FK Sarajevo

FK Sarajevo

Full name	Fudbalski klub Sarajevo
Nickname(s)	Bordo-bijeli (The Maroon-Whites) Divovi (The Giants)
Founded	24 October 1946 (1946-10-24)
Ground	Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium
Ground Capacity	37,500 [1]
Owner	Vincent Tan
President	Edis Kusturica
Head coach	Miodrag Ješić
League	Premier League
2014–15	Premier League, 1st
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Fudbalski klub Sarajevo (English: Sarajevo Football Club) is a Bosnian professional football club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is one of the most successful clubs in the country. Founded on 24 October 1946, FK Sarajevo was the most successful club from SR Bosnia in former SFR Yugoslavia, winning two Yugoslav First League titles, being runners-up on two other occasions and finishing 6th in that competition's all-time table.^[2] FK Sarajevo was the only major football club founded by the post-war Yugoslav authorities in the city of Sarajevo. The club entered the Yugoslav First League in the 1948–49 season, and eventually competed in all but two seasons in the top tier.

Today, FK Sarajevo is one of the most prominent members of the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it has won three Bosnian championships, five Bosnian Cups and one Bosnian Supercup. It is ranked second in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina all-time table. FK Sarajevo is one of the two most popular football clubs in the country, alongside FK Željezničar, with whom it shares a strong rivalry that manifests itself in the Sarajevo derby.

Since December 2013, FK Sarajevo is owned by Malaysian businessman, investor and Chairman of Berjaya Group, Vincent Tan.

History

Origins

FK Sarajevo was established on 24 October 1946 as the result of a merger between local Sarajevo football clubs Udarnik (Vanguard) and Sloboda (Liberty).^[3] The club first appeared on the Yugoslav sports scene in 1946 under the name SD Torpedo that represented an hommage to Torpedo Moscow. The first Chairman of the newly founded club was Safet Džinović, while the positions of vice-chairmen were granted to Vojo Marković and Alojz Stanarević respectively. Furthermore, Josip Bulat was named manager.^[4] The newly formed team, which inherited the results and league standings of Udarnik, was joined by selected players from both Udarnik and Sloboda. Namely, Hodžić, Vlajičić, Šarenkapa, Pauković, Fizović, Konjević, Radović, Viđen and Mustagrudić from the former, and Mantula, Glavočević, Tošić, Pecelj, Novo, Strinić, Đ. Lovrić and Alajbegović from the latter. The team played its first match on 3 November 1946. Another historical assembly was held on 5 October 1947 when it was decided, on the proposal of then editor of the popular daily newspaper Oslobođenje, Mirko Ostojić, that the club name shall be changed to SDM Sarajevo, before it was finally changed to the current name in 1949. In September 1948 SDM Sarajevo was joined by Yugoslav footballing legend, Miroslav Brozović, who brought in a largely needed level of experience to the new team. The Mostar native previously wore the black and white jersey of FK Partizan, as well as captaining the Yugoslav national team. Brozović was offered the position of player-manager which he accepted, turning his attentions to promoting the team to the Yugoslav First League.^[5] FK Sarajevo first entered the top-flight Yugoslav First League after eliminating Belgrade club Sloga. They drew the first match 3:3 in Novi Sad, but then won the second match 5:1 in Sarajevo. The team were relegated after their first season in the First League, but were promoted back to the top-tier in 1950. From then on FK Sarajevo played in every season of the First League apart from 1957 to 1958. The club's first taste of European competitions began during the 1960s when it took part in the 1960 Mitropa Cup^[6] and the 1961–63 Balkans Cup,^[7] while the first serious European competition the club took part in was the 1962–63 Intertoto Cup.^[8]

First championship generation

1966–67 Yugoslav First League table (top 3 only):

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Sarajevo !Sarajevo (C)	30	18	6	6	51	29	+22	42	1967–68 European Cup
2	Dinamo Zagreb !Dinamo Zagreb	30	15	10	5	42	21	+21	40
3	Partizan !Partizan	30	14	10	6	52	28	+24	38

A key player for Sarajevo in their early years was legendary striker Asim Ferhatović, nicknamed Hase, who played for the club from 1952 to 1967. In 1963–64, he was top scorer in the First League with nineteen goals,^[9] while the club finished fourth. The following year the club finished second (to Partizan Belgrade).^[10]

Sarajevo won their first Yugoslav First League title in 1966–67, becoming the first national champions from Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[10] Sarajevo started the historic season with Brozović at the helm of the coaching staff. The team had a dream start with back to back wins against FK Sutjeska Nikšić and their city rivals FK Željezničar. This was followed by a draw against the European Cup runners-up, FK Partizan, in which Sarajevo squandered an early lead. With seven points from their first three fixtures, Sarajevo was still not considered a title favorite, but that was to change after Brozović’s boys returned from the Dalmatian coast with a win against Hajduk Split. Four days later Sarajevo beat NK Olimpija 2:1 at a sold out Koševo stadium. Hard earned wins against HNK Rijeka and Red Star Belgrade followed, and by the winter break Sarajevo had won 14 out of their first 20 league fixtures, finishing the year at pole position. The team opened the second part of the season away to Dinamo Zagreb in the last sixteen of the Yugoslav Cup winning 1:0 courtesy of a Boško Antić stunner. In the quarterfinals Sarajevo got the better of FK Napredak, but eventually lost in the Cup final to Hajduk Split, played at the Stari plac stadium on May 24.^[11] The team was quickly back to winning ways, defeating Red Star Belgrade at the Marakana 3:1 with two goals by Antić and one by Prodanović. A week later OFK Belgrade was defeated with the same margin, but a shock defeat to FK Vojvodina in Novi Sad brought Dinamo Zagreb on level points with three games to go. FK Vardar was defeated next thanks to a Musemić brace, while Dinamo dropped points in Rijeka. In the last league fixture of the season Sarajevo hosted NK Čelik in front of 30,000 spectators and went on to win 5:2, bringing home the club's first league title. The league triumph qualified Sarajevo to the 1967–68 European Cup, where they played their first tie against Cypriots Olympiakos Nicosia, winning 5:3 on aggregate.^[12] In the second round (one round short of the quarter-finals), Sarajevo was knocked out 2:1 on aggregate by eventual champions Manchester United of England, despite hosting a goalless draw in the first leg.^[13] The first leg was played before an audience of 40,000 spectators and refereed by the Italian Francesco Francescon. The second leg played at Old Trafford ended in controversy after the ball went out of bounds prior to the hosts scoring their second goal. Notable Sarajevo players during this era included Boško Antić, Mirsad Fazlagić, Vahidin Musemić, Fahrudin Prljača and Boško Prodanović.

