FK Radnički Niš

Radnički Niš
Full name Fudbalski klub Radnički
Nickname(s) Real sa Nišave (Real from the Nišava)
Real iz Niša (Real from Niš)
Founded 24 April 1923 (1923-04-24)
Ground Čair Stadium, Niš
Ground Capacity 18,151[1]
President Ivica Tončev
Manager Peter Pacult
League Serbian SuperLiga
2016–17 Serbian SuperLiga, 5th of 16
Website Club website

Fudbalski klub Radnički (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Раднички), commonly known as Radnički Niš (Serbian Cyrillic: Раднички Ниш), is a Serbian professional football club based in Niš. Its name means " Labourers' " in Serbian and stems from the relationship with the Labour movement which the club had during the first half of the 20th century.

Radnički Niš was one of the most stable clubs in the former Yugoslavia; the team spent a total of 29 seasons in the Yugoslav First League, achieved the 3rd place in 1980 and 1981, and finished in the Top 10 in the Yugoslav First League all-time table.[2] In international competition, Radnički Niš won the 1975 Balkans Cup, reached the final in 1989, and played against Hamburger SV in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1982.

Club history

Establishment (1923–1945)

"The Fists", one of the monuments in memory of the victims of the Bubanj massacre.

The club was founded on April 24, 1923, in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. One of its founders was the communist activist Miloš Marković (who also founded Sloboda Užice in 1925). In the same year, the club played its first unofficial matches. Two years later, in the 1925–26 season, the club became part of the professional league of the Morava Banovina, and won the championship on two occasions, in the 1924–25 and 1927–28 seasons. Following the proclamation of the royal dictatorship in 1929, the government began to persecute leftist activists, and Radnički changed its name to Građanski. As Građanski Niš, the club played in the 1935–36 Yugoslav Football Championship which was played in a straight-knockout competition format, and was eliminated in the round of sixteen by Građanski Skoplje.[3] At the end of that season the club reinstated its original name, and played until 1941, when, because of the war, the club ceased its activities and its members and players joined the resistance.[3]

At the beginning of World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1941, the club terminated the activities, which were renewed in 1945, one year after the liberation from the occupation of Nazi Germany.[4] During the time of the German occupation, one of the first Nazi concentration camps in Yugoslavia was located in Niš, the camp being the Crveni Krst concentration camp. About 30,000 people were imprisoned this camp, of whom over 12,000 were executied nearby on Bubanj hill. Radnički Niš lost several players and club officials, as well as many supporters during the war. The especially deep-rooted anti-fascist attitude of the city, the club and its supporters has been attributed to these events. A memorial complex was built on Bubanj in memory of the victims of the massacre, and the complex is in the vicinity of the club's home ground.

The rise and stabilization (1962–1975)

In 1962, Radnički Niš were promoted to the Yugoslav First League for the first time in the club's history. On 23 September 1962, Radnički fans displayed their first big choreography on the first league match against Red Star Belgrade. A large banner reading "Real sa Nišave", which translates to "Real from Nisava" was raised on the east stand, and the club bears this nickname to this day. The banner could be seen at every home game throughout the 1960s.[5] In following years, the club underwent major development and became one of the most stable football clubs in the country. In 1963, the club founded its youth school, through which many of the Radnički players passed. In 1975, Radnički beat Turkish club Eskişehirspor (1–0, 2–1) and won its first trophy of European importance, the Balkans Cup.[4]

The Golden Era (1980–1984)

