Football in Yugoslavia

Football in Yugoslavia had different levels of historical development depending on the geographical regions.[1][2] Following the extreme popularity of the sport in Central Europe, it soon became the most popular sport in the territories of Yugoslavia as well.[3]

Football in Yugoslavia
Country	Yugoslavia
Governing body	Football Association of Yugoslavia
National team(s)	Yugoslavia national football team
National competitions
Yugoslav Cup
Club competitions
First League Second League
International competitions
European Cup Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Cup Super Cup Intercontinental Cup FIFA World Cup (national team) UEFA European Championship (national team)

History

Football came to the region in the time of Austria-Hungary in the late 19th century, mostly with influences from Vienna, Budapest and Prague, but also England, and the region's first football match was played in Rijeka in 1873, between English and local railway engineers. Before the end of the century occasional matches were also played in Županja, Zadar, Zrenjanin, Subotica, Maribor, Zagreb and Belgrade. Football was first introduced in several multi-sport gymnastic societies, and the first club was established in Belgrade in 1899. In 1901, Bačka, the oldest still-existing football club in Yugoslavia, was founded in Subotica, where the first league competition started in 1908. Before World War I, organized competitions were also played in the territories of today's Croatia and Slovenia. On 13 June 1912, the football section of the Croatian Sports Federation was established as a forerunner of the Yugoslav Football Federation.

After World War I, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929, was formed, and territories with mixed sports development were united. The Yugoslav Football Federation was formed in Zagreb in 1919, while the first sub-associations were formed in Belgrade, Ljubljana, Split, Subotica and Sarajevo in 1920. The Yugoslav Football Championship was played beginning in 1923, when Građanski Zagreb became first champions. The first four seasons had a cup tournament format, while the first round-robin league competition was held in 1927. In the period from 1923 to 1940, seventeen seasons were completed, with all the titles won by clubs from Croatia (Građanski Zagreb, Concordia Zagreb, HAŠK Zagreb and Hajduk Split) or Serbia (BSK Belgrade and Jugoslavija Belgrade). The Yugoslavia national football team was formed in 1920, when it participated at the Summer Olympics in Belgium. It soon became a force in European football and finished fourth in the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay.

Domestic Football

The monarchy was replaced by a socialist country after the Second World War. Many new clubs were formed and a new federal league was established to replace the old championship. The first season was played in 1946/47, and Partizan became the first postwar champions. The Yugoslav league soon became the most popular sport league in the country with average attendances usually over 10,000 spectators. The most successful clubs were known as the big four, Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Red Star Belgrade, and Partizan Belgrade. Red Star won a record 19 championships and the European Cup in 1991; Partizan were runners-up of the same competition in 1966, while Dinamo won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1967.[4][5][6] Other notable Yugoslav clubs were Olimpija Ljubljana, Željezničar Sarajevo, Velež Mostar, OFK Beograd, Vardar Skopje, Vojvodina, Rijeka and Sarajevo. Apart from the league, the Yugoslav Cup was also very popular, with the winner getting the Marshal Tito Trophy. The finals were first played on Republic Day (29 November), but the competition was then altered to correspond to the league season. The most successful team was Red Star with 12 titles. The Yugoslavia national football team continued with good results on the international scene, being participants in many European Championships and World Cups.[7]

National football team

Stjepan Bobek scored the most goals for the national team, while Dragan Džajić earned the most caps. The national team's best results were reaching the semi-finals in the 1962 World Cup and the finals in UEFA Euro 1960 and UEFA Euro 1968. Yugoslavia also hosted the UEFA Euro 1976 in the cities of Belgrade and Zagreb.[8]

In 1992, all the competitions were dissolved or altered following the break-up of Yugoslavia and the consequent creation of independent states.[9][10]