1967–68 European Cup Second round:

Manchester United won 2–1 on aggregate.

A period of stagnation

Shortly after winning its first Yugoslav league title FK Sarajevo endured a period of general stagnation.^[14] The team entered the 1967/68 season as strong title favorites, but the campaign turned out to be a complete disaster. Namely, the maroon-whites, managed by former player Franjo Lovrić, did not manage to enter the championship race in hopes of defending the title, finishing mere 7th.^[15] The club management quickly named Munib Saračević manager for the 1968/69 season, but this move also turned out to be fruitless. The team concluded the disappointing campaign 11th in the league standings. In the 1971 January transfer window six members of the championship winning generation, including Boško Prodanović, Anđelko Tešan and Fahrudin Prljača, left the club while three more followed in July of the same year, including star player Boško Antić. The next season brought hope with the team going into the winter break clinching first spot, but only managing to finish 7th at the end of season. The 1973/74 season brought in a handful of new players, including the likes of future club legend Želimir Vidović and former Red Star Belgrade and Bayern Munich striker Dušan Jovanović. Furthermore, that same year 18-year-old Safet Sušić joined the club from Krivaja Zavidovići, and would go on to be one of the main catalysts for the club's second major spell at the top of Yugoslav football in the coming years.^[16] It is important to note that all FK Sarajevo was able to muster in the first eleven seasons after taking home the title in 1967 was one 6th place league finish, two 7th place league finishes and a 1/4 final finish in the Yugoslav Cup in 1976/77.^[14] In that same year the club barely retained its place in the top-tier with a two-point advantage over relegated Napredak Kruševac. The 1978/79 season though, brought a breath of fresh air for Sarajevo fans, with the team finishing 4th behind Hajduk Split, Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade, and in doing so signalled things to come.^[15]

Second championship generation

1984–85 Yugoslav First League table (top 3 only):

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Sarajevo !Sarajevo (C)	34	19	10	5	51	30	+21	48	1985–86 European Cup
2	Hajduk Split !Hajduk Split	34	16	12	6	65	42	+23	44
3	Partizan !Partizan	34	14	11	9	46	34	+12	39

FK Sarajevo had a second successful spell between 1978 and 1985, led by the attacking duo Predrag Pašić – Safet Sušić, which established itself among the most prolific tandems in Yugoslav and Bosnian football history. Predrag Pašić nicknamed "Paja" was a winger or striker and had emerged through the club's youth ranks, eventually going on to play for Sarajevo up until his move to VfB Stuttgart after the title winning season in 1985. On the other hand, Sušić nicknamed "Pape" played the positions of playmaker and attacking midfielder, and wore the maroon-white jersey from 1973 to 1982, when he moved to Paris Saint-Germain F.C.. In 1978–79, Sušić scored 15 goals and was named Player of the Season as Sarajevo finished fourth. The following year, Sušić's 17 goals helped retain his Player of the Year title, but he was also joint top scorer in the league.^[9] The club came runner-up that season, seven points behind Red Star Belgrade,^[17] therefore qualifying for the 1980–81 UEFA Cup. Sarajevo was knocked out in the first round by German powerhouse Hamburger SV, that won 7:5 on aggregate.^[18] Sarajevo returned to the UEFA Cup in 1982–83 (having finished fourth during the 1981–82 Yugoslav First League), beating Bulgaria's Slavia Sofia 6:4 in the first round^[19] and Romanian club FC Corvinul Hunedoara 8:4 in the second, thanks to a 4:0 home win in the second leg.^[20] In the third round (last 16), Sarajevo lost their first leg 6:1 to Belgian club RSC Anderlecht, and despite winning the second leg 1:0, were eliminated by the eventual champions.^[21] Sarajevo also reached the Yugoslav Cup final that season, losing 3:2 to Dinamo Zagreb in Belgrade.^[22] Sarajevo won their second championship title in 1984–85, finishing four points ahead of runners-up Hajduk Split.^[23] The new championship season didn't start in spectacular fashion for Sarajevo, but as the season continued the team kept gaining momentum and grasped first spot on way to the winter break.^[24] Boško Antić's boys didn't start the second part of the season in a positive note, winning only two points out of their first three fixtures.^[24] Their main rival Hajduk Split also started the second part of the season on the wrong foot, winning just one out of their first three matches, which kept Sarajevo above by one point. Antić's team went on to beat Sloboda and draw Dinamo Zagreb and Željezničar, before travelling to Split for the crucial game against Hajduk. A packed Poljud stadium witnessed a 0:0 draw that ensured Sarajevo's one point advantage over the Croatian side. The title race eventually came down to just the maroon-whites and the Dalmatian side, with hard won victories on both sides. Three games until the finish Hajduk secured a comfortable route over Rijeka, while Sarajevo had a much more difficult time in Novi Sad against Vojvodina. Namely, the hosts broke the deadlock after just two minutes of play. Luckily for the huge number of travelling fans, Boško Antić's men were able to equalize ten minutes from the break through a Jakovljević effort, and to eventually snatch the win seven minutes from time courtesy of a fenomenal volley from the edge of the box by Slaviša Vukićević.^[24] The maroon-whites now needed five points from their three last fixtures to clinch the title. A routine 3:0 victory over Iskra was followed by a tough match against Vardar in Skopje that ended in a 2:2 draw, after the hosts went up 2:0 just before half time.^[24] It all came down to the final league game against Red Star Belgrade, played at a sold out Koševo stadium, where the maroon-whites need just a point to mathematically clinch the title. Musemić broke the deadlock in the 23. minute and Jakovljević doubled Sarajevo's lead with fifteen minutes to go. The visitors were able to pull one back through Boško Gjurovski in the 85th. minute, but it was too little too late.^[23] The celebrations began, Sarajevo had won its second Yugoslav league title.^[25]