In 1980, Radnički finished the national championship in 3rd place, the best placement thus far, and played for the first time in the UEFA Cup in the following season, during which Radnički reached the round of sixteen, but lost against Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. In 1981, the club was again third and qualified for the 1981–82 UEFA Cup season. In the first round, Radnički Niš were drawn against Napoli. In the first leg, the club from South Serbia achieved a 2–2 draw in front of 70.000 spectators at Stadio San Paolo, which was enough for Radnički to progress after a goalless match in Serbia because of the away goals rule. After eliminating the Azzurri, Radnički played the second round against Grasshopper Club Zürich. The Swiss club won the first match in Zürich by 2–0, but Radnički had equalized with a 2–0 and won convincingly 3–0 in the penalty shoot-out. In the third round, the club played against Feyenoord from Rotterdam. In the first leg in Niš, the result was 2–0 for Radnički and at De Kuip the result was 1–0 for the Dutch club. However, it was a 2–1 victory on aggregate for the Serbian club and in the quarter-finals Radnički were drawn against Dundee United from Scotland. In the first leg, played in Dundee, Radnički suffered a 2–0 defeat. Although they were not seen as the favourites in the return leg, the Real from Nišava pulled off a convincing 3–0 win in front of its spectators, and with an aggregate score of 3–2 they eventually achieved their greatest success by reaching the semi-finals of this prestigious tournament. The semifinals provided a football holiday at Čair Stadium, due to the fact that German top club Hamburger SV, led by stars like Horst Hrubesch, Felix Magath, Lars Bastrup, Manfred Kaltz, Thomas von Heesen and Uli Stein would play in Niš. In the first leg, Radnički Niš won against the favored North Germans in front of 38,500 enthusiastic Radnički fans with 2–1, but they lost the second leg in Hamburg by 5–1 (Hamburg lost at the end the final, but won next year the 1982–83 European Cup). After one year of absence from international football, the club qualified for the 1983–84 UEFA Cup season (finished the 1979–80 Yugoslav First League season in 4th place) and reached the round of sixteen, as in 1981. After winning matches against St Gallen (3–0, 2–1) and FK Inter Bratislava (4–0, 2–3), Radinčki played against Hajduk Split. It was the first intra-Yugoslav fixture in UEFA cup. Hajduk won both matches 2–0 and progressed to the quarter-finals.

Radnički Niš played a total of 22 matches across Europe between 1981 and 1984. During this time, Radnički lost only one UEFA Cup home match of a total of 11 across three seasons and only against a team from the domestic league. A major contribution was made by the fans and their enthusiastic support. The Čair Stadium was a tough ground for the opposition and the atmosphere created by Radnički fans in a roaring stadium always gave hope to the team that they could overcome anybody.[5]

Recent history (1985–2012)

After the golden years, Radnički Niš was unexpectedly relegated to in the Yugoslav Second League in 1985, after 23 continuous years in the first league. However, under coach Josip Duvančić, Radnički won the Yugoslav Second League in the following season and returned to the first league after only a year of absence. In 1989, the club played its second Balkans Cup final after 1975, but they lost against OFI Crete of Greece by 3–1. At the beginning of the 1990s, the entire country was plunged into a crisis. The disintegration of Yugoslavia, the civil war (1992–95), the inflation and the UN sanctions hit all the Yugoslav football teams hard, and also Radnički was no exception. In the 2000–01 season, the club dropped out of the first division for the second time in its history. In the following season, Radnički Niš won the second division championship and quickly returned to the major clubs, but they ended the 2002–03 season in last place. After that, the club competed in the second league for the following five seasons, and in the 2008–09 season, Radnički was even relegated to Serbia's third division. They won the division, but they ended the 2009–10 Serbian First League season in the relegation zone. In the 2010–11 season, they won the Serbian League East and were promoted to the Serbian First League, Serbia's second division. What followed was a cosecutive promotion. The club won the 2011-12 Serbian First League and was promoted to the Serbian SuperLiga, Serbia's highest football league. In the same season, the club's home ground was rebuilt, which rekindled the fans' hopes further. This in turn revived interest on part of the population, and the club became the city's trademark in the world. This led to sponsorship deals from several companies from Niš and some from foreign countries, who invested in the club and aided its rapid elevation to the top and its reconsolidation of its professional club status.[4]

Club colors and crest

The club performed in a green-white jersey and on the left, in the white field, was a red five-pointed star as a symbol of affiliation with the Labour movement, the colour of which was later taken as a frequent kit color of Radnički. The club also used a blue and white kit, which was commonly seen during promotion play-offs and international fixtures, so the club bears all the colors of the Serbian flag. The crest is in the colors red and white, and bears the inscription of the year of foundation and the image of the Niš Fortress, which is a complex and important cultural and historical monument of the city of Niš.

Radnički Niš's present crest 

Stadium

The home ground of Radnički Niš is the Čair Stadium. It is named after the Čair neighbourhood in Medijana, the most populous municipality of Niš. The construction of the stadium was finished in 1963, and had a capacity of 40,000 spectators. After renovations between 2011–12, the stadium capacity has been brought to 18,151 seats. The stadium is part of the Čair sports complex, which also includes the modern sporting arena Čair, a modern indoor swimming pool and other facilities. After the renovation of the swimming pool, the Čair Sports Cener, and the complete reconstruction of the Čair stadium, Niš was endowed with a unique sports complex in Serbia and completed a full reconstruction of its sports infrastructure.[6]

Reconstruction

Čair Stadium under construction in 2012.

