FK Trepča

The club was named after the former Trepča Mines, which are located north-east of Kosovska Mitrovica. It was first known as FK Rudar Kosovska Mitrovica until 1962 when it was named FK Trepča.[6]

The club was founded in 1932 under the name Trepča by workers of the Trepča Mines in Kosovska Mitrovica during the period of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From the founding year until 1938, the club did not have an own venue, so coached and played on a playing field in the neighboring town Zvečan. In 1938, a small field was built where they played until the Second World War. Later they received its own stadium, the Trepča Stadium, which offered then about 30,000 spectators. The players that marked the pre-WWII period were Mazllum Grushti, Hasko Bula, Gota Sezair, Ejup Kerveshi, Adnan Mustafa, Ahmed and Qamil Zajmi, Hysen Murati, Xhati Zhubi, Sali Pllana, Bedri Hamza, Shinasi Rizanolli, Ahmet Shukriu, Burhan Kurkuqi, Jakup Berisha, Qazim Pllana, Sami Konjusha, Agim Deva, Ekrem Neziri, Riza Gashi, etc.[7] Gota Cezair was a Prizren-born player who, after playing with Trepča, went to Italy to study Economy at the University of Firenze, and, while there, he played for Carrarese Calcio.[8][9] and later returned to Yugoslavia and played with FK Vardar in Yugoslav First and Second Leagues.[10]

During the Second World War, the Kosovo Albanian players of Trepča, played for the Albanian football club called KF Skënderbeu, which was active during the war and the fascist occupation. After the end of the war, Trepča was long in the shadow of numerous Yugoslav clubs. However, in 1977 came the first major success for the club, when they achieved the promotion to the Yugoslav First League.[3]

In the following 1977–78 season, the club relegated in the Yugoslav Second League, but managed to achieve the 1977–78 Yugoslav Cup final, where they lost against NK Rijeka by 0–1 after extra time. During this period, the club's nickname Rudari (The Miners) was especially popular, and the Trepča players Dragan Mutibarić, Dragan Simeunović and Vladan Radača became members of the Yugoslav national football team. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the players that emerged in the club were Sali Qubreli, Jakup Abrashi, Ajet Shosholli, Hysni Maxhuni, Luan Prekazi, Rexhep Xhaka, Erdogan Celina, Esat Mehmeti, Ramadan Cimili, Fisnik Ademi, Adnan Zeqiri, Ibrahim Prekazi, Faruk Domi, Aqif Shehu, Mensur Nexhipi, Rafet Prekazi, Genc Hoxha, Avni Juniku, Bakir Burri, Hasan Shasivari, Vahedin Ajeti, Ahmet Turku, Gani Llapashtica, Isa Sadriu, Bardhec Seferi, Sadik Rrahmani, among others.[7]

Due to the consequences of the Kosovo war, in 1999, the Kosovo Albanian players decided to leave Trepča and found their own club. The Albanian club received the name KF Trepça, the Albanian name for FK Trepča, thus there were two clubs in the city with virtually the same name.

In the season 2001–02 they finished bottom of the Serbian League Morava and were relegated.[11] In the season 2003–04 they played in the 1/16 finals of the Serbia and Montenegro Cup.[12] In the season 2004–05 FK Trepča was playing in the Serbian fourth level, Šumadijska zona, and finished 15th. They played their matches in Zubin Potok.[13] In the season 2006–07 they played again in the Šumadija zone finishing 10th.[14]

FK Trepča reached the pre-eliminary round of the 2011–12 Serbian Cup. They played it after winning the Kosovo and Metohija qualifying group.[15]

In April 2013, Trepča attended a friendly match against the Serbian top level club Partizan in Belgrade, which symbolized the solidarity with Serbs from Kosovo, which Trepča narrowly lost with 2–3.[1] Both goals for Trepča were scored by Perica Ilić. A year later, they also played a friendly match with same character against the other Serbian top club Red Star Belgrade, which they lost by 0–3.[16]

From 1932 to 1938 the club not have its own venue. They coached and played on a playing field in the neighboring town Zvečan. In 1938, a small field was built where they played until the Second World War. Later they received its own stadium, the Trepča Stadium, which offered then about 30,000 spectators. There they played it home games until the outbreak of the Kosovo war.[3]

After the war in 1999, the city was divided into a southern part with almost exclusively Kosovo Albanian and a northern part with non-Albanian or predominantly Serb population.[3] During the war, many Serbs and non-Albanians fled to the northern part of the city or were expelled. Its followed the 2004 unrest in Kosovo, the nationwide pogrom-like riots in March against the Serb and non-Albanian population from Albanian extremist only reinforced the ethnic division of the city.

The Trepča Stadium is located in the southern part of the city, thus the FK Trepča is not possible to play its home matches in their home stadium.[3][17] Currently, only Albanian teams play in Trepča Stadium, including the 1999 founded KF Trepça, who have the stadium virtually annexed and finally renamed.[3] The Trepča Stadium is called now by the Kosovo Albanian population as Olympik Stadiumi Adem Jashari, after Adem Jashari, a former leader of the Albanian paramilitary rebel organisation UÇK, but the non-Albanian population still called Stadion Trepča.[5] Because of these current difficult political situation, Trepča plays its home games near Zvečan, in 3.500 seater Zvečan Stadium.[5]

The club colors are green and black, which are also included in the coat of arms of the city, and were also the colors prior to the merger and the integration of Partizan Kosovska Mitrovica. To the club color of Partizan Belgrade belonged also red and blue. Thus, the away kit of Partizan Kosovska Mitrovica wore these colors were symbolic the main colors of the Serbian flag. It was similar at Partizan Belgrade.

The club has played three international matches in 1977/78:

• Trepča 1:3 against Real Zaragoza in Spain
• Trepča 1:3 against FK Sliven in Bulgaria
• Trepča 1:1 against SK Tirana in Albania

Yugoslav Second League (1)

• Champion: 1976–77 (promoted to Yugoslav First League)[18]

Yugoslav Cup (1)

• Runner-up: 1978[18]

Regional Championship of the SAP Kosovo (5)

• Champion: 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1955[18]

First League of North Kosovo (3)

• Champion: 2002–03, 2005–06, 2008–09[18]

Kosovo and Metohija Cup (5)

• Champion: 1992, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2014[18]

• FK Trepča on Srbijasport