The triumph qualified the club for the first round of the 1985–86 European Cup, where they shockingly lost both legs to Finnish side FC Lahti.^[26] This result is still considered Sarajevo's worst in major European competitions.

The championship winning generation included the likes of Husref Musemić, Faruk Hadžibegić, Davor Jozić, Dragan Jakovljević, Miloš Đurković, Predrag Pašić, Mirza Kapetanović, Slaviša Vukićević, Zijad Švrakić, Senad Merdanović and Mehmed Janjoš.^[27]

Pre-war years

FK Sarajevo entered a turbulent period after clinching its second Yugoslav league title. Three major members of the championship winning squad left the team in the summer of 1985. Star striker Husref Musemić joined Red Star Belgrade. Faruk Hadžibegić moved to Spanish side Real Betis. Team captain Predrag Pašić moved to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga .^[28] The club management, in search of replacements, turned its sights to young players from lower-trier sides, bringing in Bernard Barnjak, Vladimir Petković and Zoran Ljubičić. Even though the team started the season on a high note, it finished a disappointing 15th at the end of the 1985/86 season, avoiding relegation by virtue of a superior goal-difference compared to relegated OFK Beograd. The following season again culminated in a lowely finish, as new manager Denijel Pirić lead the team to a disappointing 13th place in the league standings.^[29] Further departures followed at the end of the season as Miloš Đurković joined Beşiktaş, Muhidin Teskeredžić made the move to Sturm Graz, Davor Jozić joined Serie A side A.C. Cesena, Zijad Švrakić transferred to Adana Demirspor and Branko Bošnjak joined NK Olimpija.^[28] The following two seasons again brought mediocre league finishes as the maroon-whites concluded the respective campaigns on 13th and 14th spots, barely avoiding relegation on both occasions.^[29] As with previous seasons, a handful of players left the club during the summer transfer window, with Slaviša Vukićević moving to Créteil, goalkeeper Enver Lugušić joining Konyaspor and Dragan Jakovljević moving to FC Nantes. On a positive note, the 1989/90 season brought the return of fan favorite Husref Musemić, who had spent the previous season playing for Scottish side Hearts. His nine goals in 26 appearances did little to improve league results, as the team again concluded the campaign on 13th spot, along with an early exit in the Yugoslav Cup after a defeat to Macedonian third division minnows, FK Sileks.^[29] The 1990/91 season saw Fuad Muzurović again being named manager after a ten-year absence. Furthermore, Soviet goalkeeper Aleksei Prudnikov was brought in from Velež Mostar, thus becoming the first foreign player in the history of the club. The team was able to conclude the season on 11th spot, defeating Red Star Belgrade in a crucial, hallmark game, only days after the Belgrade outfit won the European Cup.^[28] The 1991/92 season was marked by the disintegration of Yugoslavia, and was subsequently abandoned by Slovenian, Croatian and Bosnian sides.^[30] Football was abruptly halted in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the duration of the war that would last for four years.

Notable FK Sarajevo players in the pre-war period were Miloš Nedić, Dragan Jakovljević, Boban Božović, Dane Kuprešanin and Dejan Raičković.

Post-Yugoslavia

The Bosnian War in the early 1990s shut down competitive football in the territory, and as a result FK Sarajevo became a touring club in 1993, under manager Fuad Muzurović, featuring players such as Elvir Baljić, Almir Turković, Senad Repuh and Mirza Varešanović, all future national team players for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many of the club's supporters, including the infamous Horde Zla joined the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and fought in the war. FK Sarajevo played a number of friendly games during this time, such as the now-famous 4–1 victory over the local UN peacekeeping force in 1994, a 1–1 draw against Parma F.C. while on tour in Italy, and a 3–1 victory over the Iranian national team in Teheran.

In 1994–95, the first-ever Bosnia and Herzegovina championship was held. Sarajevo came first in their six-team league in Jablanica, and came runners-up in the final league stage in Zenica, behind local club NK Čelik.^[31] Sarajevo again finished as runners-up to Čelik in 1996–97 (by two points),^[32] but beat the Zenica-based club in the Cup final and Super Cup.^[32] The Cup was retained the following year, and despite finishing third in the league, Sarajevo was runner-up due to play-offs. In 1998–99, play-off was not played,title was given to Sarajevo but the title does not count.^[33]

In 2004, Safet Sušić, who played at FK Sarajevo from 1973 to 1982, was voted Bosnia and Herzegovina's best player of the last 50 years at the UEFA Jubilee Awards.^[34] Sarajevo were runners-up in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Premier League in 2006–07, but won their second title the following season, beating Zrinjski Mostar by three points.^[35]

Sarajevo have been a regular in Europa League qualification in the 21st century, but are yet to make the group stages. Off the back of their 2006–07 league title, Sarajevo played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in its current format. They beat Maltese champions Marsaxlokk F.C. 6:0 away in their first game, eventually winning 9:1 on aggregate.^[36] The second round saw Sarajevo defeat Belgians KRC Genk on away goals due to a 2:1 away win in the first leg,^[37] although the club was knocked out in the play-offs for the competition's Group Stage by Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kiev who won 4:0 on aggregate.^[38]

2007–08 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round:

Dynamo Kyiv won 4–0 on aggregate.

