NK Čelik Zenica
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.
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| Full name | Nogometni klub Čelik Zenica | ||
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| 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 Mušović | ||
| Manager | Pavle Skočibušić | ||
| League | League of Zenica-Doboj Canton | ||
| 2019–20 | Premier League BH, 11th (moved to League of Zenica-Doboj Canton) | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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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 League of Zenica-Doboj Canton on 13 July 2020.[3]
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.
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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
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
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 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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.
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Players with multiple nationalities
Club officials
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Pavle Skočibušić |
| Goalkeeping coach |  Adis Nurković |
| Physiotherapist | Dario Zrnić |
Last updated: 16 July 2020
Source: NK Čelik Zenica at sportsport.ba
Other information
| Chairman of the board | Denis Mušović |
| Sporting director | Husnija Arapović |
| Head coach | Pavle Skočibušić |
Source: NK Čelik Zenica at sportsport.ba
Notable managers
| Dates | Name | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1971 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Dušan Varagić |
1970–71 Mitropa Cup |
| 1971–1972 | Midhat Mujkić |
1971–72 Mitropa Cup |
| 1974–1975 | Marcel Žigante |
1975 Intertoto Cup (Joint Winner) |
| 1992–1996 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Nermin Hadžiahmetović |
1994–95 Bosnian Championship, 1994–95 Bosnian Cup, 1995–96 Bosnian Championship, 1995–96 Bosnian Cup |
| 1996–1997 | Kemal Hafizović |
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]
- Čelik 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). "Zvanično! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, Čelik i Zvijezda ispadaju" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- E.M. (13 July 2020). "Čelik takmičenje nastavlja u Kantonalnoj ligi, izabrana i nova uprava kluba" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 13 July 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). "Zvanično! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, Čelik i Zvijezda ispadaju" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- E.M. (13 July 2020). "Čelik takmičenje nastavlja u Kantonalnoj ligi, izabrana i nova uprava kluba" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to NK Čelik. |
- NK Čelik Zenica on Facebook
- Čelik at UEFA.com
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Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
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