"m" "March 12, 2011." "You're watching the morning news." "The Third Half" "Our domestic report begins with a moving ceremony." "Seventy years have passed since the Second World War stormed through Macedonia, taking away many innocent lives, including 97 percent of the Jewish population." "In memory of these victims, symbolic funeral urns containing their ashes were placed yesterday in the new Holocaust Memorial center." "In her message to the people of Macedonia," "US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stated that, until recently, their perished fellow countrymen were only painful memories - but as of today these urns will be their eternal grave and monument." "We continue with the sport news." "Here, let me help you with that." "No, try that again and I will bite your hand off." "Chill out, whicked." "I don't need your assistence," "I've been making my self up since I was 14." "And I brought you over the ocean, but I will not tolerate your grumpy behavior." "Look who's talking!" "You're the spitting image of me, girl." "And no foreign languages." "Understand?" "Where are we going anyway?" "To find someone." "Who do you expect to find after 70 years?" "My father." "Sounds lovely." "What is it?" "A love song my people used to sing." "And did someone ever sang it to you?" "Everyone." "Lots of them." "Your granny was the most beautiful girl in town." "Pretty Rebecca, Queen of the Promenade, that's what they used to call me!" "Boys used to shave on thursdays only, because they knew they were passing the main street that day." "From the birth house of Mother Teresa, to the office of Zorba the Greek." "And then back again." "Was that where you met him?" "No." "It's happened here, just around the corner." "People didn't mix in those times.. ." "The only way you'd meet one of his kind was on the streets." "Old Serbia reveals:" "The Germans are advancing through France!" "Churchill appeals to Mussolini to remain neutral!" "Fashion Pages:" "The Claudette Colbek hairstyle!" "Buy Old Serbia!" "A bagel for you, Miss Rebecca?" " Thanks." "You want some more, you stinking scum?" "You son of a whore..." "It's not half-time yet, striker!" " I believe he's addressing you." "Oh, yeah..." "We're kind of redecorating." "We're decorators." "You coming, striker?" " Striker?" "A football player." "The one that shoot and scores." "We didn't have an opportunity to be properly introduced..." "Kosta the Count." "Enchante." "And you are?" "We're nice girls who don't talk to deadbeats." "We're not deadbeats we're worldly decorators!" "You coming back or what?" " Your assistant's calling you." "Can't you wait a second?" "Hey!" "Why don't you join me for a coffee?" "We shouldn't hold you up, you've got a busy day." "Good luck with the decorating!" "3,OOO people, as young and handsome as ancient gods, carried the torch from Greece to Germany." "...thousands of athletes from all over the world..." "Thousands of athletes from all over the world .." "...from France, Hungary, Egypt... from France, Hungary, Egypt - all of them marched before the Fuhrer in the biggest stadium you can imagine." "I had the privilege of being there, to witness the most magical spectacle in the world:" "The Olympic Games in Berlin!" "I wonder who paid for that trip." " That lousy paper he works for." "They sent him as a correspondent." "He's come back like a little Goebbels." "...and one day, even footballers!" "But not the kind of footballers who hit the bottle and fight with the Gendarmes!" "Not thugs or savages!" "Only true sportsmen and patriots." "Come on, Dimitriy!" "Kosta promised this was the last time." "Don't you lecture me, Prof!" "He screwed it up just in time." "You know who we're up against today?" "Serbian Sword." "The almighty Serbian Sword from Belgrade!" "Those Serbs will kick the shit out of us!" "Shut your trap, Skeptic!" "When I said almighty" "I didn't mean invincible." " But they are well fed." "And they've got brand new jerseys, those pansies!" "So you should at least show some self-respect!" "Their gendarmes call you yokels." "Their teachers force you to speak their language." "Their soldiers have taken over your county." "And now they even want to erase its name." "Let me hear you, lads!" "What's the name of our country?" "Macedonia!" "And what's the name of our team?" "Macedonia!" "It's a holy name, damn it!" "Try not to dishonor it." "Buzz off, Gypsy!" "Nice speech you gave them, Dimitriy." "I've had it up to here with provincial amateurs." "Smart thinking!" " One day football will be the most popular sport in Europe, and these mutts will be ready for that day, dead or alive." "Keep to the left!" "The left!" "Skeptic!" "Have you got two left feet?" "!" "Watch out, Cesar!" "Block him, Goofy!" " Block him yourself, you schmuck!" "One-nil..." "Hopefully they won't notch up more than three goals." ""Slavia 2, Olympia 1." "Concordia 2, Citizen 2..."" "Here we are: "Serbian Sword 6, Macedonia nil."" " Read it out!" ""Once again the home team's defense only briefly endured the visitors' attacks." "This was a classic example of how enthusiasm can never be sufficient against the skill and knowledge of an obviously better and more experienced team."" "Here we go!" "One bowl of soup for each three of you." "Any meat in here?" "I only buy meat when you win, Skeptic." "So that's why I can't remember the last time I ate any." "Our respect, Mr. Pavlovich!" "Respect and deep condolences." "His name is Pavlov, not Pavlovich." "You don't even know your own father's name, you bastard!" "Eat up your soup, kid!" "Wasn't it you who was preaching about self-respect, Dimitriy?" "Well you haven't achieved much to be proud of so far." "Which is why