 | |
| Full name | Nogometni klub ?elik Zenica |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Crno-crveni (The Black-Reds) Starac (The Old Man) |
| Founded | 16 June 1945 |
| Ground | Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica |
| Capacity | 15,292 |
| Chairman | Denis Mu?ovi? |
| Manager | Pavle Sko?ibu?i? |
| League | League of Zenica-Doboj Canton |
| 2019-20 | Premier League BH, 11th (moved to League of Zenica-Doboj Canton) |
| Website | Club website |
Nogometni klub ?elik Zenica (English: Football Club ?elik Zenica) is a professional football club based in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name ?elik means Steel in Bosnian and it symbolizes the strength and power of the club city since Zenica is an industrial city well-known for its steelworks.
NK ?elik is one of the most prominent and successful football teams in Bosnia and Herzegovina being one of only two Bosnian clubs to win the national championship three times in a row - from 1994 to 1997. The club also won two national cups in a row - from 1995 to 1996. During the time of the former Yugoslavia, ?elik had played 17 seasons in the Yugoslav First League.
It is known for the strong support of its fans and its Bilino Polje stadium which hosts the Bosnian national team. In addition, ?elik is the only fan-owned football club in Bosnia & Herzegovina where club members democratically elect its leadership.[1]
?elik won the Mitropa Cup two times, and was joint winner of the UEFA Intertoto Cup once. Today, ?elik is in the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is active in the League of Zenica-Doboj Canton having previously played in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina before getting relegated in the 2019-20 Bosnian Premier League season to the First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[2] In order to stabilise the club due to financial difficulties, its General Assembly voted to continue competing in the League of Zenica-Doboj Canton on 13 July 2020.[3]
The club has produced many important players including Elvir Boli?, Mirsad Hibi? and Mladen Krstaji?.
History
The club had been founded on 16 June 1945 by a group of World War II veterans. The name of the club had been proposed by one of the founders, Zdenko Mazanek, to symbolize the strength of their club and the its link to the workers of the city's metallurgic industry. [4]
Grounds
?elik play their home games at the Bilino Polje stadium which is also the biggest stadium in the city. Over the years the club had changed four different stadiums settling at their current ground in 1972.
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During the first few years of the club's existence, following World War II, ?elik's stadium was located roughly on the place of the current Bilino Polje stadium, close to the Bosna river. The ground was covered in clay, as was the practice of lower-level football grounds at the time. The stadium itself had one wooden stand which was built over time and the club often played in front of full capacity.
However, due to the increased popularity of the club and the need for a better surface, during the early 1950s the club moved to the nearby Stadion Blatu?a which was located in the Blatu?a neighborhood of Zenica. It was there that ?elik started its first run of successes when they had reached promotion to the Yugoslav First League in 1966 and won the Mitropa Cup in 1971 (the final was played on neutral ground in Gorizia, Italy[5]).
Shortly after the first Mitropa Cup victory, plans were made for a new, modern stadium, built in place of ?elik's first stadium. The construction took 8 months to complete and it was officially opened on 4 October 1972 for the second leg of the 1972 Mitropa Cup final against Fiorentina which ?elik won 1-0 to claim their second title in a row. The attendance record of 35,000 still stands today due to the introduction of seats on the stadium over the years. The stadium went through a number of renovations and reconstructions, the most recent being in 2012.
From July to August 2012, the stadium went through another renovation process where the pitch had been changed and under-soil heating installed beneath. During the reconstruction, ?elik played two Bosnian Premier League matches as well as one Bosnian Cup match on the Stadion Kamberovi?a Polje, winning all of them. In the second part of the same season, the club played one more game there which ended in a draw.
The youth squads of ?elik usually play their games at the smaller stadium Kamberovi?a Polje.
Supporters
The ultras supporter group of ?elik, established in 1988 in Zenica, is called Robija?i (The Convicts in English) because Zenica is famous for its prison. Widely known for their fanatic support, they have been fighting to preserve the club and support it through difficult financial times.[6]
Honours
Domestic
League
Cups
European
- UEFA Intertoto Cup:
- Winners (1): 1975 (Joint Winner)
- Mitropa Cup:
- Winners (2): 1970-71, 1971-72
- Runners-up (2): 1972-73, 1979-80
Recent seasons
- As of match played 12 September 2020.
European record
| Competition | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 |
| Total | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goals difference. Defunct competitions indicated in italics.
List of matches
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Agg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R |  Denizlispor
|
1-0 | 5-3 | 6-3 |
| 2R |  Gent
|
1-0 | 0-2 | 1-2 | ||
| 2008 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R |  Grbalj
|
3-2 | 1-2 | 4-4 (a) |
Players
Current squad
- As of 11 September 2020
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Players with multiple nationalities
Club officials
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Pavle Sko?ibu?i?
|
| Goalkeeping coach |  Adis Nurkovi?
|
| Physiotherapist | Dario Zrni?
|
Last updated: 16 July 2020
Source: NK ?elik Zenica at sportsport.ba
Other information
| Chairman of the board | Denis Mu?ovi?
|
| Sporting director | Husnija Arapovi?
|
| Head coach | Pavle Sko?ibu?i?
|
Source: NK ?elik Zenica at sportsport.ba
Notable managers
| Dates | Name | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| 1970-1971 |  Du?an Varagi?
|
1970-71 Mitropa Cup |
| 1971-1972 | Midhat Mujki?
|
1971-72 Mitropa Cup |
| 1974-1975 | Marcel ?igante
|
1975 Intertoto Cup (Joint Winner) |
| 1992-1996 |  Nermin Had?iahmetovi?
|
1994-95 Bosnian Championship, 1994-95 Bosnian Cup, 1995-96 Bosnian Championship, 1995-96 Bosnian Cup |
| 1996-1997 | Kemal Hafizovi?
|
1996-97 Bosnian Championship |
Notes
- ^ 2019-20 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina; season curtailed and final standings (including Sarajevo as champions) declared by a points-per-game ratio on 1 June 2020.[7]
- ^ ?elik were initially relegated to the Prva Liga FBiH, but were then excluded from the league on 13 July 2020.[8]
References
- ^ https://www.aa.com.tr/ba/sport/usvojen-novi-statut-nk-%C4%8Delik-na-principu-jedan-%C4%8Dlan-jedan-glas/721257
- ^ F.Z. (1 June 2020). "Zvani?no! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, ?elik i Zvijezda ispadaju" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 2020.
- ^ E.M. (13 July 2020). "?elik takmi?enje nastavlja u Kantonalnoj ligi, izabrana i nova uprava kluba" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 2020.
- ^ https://www.nkcelik.ba/historija/
- ^ "Mitropa Cup 1970/71". www.rsssf.com.
- ^ https://www.ultras-tifo.net/news/4111-fans-of-celik-protest-against-club-leadership.html
- ^ F.Z. (1 June 2020). "Zvani?no! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, ?elik i Zvijezda ispadaju" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 2020.
- ^ E.M. (13 July 2020). "?elik takmi?enje nastavlja u Kantonalnoj ligi, izabrana i nova uprava kluba" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 2020.
External links
- NK ?elik Zenica on Facebook
- ?elik at UEFA.com
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