Richard Mills
University of East Anglia
Cold War Football: Soviet Defence and Yugoslav Attack following the Tito-Stalin Split of 1948
This paper will explore the symbolic role played by football in the Tito-Stalin Split of 1948. In particular, it will
look at Yugoslavia’s victory over the Soviet Union at the 1952 Olympic Games, situating this event as part of
the former’s attempts to establish a political and sporting 'third way'. The cohesive qualities of the national
team were reinforced by live radio broadcasts across the multi-ethnic socialist state, triggering ecstatic
celebrations among a large proportion of the population. This was a period when the regime paid close
attention to sporting competitions and the players were richly rewarded for their triumph. A prominent
footballer later recalled that his team “were ambassadors of Tito’s Yugoslavia” in these initial years of
communist rule. The paper will ask how the Yugoslav authorities, sporting organisations and media
negotiated the transition from a position of affectionate sporting emulation of the USSR to one of hostile
opposition. In doing so, it aims to contribute to the broader understanding of this pivotal period in Yugoslav –
and Soviet – history. Focusing primarily upon the Yugoslav perspective, it will draw upon press coverage,
player memoirs and artistic depictions in both the contemporary media and in subsequent years.