I have an announcement to make." "We will soon have the services of a professional coach." "I've personally invited Mr. Spitz to join our team." "Who's Spitz?" " Rudolph Spitz, the former Prussian striker." "A German?" "Not only a German, Manga, but a Berliner." "A real gentleman." "Used to be one of the best players in Europe." "A Kraut!" " I'm not talking politics with you, Afrika!" "It's not about politics, Dimitriy." "Folks are afraid of the Krauts." "Football is the proletariat game." "You can't bring a Nazi into it!" "And who said he was a Nazi?" " Comrade Lenin said" "Well fuck both you and your buddy Lenin!" "It's me who formed this club and I'll run it the way I want, whether Lenin likes it or not!" "Hold this for me!" "Where are you going?" "This discussion isn't over yet!" "They say all the pretty Parisian girls are wearing yellow this season." "Kosta the Count." "Remember me?" "Now I recall." "The decorator." "You never told me your name." "Rebecca!" "So, it's Rebecca?" "Although I like Ramona better." "Like the song, "Ramona"..." "Rebecca Cohen!" "Did you hear me?" "Coming, Dad!" "Excuse me." "You're late for your French lessons." "I don't like French anyway." " You'll like what I tell you to like!" "Who's that scoundrel, Pepo?" "A local street hawker, boss." "A Christian?" " A nobody." "Don Raphael Cohen, the richest banker in town." "Nothing personal, but you stand a better chance of hooking the Pope's daughter." "The Pope doesn't have a daughter." "Try not to be such a big-head, Skeptic!" "Paris falls..." "What's left?" "The moon?" "Her playing blooms as she does herself, don't you think?" "She's capable." "I believe Mendelssohn never sounded so tender..." "It's Beethoven, sir." "What Beethoven?" "The German?" "I believe Beethoven was Flemish." "Rubbish!" "I'm sure he was German!" "Ludwig VAN Beethoven, sir." "Well, in any case, go and tell her to play Mendelssohn." "No dilemmas with him:" "He was 100% Jewish." "The train's broken down." "They're sending him over on a dressage." "On a draisine, you bozo!" " Aright." "And now we'll be waiting here all day!" "For a reason!" "We're not waiting for some Gypsy fortune teller." "We're waiting for Rudolph Spitz, the man who coached the best teams of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland..." "All nice countries crushed by the Krauts." "Never trust people who eat pork with marmalade!" "Germany is a civilization centuries ahead of your slow brain, Pancho." "You really like them, Dimitriy?" " At least they'll bring order, so the trains won't be breaking down every minute." "And besides, I like Germans a hundred times better than these vultures!" "Seems like our guy." " Let's make an impression!" "Mr. Pavlov?" " How do you do, Mr. Spitz?" "My name is Dimitriy of the Macedonia Football Club." "And these are our players." "Gents!" "This is our new coach, Mr. Spitz from Germany." "Could someone give me a hand with this trunk?" "But of course!" "Goofy!" "Pancho!" "It's always us that get shafted." "This way, Mr. Spitz." "This crap weighs a ton!" "Like he's packed the dead Kaiser himself in here!" "I heard that!" "You'll be sitting on the bench for the next three matches!" "Ladies and Gentlemen!" "King Kong, the Eight Wonder of the World!" "A giant ape against the rest of the humanity!" "The latest American hit in our town!" "Only for people with nerves of steel!" "That was amazing!" "I still don't get how they made it." "It wasn't a real monkey, it was just a dummy." "A giant dummy falling off a building with a life-size blonde in his hand?" " Come on Jamilla!" "All monkeys fall for blondes!" "What's happened?" " My heel." "I think it's broken." "Here they are!" "Two rolls of first class leather." "We have a deal now?" " What deal?" "What do you mean "what deal"?" "Keep one and use the other one to make boots for our team." "Don't worry, they're brand new." " That's exactly what worries me." "What's this?" " What?" "An Army seal." " What Army?" "The Mexican Army!" "Don't play dumb with me!" "It's the seal of the Royal Serbian Guard." "Do you know what will happen to this store if they find stolen military property in here?" " Come on!" "You could cut off that piece and make the boots with the rest." "Cut the crap, Count!" "Don't teach me my business!" "Keep an eye on the store." "And try not to nick anything!" "You again?" "!" " Oh, hello Miss Ramona!" "Let's go!" " Don't make a fuss!" "It'll only take a minute." "I'll wait outside." "There's no fresh air in here..." "Bumpkin!" "One customer less." "What can I do for the other?" "I'd like to have my heel repaired." " Your heel?" "We're heel experts!" "Who made these?" "It'll take a bit of time to fix them." "In the meantime, why don't we go for a coffee?" " In that case" "I'll come by some other time." " Well, how about I lend you another pair of shoes, so you don't go home barefoot?" "And I'll deliver these ones tomorrow." " That's kind of you, but" "How about these ones?" "They're so chic!" "Italian stilettos." "Very expensive." " On the house!" "Such beautiful stockings don't belong in slippers." "A footballer, a decorator, a cobbler..." "What next?" "Next is why don't you walk these shoes over to our stadium sometime?" "We practice every afternoon." "Rumor has it you always lose." "You done?" " I'm coming Jamilla!" "Give me a break'." "Hustler!" "So when can I pick up my shoes?" "I'll bring them to you." "Just say where." "And if I don't say where, will I get to keep these?" "Only if we walk them together sometime." "To that muddy stadium?" "Is that the best you can offer a lady?" "How about a movie?" "There's one with a giant monkey." "It's not a real monkey, it's a dummy." "Like a giant