The Big Guy of NK Osijek caught feelings during Kohorta’s celebratory event, praising the fan collective as the most positive one in Croatia.
President and co-owner of NK Osijek Ivan Mestrovic had the opportunity to partake in the introductory part of the party celebrating Kohorta’s 30th birthday.
He happily answered the call of the fans to be present during the premiere of the documentary on Kohorta in Urania cinemas, the movie having moved him deeply (no pun intended).
“I thought I wasn’t that emotional, but I held back the flood of tears and still am, actually. Congratulations to all Osijek citizens that are part of Kohorta, which is at the heart of the love for NK Osijek. May God give them the strength and perseverance to outlive us for three lifetimes over” emphasized Mestrovic.
“Movement“ the Key Word
As an Osijek citizen and head of NK Osijek and someone who brought a renaissance to the club, Mestrovic emphasizes the importance of the fans: “ “Movement” is a key word here, something that is rare in terms of longevity. There are parties, clubs, lobby groups, but at the crux of every fan movement is idealism. Kohorta is nurturing that idealism, which is something that motivated me to enter football. I congratulate the boys and hats off to them because we can learn a great deal from them”
Ideas for Fan Expansion
There was many a beautiful moment in the 3 decades of Kohorta’s existence, as were there bad moments, too, but some matches and the atmosphere in them are surely to be remembered. Some of them would be the matches in the Europe League during the Summer of 2017.
“That Europe Summer was the best thing ever to happen to Osijek in the past 25-30 years! Not only was it great for our club, but also for our city. I personally thought about Kohorta’s expansion during the fan party, namely the idea to expand the fanbase and fan pool of Kohorta because a happy club has happy fans.
Get the City Moving in the Stadium
Kohorta contributes to #pokrenimograd, too, not only with their cheering, but also with other activities in which they’ve shown creativity and positivity. Mestrovic accentuates how things will look even better:
“Get The City Moving in the Stadium, that may very well prove to be our new motto. The new Pampas Stadium is in the process of being constructed and it isn’t mere vaporware. I say to all the skeptics that they should take a hike or drive to Pampas and see for themselves that I’m right when I say that things are indeed moving. The new stadium will be the base of what I, as the head of NK Osijek, wish to realize out of pure love and loyalty to the club. I hope that our fans will be backed by our citizens as Kohorta expands. Kohorta is, I’ll say it again, the healthiest and most positive football fan group in Croatia and all of us will aim for it to be bolstered in numbers” Mestrovic summarized.
