A story about Balkan bullfighting wouldn't be complete without a piece of Yugoslav history. In early October 1971, a real Spanish bullfight was held in Belgrade at the Tašmajdan stadium. If you tell this to Spaniards, they'll definitely not believe you. They'll insist that bullfighting never leaves Spain. Then you can show them this color (!) video. The clip is quite brutal. If you're not ready to watch bulls being killed, it's better not to open it.

By the early 1970s, Spain was opening up to the world and there were many who wanted to build relations. Tito attended a Mexican bullfight in the late 1960s, which impressed him greatly. So he decided that inviting the most renowned matador would kill two birds with one stone. They also brought 12 healthy bulls from Spanish Galicia. Not all Belgraders were happy with the idea. Nevertheless, tickets sold for a good price: 100-200 dinars (in 1971, a dollar was worth about 17 dinars). And up to 5,000 people came to the stadium. However, local spectators weren't particularly moved by the ritualistic killing. As newspapers report (here or here or here), people were rooting for the bulls more than the matadors. After the first animal's death, instead of joyful cheers, deafening silence fell over the stadium.

I've heard the bulls were eaten right there on the stadium. But at most I found mentions that nearby restaurants offered dishes made from the tails of the fallen animals. And clearly there was some corruption involved. Though maybe I just didn't search well enough.

Whether all this helped improve relations between the countries is also not entirely clear :)