The last penalty of Yugoslavia

Would Yugoslavia’s fate have been different, and its unity preserved if Faruk Hadzibegic, a Bosnian from Sarajevo, had scored his decisive penalty in the quarter finals of the Football World Cup against Maradona’s Argentina on 30th June 1990 in Florence?

To answer this question, the International Centre for Sport Studies (CIES), in collaboration with the Museum of Art and History of Neuchâtel, has organized within the series of events called ‘Printemps Culturel 2017: « Carrefour Sarajevo »’ an outstanding evening based on the book “The last penalty of Yugoslavia”.

This special event is organised in the format of a discussion between the book’s author, Gigi Riva, and the sports historian, Prof. Pierre Lanfranchi. Both will enlighten a crucial period in the history of the conflict, where the ball became a symbol for the historical and political forces involved.

Date : 6 April at 6:30pm

Venue : Espace Gilbert Facchinetti, Stadium of the “La Maladière”, Pierre-à-Mazel 10, 2000 Neuchâtel (entrance through the south part of the stadium).

This event is free to attend.

For more information, please contact : [email protected] or + 41 (0) 32 718 39 00

Gigi Riva was a correspondent during the Balkans war in the nineties. He is the author of “I am accusing the ONU” which was published by Calmann-Lévy in 1995. In 2016 he published the internationally successful, “The last penalty of Yugoslavia”, which is a history of football and the war.

Pierre Lanfranchi is a Research Professor in History at De Montfort University in Leicester (United Kingdom) and he is also a collaborator at the CIES. He has published widely on the history of football and was one of the main authors of the “FIFA Centenary Book”.

We very much look forward to welcoming you to the conference.