FK Obilić
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| FC Obilić | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Fudbalski klub Obilić | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Vitezi (The Knights) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1924 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Miloš Obilić Stadium , Belgrade |
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| Capacity | 4,508 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Svetlana Ražnatović |
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| Manager | Marjan Živković |
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| League | Prva Liga Telekom Srbija | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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FC Obilić (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Обилић) is a footbal club located in Belgrade, Serbia. The club was named after a legendary Serbian medieval hero Miloš Obilić. The club's stadium is also named accordingly to venerate the Serbian knight it is called the Miloš Obilić Stadium with capacity of just over 4,500. The team was founded in 1924 and is recognized as one of the oldest football clubs in Serbia. FC Obilić is one of several football clubs in Belgrade that have not been able to reach the same status of the two Belgrade giants. The two clubs being former world champion FC Red Star and FC Partizan. However, it should be noted that no other team in Serbia has come as close to reaching that legendary status then FC Obilić.
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[edit] FC Obilić in Europe
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995/96 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | Q | Georgia | Dinamo Batumi | 0-1, 2-2 |
| 1998/99 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q | Iceland | ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar | 2-0, 2-1 |
| 1998/99 | UEFA Champions League | 2Q | Germany | Bayern München | 0-4, 1-1 |
- Q = Qualifying Match
- 1Q = First Qualifying Round
- 2Q = Second Qualifying Round
[edit] Accomplishments
Champions of Yugoslavia
- 1998
Yugoslav Cup Runners Up
- 1995, 1998
[edit] History
The Beginning of the Club
FC Obilić began competing competitively in the Belgrade Football Federation during the 1925/26 season one year after the club was founded. Belgrade's committee was very well organized and was divided into three grades. Obilić enjoyed early success and moved to the first grade by the 1928/29 season. Obilić would stay amongst the top having finished second once and third three times. This continued until World War II which dramatically changed Yugoslav Football.
During World War II there was a newly formed league that consisted of ten clubs, and the competition ran from 1941-1944 under very specific circumstances. Obilić's placement in that league was standardly 3rd, right behind the famous Belgrade clubs "BSK" and "SK 1913".
Obilić During SFRJ
After World War II the name "Obilić" was banned by the communist party which had just taken over Yugoslavia. FC Obilić with no other alternative was forced to change the name of the club and they decided to name the club "FC Čuburac". The next big event in the club's history occurred in 1952 when FC Čuburac and FC Šumadija combined and they renamed this new club under the previous name "Obilić" after the government had changed its mind about the name and finally let them use the historic Serbian name.
Obilić took slow steps to get to higher and higher in the ranks. Starting from 1952 Obilić played in the Second Belgrade Division. In 1972/73 Obilić had finally won the Second Belgrade Division and made the jump to the First Belgrade Division. There they stayed until Obilić placed fourth in the Belgrade zone league in 1981/82 to move up the Second League of Serbia. Proving that this result was accurate the following season saw Obilić win the league and move up the First League of Serbia. This was a huge moment for the club finally leaving the small regional leagues and moving up to more of what European football is known for. After several seasons Obilić earned the right to go to the Third Yugoslav League. Obilić would now get to play teams from all across Yugoslavia. In that third division Obilić would stay until the civil war that tore the former Yugoslavia apart.
After the Civil War
After the civil war in Yugoslavia all phases of life were affected including football. The Football Association of Yugoslavia had lost many clubs. Because of this many clubs moved up the chain. FC Obilić was placed in the Second National League. It took Obilić only two years to make it to the First National League Group B. They started in 1993/94 and started to show that they had potential. The very next season FC Obilić reached the final of the Yugoslav Cup eventually loosing to Red Star over two legs in the final. With a very stable financial situation and a shining future many people saw that FC Obilić was a sound investment.