doll, get it?" "Sure." "A doll." "Just like you." "I stroll down the promenade every Thursday afternoon." "Praised be Jesus." " Forever, amen." "How are you feeling, Mother?" "The doctor said you can't eat solid food anymore, so I've made you a little broth." "We both know I've never been much of a cook." "I found the recipe in a newspaper..." "What happened with the newspaper?" "What do you mean?" "They bring us newspapers every day, but I haven't seen your column in them for a while." "Oh, that..." "You know how they are" " I got suspended!" "Although I am partly to blame myself." "Missed a few deadlines." "You lost your job?" " I didn't lose the job, Mother." "I've been suspended for a month, that's all." "With the new coach I hardly have time to breathe." "Wait till you meet him." "A true German!" "Your father sweated blood for sixteen years in American mines to earn money for your studies." "We sacrificed our best years to make you an educated man, to drag you out of this gutter..." "And now you waste it on that folly!" "Football is not a folly, Mother!" "It's a princely sport." "A real prince would find himself a princess, start a family..." "Look at you!" "Living alone like a dog." "Who's going to take care of you when I die, my son?" "You don't get it, Mother." "One day, football will become the most important thing in the world." "The freedom of your movement is limited by rules and regulations." "And then?" " And then we went to the promenade." "I bought her a soda." "Eh, soda!" " If you break those rules you create anarchy." "So what?" "I've got no money for a restaurant." "I promised Father Kiril no more stealing till Easter." "No worries!" "This guy will have us all drop dead by Easter!" "But if you know how to stretch the rules, then you make magic on the pitch!" "Faster!" "Come on, faster!" " Up the tempo, guys!" "Tempo!" "Then what?" " And then we talked about our signs..." "What signs?" " Horoscope signs." "Like, I'm a Sagittarius and she's a Virgo." "But you're not Sagittarius, you're Cancer." "Yeah, but she said she preferred Sagittarians." "Modern football is based on the same principles as the seven Bushido virtues of the Japanese samurai:" "loyalty, courage..." "And then?" " And then I walked her home." "You didn't try to kiss her?" " No." "You jumped on my cousin Maria on your first date, and you didn't even smooch this one?" "This one's not that type of girl." "And what type of a girl is my cousin Maria?" "!" "Persistence and stamina, not gossiping!" "Take a break, Pancho, the polenta's almost gone cold." "Don't bug me, woman!" "I'm being conditioned here!" "Same thing in our house." "I can never get my son to eat polenta." "That's not my son that's my husband!" "And who's got two left feet now?" "Left and right!" "Keep trying!" "Concentration, Pancho!" "It's like the tango, Ieft-kick, right-kick..." "Write that since I met her I cannot..." " A cliche!" "But it's true!" " Doesn't matter it still sounds like a cliche." "Okay, how would you put it?" "I'd start with something more original, like" ""Dear Rebecca, thy beauty recalls those Nicene pillars of yore..."" "What's that?" " A poem." " Not that, the pillars?" "Oy!" "What are you two waiting for?" "An invitation?" "Afrika, what was that word again?" "Menu à la cake." "That would definitely impress her." "But only if you pronounce it with a French accent." "And the other one?" " Vors d'evar." "That's the drink?" " No, you moron!" "That's the food." "The drink is afteritif." " Afteritif, afteritif..." "If he gets used to five balls, he'll easily handle a single one!" "Just like the Krauts bombing London: five bombs per building!" "Our next game is against Hajduk." "It's quite a challenge." "Hajduk are Croatia's best team." "She's agreed to come to a soiree on Tuesday." "But I need a suit." " I don't have any." "Ask Manga." "It'll be our first game together." "Manga, can you lend me a suit for Tuesday?" " Gambling again?" "No, I need it for something else." " For what?" "I think I've fallen in love." "So I'll say only..." "I locked it!" "What's this?" "You've grown!" "When your mother brought you into this world, your feet were so tiny they could fit inside a matchbox." "When the doctor told me your mother had died in childbirth" "I couldn't look at you for weeks..." "It was nonsense, but I somehow blamed you for taking her away from me." "And then one night your crying made me open my eyes and I saw those two feet." "So tiny..." "My little daughter." "I've been a good father tonight and made you some cookies." "I prepared a gift for you." "It belonged to your mother..." "Take it." "It's part of your dowry now." "What grace!" "More than 500 years of history rest on your pretty neck." "Ages ago it belonged to your great-great-grandmother who lived in Spain, our old fatherland..." "In those times we helped the Spaniards to push the Arabs back to Africa, but the Catholic king betrayed us:" "He ordered that Spain expel anyone who didn't wear a cross around their neck." "That's how we ended up here, among these belligerent Balkan peoples." "A new war every now and then..." "It wasn't all that bad." "You made a fortune from their intolerance!" "We don't take sides anymore." "And, above all, we do not mix." "Has the Greek army ever found out how you supplied both them and the Turks?" " Shut up, you brat!" "The whole town's gossiping about your secret dates with that gangster." "He's a football player, Dad." " People are laughing behind my back!" "Because I love a penniless man from another religion?" "This world is not made out of love!" "Every bird should flock with its own kind." "If you ever abandon your flock, Rebecca, you'll die