Stadiums

#	Stadium	Capacity	Opened	Location	Home Team
1	Stadion Crvena Zvezda	105,000	1963	Beograd	FK Crvena Zvezda
2	Stadion Maksimir	65,000	1912	Zagreb	NK Dinamo Zagreb
3	Stadion JNA	55,000	1949	Beograd	FK Partizan
3	Stadion Poljud	55,000	1979	Split	NK Hajduk Split
3	Stadion Koševo	55,000	1947	Sarajevo	FK Sarajevo
6	Stadion Karađorđev park	33,000	1953	Zrenjanin	FK Proleter Zrenjanin
7	Gradski stadion Banja Luka	30,000	1937	Banja Luka	FK Borac Banja Luka
7	Stadion Gradski vrt	30,000	1958	Osijek	NK Osijek
7	Stadion Grbavica	30,000	1953	Sarajevo	FK Željezničar Sarajevo
10	Gradski stadion Subotica	28,000	1936	Subotica	FK Spartak Subotica
11	Omladinski stadion	26,000	1957	Beograd	OFK Beograd
12	Gradski stadion Priština	25,000	1953	Priština	FK Priština
13	Stadion Čair	25,000	1963	Niš	FK Radnički Niš
14	Stadion Mladost	25,000	1976	Kruševac	FK Napredak Kruševac
15	Stadion Šumarice	24,000	1957	Kragujevac	FK Radnički Kragujevac
16	Stadion Bilino Polje	23,000	1972	Zenica	NK Čelik
17	Stadion Gradski park	23,000	1947	Skopje	FK Vardar
18	Gradski stadion Novi Sad	22,000	1924	Novi Sad	FK Vojvodina
19	Stadion Bijeli Brijeg	22,000	1971	Mostar	FK Velež
20	Stadion Kantrida	22,000	1912	Rijeka	NK Rijeka
21	Stadion Bežigrad	20,000	1935	Ljubljana	NK Olimpija Ljubljana
22	Stadion Pod Goricom	20,000	1945	Titograd	FK Budućnost Podgorica
23	Stadion Ljudski vrt	20,000	1952	Maribor	NK Maribor
24	Stadion Jaklić	20,000	1984	Bugojno	NK Iskra Bugojno
25	Stadion Mladost	18,000	1966	Vinkovci	NK Dinamo Vinkovci
26	Stadion kraj Bistrice	15,000	1946	Nikšić	FK Sutjeska Nikšić
27	Stadion kraj Ibra	15,000	1979	Titova Mitrovica	FK Trepča
28	Stadion Kranjčevićeva	15,000	1921	Zagreb	NK Zagreb
29	Gradski stadion Tetovo	15,000	1981	Tetovo	FK Teteks
30	Stadion Tušanj	14,000	1957	Tuzla	FK Sloboda Tuzla
31	Stadion Banjica	13,000	1977	Beograd	FK Rad

See also

For the correspondent article on each one of the republics, please see:

• Football in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Football in Croatia
• Football in Montenegro
• Football in North Macedonia
• Football in Serbia
• Football in Slovenia

Others:

• Football Association of Yugoslavia
• Yugoslav First League
• Yugoslavia national football team

References

1. "Zvonimir Boban and the kick that started a war". 28 September 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
2. "Jonathan Wilson: Osim recalls what might have been for a brilliant Yugoslavia in 1990". Si.com. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
3. "The disintegration of Yugoslavia and football". University of Iowa. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
4. hermesauto (24 May 2016). "Football: Red Star's European Cup triumph 25 years ago - Yugoslav glory and requiem". Retrieved 23 November 2017.
5. "The Team Dismantled by War: Red Star Belgrade's Final European Triumph". 5 June 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
6. Dunmore, Tom (16 September 2011). "Historical Dictionary of Soccer". Scarecrow Press. Retrieved 22 November 2017 – via Google Books.
7. "90: 'The team was far better than the country' - The lost brilliance of Yugoslavia". Fourfourtwo.com. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
8. "European Championships retrospective: Yugoslavia 1976 - World Soccer". Worldsoccer.com. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
9. "Yugoslavia and the breakup of its soccer team". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
10. Merrill, Austin. "The Splintering of Yugoslavia and Its Soccer Team". The Hive. Retrieved 22 November 2017.

External links

• Yugoslavia/Serbia (and Montenegro) - List of Champions at RSSSF.