Umut Baltic first walked into Grbavica in 2022. Two years later, work brought the German photographer back to Sarajevo to live, and a growing connection with FK Željezničar followed.
Working for the German Foreign Office, Umut has previously lived in Berlin and Tehran, with shorter periods in Nairobi and Brussels. Sarajevo offered something different: a smaller city, a strong sense of community and a football culture woven closely into everyday life.
That connection comes through strongly in his photographs from the Sarajevo derby – also known as the Eternal Derby – between Željezničar and FK Sarajevo, a rivalry whose roots stretch back to the immediate post-war years. On this occasion, Željo won 2–0 at Grbavica.
Shot during an evening game in very low light, Umut’s photographs are moody and atmospheric. They move between the intensity of the stands, emotion written across supporters’ faces and the action on the pitch. Darkness, floodlights and pockets of colour heighten the atmosphere, working naturally with Umut’s photographic style to capture the tension and feeling of derby night.
But beyond the rivalry and spectacle, his attention repeatedly returns to the people around him: families, supporters and different generations sharing the same spaces at Grbavica.
For Umut, that is where the significance of the football lies.
Finding Željo
“My connection with Željezničar began in 2022, when I attended my first match at Grbavica. Two years later, I moved to Sarajevo for work.
“As someone passionate about sports photography, I contacted several local clubs. Željo was the first one that gave me the opportunity. Since then, a connection has developed.
“The love for Željo is passed down through generations.”
Umut Baltic
“What fascinates me most is the community around the club. At Grbavica, you see grandparents with their grandchildren, fathers with their sons, and very often mothers with their daughters. The love for Željo is passed down through generations.
“For me, these photographs show more than football. They are about family, tradition and belonging.”
Life in Sarajevo
“I moved to Sarajevo in 2024 for work.
“I work for the German Foreign Office, which brought me here as a diplomat.
“Before that, I lived in Berlin and Tehran, with shorter periods also in Nairobi and Brussels.
“Sarajevo feels very personal. It’s a small city where many people know each other.
“The people are warm, honest and direct, and there is a strong sense of community.
“After living in much bigger cities, I really enjoy that closeness.”
A City Split in Two
“Football is everywhere in Sarajevo.
“At work, at school or among friends, as soon as football comes up, the city splits in two: you are either Željo or FK Sarajevo.
“There is almost nothing in between.
“This connection to the club is often passed down through generations, from grandparents to parents to children.”
That relationship between club, family and city runs throughout Umut’s photographs.
The Sarajevo derby provides the noise and intensity, but the quieter details matter just as much: different generations arriving together, familiar faces around the stands and a football club functioning as part of the community surrounding it.
For Umut, Grbavica has become somewhere to photograph, but also somewhere through which to understand Sarajevo.
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