left his house at 6 a.m. and returned at 10 p.m. daily. He stated that he endured everything and remained positive, adding that he would never speak ill of anyone. His account highlights the personal toll of the era’s political tensions on athletes caught between loyalty to a dissolving nation and professional survival.