Origin of The Phrase
On May 29, 1991, as inter-ethnic relations in Yugoslavia were growing tenser, Serbian football club Red Star Belgrade defeated French team Olympique de Marseille to win the European Cup – the first Yugoslav team to do so. As the winners of the European Cup, Red Star Belgrade earned a place in the Intercontinental Cup, which was held at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium. Exultant fans coined the phrase to glorify their team's upcoming adventure.
On December 8, Red Star Belgrade won the Intercontinental Cup, defeating Chilean team Colo-Colo. By that time, the tension that had underlain the European Cup match had ignited into the Yugoslav Wars, with a short-lived war in Slovenia, and a full-scale war in Croatia. In this context, the phrase's associations with Serbian victory made it particularly appealing to nationalists and militarists.
Read more about this topic: Srbija Do Tokija
Famous quotes containing the words origin of, origin and/or phrase:
“For, though the origin of most of our words is forgotten, each word was at first a stroke of genius, and obtained currency, because for the moment it symbolized the world to the first speaker and to the hearer. The etymologist finds the deadest word to have been once a brilliant picture.”
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