Bruno Lončarević holding the Liverpool poster he took from his destroyed home

Surjit Patowary

This story of a Liverpool fan who lost his home in the Croatian earthquake shows football is more than life

Croatia Earthquake, Liverpool

Football is a sport which holds a deeper place in the hearts of those who follow it religiously, with extreme enthusiasm.

Club loyalty is something that matters the most to a fan, but for some, it is a priority over other seemingly important things in life.

An instance of this was reported when a survivor of an earthquake in Croatia took nothing from his demolished home, except the hallowed poster of the football club he supports.

Bruno Lončarević, a radiology engineer from Petrinja recently took a loan and used the money to renovate his apartment which got destroyed in an earthquake.

Like many people in the area hit by the earthquake, Bruno was left homeless. When Bruno revisited the rubble in the wake of the earthquake to preserve any items of importance, he chose the poster of the club that he has supported all his life as more important than his other belongings.

Bruno only took the famous “This is Anfield” poster which means the world to him, and every other Liverpool fan in the world.

Football fans are a religiously loyal lot who can go to unimaginable lengths to display love for their favourite football teams.

Bruno’s heart-touching display of affection for his favourite club is an instance of the extents that a football fan can go to if required: despite his home being utterly demolished, all that Bruno could take was a poster of the football team he supports.

Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly’s words ring clear in this context: “some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them that it is much more serious than that.”