The club made the play-offs round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League and faced CFR Cluj but lost 3–2 on aggregate. Team defeated Spartak Trnava and Helsingborg to get to the play-offs round.

2009–10 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase play-off round:

CFR Cluj won 3–2 on aggregate.

Vincent Tan era

Vincent Tan, a Malaysian businessman and the owner of the Championship club Cardiff City, bought FK Sarajevo in late 2013 pledging to invest $2 million into the club.^[40] Under the deal, Cardiff will cooperate with FK Sarajevo, exchanging players and taking part in a football academy, yet to be established, which Tan has said would lure new talents. Under Mr Tan's management the club brought in quality players with the likes of Miloš Stojčev, Džemal Berberović and Nemanja Bilbija who helped the club win the 2013–14 Bosnian Cup, their first silverware since winning the Premier League in 2006–07.^[41]

Prior to the Cup triumph, Robert Jarni was brought in as the new manager of the club in December 2013 by Tan, but was quickly dismissed only 4 months into his tenure (on 7 April 2014, while the team was still in the semi-finals of the Bosnian Cup) due to the team failing to keep its chances of winning the domestic league title alive during later stages of the 2013–14 season.^[42]

FK Sarajevo played a friendly match against Tan's Cardiff City FC U21 winning 4–1.^[43] In 2014–15 UEFA Europa League, FK Sarajevo eliminated FK Haugesund and Atromitos to qualify for the play-off round, where it lost to German side Borussia Mönchengladbach.

On 17 July 2014, Mr Tan presented pledges of assistance of €255,000 each to two hospitals in Doboj and Maglaj during the halftime break of the Europa League qualifying match between FK Sarajevo and Norwegian club FK Haugesund at the Olympic Stadium in Sarajevo. The money raised would be used to purchase and donate much-needed medical equipment for the two hospitals.^[44][45] In June 2014, Mr Vincent Tan made personal donation of €114,000, while people of Malaysia raised a total of €169,000 toward Bosnia's flood relief fund.^[46] In May 2014, the heaviest rains and floods in 120 years hit Bosnia and the surrounding region. The worst affected areas were the towns of Doboj and Maglaj, which were cut off from the rest of the country when floods deluged all major roads. Damage from landslides and floods was estimated to run into hundreds of millions of euros and twenty four people lost their lives. The cost of the disaster, official said, could exceed that of the Bosnian War.^[47]

On 5 August 2014 FK Sarajevo signed a cooperation agreement with third-tier Bosnian club NK Bosna, by which Sarajevo will loan its talented youngsters to the Visoko-based side and will have first-buy rights on all NK Bosna players. The agreement was signed by Adis Hajlovac and Mirza Laletović on behalf of Bosna, and Abdulah Ibraković on behalf of Sarajevo.^[48] The agreement de facto names Bosna FK Sarajevo's farm team.

On 26 September 2014 manager Dženan Uščuplić was relieved of his duties as first team manager and was transferred back to the youth academy.^[49] On 30 September 2014 former Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Bosnia and Herzegovina international striker Meho Kodro was appointed manager.^[50] On 24 February 2015 FK Sarajevo signed a three and a half year general sponsorship agreement with Turkish Airlines which has been labeled the most lucrative in Bosnian professional sports history.^[51][52]

On 21 April, after poor league results, the club sacked Kodro and once again named Dženan Uščuplić manager until the end of the season.^[53] On 30 May the team defeated Sloboda Tuzla in the season's last fixture, thus winning the league title after an eight-year drought.^[54][55]

Honours

Yugoslavia

• Yugoslav First League:
  • Winners (2): 1966–67, 1984–85
  • Runners-up (2): 1964–65, 1979–80
• Yugoslav Cup:
  • Runners-up (2): 1966–67, 1982–83

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
  • Winners (3): 1998–1999, 2006–07, 2014–15
  • Runners-up (6): 1994–1995, 1996–1997, 1997–1998, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2012–13
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup:
  • Winners (5): 1996–1997, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2013–14
  • Runners-up (2): 1998–99, 2000–01
• Super Cup of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
  • Winners (1): 1996–97
  • Runners-up (2): 1997–98, 1998–99

Players

Current squad

As of 2 February 2015 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Emir Plakalo 2 GK Matej Delač (on loan from Chelsea) 3 DF Advan Kadušić 4 MF Edin Rustemović 5 DF Nihad Mujakić 6 DF Adnan Kovačević 8 FW Amer Bekić 9 FW Ševko Okić 10 MF Emerson Luiz 11 FW Krste Velkoski 13 FW César Augusto 14 DF Edvin Rastoder 15 DF Denis Kramar 16 DF Marko Mihojević 17 MF Haris Duljević (Captain) 18 FW Adnan Osmanović 19 MF Almir Bekić 21 FW Leon Benko

No. Position Player 22 GK Ivan Trifković 23 DF Džemal Berberović (vice-captain) 24 FW Sanin Klarić 25 DF Tomislav Barbarić 28 FW Nedim Hadžić 29 MF Damjan Krajišnik 30 GK Bojan Pavlović 45 FW Adnan Civić 55 DF Ahmad Kallasi 69 MF Demirel Veladžić 70 MF Germain Kouadio 77 MF Anes Vazda 79 FW Vedad Gljiva 88 MF Samir Radovac 92 MF Deni Simeunović 97 MF Elvedin Herić 99 FW Hamza Čataković FW Tarik Handžić