The Čair stadium began undergoing complete reconstruction during the second half of 2011 in an ambitious project by the Football Association of Serbia and the city of Niš. The project included the renovation of eastern, southern and northern stands. When reconstruction was finished, the stadium's seating capacity had been increased to 18,151 spectators, including an additional VIP lounge with 120 seats and a media lodge with 50 seats. The project also entailed covering the whole stadium, new floodlights and LED, a new locker room and press room, new infirmaries, a parking area, ticket offices, a restaurant and a TV room for broadcasts. After reconstruction, the stadium fulfilled the most up to date UEFA standards.[6] The cost of the project was estimated to be over 1.1 billion Serbian dinars (10 million euros).[7]

Debut game at the new Stadium

Although it had not been completely finished, Čair Stadium was declared as a suitable venue for the second home match (first home match had to be played at Jagodina City Stadium against Radnički Kragujevac). But the home opening match took place in 5th round of Serbian SuperLiga against Smederevo 1924 on September 15, 2012. About 7,000 seats had been initially installed and they were completely filled as Radnički Niš has hosted its first SuperLiga match after 9 years. Manager Aleksandar Ilić fielded the following squad: Stevan Stefanović, Branislav Vukomanović, Milan Jovanović, Marko Ranđelović, Miloš Perić, Bratislav Pejčić, Aleksandar Jovanović, Dušan Kolarević, Miloš Petrović, Vladan Binić and Strahinja Petrović. Radnički supporters had to wait till the 84th minute when midfielder Dušan Kolarević scored via a 30-meter strike[8] and brought Radnički Niš to a 1–0 win in the opening match.[9]

Radnički's Ivan Krstić youth school

An important segment of the club is its youth school, which was founded in 1963, through which many of the Radnički players passed. The youth school is named after former Radnički's football player Ivan Krstić. He enrolled in Radnički's youth school at the age of and settled in the first team and became captain. At the threshold of a great football career, he lost his life during training as a result of a lightning strike on the auxiliary field, near the youth school. In memory of the tragically lost star player, the football schools bears his name to this day.[10]

History

During 1963, one year after entry of Radnički in the Yugoslav First League, the club formed its own football schools at the initiative of Tihomir Petrović. Forty-eight players were selected from nine primary schools and began to learn the football alphabet at Radnički. It was a bright start to the football school tradition of Radnički which would eventually become a real talent pool, producing many football names that would spread the word about Niš, Yugoslav and Serbian football. The first greater succes came in 1966, when they won a large tournament in Germany. In 1969, this was followed by winning a tournament in Paris, defeating the Italian team US Cagliari. More success followed and one of the highlights was the win at the international tournament "Vojvodina-Red Star", which was played in 1984 and which saw the participation of many national and international top youth teams. During the tournamtent, Radnički's youth was led by Milorad Janković, a former player of Radnički, who was honoured as the top youth coach by the Football Association of Yugoslavia. 1991 will be remembered as the year when Radnički's youth achieved their greatest success. For the first time, led by coach Vladislav Nikolić, they won the Yugoslav championship, after defeating Željezničar Sarajevo (1–0 at home by a goal from Dejan Petković, 1–1). In 1992, Radnički again fielded a national championship team in their series. Its cadets were Yugoslav champions and repeated the success achieved the previous year, which was a triumph for the managers of the youth school and coaches like Miroslav Glišović, Milorad Janković, Ljubiša Rajković and Miodrag Stefanović. In that period, Radnički's football school was well known for its youth work, which demonstrated a high level of technical skill, especially recognizable in young players such as Dragan Stojković and Dejan Petković, as well as tactical readiness in combination with adaptability. The last major success of the Radnički's football school was in 2000, when Radnički's cadets, led by coach Aleksandar Jovanovski, won the Serbian championship. In the final, they beat Red Star Belgrade by 1–0 and qualified for the final tournament for the Yugoslav championship. In the contest for the best cadet teams in the country, Radnički's young players achieved the 3rd place. In the same year, new sport facilities were opened which facilitated better working conditions. Today, the youth coaches are mostly former players of Radnički who are responsible for 400–450 young Radnički players and working according to the standards of major European football clubs.[10]

Notable youth players

Dejan Petković played for Radnički Niš in 53 matches (34 goals).

