More than 20 years ago, the idea took shape among friends Dejan Poljak and Božidar Jadvrijević Mladar to initiate a process declaring Trilj and its settlement of Gardun, known in ancient times as Tilurion, the seat of the Seventh Legion, and the entire Cetina region as the cradle of football. The idea became, for the two friends, a life’s mission.
Dejan and Božidar believe they possess a powerful and irrefutable argument for 'stealing' the prestigious title of the birthplace of the game of football from the English. The evidence is a stele depicting the Roman boy Gai Laberius holding a ball. The stele was found in the area of Tilurion, but was later moved by an unknown person to Sinj, where it was embedded in the facade of a house on Vrhova Street. Local residents refer to the building as the house of Roman Perkov.
The association, known as PKD Gai Laberius, was established 21 years ago. Within the association, two military units were formed: a Roman legion and a Dalmatian cohort, structured in the same way as the Roman and Dalmatian military units of the first century. Dejan serves as the president of the association, while Božidar is the chief logistics officer.
A large number of steles have been found across the area of the Mediterranean and the Balkan Peninsula, on which figures of children, adult men, and women are depicted holding a sphere. The closest known stele to us is located in the National Museum in Sarajevo, on which a girl named Aurelia is depicted holding a sphere. Unlike the spheres on other Roman monuments, on this stele the boy Gai is depicted holding a ball made of regular shapes connected by pieces of skin.
In the 1969 edition of the FIFA bulletin, a comprehensive study by the amateur archaeologist Josip Bep was published regarding the stele of Gai and the ball he holds. Following the publication, the English reacted strongly, protesting and creating a significant stir, which led to the withdrawal of the statement by FIFA. Poljk believes that recognition must first be achieved at the national level, that the Croatian public should be made aware of Gardun as the cradle of football, and that the association's arguments, which are irrefutable, should be acknowledged.
Within the PKD Gai, military units of Roman legionaries and a Dalmatian cohort were formed, with which they perform at various historical military events. Each legionary uniform costs approximately 2,500 euros, while the uniforms for the members of the Dalmatian cohort are slightly cheaper, at around 2,000 euros. The legion consists of 18 members. At the head of the legion is Emperor Claudius (represented by Damir Banić), and the empress is his fourth wife, Agrippina (represented by Marijana Bilon). The centurion or commander of the legion is Robert Santo. The standard-bearer is Domagoj Križan, the standard-bearer of the legion is Ivan Bašić, and the standard-bearer of the legion is Stjepan Vukasović. For the photo, the colleagues dressed in the legion's uniform: Branimir Tomić, Ante Matković, and Siniša Romac.
At the head of the cohort are King Hrothgar (represented by Ante Vuk) and Queen Teuta (represented by Danja Lakić Budimir). The standard-bearer of the cohort is Danijela Vuč, the standard-bearer of the cohort is Marija Mand, and the standard-bearer of the cohort is Danijela Radović, who holds the document in which the Roman Emperor Claudius and the Roman Empire, in the first century, granted Dalmatia.