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player - GK Marko Ivkić (at NK Bratstvo Gračanica) - DF Alija Čulov (at NK Bosna Visoko) - DF Haris Muharemović (at NK Bosna Visoko) - DF Almin Zukić (at NK Bosna Visoko) - MF Adin Čiva (at NK Bosna Visoko)

No. Position Player - MF Meldin Hodžić (at NK Bosna Visoko) - FW Alem Plakalo (at NK Travnik) FW Ildar Klarić (at FK Olimpic) 13 MF Anel Hebibović (at FK Olimpic)

Ismir Pintol trophy

The Ismir Pintol trophy (Trofej Ismir Pintol), is a trophy awarded to the most distinguished player in the past year and named after deceased FK Sarajevo fan Ismir Pintol.^[56] The winner of the trophy is decided by a popular vote on the official website of the club's supporters and has been awarded since 2003. To be eligible to participate in a poll, a player must appear for the club in at least 10 official matches. The trophy was not awarded on three separate occasions as an indicator of the supporter's dissatisfaction with team results.^[57]

Winners ^[58]

Name	Nat.	Position	Season
Safet Nadarević		DF	2002–03
Not awarded	/	/	2003–04
Džemal Berberović		DF	2004–05
Matija Matko		FW	2005–06
Marciano		MF	2006–07
Semjon Milošević		DF	2007–08
Damir Hadžić		MF	2008–09
Not awarded	/	/	2009–10
Sedin Torlak		DF	2010–11
Not awarded	/	/	2011–12
Sedin Torlak		DF	2012–13
Ivan Tatomirović		DF	2013–14
Samir Radovac		MF	2014–15

Former players

For details of former players, see: List of FK Sarajevo players, and Category:FK Sarajevo players.

European record

Summary

Competition	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Last season played
European Cup / Champions League	14	4	2	8	19	19	2015–16
UEFA Cup / Europa League	50	17	11	22	83	101	2014–15
Total	64	21	13	30	102	120

Last updated on 14 July 2015.
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against. Defunct competitions indicated in italics.

UEFA Cup history

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Score
1980–81	UEFA Cup	R1		Hamburg	2–4; 3–3
1982–83	UEFA Cup	R1		Slavia Sofia	2–2; 4–2
		R2		Corvinul Hunedoara	4–4; 4–0
		R3		Anderlecht	1–6; 1–0
1998–99	UEFA Cup	QR		Germinal Ekeren	0–0; 1–4
2001–02	UEFA Cup	QR		Marítimo	0–1; 0–1
2002–03	UEFA Cup	Q		Sigma Olomouc	2–1 (p: 5–3); 1–2
		R1		Beşiktaş	0–5; 2–2
2003–04	UEFA Cup	Q		Sartid	1–1; 0–3
2006–07	UEFA Cup	QR1		Rànger's	3–0; 2–0
		QR2		Rapid București	1–0; 0–2
2007–08	UEFA Cup	R1		Basel	1–2; 0–6

UEFA Europa League history

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Score
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	QR2		Spartak Trnava	1–0; 1–1
		QR3		Helsingborg	2–1 (p: 5–4); 1–2
		PO		Cluj	1–1; 1–2
2011–12	UEFA Europa League	QR2		Örebro	2–0 0–0
		QR3		Sparta Prague	0–5; 0–2
2012–13	UEFA Europa League	QR1		Hibernians	5–2; 4–4
		QR2		Levski Sofia	0–1; 3–1
		QR3		Zeta	2–1; 0–1
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	QR1		Libertas	1–0; 2–1
		QR2		Kukësi	2–3; 0–0
2014–15	UEFA Europa League	QR2		Haugesund	0–1; 3–1
		QR3		Atromitos	1–2; 3–1 (a.e.t.)
		PO		Borussia Mönchengladbach	2–3; 0–7

UEFA Champions League history

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Score
1967–68	European Cup	R1		Olympiakos Nicosia	2–2; 3–1
		R2		Manchester United	0–0; 1–2
1985–86	European Cup	R1		Kuusysi	1–2; 1–2
2007–08	UEFA Champions League	QR1		Marsaxlokk	3–1; 6–0
		QR2		Genk	0–1; 2–1
		QR3		Dynamo Kyiv	0–1; 0–3
2015–16	UEFA Champions League	QR2		Lech Poznań	0–2; 0–1

UEFA team ranking 2015–16

Rank	Team	Points
209	Ruch Chorzów	6.450
210	Go Ahead Eagles	6.445
211	FK Sarajevo	6.425
212	Odense BK	6.270
213	Motherwell	6.260

Source

Crest and colours

The club's traditional colours are maroon and white, while in recent years black, gray and gold have also been represented as alternative club colours. The first official club crest depicted a red, five pointed communist star with golden borders containing a golden silhouette of a footballer. Further more, a blue wheel-like circular frame contained the club name.^[59]

In the early 1960s the club crest was changed for the first time. Namely, it received a badge-like form and was split into two sides of which the outer held the club name and aforementioned communist star, while the inner contained a football with the club's foundation year under it. In the late 1970s the club crest was restylized, but kept the previous motifs that can still be found on today's club crest. With the end of the Bosnian War in 1996 the club crest was once again slightly altered by the replacement of the communist star with a Bosnian Golden lily and a new stylization of the crest's motifs, including the lettering, which in subsequent years became one of the club's biggest trademarks.^[59]

The Golden lily was eventually removed from the club crest in 2009, which today lacks any ideological or national symbolism.^[60] Instead, the club readily emphasizes the two pre-war crests as part of its heritage, often selling souvenirs that are embroided with them.^[61]

Stadium

FK Sarajevo play at the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium, formerly known as the Koševo Stadium.