alone, doomed." "Attack in W-W formation:" "wings, half-backs, center;" "then midfielders, center-midfield and fullback." "Easy, Yordan!" "Keep it low!" "Good day, Herr Pavlovich!" "Who are you cheering for today?" "Us or the Croats?" "I'm not cheering for, I'm cheering against." "Hey, referee!" "You got a daughter?" "You don't have to score a great goal." "A small one also counts!" "Get it, pass it play!" "Like the tango, pa -pah-pah!" "What are you doing, man?" "The ball has to be on the foot!" "Sorry, I'm not feeling well today..." "Need a doctor?" " Sure." "Someone to examine my head." "I spent the whole night out in the rain, like an idiot!" "Spread it wide!" "Open up!" "Escape your marker..." "Don't pull those faces at me!" "It's all your fault!" "What do you mean "my fault"?" " Who's talking to you, Dimitriy?" "Don't address me in that tone of voice!" "Oh, I see!" "Now we suddenly don't know each other?" "What the hell's wrong with you today?" "Can't you just shut up for a second, Dimitriy?" "Now shoot!" "Shoot!" "Yes!" "Goal!" "There is a God in Heaven..." "There, this one was for you!" "Do you want me to score another one?" "Go ahead!" "Your wish is my command, you toffee-nosed brat!" "Who are you calling toffee-nosed, you hooligan?" "You, darling!" "You're a stuck-up, snobbish, spoilt little brat!" "And you know what you are?" "You're a braggak, a peasant, a smuggler - and a skik chaser!" "Me, a smuggler?" " Watch out!" "Kosta!" "We all play together here!" "Kosta!" "Pull yourself together!" "Get back, everybody!" "Play defense!" "Retreat!" "I told you to keep left..." ""Women make the highs higher and the lows more frequent."" "What d' you say?" " I'm quoting Nietzsche." "I mean, what do you say about the match?" "I say: every match has two halves." "We need to put in more work." "Let's face it, Dimitriy, we're not good enough." "And even your former football legend can't make us any better." "Shut your face, Skeptic!" "What?" "You blame me for your failure?" "No." "But I wouldn't mind us winning for a change!" "All right." "Our next training will be at the railway station." "Don't come in jerseys." "Bring some old clothes." "What's that crap he just said?" "What is it, Pepo?" " Someone left this in front of our door." "For me?" " I'm sure it's not for your father, Miss." "PEOPLE ARE LIKE SHOES" " THEY COME IN PAIRS!" "Here he comes!" "Good morning, gentlemen!" "Everything going well?" "No, no, thank you." "I'll just leave it here for now." "Come with me!" "The training begins inside in a minute." "Get inside, please." "Now, each of you take one of these brooms and brushes." "What's this, the famous German sense of humor?" "You said you wanted to win for a change?" "This is how the change begins." "My trunk is waiting outside." "Either start cleaning, or I catch the next train!" "You're not going to join your president?" "Loyalty is the first of the Bushido virtues..." "Pancho." "Skeptic?" "Yordan..." "Stambol?" "For today's training I'd like to tell you an old German tale." "It's about a boy who dreamed of finding the Holy Grail, the same way you dream of winning a match." "He set off on a quest and ended up in the castle of an old man who offered him a cup to drink from." "The cup was the Grail itself but the boy was too immature to recognize it." "First he had to grow, both spiritually and mentally." "Africa!" "You cannot remove that stain by brushing." "You need to scrape it off, with your fingernails." "Some say our Savior drank from that cup." "Others say it contained His blood." "However, it was divinely perfect." "So this story is a metaphor of a quest for perfection." "Whatever a man does whether he's playing football or cleaning a dim toilet, he should do it to perfection." "Now stop!" "Look at the result of your work and tell me:" "Is this floor perfectly cleaned?" "No, it's not." "Look!" "Which means you should try harder." "Especially you." "And remember!" "It's not the goal that's important, but the quest itself." "Keep working!" "Have you finished the guest-list for the birthday party?" "I have, sir." " You've invited the rabbi?" " Certainly." "And did you call the Governor?" " I sent him an invitation." "I told you to call him personally." "Good morning." " Morning." "What's the news today?" "How would I know?" "I'm illiterate!" "What does it say, Pepo?" "I don't have my glasses with me." ""Yugoslavia has joined the Tripartite Pact." "Following the signing, our Prime Minister attended a long conference with Mr. Hitler in person."" " Hitler?" "Are you sure?" "Hitler!" " Take the Governor off the guest list!" "Good morning." " Morning." "Morning, morning..." "I'm sure it's a good day for his damned Aryan Race!" "Allow me to say that he never declared himself a Nazi." "Even worse!" "An undercover Nazi coaching a gang of local goons." "Such wonderful company my daughter keeps!" "Speaking of her, where is she right now?" " At the lake, with the choir." " What a chance for him to infiltrate!" "It's a female choir, sir." " Don't be stupid, Pepo!" "You can never be safe with those hoodlums!" "Where is Rebecca?" "I just came to say good-bye." "We're travelling to Belgrade tomorrow." "We've got a big match with Serbian Sword." "Remember the folk poem when King Marko asks the Fairy Samovila to give him strength to fight?" "I need that kind of encouragement now..." "Happy birthday, Samovila." "You're a big girl now." "Servus, butcher." " Servus, Papas." "Have you noticed that nobody broadcasts music anymore?" "Only politics!" " Right." "Three days ago the Government signed a treat with the Germans." "Now they've changed their minds and they're clinging to the Brits." "God knows whose ass we'll be licking