[1] For the past 20 years the match had attracted tens of thousands of partisan fans, even as Kosovo remained in political and sporting limbo following its war of independence from what is now Serbia between 1997 and 1998.

[2] In 1995, the last stage of the championship of the Kosovo Superleague 1994/95, the main players of the Drita were dissatisfied with the leaders of the club, respectively with the treatment they had, so they split from Drita and created a new club in the city of Gjilan, which was originally called Gjilan '95[3] Until 1999, when the Kosovo War ended, this game was difficult to develop because the Serbian government did not allow Albanians to play at the stadiums.

Intelektualët believe that SC Gjilani was founded in 1995 only after they inherited the FK Crvena Zvezda Gnjilane that was founded in 1945, Crvena Zvezda Gnjilane is accused by Intelektualët as a Serb nationalist club.

[4] Drita, in the 1997–98 championship was a great team wherever in Kosovo and in many sporting games, the meetings started but it was difficult to name the fans.

A few days before the game is played, the tensions between the two groups increase, where there have been mass incidents between them.