The Arkan Years
In June of 1996 Željko Ražnatović better known as Arkan took over Obilić which he soon turned into a top calibre club. With Arkan now in charge of the club, FC Obilić finally clawed their way to the top of Yugoslavian Football and made it to the top flight. They were right there with cross-town powerhouse's Partizan and Red Star. The next season was FC Obilić's inaugaral in the top they not only proved that they were a team that deserved to be there but that they were amongst the elite. FC Obilić went on to become the Champions of Yugoslavia in one of the most remarkable seasons ever seen in Yugoslav Football. Even more incredible was the fact that it was the first time Obilić was ever in the top division. With the Championship FC Obilić became the first and still to this day only team to take a Championship away from Red Star and Partizan since the breakup of Yugoslavia. The feat was remarkable and caught the attention of many footballing fans all over the world. The once tiny Obilić had taken the coveted championship of Yugoslavia. Red Star just eight years earlier was World Champion and Partizan was always a team that other European teams feared. Both Red Star and Partizan were known all over Europe as classy teams and both clubs were left scratching their heads. FC Obilić's championship in 1997/98 is widely considered by many as one of the most shocking upsets not only in Yugoslav football but sports in general.
However this feat unlike most came with great controversy. According to a book by Franklin Foer, "How Football Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization", Arkan threatened players on opposing teams if they scored against Obilić.
This threat was underlined by the thousands of veterans from his army that filled their home ground, chanting threats, and on occasion pointing pistols at opposition players during matches. One player told the British football magazine Four-Four-Two that he was locked in a garage when his team played Obilić. The Union of European Football Associations prohibited Obilić from participation in Europe because of its connections. As a result, Arkan stepped away from the position of president and gave his seat to his wife Svetlana Ražnatović better known by her nickname "Ceca" on July, 25 1998. Ceca held on to the role for a short period and decided that it wasn't something she was interested in. Ceca then gave the seat away to Žarko Nikolić who held the title for about a year. Ceca then suddenly had a change of heart and on August 14, 2000 became the president of the club once more. Many people have questioned why Ceca wanted to become the president again after clearly showing signs that the team was not a priority to her. Many believe that the death of Arkan earlier in the year had something to do with her decision. Ceca has never publicly stated why she got involved with the club again.
Fall from grace
After Arkan handed the reigns over to his wife Obilić saw a decline in everything. The club that forced Europe to take notice slowly became a distant memory. The team that was beginning to gain support from football fans in Belgrade lost a significant number overnight. The team which seemed to be a great partner suddenly saw almost all of the sponsors leave. The teams results reflected the situation. Many felt that Ceca was the source of most of the problems. She often appeared at matches in fur coats and imposed strict monetary punishments on players who performed poorly as Obilić, was sinking on the rankings table.
When Miljan Miljanić stepped down from his presidential post at the Football Association of Yugoslavia in September 2001, the press jokingly cheered Ceca's election for the post campaigning that they would have the most beautiful president. However, former Crvena Zvezda player, Dragan Stojković known lovingly by his nickname Piksi was elected to the post.
Meanwhile Obilić went from Yugoslav Champions in 98 to still top club until 2001/02. This was the last time that Obilić would be considered a top club in Yugoslavia finishing an impressive fourth place. The next season FC Obilić fell to the status of mediocore and went down to seventh. The next season they were still considered average even though they managed to move up the rankings and get sixth. The 2004/05 season saw Obilić fall outside of the top ten for the first time since its first arrival to the First League. Finally the end of the line Obilić was sent down to the Prva Liga Telekom Srbija after the 2005/06 season. Obilić finished 15th with only three wins the entire season.
[edit] Current Status
FC Obilić is currently competing in the second division and performing poorly. The club is in last place and the status of the club is almost unbelievable. It is very clear that president Ceca really has no desire to pursue any kind of success. Fans are outraged and mad at management and many have found new clubs to cheer for. Many of the former talented players, coaches, trainers were sold and performing well elsewhere. The Vitezi (Obilić Fans) can only sit back and wonder what could have been. Many people in Serbia wonder how the team could have fallen so far down in such short time. It is very clear that Arkan had a desire to reach the top and that the same can't be said for his wife. Looking at the official website of the club is a good indicator of how much effort is being put into the club now. The site hasn't been updated in about five years and it is a clear sign that Ceca has no intention of working hard for the club. Obilić is expected to be droped to the third league next season baring a miracle. Many speculations have arisen that Ceca might decide to sell the club no official word by Ceca has been released yet.