next week!" "Maybe the Russians?" "Maybe the Russians." "Or maybe the Eskimos." "That's the only one we haven't tried yet." "See?" "Politics again!" "Wait a second, this isn't politics..." "Thank you, Lord!" "Thank you so much!" "Watch out!" "Pardon me, Miss Rebecca..." "I was running to the tavern..." "They just said it on the radio!" "The Kraut and the boys..." "They won!" "We beat Serbian Sword in the heart of Belgrade!" "They're coming!" "They're coming!" "Gentlemen!" ""God save our King!"" "On behalf of the Governor and the City Council," "I extend a warm welcome" "I know I ran away from home, but can't you see we won?" "!" "You're my hero!" "What?" "What are you looking at?" "You got your victory." "Serbian Sword must be a pretty lousy team if you managed to beat them" "Put me down, you hoodlums!" "Dimitriy, tell them..." "Lift him higher, guys!" "Kosta!" "Congratulations!" "You going someplace?" " I am." "Alone?" " I hope not." "You know your father will never give us his blessing." "You're Jewish, and I'm Orthodox Christian..." "And I thought I was a Virgo and you were a Sagittarius." "I lied." "Actually I'm Leo." "A lion-hearted Leo!" "It's cozy." " A bit cramped..." "I'm glad I didn't drag my piano with me." "We'll sleep on your coat and use mine as a blanket." "I'll borrow some money to buy a mattress..." "There!" "Now it feels like home." "And now what?" "What's up, Mouzafar?" "The victorious German air force has commenced the bombing of Yugoslavia and Greece." "After 20 years of occupation, the Serbian army is leaving Macedonia." "Today, this tormented county hails the steady march of its liberators: the united German, Italian and Bulgarian armies." "A glorious HURRAH echoes throughout the land!" "Major Gavranov?" "Garvanoff." "Colonel Garvanoff." " On behalf of liberated" "Macedonia, I present you the Macedonia Football Club." "Macedonia? "Of all the gems in my crown, the only one missing is the shiniest diamond of them all" " Macedonia." Who said that?" "Saint Paul?" " Our King, Boris the Third." "Football, huh?" "Can they play?" " We've had a couple of tough seasons, but we're in good shape now." "We've got a new coach:" "Herr Spitz from Germany!" "Spitz?" " Rudolph Spitz!" "Former Prussian striker-- ...and one of the best coaches in Central Europe!" "How do you do, Spitz?" " Fine." "Louder, Spitz." "I can't hear you." " I'm fine." "Good." "Major Heinrich will be pleased to learn we've met." "You do remember Heinrich from the SS, don't you?" " Yes." "Well, Heinrich says "Mister Spitz is our lost treasure." "We go to Austria and he disappears in Czechoslovakia." "We march into Czechoslovakia and he goes to Poland."" "Mr. Pavlov, you seem to possess the pearl that has somehow slipped through our fingers!" "But there's just one small detail missing..." "You know the procedure, Mr. Spitz?" "There!" "It's all in place now!" "We're one nation now!" "One kingdom!" "Your club will be included in our National Football League." "Macedonia, eh?" "A melting pot of people and religions!" ""The Macedonian ethnic chaos must be removed from our new frontiers."" "Who said that?" " King Boris?" "No, the Fuhrer himself!" "Go on with your practice, Pavlov." "Your first match is in two weeks." "I never lied to you." "My father is German." "But my mother..." "She was..." " Jewish!" "...killed!" "The elders were executed on the spot." "I'm very sorry." "Well, being a Jew isn't contagious, right?" "Shut up, Pancho!" " You shut up, Dimitriy!" "A Kraut or a kike, what difference does it make?" "To us, he's the most precious in the world!" "But wait..." "This isn't legal!" "A healthy mind supports the New Race!" "Healthy forces create the New Order!" "Through sport we celebrate the beauty of our nation." "Battling on the football field we prepare for the real battlefields." "No New Order without proper hygiene!" "Isn't that right?" "And what's your name, pretty girl?" "What's wrong?" "Are you deaf and dumb?" "Really?" "Such a perfect woman:" "Pretty and dumb." "My niece from the country." "Times are tough." "Nobody wants an extra mouth to feed and so they sent her to town." "Niece or concubine, that's your business." "And what's that?" " That belongs to our coach." "He hung it there for good luck." " A Jewish menorah for good luck!" "In a team that plays in the National League?" "I'll tell to him to remove it right away." "And where is that coach now?" "Let me have a little word with him." "...so today, the Spartacus footballers will cross swords with their Macedonian brothers." "Salute the flags!" "You aren't going to salute?" "No..." "I believe I'm not allowed." " And yet you think you're allowed to flaunt that in the faces of our officers and soldiers?" "According to the new rules, Jews are forbidden from attending public gatherings." "I'm only letting you do your job because I want them to see you defeated." "But if you ever approach the sideline again, I'll have you shot in front of the entire stadium." "Got that?" "Now get out of my sight!" "He kicked Spitz out." " Filthy bastard!" "Remember what Spitz said about how "It's not the goal that's important but the quest"?" "Well, this time the goal is important..." "At least a three-goal margin!" ""Culture pages:" "A concert by the Army orchestra." "The Golden City, a German movie..."" " Keep reading!" "There's nothing more to read." "Not a word about our win." "They won't print that they lost." " But half the town was there!" "If it's not in the paper it never happened." "How's it coming along, maestro?" "It'll hold." "Just don't step on it too hard or the nails might stick through up to your throat." "Poor Gypsies!" "They had a circus before the war." "Magic tricks, stunts