FK Zemun

FK Zemun

Full name	Fudbalski klub Zemun
Founded	20 October 1946
Ground	Zemun Stadium, Belgrade
Capacity	9,588
President	Dušan Ostojić
Head coach	Milan Ristić
League	Serbian First League
2019–20	Serbian First League, 12th of 16
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Fudbalski klub Zemun (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Земун) is a Serbian professional football club based in Zemun, Belgrade, that competes in the Serbian First League.

History[]

Immediately after the end of the Second World War, the sports activities in Zemun were restored. By early 1945, a club FK Maksim Divnić was formed, named in honour of a player with that name that played before the war and who died as Partisan fighter during the war. After just a couple of played matches the club changed its name into FK Sremac Zemun. By the end of that year another club is also formed in Zemun, FK Sparta Zemun. On 20 October 1946, the two clubs were merged to form a new sports society whose football section was FK Jedinstvo Zemun.^[1]

By 1962, the club were promoted into the group East of the Yugoslav Second League, which was divided back then into two geographical groups, East and West. It stayed at Second national level for two seasons, after which it returned into the Serbian republic league, Yugoslav third tier. In the late 1960s, the club struggled financially, and on February 23, 1969, it is merged with FK Galenika, a club sponsored by the Galenika a.d., a pharmaceutical company located in Zemun. Under the new name FK Galenika Zemun, and with new financial backing, the club soon returned to the higher leagues, winning promotion as soon as 1970 to the Yugoslav Second League.^[2]

Coached by Ivan Čabrinović, the club became one of the strongest teams in the second league, and after several times being close, it finally reached promotion to the Yugoslav First League in 1982. In that same season, the club reached the semi-finals of the 1981–82 Yugoslav Cup where they lost against the cup winners Red Star Belgrade. The club played in the 1982–83 Yugoslav First League however it finished bottom of the table subsequently relegated back to the Second League. On 1 January 1985, the club changed its name into the one that still carries nowadays, FK Zemun.^[3]

During the late 1980s, the club had fallen into the lower leagues, but after the stabilization of their financial situation the club began rising again. In 1990, after two consecutive promotions, the club was back in the 1990–91 Yugoslav First League. This time the club stabilized in the top league and even managed to achieve good results, like fourth place in the 1992–93 First League of FR Yugoslavia, just behind the best Serbian clubs Partizan, Red Star and Vojvodina, or the 5th place archive in the 1993–94 First League of FR Yugoslavia. In the 1992–93 season the club had reached again the semi-finals of the Yugoslav Cup.^[4]

FK Zemun competed in the top league all the way until 2007. In the season 2004–05 they managed to achieve 5th place once more.^[5]

In 2007, Zemun competed in the Serbian First League and came away with the 15th position and an automatic relegation to the Serbian League Belgrade, third tier. FK Zemun played in the 2007–08 Serbian Cup and found its way to the final. The club won three matches after penalties, defeated two first league sides and goalie Nemanja Jovšić was voted most valuable player. They lost the final 3–0 to Serbian team Partizan but since Partizan had already qualified for the Champions League Zemun were given the UEFA Cup spot as they were the runners-up. During the summer, however, Zemun was not able to obtain a license from UEFA and had to give their spot to fourth-placed side Borac Čačak. Borac then gave their Intertoto Cup spot to OFK Beograd.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008–09, Zemun became the champion of Serbian League Belgrade and were back to the Serbian First League after only one season.

In 2015–16, Zemun was promoted again to the Serbian First League. The following year after a bad start, they fired manager Nebojša Milošević, hired Dragoljub Bekvalac, then fired him and later hired Milan Milanović^[6]

In November 2017, a news website Srbijadanas.rs, published a research in which they found that FK Zemun is the club that transferred more players, 35 at that time, than any other club to the Serbian "Big two" eternal rivals, Partizan and Red Star Belgrade.^[7]

Honours[]

Yugoslav Second League (2)

• 1981–82 Group east, 1988–89

Serbian Cup

• finalist: 2007–08

Serbian League Belgrade

• 2014–15

Serbian Republic League

• 1977–78, 1986–87, 1987–88

Stadium[]

The official stadium of FK Zemun is Zemun Stadium and can host up to 9,588 spectators.

Players[]

Current squad[]

As of 3 January 2021^[8]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  SRB 2 DF  SRB 3 DF  SRB 4 MF  SRB 5 DF  SRB 6 DF  SRB 7 FW  SRB 8 MF  SRB 9 MF  SRB 10 FW  SRB 11 MF  SRB 12 GK  MNE 13 GK  SRB 15 MF  SRB 21 MF  SRB

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 MF  SRB Mateja Njamculović 27 DF  SRB 30  SRB 32 FW  SRB 33 DF  SRB Andrija Mijailović 41 MF  SRB Miloš Pavlović 44 DF  SRB 55  SRB 66 MF  SRB 77 DF  SRB 86 MF  SRB Marko Đalović 88 MF  SRB 90 MF  SRB 96 MF  SRB

Out on loan[]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  SRB Predrag Kovačević (at BSK Batajnica until the end of season) — GK  SRB Marko Blagojević (at Stepojevac Vaga until the end of season)

No. Pos. Nation Player —  SRB Stefan Pavić (at until the end of season)

For recent transfers, see List of Serbian football transfers summer 2019.

Notable players[]

The following list contains players that played in the club and that have national team appearances:^[9][10]

For the list of all current and former players with wikipedia article, please see Category:FK Zemun players.

Coaching history[]

• Milija Brkić
• 
• 
• Miodrag Martać
• Nebojša Milošević
• Dragoljub Bekvalac
• Milan Milanović^[6]

Supporters[]

The supporters of the club are known as the Taurunum Boys. The group was formed in 1987.

The first organised supporting groups of back then FK Galenika begin to appear by mid-1980s. In 1986 the first ultras groups were formed under the names of Testas Caldas, Pajtosi and Godfathers. In 1987 the three groups united under the name Taurunum. The name comes from the Latin name of a settlement that existed in Roman period in the place where Zemun is located nowadays, and that was named Taurunum. The group stands in the north stand of the stadium. Some supporting groups out of the town of Zemun are formed, the most important being the Rangers from Pančevo. In 1995 by the end of the Yugoslav Wars there is a generational turn-over, and the group standing in the east stand formed by younger supporters and named The Boys – Dragons, joins Taurunum in the north stand forming a bigger group renamed Taurunum Boys. The moto of the group becomes "One city, one club, only Zemun".^[11]

Nowadays the group is composed of several sub-groups, and beside supporting their club FK Zemun, they are usually present at the matches of the Serbian national team. They have friendly relationships with the fan group of Radnički Kragujevac, Crveni Đavoli.^[12] and Young Rats Firm of Krylia Sovetov Samara.^[13]

References[]

• Intertoto Cup, Uefa,
• Zemun odbijen, Borac u Kupu UEFA, B92,

External links[]

• Official website (in Serbian)
• Official Facebook Page (in Serbian)
• Fans website
• UEFA Profile
• Club profile and results at Srbijasport.
• FK Zemun info at srpskistadioni.in.rs
• Zemun moj grad (in Serbian)