History
Fudbalski klub Sarajevo (Bosnian pronunciation: [fǔdbaːlskiː klûːb sarajěʋo]; lit. ' Football Club Sarajevo'), is a 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 and Herzegovina in Yugoslavia, winning two Yugoslav First League titles, finishing runners-up on two other occasions, reaching the Yugoslav Cup final twice and placing 6th in the Yugoslav First League all-time table.
Today, FK Sarajevo is one of the most prominent members of the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it has won five Bosnian championships, eight Bosnian Cups and one Bosnian Supercup. Furthermore, the club finished runners-up in the national championship another seven times. It is ranked second in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina all-time table. FK Sarajevo is the most popular football club in the country, alongside FK Željezničar, with whom it shares a fierce rivalry in the Sarajevo derby, often called the Eternal derby (Bosnian: Vječiti derbi). This fixture is not only Bosnia and Herzegovina's premier football rivalry, but it has also been recognized internationally, being featured among FourFourTwo’s 50 Biggest Derbies in the World.
The club plays its home matches at the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium, also known as the Koševo Stadium, named after legendary club striker Asim Ferhatović, and located in the city's Koševo neighborhood. The stadium has a current capacity of 34,700 and is the largest in the country. FK Sarajevo also operates the Butmir Training Centre in the Ilidža municipality, a state-of-the-art facility spanning 70,000 m² and opened in 2015. The centre includes multiple FIFA-standard pitches, modern fitness and rehabilitation infrastructure, and serves as the training base for the men’s, women’s, youth teams and Sarajevo B.
The traditional colours of the club are maroon and white, with the home kit traditionally consisting of a maroon shirt, white shorts, and maroon socks - a combination that has become one of the most iconic and recognizable in Yugoslav and Bosnian sports. The club’s historic nickname is the Maroon-Whites (Bosnian: Bordo-bijeli), in reference to its traditional maroon and white colours. Over the decades, the club has also been affectionately known as the Sarajevan Aghas (Bosnian: Age Sarajlije), a nickname that alludes both to the Ottoman-era aghas and to a well-known sevdalinka, "Vino piju nane age Sarajlije", which nostalgically evokes the city’s cultural identity. In recent years, another popular nickname has emerged: The Giants (Bosnian: Divovi), inspired by Benjamin Isović’s football ballad, "Mi smo divovi" (English: We Are Giants), which subsequently became the club’s official anthem.
In addition to its domestic achievements, FK Sarajevo is widely regarded as the most significant exporter of footballing talent in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club holds seven out of the ten highest player transfer fees in the history of Bosnian football, underlining its role as an incubator of talent for European leagues. The club’s success in the transfer market is largely attributed to its renowned youth academy, which has consistently produced top-tier talent for both domestic competitions and European clubs.
Beyond its sporting achievements, FK Sarajevo holds a significant role in the social and cultural landscape of the capital. The club reflects Sarajevo’s multicultural character and has a broad support base representing diverse communities within the city, country and the wider region.
Read the full history
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. After Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence from Yugoslavia, FK Sarajevo became one of the country's biggest ambassadors, departing on a large world tour during the Bosnian War with the goal of gaining international support for the country's cause.
Origins
FK Sarajevo was established on 24 October 1946, at a meeting held in the main hall of the FIS building, as the result of a merger between local Sarajevo football clubs Udarnik (Vanguard) and Sloboda (Liberty). The club first appeared on the Yugoslav sports scene in 1946 under the name Fiskulturno društvo Torpedo (English: Gymnastics Society Torpedo), a homage 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.
On 5 October 1947, on the proposal of then-editor-in-chief of the popular daily newspaper Oslobođenje, Mirko Ostojić, the club name was changed to Fiskulturno društvo Sarajevo (English: Gymnastics Society Sarajevo), before being changed yet again to Sportsko društvo metalaca Sarajevo (English: Sports Society of Metalworkers Sarajevo) a year later. Finally, on 20 May 1949 the name Fudbalski klub Sarajevo was adopted. 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. 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 Yugoslavia national team. Brozović was offered the position of player-manager which he accepted, turning his attention to promoting the team to the Yugoslav First League. 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 was relegated after its first season in the First League but was promoted back to the top tier in 1950. From then on FK Sarajevo played in every season of the First League apart from 1957-58. The club's first taste of European competitions began during the 1960s when it took part in the 1960 Mitropa Cup and the 1961–63 Balkans Cup, while the first continent-wide European competition the club took part in was the 1962–63 Intertoto Cup.
Read more on Wikipedia →
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Squad
| # | Goalkeepers | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Sanin Musija | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Ivan Banic | 1 | 0 |
| 45 | Ibrahim Zahirovic | 0 | 0 |
| # | Defenders | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Shane Maroodza | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Renato Gojkovic | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Jovan Ivanisevic | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | Filip Kosi | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | Matija Glogovac | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Amar Beganovic | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | Luka Hujber | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Luka Dajcer | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Souleymane Meite | 1 | 0 |
| 70 | Selmir Pidro | 1 | 0 |
| # | Midfielders | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Rijad Telalovic | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Antonio Galesic | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Vedad Leto | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Agon Elezi | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Sergej Ignatkov | 1 | 0 |
| 55 | Kenan Vrban | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | Gojko Cimirot | 0 | 0 |
| # | Forwards | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Ivan Saric | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | Leo Mikic | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | Francis Kyeremeh | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | Ricardo Caraballo | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Jonathan Agyekum | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Filip Zivkovic | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Junior Awusi | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Amar Ceric | 0 | 0 |
| 77 | Mihael Kupresak | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Bartol Barisic | 1 | 0 |