on horseback and what-not..." "The soldiers confiscated their horses so the Gypsies tried to steal a few stallions off a train..." "Too bad it was a military train!" "Take your positions!" "Load!" "Aim!" "Fire!" "It's war!" "Soldiers shoot." "That's their job." "What?" "You think they left their homes and their families to come here and shoot people for fun?" "Orders are orders." "It's not easy for anybody." "Soon all this will be over." "This war will give birth to a new Europe and centuries of peace will follow..." "Until then, let's keep politics and ideology aside!" "We're here to play football." "That all that matters." "Football!" "Salute the flags!" "Africa!" "Don't play the goat or we'll all be screwed!" "We'll all end up in the slammer, you dimwit!" "It's because of his injury." "He fell bad the other day during practice." "Broke his finger." "The nerve snapped..." "I heard you won again." "Three-nil, was it?" " Four-nil." "Four-nil?" "He saved every shot with an injured finger?" "Bravo!" "An amazing sportsman!" "Please, Mr. Garvanoff..." "He's my only goalkeeper." "Those damned Serbs beat the daylights out of him..." "His brain is damaged!" " Then we'll have it repaired!" "We're specialists in lobotomy." " Mr. Garvanom, I beg you..." "And you should be begging me, Pavlov." "Very few of our patients leave this institution in such good shape!" "Explain that to your goalie." "Sorry..." "I can't." "Me neither." "I'm a bit tense." "We play Locomotive tomorrow." "And they're so fucking good..." "Don't be so coarse!" " What did I say?" "I went to the Jewish neighborhood." "To your father's house?" " No." "To Jamilla's." "Jamilla-vanilla." "How's she?" "Bad." "There's a new law forbidding our people from doing anything." "Kids aren't allowed to go to school." "Adults aren't allowed to work." "They aren't even allowed to listen to the news anymore." "The police have confiscated their radios..." "All this stuff is such a load of shit!" "What did I say now?" "Shit!" "That's what it is!" "You know, I've never bothered about big and important things." "I was never into politics, like Dimitriy." "I'd never risk my neck for ideals like Africa." "A good life was the only thing that ever mattered to me." "But now I feel like I have to do something." "To smack somebody, or score two goals..." "Or buy two tickets to Shitville" " You're really coarse!" "OK, three tickets then." "Three tickets would do." "What do you mean?" "You're shitting me?" "Oh, please stop being so coarse!" "Calm down..." "You've got a big game tomorrow!" "Daddy's little baby!" "Tomorrow I'll beat the crap out of Locomotive!" ""The eleven proud sons of the ancient Macedonian land once again adorned themselves with laurel wreaths."" "This rubbish makes me heave!" " We did as you said." "And who gave you permission to address me?" "Why didn't you call a penalty-kick?" " I did." "How many?" " One." "One was not enough." "More were needed." "Five, ten, fifty penalty kicks!" "There was no foul..." " You don't say?" "Petar Ivanov Tatarchev." "Is that you?" "Brother of Simeon Ivanov Tatarchev, a student at the University of Economics in Varna?" "Yes." " Not any more." "As of Monday your brother will be serving the Fatherland." "In the Navy." "To see what's up with the Russians!" "Please, Sir..." "He's my only kin." " Look, you imbecile!" "Macedonia is marching towards the Champion's Cup!" "If they win the Cup - and that kike's team becomes" "Aryan champions - do you know what they'll do to me in Sofia?" "They'll skin me alive!" " I understand." "You understand shit." "Get out of here!" "Shalom!" "The synagogue is closed." "We're not allowed to pray here anymore." "You are not Sephardic?" " I'm Ashkenazi." "Hungary, Poland?" "Germany!" "Oh, then you must be the football men." "All of ours support you." "Thank you." "The sinagogue is closed?" "We are forbidden to hold Shabats miss." "Galvanoff orders." "And all this?" "This is our Tora." "I have to get it somewhere safe." "They are turning the sinagogue into a stable." "Five centuries of tradition, trampled under horses hoses." "Go home son, tomorrow is Shabat." "Forbidden or not." "I have no one waiting for me there." "Then, you could give me a hand here." "I have to take all this by sunset." "Ok." "May I ask you something?" "Ofcourse." "What is offside?" "United Bulgaria reveals:" "The Germans are advancing on Stalingrad!" "Another Japanese victory in the Pacific!" "Macedonia defeats Benkovski in Sofia and moves up to 2nd place!" "Fuck!" "The fish!" "Cooking is one of the greatest privileges of mankind." "It is foolish to relinquish such a pleasure to women." "Dimyat." "Made from grapes grown on the Black Sea coast." "From back home?" "You'd be surprised to know my homeland is actually Macedonia." "My grandfather was a Christian rebel." "After the failed uprising against the Turks, he fled to Bulgaria." "And now the circle is complete:" "Here I am, returning as a liberator!" "We may even be related." "Balkan business:" "Either we're cousins or we're enemies." "Cheers!" " Cheers." "I've told my superiors about everything you've done for our cause." " Thank you." "I've also recommended they help you start your own paper." "Thank you so much." "You should thank your talent, and try not to waste it." "I believe I invest my utmost..." "You do, you do... but sometimes you invest in the wrong things." "You're playing against Levski on Sunday, right?" " Right." "Who would have thought it?" "Such a small team in the finals, playing for the title..." "Right?" " Right." "A telegram for you." "From Mr. Batembergski, our Minister of Sport." "So...?" " So, a chicken cannot defeat an eagle!" "Abandon those idiotic