The stadium was opened in 1947 and named after the Sarajevo neighbourhood of Koševo, where it is located.^[62] The stadium was literally buried into a local hill thus merging with its natural surroundings. In 1950 a pitch and a tartan track were also added. The first international football match at the stadium was played between Yugoslavia and Turkey, in 1954.

In 1966, the stadium hosted the Balkan Games and was again renovated for the occasion.^[63] Namely, a new administration building was built, as were new locker rooms and a restaurant. A modern scoreboard and new lighting were also provided. In 1984, the stadium was reconstructed for the 1984 Winter Olympics that were held in Sarajevo, and is therefore often unofficially called The Olympic Stadium.^[64] It is important to note that on 7 February 1984, the Asim H. Ferhatović stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the games, and seated roughly 50,000. The West stand held 18,500 seating places at the time.^[65]

In 2004 the stadium's official name was changed to Asim H. Ferhatović, in memory of legendary FK Sarajevo striker Asim Ferhatović, who died after a heart attack in 1987.^[66] In 1998, three years after the end of the Bosnian War, the stadium was renovated for a fourth time. Namely, the seating capacity of the stadium was reduced to 37,500 and new seats were added.^[67]

The ground has held matches for Sarajevo and their local rival FK Željezničar, including Europa League and Champions League fixtures. Furthermore, the stadium has hosted the national teams of Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on numerous occasions, as well as many notable athletic meetings.

The stadium's highest attendance was recorded in a 1981–82 league match between FK Sarajevo and their city rival FK Željezničar. Allegedly, roughly 60.000 people attended the game. The stadium's largest post-war attendance was recorded in 2002–2003 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round match between FK Željezničar and Newcastle United F.C.. Allegedly, about 36,000 people attended the game.^[68]

Youth school and affiliates

The FK Sarajevo Youth School (Bosnian: Omladinski pogon Fudbalskog kluba Sarajevo), the club's youth departmant, is split into two sections. Namely, The Asim Ferhatović Hase School of Football (Bosnian: Škola fudbala Asim Ferhatović Hase),^[69] named after legendary striker Asim Ferhatović, and the FK Sarajevo Academy (Bosnian: Akademija fudbalskog kluba Sarajevo).^[70] The former functions as both a general model for the popularization of the sport and as a filtering mechanism, used to pick out locally based footballing talents which are later transferred to the Academy. The Academy, in turn, is a top of the line boarding school which brings in the biggest talents from Bosnia and Herzegovina and organizes the competitive youth selections for the club. The departmant was founded in the 1950s and has been historically known as one of the best youth systems in the former Yugoslavia. FK Sarajevo's youth selections train in two venues. Namely, the Asim Ferhatović Hase Sports Complex and the elite Butmir Training Camp, which is currently undergoing a huge expansion as of February 2015.^[71]

Academy graduates that don't immediately get playing time in the senior side are transferred to the club's farm team NK Bosna Visoko.

Ladies football

FK Sarajevo also operates a women's football team, SFK 2000 Sarajevo. They have been affiliated to the men's team since 2015.^[72] They play their home games at the Otoka stadium, the home ground of Bosnian Premier League club FK Olimpic Sarajevo. Since the club's founding in 2000 it has become the strongest element in Bosnian women's football, winning 13 consecutive national titles and representing the country in European competitions.^[73]

Supporters

The club's supporters were historically called Pitari while an individual was, and is still, known as a Pitar. The nickname, meaning a consumer of the local Bosnian dish pita, was originally a derogatory label given by fans of working class FK Željezničar that implied the pre-war upper-class background of most FK Sarajevo supporters. By the early to mid 1980s, the rowdiness of the Pitari during matches of the time provoked large media coverage and accusations of being dangerous. During a big season game against Red Star Belgrade in April 1986 a maroon painted snake, most probably a specimen of the venomous Vipera ammodytes, was thrown off the East stand onto the visitors bench. Alarmed by this, the club management headed by then Director Svetozar Vujović opened the North stand of the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium to the most fanatical of fans. Soon after, the name Horde Zla, that directly translates to Hordes of Evil, was born. Namely, several prominent members of the Pitari, influenced by the growing Ultras subculture in Europe decided to create a new identity based on a popular Zagor comic book of the same name. Today, Pitari and Horde Zla are interchangeable. By the end of 1987 Horde Zla became one of the fastest growing youth organisations in the city of Sarajevo.^[74] During the late 1980s and early 1990s Horde Zla became infamous for a few of the largest fan riots in Yugoslavia, including the 1991 stabbing of two FK Partizan supporters in front of the JNA Stadium in Belgrade and the 1988 riots in the city of Mostar before a league tie between FK Sarajevo and Velež Mostar, resulting in the stabbing of a local resident and the destruction of large amounts of public and private property. Unlike most other Ultra firms in Yugoslavia that had popularized and marketed the growing nationalist fervor that would later lead to the Yugoslav Wars, Horde Zla considered themselves Bosniaks and the other firms nationalist orientation was often a trigger for violence.^[75] After the Bosnian war Horde Zla took back their place on the North stand of the Asim H. Ferhatović Stadium on the 10th anniversary of the firm's founding in 1997.^[76] Horde Zla again made headlines in October 2009, during the infamous Široki Brijeg Football Riots. The riots resulted in the death of Vedran Puljić, a member of Horde zla and over thirty serious injuries, including four gunshot wounds.^[77] In April 2010 Horde zla invaded the pitch after Sarajevo played a 1:1 draw against NK Široki Brijeg, and eventually went on to demolish large portions of the stadium including the VIP box and the benches in clashes with the police and security personnel. The incident resulted in over 40 minor and serious injuries.^[78] In July 2012, Horde Zla clashed with Levski Sofia supporters in the first leg of a UEFA Europa League match that was held in Sofia, Bulgaria.^[79] On 20 July 2013 Horde zla clashed with the fans of Albanian club FK Kukësi in Tirana before the start of a Europa League match.^[80] On 25 September 2013 Horde zla invaded the pitch during a game versus FK Borac, charging on the visiting fans situated on the South stand of the Asim H. Ferhatović stadium. The police were forced to intervene and the fixture was subsequently abandoned.^[81]

Horde zla garner very close relations with the supporters of Dynamo Dresden.^[82][83]

Notable supporters

Famous, non-football related, supporters of FK Sarajevo are listed on this list alphabetically.

