More than football: Crvena stijena visits NK Peroj, the club of the oldest Montenegrin enclave in the world

The Peroj football club in Croatia was formed by the oldest Montenegrin emigrant enclave in the world.

Back in 1657, during the Venetian Republic, about 15 Montenegrin families, mostly from Crmnica, waited for five years for their turn to board a ship in Kotor and reach the Istrian coast.

The town of Peroj, not far from Pula, was settled by Montenegrins who, from generation to generation - and for 369 years - have preserved and maintained the awareness of their Montenegrin origins and identity.

That's why the friendly football match that Podgorica's third league team, Crvena stijena from Tološ, played against NK Peroj was much more than football.

On the newly built pitch in Peroj, the dreams of lower league players collided last weekend - two stories connected by a common space, history and love for football and Montenegro met.

It was the same two years ago, when NK Peroj visited Crvena stijena, and now the Tološans returned the visit.

"I have to highlight Dejan Popović, our former football player, a man whose father played for Crvena stijena, whose son played for Crvena stijena. He has maintained a connection with the Montenegrins from Peroj for years and he is definitely the one most responsible for their visit to us two years ago, when we established lasting ties and strengthened our friendship," said Šajo Mrvaljević, president of Crvena stijena, who led the Tološan expedition to Croatia.

Last week, NK Peroj returned the hospitality: a friendly match was played, and a new stadium was opened.

The Croatian fourth division team leads the Istrian County Football League standings and could find itself in the third tier of Croatian football next season.

And at the new stadium, which the Crvena Stijena football players had the honor of opening.

"The impressions are incredible, they welcomed us as if we were their own. We felt welcome at literally every step. From the club president Nenad Štokovac - Šulc, to literally every resident of Peroj, everyone was at our service," says Mrvaljević, who cannot help but mention, as he states, the lack of feeling of certain institutions for such a meeting.

"We contacted the Ministry of Diaspora, the Croatian Embassy as well. They didn't even have the ear to answer us. Only the Football Association of Montenegro, the president of the region, Risto Lakić, came to our aid. If it weren't for their help, we probably wouldn't have even gone on the trip. That's why we owe them a great debt of gratitude."

Last year, a delegation from Crvena stijena and the Association of Clubs FSCG - Center also visited the Football Club Njegoš - a club of the Montenegrin Association from Lovćenac, in Serbia.

An interesting idea was born in Peroj.

"If a tournament were played every year - triangular, Peroj, Lovćenac and Crvena stijena. Everyone would take turns hosting. I hope the idea will be realized, it would be phenomenal," concluded Mrvaljević.