dreams of winning the cup." "What you've achieved so far is enough!" "I thought that football was an honest game." "Maybe it is, but we're dealing with something else here." "Your career..." "among other things." "We won't do any dribbling or kicking today." "You know that better than I do." "Do you remember those Charlie Chaplin movies we used to watch before the war?" "There was one where he volunteered as a sparring partner in a boxing ring." "The guy he challenged was a real giant." "So Charlie hid a horseshoe in his boxing glove..." "Remember that one?" "The entire world knows that a man's real power doesn't lie in his size but in his heart and mind." "Tomorrow you are facing the royal champions." "Everybody will be against you:" "a great team, the referees, the authorities..." "This whole football thing has become more than just a game." "I wish you all that you deserve." "What about you?" "Garvanoff's new order:" "I am not allowed anywhere near the stadium anymore." "This was my last lecture." "Today is the most important day in my life and they want me to give it all up!" "I heard the news from the front." "The Russians are fighting back, forcing our allies to retreat." "I refuse to believe that." "I can't imagine the world under their rule!" "Well, it's too late to change sides now." "Mr. Pavlov..." "She can't hear you anymore." "I know." "Here comes the radio!" "Here comes civilization!" "Good morning to all sport fans throughout the kingdom!" "We are broadcasting live from the Skopje city stadium, awaiting the beginning of the final match between Macedonia and Levski." "This is the championship game." "A fight that will decide who raises the trophy cup!" "A fight that will crown the new champion of our great state!" "The Macedonia team runs onto the pitch: we see the goalie" "Metodiy Tsrnchev, then Dragan Panchev, Petar Rafailov," "Fidan Zelenikov, Michail Tomov, Yordan Popov, Onur Polat," "Tsanko Saramzaliev and Kosta Simeonov together with Teophil Perchukliski." "Their coach, who we cannot see at the moment, is Rudolph Spitz." "After saluting the flags, the team captains approach the referee." "The Macedonia players prepare for kick- off..." "We won the kick off!" " What are they kicking?" "The balls boss!" "Our guys kick first." "And how am I supposed to know such vocabulary?" "This is the first match I've heard in my life!" "The crowd's in a state of delirium!" "The whole stadium is shaking!" "The delegates of the Ministry of Sport greet the players." "Now the referee gives the signal and the match is underway!" "That's a foul!" "There's no doubt that's a foul." "I didn't even touch him..." "Referee, when are you going to whistle for a foul?" "When he pulls his arm off?" "Panchev is calling for a foul, but apparently there's no foul." "Dimitriy, you should call for a foul..." "A masterpiece!" "What a sumptuous kick but the goalie Tsrnchev blocks this wonderful shot." "Good, Africa!" "It seems that Saramzaliev is faking a serious injury..." "Do something, Dimitriy!" " We're getting thrashed here!" "Shoot!" "Shoot!" "Give us more rakiya!" "Wait, wait..." "It's been disallowed!" "It's not right!" "Smack him!" "Smack the bastard..." "Don't just sit there, Dimitriy!" "Do something!" "Don't let them destroy you!" "Keep it together!" "A new attack from Levski:" "Jutto moves forward and makes a pass to Spasov who's all alone in the penalty area..." "Offside!" "Kick him in the shins!" "And it's a goal!" "Levski end the first half with a one-nil lead!" "Every match has two halves..." "Wow!" "Look who's here." "Dimitriy!" "Come to spin the yarn about the Olympic Games again?" "Or have you sold your team in the meantime?" "I brought this one to remind me that I'm neither Chaplin nor King David." "I'm just nobody and I have no clue how to use it." "But it might bring good luck to you." "Now, run!" "Now give your best and more!" "Remember what we said at trainings:" "combine, change speed, then run back." "All together in defense." "Teamwork is the first priority!" "And above all, believe in what you're doing!" "Spread it wide!" "Spread the game..." "Go, go, go!" "Now it's becoming serious." "Play faster!" "Faster!" "Shoot!" "Shoot!" "Macedonia Levski, one-all." "But it's not over yet, we've got more to do..." "And that's a foul in the penalty area!" "Panchev protests and his entire team protest, but..." "The referee sends off the Macedonia player Panchev and calls for a penalty kick for Levski!" "Are you nuts?" "!" "But why?" "Why?" "Sorry, Lenin..." "Just this once." "The clock is ticking." "Is there still time for more dramatic developments?" "Five minutes left." " Give up!" "No use in having a horseshoe in our locker room if we've got no luck on the field." "It's not about luck, Yordan, we need" "Damn it!" "A horseshoe." "That's what we need!" "You have to stretch the rules..." "Sceptic!" "Over here!" "...to create magic on the pitch." "That's what we need:" "A hidden horseshoe!" "Here's the plan:" "Everybody on the left side except for Skeptic!" "But Kosta they're invincible on the left side..." "Just shut up and believe me, Sceptic!" "Just believe in it!" "Get ready to run..." "Come on!" "Pass it over..." "He can't strike!" "But he can run!" "Sprint, Skeptic!" "Run!" "And that's the end of the match, Macedonia versus Levski two-one!" "Unbelievable!" "A provincial club becoming the imperial champions during the last minute of the game." "Spitz!" "Spitz!" "Spitz!" "My dear friends, football players, Mr. President..." "This place, which has been a sanctuary for this young couple, and a true haven to the rest of you, playing here like kids..." "I've traveled all over Europe, avoiding evil people..." "But