• Enis Bešlagić ^[84] – Bosnian actor and television personality
• Halid Bešlić – Prominent Bosnian folk and sevdah musician
• Emerik Blum ^[85] – Bosnian Jewish businessman, philanthropist and founder and first director of one of Eastern Europe's largest conglomerates, Energoinvest
• Jovan Divjak – Retired military general
• Aleksandar Hemon ^[86] – World-renowned Bosnian-American novelist, essayist and literary critic
• Alen Halilović ^[87] – Croatian footballer
• Safet Isović ^[88] – One of the most prominent and popular performers of Bosnian traditional music sevdalinka
• Alija Izetbegović – The first President of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Sanela Diana Jenkins – Bosnian entrepreneur and philanthropist
• Sead Kolašinac ^[89] – Bosnian footballer
• Zlatko Lagumdžija – Politician and former Bosnian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Nenad Marković ^[90] – Retired professional basketball player
• Dino Merlin ^[91] – Prominent Bosnian singer-songwriter and producer
• Kemal Monteno ^[92] – Popular Bosnian singer-songwriter
• Meša Selimović ^[93] – Renowned Yugoslav novelist
• Danis Tanović – Academy Award winning film director

USD Bosna

Horde zla and FK Sarajevo garner a close relationship with USD Bosna, or University Sport Society Bosna (Bosnian: Univerzitetsko sportsko društvo Bosna). The most notable members of said society are KK Bosna Royal, that won the Euroleague Basketball title in 1979^[94] and RK Bosna Sarajevo, that reached the 1/8 finals of the EHF Champions League in 2011.^[95]

The relationship traditionally stems from the fact that both sides share unique maroon and white club colours, which lead KK Bosna Royal to garner most of its fan base from FK Sarajevo in its rise to the top in the mid and late 1970s. Through time the two sides became colloquially interchangeable, as Horde zla equally followed both, forming a so-called Maroon Family. Even though RK Bosna did not represent a big player in Yugoslav handball, the club's post-war ascent was thoroughly supported by Horde zla.

On 29 August 2013 FK Sarajevo and RK Bosna Sarajevo signed a cooperation agreement based on the principle of strengthening ties between the aforementioned family members.^[96] On 6 November 2013 the same was done between FK Sarajevo and KK Bosna Royal, by which the forty-year-old relationship was officialized.^[97]

Rivalries

Sarajevo derby

FK Sarajevo's rivalry with fellow Sarajevo club FK Željezničar is mainly focused on the strong animosity between the capital's working class and Bourgeoisie, wherein the former traditionally inhabited the more liberal, yet poorer suburban neighbourhoods and mainly supported FK Željezničar, while the latter resided in the traditional and wealthy, mainly Bosniak dominated, old and central parts of the city and represented the main fan-base of FK Sarajevo.^[98] Furthermore, since its formation, FK Sarajevo has always been closely tied to the political and financial elites of Bosnia and Herzegovina, both in socialist Yugoslavia and since the country's independence, while FK Željezničar seldom had such influential support and has been considered a club of common folk, even though this notion can be disputed. Even though the rivalry between the two sides grew large from the very formation of FK Sarajevo,^[99] the two teams only met in friendly fixtures for the better part of a decade due to the fact that they competed in different levels of the Yugoslav football league system. The first official league match was held in 1954; FK Sarajevo won 6–1.^[100] This is still the biggest victory by any team in the Sarajevo derby. It is important to note that in the past few decades the class divide between clubs has partly eroded and both fan bases gather support from all classes, but the historical differences and animosities are still visible.^[100]

As of 4 October 2015, 126 Sarajevo derbies have been played, with 39 wins for FK Sarajevo, 39 for FK Željezničar and 47 draws (154:155).

Other rivalries

FK Sarajevo also shares a strong historic rivalry with NK Čelik Zenica as well as a relatively new rivalry with NK Široki Brijeg which came into being as a result of the 2009 Široki Brijeg riots that cost the life of FK Sarajevo supporter Vedran Puljić and resulted in over thirty serious injuries including four gunshot wounds. There are conflicting reports about who started the violence. Horde Zla accused local residents and police for their mistreatment on their way to the match, and right up to entering the stadium. The official statement of Horde Zla claims that the incident was planned by local politicians and that their buses were separated and parked too far from the stadium which left them open to stoning and attacks. They also claim that initially there were only 30 local policemen present, and they did nothing to prevent the violence.^[101] Local police and residents said Horde Zla fans were the first to attack.^[102] According to local police officials, most of the regional police had earlier been sent to the nearby city of Mostar to prevent possible violence during the match between city rivals Zrinjski and Velež.^[101] The subsequent violence that followed resulted in Verdan Puljić's death. Since the riots, meetings of the two sides carry an ominous atmosphere. Sarajevo shares another relatively new rivalry with HŠK Zrinjski Mostar based on both clubs' playing pivotal roles in Bosnian football.

