LEGENDARY SAŠA KONČAR STILL LIVES IN THE HEARTS OF CITIZENS

Mid-November will mark exactly three decades since the death of Saša Končar, one of the leaders of the supporters of the Banja Luka team Borac, popularly known as the Vultures, who, in 1991 as a young adult, volunteered for the army and died on the battlefield of the former Republic of Serbian Krajina.

Many generations of Banja Luka residents, especially Borac supporters, proudly remember this young man from the Banja Luka neighborhood of Obilićevo who dedicated his life to his beloved club, embedding it in the foundations of his homeland as a Serbian warrior. - Saša is a true legend, not only of the eastern stand of Borac's stadium but also of Banja Luka - says Saša Lazić, a former leader of the Vultures and Borac football player, now a physical education professor and city councilor in Banja Luka, speaking to Aloonline.ba.

Lazić remembers well when, as a boy, he cheered alongside his namesake who "stood on the railing," started songs, and set the tone for the Vultures.

He was brave and persistent like many of his peers, witnessing important matches and great successes of the former Yugoslav First League team and Cup winner.

After the war, Borac and the Vultures continued their sports life, but the former student of "Petar Petrović Njegoš" was no longer with them. However, they never forgot him. The memory of Končar remained alive. The Vultures never stopped saying his name.

According to Lazić, there was a long-standing idea to name the eastern stand after Saša Končar, and he regrets that this was not realized, but he adds that today's guys from the Vultures have managed to realize some of the ideas, and it's great that the memory of the fallen young man lives on today. - Saša gave his youth for his club, and his life for his people, thus remaining inscribed in our hearts for eternity. May he have eternal glory - says Lazić. On the internet pages of the football club and the supporters' group, in texts about the long and rich history of the Banja Luka giant, the name of Saša Končar, as well as other Vultures who participated in the homeland war from which they never returned or emerged as war invalids, occupies a special place.

Today's guys from the Obilićevo neighborhood, with whom journalists from the Alo portal spoke, say that Končar was one of the founders of the Vultures, always smiling and sociable. Some of them visited Saša's mother for a long time and were at her service.

Journalist and political scientist Marko Šuka emphasizes that belonging and dedication to the football club at that time were a matter of true courage and true love, a mixture of charm and boldness.

Teams from the neighborhoods knew who was a coward and who was brave! The brave ones were bold, daring, approached everything with their hearts, and did not spare themselves. On those grounds, we can also observe the phenomenon that many 'brave ones' lost their lives fighting battles they did not seek, battles that were imposed on them, but which they did not want to flee from, but rather embraced as their own - emphasizes Šuka, adding that at the time of Saša Končar's death, patriotism was measured by different standards than today.

He emphasizes that the fact that the names of certain young men do not fade even today, but appear written on buildings or their likeness is depicted in the form of murals, shows us that the feeling for what is fair and just still burns in the eyes of young people.

They differentiate selflessness and true patriotism and love of country from greed for silver - emphasizes Marko Šuka.

Source: Aloonline.ba / Author: Danilo Vuković