no place in the world deserves to be called home as much as this little locker room." "Here's to our coach!" " To Rudolph Spitz!" "There you are!" "Good morning." "What's happening?" "The Old must be torn down to make way for the New." "Our Prime Minister Filov and his Government guarantee the safety of your lives and your property..." "According to the Law for National Protection, persons of Jewish descent are to be defined as "those whose parents are Jewish, those whose parents are Jewish and converted to Christianity, those born in a Jewish-Christian marriage," "and those born in a Jewish-Muslim marriage."" "I saw Zahariev, the neighbor." "He works for the police." "He says they're sending us to Bulgaria as forced labor." "Why?" "Have they run out of Jews in Bulgaria?" "I heard that 43 members of the Bulgarian Parliament have signed a proclamation against this deportation." "By the time the word gets here, all of us will already be gone." "Gone?" "Gone where?" " I wish I knew, Pepo." "We will be remembered as barbarians." "Barbarians?" "Don't be pathetic, Pavlov." "Barbarians are like primitive organisms:" "they prey_ devour, and afterwards they fart..." "Barbaric tribes have no need for ideology, no visions of racial unity, no dreams of a better society, and no sophisticated system for mass purification." "A primitive mind would never be able to conceive or execute such a complex idea as ours." "The action you're witnessing today," "Pavlov, presents the zenith of civilized man!" "Loyalty to the new order cannot be proven by wearing silk gloves." "It's time for you to take sides." "I have to bring them water..." "The only food they get is salted fish." "And when they get thirsty, the guards ask for money for water." " You mustn't go there!" "Papa doesn't have any money." "It was all left in the bank!" "You mustn't go!" "Someone might recognize you." "Nobody remembers me anymore!" " Why did you put that on?" "I've got to go, Kosta." "Every bird with its own flock." "What else can I do?" "My people have renounced me." "I belong to no one." " You belong to me!" "You're my wife." "You?" "They sent you?" "Garvanoff has a sick sense of humor." "Raphael Cohen." "Cohen!" "Raphael Cohen!" "You've got two minutes." "My name is Kostadin." "I live with your daughter." "Rebecca sends you this." "She wanted to deliver it in person, but I locked her up in the locker-room." "She cried!" "begging me to let her out..." "But it's too dangerous." "So, that's it." "Take it." "Come on, take it." "Rebecca is pregnant." "We're going to have a baby." "So... you've locked her up?" "Smart move." "I did the same once, but it did no good." "She ran away with you." "For the baby." "A gift from grandpa." "This is my father, Shimon." "And my sisters..." "And this is me and Rebecca's mother when we were young." "What was her name?" "Hannah." "She was..." "Very beautiful." "That's all that's left of my whole life." "We'll look after them until you come back." "Let's not kid each other boy." "I'm not coming back." "Tell my daughter... things didn't work out my way." "My world is falling apart." "It's your turn now!" "Look after yourself, boy." "Look after yourself..." "Don Raphael." "The Ministry of Sport has annulled the National league finals." "Levski have been declared the new champions following the formal award of a three-nil victory against Macedonia." "And here is the weather forecast: partly cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon." "We continue our broadcast with popular music..." "On a day like this, many years ago, it was my birthday." "My father surprised me with a gift, my first football." "I couldn't take my eyes off it." "I took it everywhere, even to the outhouse on our family farm." "When I pulled down my trousers, the ball slipped away, and fell right into a pile of shit." "A shiny ball sinking into shit..." "When I think about it now, it seems like this event determined my entire life." "I'm frightened, Dimitriy!" "The Italians are behind those mountains." "They don't persecute your people." "If you can make it over there, you're saved." "And what about you?" "Hurry, Rudolph!" "Didn't you hear the forecast?" "It's going to rain!" "Please... run." "I shall be brief." "I am the town commander and you are the talk of my town." "A regiment" "A regiment of German soldiers on furlough from Stalingrad is staying at our military hospital." "They've heard about you and expressed a desire to play a friendly match." "Let them win!" "How do we let them win?" "By losing the match, that's how!" "Is it clearer now?" "After all, it's only a game!" "I have a daughter." "Hannah..." "Born four hours ago." "She has a beautiful head and the tiniest baby feet." "Listen!" "I don't care who beats who tomorrow." "I finally know what I want in life..." "I want Hannah to live!" "They're gone!" "What do you mean "They're gone"?" "!" "So, they never played again?" "No." "Only a hand-full of us returned from the war." "And then, my dear, your great-grandfather and I decided to move first to Israel, then to" "America." "Got used to new life over there and never returned to Macedonia." "So why did you return now?" "Here we meet again, Dad..." "Remember me?" "Your little daughter who listened to her heart and ran away from you." "Both you and the man I loved have been dead for many years now." "I'm going to join you soon.. ." "But before I die, there's something I'd like to show you." "These are my sons and daughters, their husbands and wives, my grandchildren and their children..." "They are the fruit of my betrayal and the descendant of your blood." "They are my proof that a woman can score as well..." "I won the game, papa!" "marty.93"