Club records

FK Sarajevo, under the name Torpedo, played its first match on 3 November 1946 against Bratstvo Travnik, winning 6–0.^[103] The club's first Yugoslav First League tie was a 2–2 draw against Ponziana Trieste on 25 August 1947. The maroon-whites played their first official European match on 18 July 1960 in the Mitropa Cup, losing 2–4 to MTK Budapest. FK Sarajevo's record-holder for number of club appearances is Ibrahim Biogradlić. He played 646 games for the maroon-whites between 1951 and 1967.^[104] The goal-scoring record-holder is striker Dobrivoje Živkov who scored 212 goals in both official and unofficial matches for the club. The goal-scoring record-holder in official matches is legendary striker Asim Ferhatović, who found the back of the net on 126 occasions in all official competitions, including 98 league goals (198 in total).^[105] Over 50 FK Sarajevo players were capped for the Yugoslav and Bosnian national teams. Former FK Sarajevo defender Faruk Hadžibegić is the third most capped player in the history of the Yugoslav national team with 65 caps.^[106] He captained The Blues at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.^[107] Former FK Sarajevo defender Mirsad Fazlagić captained Yugoslavia at UEFA Euro 1968 and was named part of the all-tournament team.^[108] Former FK Sarajevo midfielder Elvir Baljić would break Real Madrid's transfer record in a 1999 move from Fenerbahçe. The Galacticos paid a transfer fee of €26 million for the Bosnian.^[109] Former FK Sarajevo player Safet Sušić would be named Bosnia and Herzegovina's UEFA Golden Jubilee inductee in 2004.^[110] Six of the ten former Bosnia and Herzegovina national team managers are former FK Sarajevo players: Fuad Muzurović, Džemaludin Mušović, Faruk Hadžibegić, Denijel Pirić, Miroslav Blažević and Safet Sušić.^[111] FK Sarajevo was the most successful club from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Yugoslav First League, winning two titles and finishing runners-up on two other occasions.^[2] The club is ranked 6th in that competition's All-time league table.^[112] FK Sarajevo is the record-holder for number of Bosnian Cup triumfs (5).^[113] The Maroon-whites are second in the All-time table of the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, eleven points behind city rivals FK Željezničar.^[114] They have won the national championship three times, finishing runners-up on six different occasions.^[113]

Club officials

Technical staff

As of 25 October 2015, the staff includes:^[115]

Current staff

Manager: Miodrag Ješić Assistant Manager: Srđan Tekijaški Goalkeeping Coach: Ibro Hodžić Fitness Coach: Bojan Stamatović Team Manager: Dario Pavlović TMS Manager: Adnan Redžepagić Scout: Ermin Avdić Coordinator of the Medical Team: Dr. Adnan Hadžimuratović Doctor: Dr. Senad Maksić Doctor: Dr. Dževad Vrabac Doctor: Dr. Adnan Zećo Senior Physiotherapist: Ismar Hadžibajrić Physiotherapist: Mirza Marevac Equipment manager: Salem Mršo Equipment manager: Nermin Huskić

Board of directors

As of 8 October 2014 ^[115]

Current Members

Chairman: Edis Kusturica Vice-Chairman: Feđa Kusturica Vice-Chairman: Elvir Kantardžić Member: Lim Meng Kwong Member: Davud Zahirović Member: Mersad Mahić Member: Hajrudin Kapetanović Member: Elvir Krajina Member: Emir Salihović

Club management

As of 25 October 2015 ^[115]

Current staff

General Director: Dino Selimović General Secretary: Mirza Hadžić Head of finance department: Merisa Peco Treasurer: Džemila Hadžiavdić Marketing director: Damir Puzić Public relations: Tarik Trbić Legal department: Mirza Hadžić Youth Academy Director: Almir Hurtić Youth Team Coordinator: Memnun Suljagić

Sporting directors

Mirza Varešanović (August 2004 – 30 June 2006) [116] Senad Merdanović (August 2006 – 29 December 2010) [117]

Edin Hadžialagić (19 January 2011 – 17 February 2012) [118] Abdulah Ibraković (26 August 2013 – 23 September 2015) [119][120] Position permanently vacant .

Chairmen

Below is a list of FK Sarajevo chairmen from 1946 until the present day.

Name Years Safet Džinović 1946–1947 [121] Branko Todić 1948–1949 Miloš Samardžić 1949–1950 Boško Baškot 1950–1951 Miloš Samardžić 1952–1953 Boško Baškot 1953–1954 Slobodan Kezunović 1955–1956 Vaso Radić 1957–1959 [122] Šemso Kapetanović 1959–1961 Ljubo Kojo 1962–1953 Mile Perković 1964–1967 [123] Milivoje Šteković 1967–1968

Name Years Osman Maglajlić 1969–1970 [124] Izet Buševac 1970–1971 Vaso Radić 1972–1973 [122] Mustafa Ajanović 1973–1974 [125] Ljubomir Grupković 1974–1981 Duško Cvijetić 1981–1983 Alija Alić 1983–1984 Mile Markić 1984–1986 Nedjeljko Despotović 1986–1988 Kemal Hujić 1988–1992 [126] Muhamed Granov 1992–1.6.1999.[127] Meho Obradović 1.6.1999.–2000 [128]

Name Years Besim Mehmedić 2000–2001 Salih Delalić 2001–2002 [129] Muhamed Šačiragić 2002–24.12.2002. Faruk Hadžibegić 24.12.2002.–8.2003.[130] Nijaz Gracić 1.10.2004.–22.7.2005.[131] Savo Vlaški 22.7.2005.–14.12.2005.[132] Hajrudin Šuman 14.12.2005.–5.4.2010.[133] Nijaz Merdanović 5.4.2010.–13.6.2010.[134] Zijad Blekić 23.6.2010.–8.11.2010.[135] Amir Rizvanović 28.12.2010.–15.12.2012.[136] Alen Hujić 27.2.2013.–18.01.2014.[137] Edis Kusturica 18.1.2014.– [138]

Managerial history

Below is a list of FK Sarajevo managers from 1946 until the present day.