In its history, Radnički Niš trained many players who got the chance to play for their national team. There are also many players who played more than 200 games for the club or who spent more than ten years in the club. The most important one is certainly Dragan Stojković (retired), who is considered as one of the best players which Yugoslavian and Serbian football ever had. After four seasons with Radnički Niš, Stojković played four illustrious seasons for Red Star Belgrade, and his stellar performances earned him the title of The 5th Star of Red Star only given out to the very best players in Red Star 's club history. In 1990, Stojković moved to Olympique de Marseille for a fee of £5.5 million, one of the most expensive transfers at this time, and won the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League with the French club. Further notable home-bred footballers are Dejan Petković (retired), who played for Red Star Belgrade, Real Madrid and several Brazilian top clubs, and who is considered to be one of the best foreign players to have played in Brazil, and Dragan Pantelić (retired), who played more than 260 games for the club. More notable players are former Olympique de Marseille player Slobodan Antić (retired) and the former Yugoslav internationals Dragan Holcer (retired), Ljubiša Rajković (retired), Slavoljub Nikolić (retired) and Milovan Obradović (retired). Notable players from the recent past are current Radnički Niš coach Aleksandar Ilić (retired), Siniša Gogić (retired), Goran Stojiljković (retired), followed by Miodrag Jovanović (retired) and the former Red Star Belgrade goalkeepers Dejan Pešić and Ivan Ranđelović (retired), Predrag Ranđelović, who played for several Russian top clubs, and Igor Stefanović of (Porto).

Supporters

The first large organized support happened in 1962 against Vardar, when several thousand fans from Niš travelled to Skoplje. In 1962, Radnički Niš were promoted to the Yugoslav First League for the first time in their history and attracted more supporters from Niš and the surrounding region. Since Radnički's entry to the first division, Čair has always been a tough ground for the opposition. Although the club has had numerous supporters throughout the history, more organized groups emerged at the end of the 1980s. The name Meraklije was accepted, which roughly translates to "bohemian hedonists". The name has been synonymous with region customs for centuries. Besides the football club, Meraklije also support other sport sections like handball, and the Serbian national handball team.[11]

Club honours and achievements

Domestic

National Championships

International

Individual awards

Serbian First League top scorers

Season Name Goals
2011–12 Ivan Pejčić 13

Radnički Niš totals by league rank and highest achievements

Radnički Niš in Europe

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away
1980–81 UEFA Cup R1 Austria LASK Linz 2–1 4–1
UEFA Cup R2 Bulgaria Beroe 1–0 2–1
UEFA Cup 1/8 Netherlands AZ 2–2 0–5
1981–82 UEFA Cup R1 Italy Napoli 0–0 2–2
UEFA Cup R2 Switzerland Grasshoppers 2–0 (3–0) aet 0–2
UEFA Cup 1/8 Netherlands Feyenoord 2–0 0–1
UEFA Cup 1/4 Scotland Dundee United 3–0 0–2
UEFA Cup 1/2 Germany Hamburger SV 2–1 1–5
1983–84 UEFA Cup R1 Switzerland St. Gallen 3–0 2–1
UEFA Cup R2 Czechoslovakia Inter Bratislava 4–0 2–3
UEFA Cup 1/8 Yugoslavia Hajduk Split 0–2 0–2
1990 Mitropa Cup Group Italy Bari 0–3
Mitropa Cup Group Hungary Pécsi MFC 1–0

Radnički Niš in Rappan Cup (Intertoto Cup)

Season Round Country Club Home Away
1964-65 Group East Germany Empor Rostock 3–0 1–3
Group Poland Gwardia Warsaw 5–1 2–4
Group Sweden Norrköping 0–2 2–2
1965-66 Group East Germany Empor Rostock 2–1 0–3
Group Poland Zagłębie Sosnowiec 0–0 2–5
Group Czech Republic Košice 7–2 0–2

Radnički Niš in Balkans Cup

Season Round Country Club Home Away
1963-64 Group Bulgaria Spartak Plovdiv 2–3 0–2
1975 Group Greece Panionios 2–0 0–0
Group Albania 17 Nëntori Tirana 3–0 0–0
Final Turkey Eskişehirspor 1–0 2–1
1988-89 Group Romania Universitatea Craiova 0–0 0–1
Group Bulgaria Lokomotiv Sofia 2–1 4–3
Final Greece OFI Crete 1–3

Note: Balkans Cup was a minor regional competition for clubs from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. It has been at least 28 times in the period from 1961–94.

