NK Čelik Zenica

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Čelik Zenica
NK Čelik Zenica logo.png
Full nameNogometni klub Čelik Zenica
Nickname(s)Crno-crveni (The Black-Reds)
Starac (The Old Man)
Founded16 June 1945; 76 years ago (1945-06-16)
GroundBilino Polje Stadium, Zenica
Capacity15,292
ChairmanDenis Mušović
ManagerPavle Skočibušić
LeagueSecond League of FBIH
2021–22League of Zenica-Doboj Canton, 1st (promoted)
WebsiteClub website
Away colours

Nogometni klub Čelik Zenica (English: Football Club Čelik Zenica) is a professional football club based in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name Čelik 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 Čelik 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, Čelik 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, Čelik is the only fan-owned football club in Bosnia & Herzegovina where club members democratically elect its leadership.[1]

Čelik won the Mitropa Cup two times, and was joint winner of the UEFA Intertoto Cup once. Today, Čelik 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 fourth tier-League of Zenica-Doboj Canton on 13 July 2020.[3] The club advanced from the Cantonal league to the Second league of FBiH for the 2021–22 season.

The club has produced many important players including Elvir Bolić, Mirsad Hibić and Mladen Krstajić.

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[]

Čelik 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.

Bilino Polje Stadium

During the first few years of the club's existence, following World War II, Čelik'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 Blatuša which was located in the Blatuša neighborhood of Zenica. It was there that Čelik 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 Čelik'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 Čelik 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, Čelik played two Bosnian Premier League matches as well as one Bosnian Cup match on the Stadion Kamberovića 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 Čelik usually play their games at the smaller stadium Kamberovića Polje.

Supporters[]

Čelik's main supporter group Robijaši in a game against Željezničar on 10 August 2019.

The ultras supporter group of Čelik, established in 1988 in Zenica, is called Robijaši (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 9 May 2021.
Season League Cup Europe
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos
1994–95 First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Zenica Group
3 3 0 0 13 3 9 1st Winners
First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final Play-off
3 3 0 0 7 3 9 1st
1995–96 First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 21 5 4 65 23 68 1st Winners
1996–97 First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 17 7 6 57 23 58 1st SF
1997–98 First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosniaks First League
30 16 8 6 48 30 53 2nd R16
First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Play-off
2 0 0 2 2 7 0 6th
1998–99 First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 13 3 14 47 47 42 9th R16
1999–2000 First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 13 8 9 45 36 55 9th QF
Current format of Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
2000–01 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 42 21 10 11 75 40 73 4th QF
2001–02 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 12 7 11 39 30 43 6th SF UEFA Intertoto Cup – R2
2002–03 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 38 16 10 12 61 33 58 5th R32
2003–04 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 9 10 11 42 43 37 12th R16
2004–05 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 13 2 15 29 37 41 13th R16
2005–06 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 10 5 15 33 45 35 14th R32
2006–07 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 12 3 15 29 35 39 14th SF
2007–08 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 16 4 10 38 32 52 3rd R16
2008–09 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 12 5 13 29 32 41 10th R32 UEFA Intertoto Cup – R1
2009–10 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 10 5 10 33 36 50 13th R16
2010–11 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 11 7 12 30 30 40 10th Runners-up
2011–12 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 8 10 12 31 39 34 9th QF
2012–13 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 14 9 7 44 30 51 4th QF
2013–14 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 10 13 7 35 32 43 7th Runners-up
2014–15 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 10 11 9 34 35 66 7th R16
2015–16 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 12 10 8 35 28 46 6th R16
2016–17 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 32 8 11 13 28 39 35 10th R32
2017–18 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 32 8 4 20 30 61 28 11th R16
2018–19 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 33 11 10 12 30 49 43 7th R32
2019–20[nb 1] Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina 22 5 5 12 17 33 17 11th ↓ R32
2020–21 League of Zenica-Doboj Canton[nb 2] 16 15 1 0 51 3 46 1st

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 Turkey Denizlispor 1–0 5–3 6–3
2R Belgium Gent 1–0 0–2 1–2
2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Montenegro Grbalj 3–2 1–2 4–4 (a)

Players[]

Current squad[]

As of 14 August 2021[9]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Haris Šehić
3 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Davud Arnautović
4 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Harun Šabić
5 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Amar Muslić
7 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Sulejman Salkić
9 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Aladin Isaković
11 FW Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Adnan Mašić
13 GK Kosovo KVX Adis Nurković (player-coach)
15 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Sanjin Subotić
16 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Selim Žuna
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Imran Džaferović
18 FW Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Besim Kolić
20 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Selmir Kovač
21 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Eldar Sivac
25 FW Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Aidin Mahmutović (captain)
26 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Harun Vardo
31 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Edin Durmiš
89 GK Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Adi Durmo
99 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Dženan Smajić

Players with multiple nationalities[]

Club officials[]

Position Staff
Head coach Bosnia and Herzegovina Pavle Skočibušić
Goalkeeping coach Kosovo Adis Nurković
Physiotherapist Bosnia and Herzegovina Dario Zrnić

Last updated: 16 July 2020
Source: NK Čelik Zenica at sportsport.ba

Other information[]

Chairman of the board Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Mušović
Sporting director Bosnia and Herzegovina Husnija Arapović
Head coach Bosnia and Herzegovina Pavle Skočibušić

Source: NK Čelik Zenica at sportsport.ba

Notable managers[]

Dates Name Honours
1970–1971 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dušan Varagić 1970–71 Mitropa Cup
1971–1972 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Midhat Mujkić 1971–72 Mitropa Cup
1974–1975 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Marcel Žigante 1975 Intertoto Cup (Joint Winner)
1992–1996 Bosnia and Herzegovina Nermin Hadžiahmetović 1994–95 Bosnian Championship, 1994–95 Bosnian Cup, 1995–96 Bosnian Championship, 1995–96 Bosnian Cup
1996–1997 Bosnia and Herzegovina Kemal Hafizović 1996–97 Bosnian Championship

Notes[]

  1. ^ 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]
  2. ^ Čelik were initially relegated to the Prva Liga FBiH, but were then excluded from the league on 13 July 2020.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ https://www.aa.com.tr/ba/sport/usvojen-novi-statut-nk-%C4%8Delik-na-principu-jedan-%C4%8Dlan-jedan-glas/721257
  2. ^ F.Z. (1 June 2020). "Zvanično! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, Čelik i Zvijezda ispadaju" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  3. ^ E.M. (13 July 2020). "Čelik takmičenje nastavlja u Kantonalnoj ligi, izabrana i nova uprava kluba" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Historija".
  5. ^ "Mitropa Cup 1970/71". www.rsssf.com.
  6. ^ "Fans of Celik protest against club leadership".
  7. ^ F.Z. (1 June 2020). "Zvanično! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, Čelik i Zvijezda ispadaju" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  8. ^ E.M. (13 July 2020). "Čelik takmičenje nastavlja u Kantonalnoj ligi, izabrana i nova uprava kluba" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Igrači" [Players] (in Bosnian). NK Čelik Zenica. Retrieved 14 August 2021.

External links[]

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