| Grbavica | |
|---|---|
| Valley of Cups | |
| Location | Zvornicka ulica, Grbavica, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Built | 1949-1953 |
| Opened | 13 September 1953 |
| Renovated | 25 April 1976 |
| Expanded | 1986 |
| Owner | FK Željezničar Sarajevo |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 20,841 |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 66 m (114.8 x 72.2 yd) |
| Tenants | |
| FK Željezničar Sarajevo (1953-1968, 1976-present) | |
Grbavica Stadium is located in Grbavica, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The football stadium has terraces close to the pitch and it is the home of FK Željezničar. The stadium has a capacity to hold 12,000 spectators, with 9,000 places that are seated. It is also known as the "Valley of Cups".
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The building of the football ground in Grbavica started during late 1940s by SD Željezničar. Although there were several football pitches with bleachers and stands in Sarajevo at the time (including the freshly built Koševo Stadium), it was decided by communist authorities that Željezničar should have its own playing facility. Many of the club's supporters, friends, and members, including a number Yugoslav People's Army personnel helped in the construction of the stadium. Unlike Koševo that was a large-scale project with generous state support through funds and manpower, Grbavica had a lot fewer people working on it and as a result took much longer to complete. A new pitch with a drainage system was built and the stands were built with concrete. The south and east side were made out of concrete, while wooden stands that were taken from the Marijin Dvor ground that was torn down, got placed on the west side. At first, Grbavica was a multi-use stadium. Competitions in cycling and athletics were organized, as well as football matches. Eventually its use became football only. It was officially opened on September 13, 1953 with the Yugoslav Second League western division match between Željezničar and Šibenik. Željezničar won 4-1.
In 1968 renovations on the stadium began and on April 25, 1976 Grbavica got re-opened. About 50,000 cubic meters of materials were used, and the floodlights were installed. Two training pitches and the "little sports stadium" were added, as well as new dressing rooms, showers and other important facilities. The Đurasović family were the first donors.
In 1986 a proper northern stand was finally built. There were plans for the whole stadium to be remodeled and encircled to look like the newly built north stand, but they got shelved for the time being. As a result of the renovations, in October 1987, Yugoslav national football team (coached at the time by Željo legend Ivica Osim) played its first ever match at the stadium. In a Euro 88 qualification clash versus Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia won 3-0.
The stadium suffered heavy structural damage during the Bosnian War that brok out in 1992. The stadium was located between the first front lines and endured heavy fighting. Bosnian Serbs' forces burned the wooden terraces. It was not until 1996 that a football match would be played here again. Symbolically, the first match after the war was the local derby.
It was partly remodelled in following years, the last time being in 2004. There are new proposals for a major overhaul of the current facilities. The new project proposes the creation of new roofed terraces on each side, and the increase of the capacity to 24,000 seated places. Other facilities such as a training ground near the stadium are proposed. These new proposals are still waiting financial backing.
The stadium is located in the Grbavica neighbourhood, under the Šanac hill on which the railway tracks were. When the train was passing over the stadium, it would sound it's horn to salute the crowd. Nowadays, the old railway is no longer in use. There are however trolleybuses that pass by the stadium and visitors are able to come to the stadium with other modes of public transportation as well. The tram is also very close and most of the lines stop near the Socijalno station, which is some 300 meters from the stadium.
By far the most notable match played at the stadium was the 1984-85 UEFA Cup semifinal return leg on 24 April 1985 between Željezničar and Hungarian visitors Videoton FC from Székesfehérvár. Videoton brought a 1-3 advantage from the first leg, however, the home side fought valiantly in front of the racous home crowd and was 2-0 ahead on goals by Edin Bahtić in the 5th and Edin Ćurić in the 62nd minute. Just a few minutes from the end, Željo still had a result that would see it take on mighty Real Madrid in the UEFA Cup final. However, disaster struck in the 87th minute when Videoton right back József Csuhay snuck in unmarked and scored a goal for 2-1 that took his team to the final and saw Željezničar's hopes dashed in the cruelest of fashions.
| Date | Result | Competition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 October 1987 | Yugoslavia | 3-0 | Northern Ireland | Euro 88 qualifying |
| 27 March 2002 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4-4 | Macedonia | Friendly |
| 10 August 2010 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1-1 | Qatar | Friendly |
As part of the 90th birthday celebration for the FK Zeljeznicar, on November 8 2011 the team welcomed a full strength national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina and played a friendly that finished 1:2 in favor of the visitors. Scorer for the national team was Vedad Ibisevic with two goals. Scorer for FK Zeljeznicar was Mirsad Bešlija. [1]
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