Current squad

First team

As of 5 August 2017

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

No. Position Player
1 Serbia GK Mladen Živković
3 Serbia DF Predrag Stanković
4 Serbia DF Andrija Mijailović
5 Serbia DF Nikola Stevanović
6 Serbia MF Marko Tomić
7 Serbia MF Saša Stojanović
8 Serbia FW Slaviša Stojanović
9 Serbia FW Marko Mrkić
11 Serbia MF Lazar Arsić
12 Serbia GK Bojan Brać
13 Serbia DF Nikola Aksentijević
14 Serbia DF Miloš Petrović (Vice-captain)
15 Serbia DF Nemanja Ljubisavljević
18 Serbia MF Nikola Kovačević
No. Position Player
19 Bosnia and Herzegovina DF Aleksandar Subić (on loan from Partizan)
20 Serbia MF Dušan Živković
21 Serbia MF Aleksa Jovanović
22 Montenegro MF Savo Gazivoda
23 Serbia FW Milutin Ivanović
24 Serbia MF Aleksandar Jovanović (Captain)
25 Serbia FW Milan Pavkov (on loan from Red Star Belgrade)
26 Serbia DF Vladimir Simunović
28 Japan MF Ryota Noma
32 Serbia GK Milorad Kojić
33 Serbia DF Nikola Stanković
75 Serbia FW Lazar Ranđelović
77 Bosnia and Herzegovina MF Anid Travančić
80 Serbia FW Marko Golubović

Other

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

No. Position Player
45 Serbia GK Mladen Stojiljković
50 Serbia FW Nikola Petković
51 Serbia MF Uroš Jovanović
69 Serbia MF Marko Listeš
70 Serbia MF Andreja Apostolović
— Serbia DF Mladen Mitrović
— Serbia DF Lazar Anđelković
— Serbia DF Dragomir Nikolić
— Serbia DF Petar Bogdanović
— Serbia DF Rastko Stojanović
No. Position Player
— Serbia DF Srđan Marinković
— Serbia DF Mitar Mladenović
— Serbia DF Ivan Mladenović
— Bosnia and Herzegovina MF Elmin Hadžikadunić
— Republic of Macedonia MF Petar Krstić
— Serbia MF Filip Alija
— Serbia MF Stefan Zdravković
— Serbia FW Marko Branković
— Serbia FW Ilija Šuković

Players with multiple nationalities

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
27 Serbia FW Lazar Mitrović (at Czech Republic Bohemians 1905 until the end of 2016–17 season)

For recent transfers, see List of Serbian football transfers summer 2017.

Retired number(s)

10 Serbia Ivan "Beli" Krstić, midfielder (−2000) – posthumous honour.

Since 2000, Radnički Niš have not issued the squad number 10. It was retired in memory of Ivan Krstić, who was killed by lightning on 29 May 2000 on the training match. His son will be able to wear number 10 in the future.[12][13]

Club officers

As of June 12, 2017

Technical staff

Current technical staff
  • Manager: Peter Pacult
  • Assistant Manager: Boban Dmitrović
  • Coach: Predrag Pešić
  • Coach: Nenad Milanović
  • Goalkeeping Coach: Miroslav Stanković
  • Doctor: Nikola Jerkan
  • Physiotherapist: Marko Stanković
  • Secretary of coaching staff: Milan Cvetanović
  • Kit Manager: Srđan Mitić
  • Sporting director : Marko Jovanović

Management

Current management

Notable players

For the list of current and former Radnički Niš footballers with Wikipedia article, please see Category:FK Radnički Niš players.

To appear in this section a player must have either:

Coaching history

This is the list of first team coaches of Radnički Niš:[14][15]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor
2002–07 Lotto
2007–11 Legea
2011–12 Adidas
2012–15 Legea
2015–16 Naii
2016– Hummel Niška Pivara

References

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