Komiti (supporters' group)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Komiti (Macedonian: Комити) are a supporters' group and ultras group that follows the Macedonian sports clubs that compete under the Vardar banner, mainly FK Vardar in football and RK Vardar in handball.
Komiti Zapad[1]
| Komiti | |
|---|---|
| |
| Nickname | Komiti Skopje Komiti Zapad[1] |
| Established | 1987 |
| Type | Supporters' group Ultras group[1][2] |
| Clubs | FK Vardar RK Vardar |
| Location | Skopje, North Macedonia |
| Arena | Boris Trajkovski Stadium Jane Sandanski Arena |
| Colors | Red, black |
History
Komiti was established in 1987 in Yugoslav Macedonia (current North Macedonia), as a football fan association by young Macedonians.[3] The name derives from the name of the members of the anti-Ottoman chetas called Komitadjis.[4] Per Komiti's written code of conduct, it accepts people from across the political spectrum and forbids talking to journalists.[5] Apart from supporting FK Vardar, it has supported RK Vardar.[6]
Komiti was the basis of the youth wing of the political party VMRO-DPMNE during the 1990s. Komiti members, while watching their team, Vardar Skopje, had often displayed banners in support of convicted war criminal Johan Tarčulovski, who was a leader of the ultras. In 2011, Komiti (mobilized through social media) and ethnic Macedonians had a clash with ethnic Albanian supporters' group Shvercerat (Sverceri, Smugglers)[4] and ethnic Albanians at the Skopje Fortress over the construction of a church-like building by the VMRO-DPMNE government.[5]
In May 2014, part of the members of the Komiti violently entered the stadium in Štip without any tickets during the football match between Bregalnica and Vardar, injuring a police officer and a fan.[7] In July 2018, it honored their murdered member, Nikola Sazdovski-Sazdo, during a football match between Vardar and Pjunik.[8] Per the investigative journalist organization Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Komiti was among the groups funded by Russian-Greek businessman Ivan Savvidis to organize protests against the Prespa agreement. In 2018, Komiti participated in protests against the Macedonian name change.[9] Komiti donated personal protective equipment and medical supplies to a health clinic in Skopje in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia.[2][10] In June 2022, the international non-governmental organization Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime linked Komiti with the sale of drugs and weapon smuggling to fund their activities.[2] In December 2025, members of Komiti were arrested in Bitola after attacking police officers,[11] having a fight with the supporters' group from Bitola, Čkembari, beforehand.[12] In a humanitarian action in February 2026, it gave 23,000 denars to an auction for the jersey of football player Stojanče Velinov, for funds to build a memorial for the victims of the 2025 Kočani nightclub fire.[13]