HŠK Zrinjski Mostar

HŠK Zrinjski Mostar

Full name	Hrvatski športski klub Zrinjski Mostar Croatian sport club Zrinjski Mostar
Nickname(s)	Plemići (noblemen)
Founded	1905; 105 years ago (1905)
Ground	Bijeli Brijeg Stadium (Capacity: 25,000[1])
Chairman	Ante Vidačak
Manager	Slaven Musa
League	Premier League of BiH
2010-11	Premier League of BiH, 7th
Home colours Away colours

HŠK Zrinjski Mostar is a football team from the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club plays in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has been one of the top teams in the country over the years.

It was formed in 1905, and is the oldest football club in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After World War II, all clubs that had participated in the wartime Prva HNL were banned in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Zrinjski being one of them. The ban lasted from 1945 to 1992. The club was reformed after the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It played in the Herzeg-Bosnia First League until 2000 when it joined the Premier League. The club is based at Bijeli Brijeg Stadium.

In 2005, Zrinjski celebrated its first championship crown in the BiH Premier League.

Today the football team is part of the Zrinjski Mostar sport society.

History

The beginning and early years

Zrinjski Mostar:

Clubs:

Football

Men's Basketball

Women's Basketball

Men's Handball

Women's Handball

Boxing

Venues:

Bijeli Brijeg Stadium

Fans:

Ultras

Rivalries:

Mostar derby

In 1896 several distinguished^{[citation needed]} Herzegovians from Mostar had an idea to form a youth sports society named Hrvatski sokol (Croatian Hawk). At the time, this was not allowed, but in 1905 Croatian youth led by Professor Kuštreb succeeded. With the help of the cultural society Hrvoje they formed Đački športski klub (Student Sports Club). In 1912 it evolved to Gimnazijski nogometni klub Zrinjski (Gymnasium Football Club Zrinjski). It was named after the historic Croatian noble family Zrinski. Some of the first games they played were against sports team Osman from Sarajevo: the games ended 0:3 and 2:1. Club activist and player Ivo Ćorić wrote first reports about the club at that time. He named some of the players: Rudolf Brozović, Bruno and Edo Novak, Marko Suton, Željko and Ante Merdžo, Mabid Pehlivanović, Slavko Jukić, Ivan Bošnjak, and Karlo Šmit. In 1914 at the outset of World War I, the club was banned. This ban lasted until 1917 when Zrinjski along with another Croatian sports club from Mostar, Hrvatski radnički omladinski športski klub (HROŠK), formed a new club called “Hercegovac”. Some of the HROŠK players were: Jure Zelenika, Nikola Paladžić, Miroslav Prpić, Mirko Vlaho, Ante Pavković, Kažimir Zubac.

In 1922 the original name Zrinjski was brought back and at that time, the team started to compete more seriously. They played against other Mostar teams, like Yugoslavian Sports Club (JŠK), Velež and Vardar, and also teams from all over Herzegovina, Bosnia and Dalmatia. In 1923 Zrinjski won the Mostar Championship with a 1:0 victory over JŠK. The players that played in that game were: Vjekoslav Vrančić, Kazimir Vlaho, Živo Bebek, Rudi Janjušić, Husein H. Omerović, Milivoj Smoljan, Pero Golić, Mijo Miličević, Muhamed Omeragić, August Kučinović and Franjo Štimac. In 1930s Zrinjski played games in Zagreb, Sarajevo, Banja Luka and even Montenegro. In 1936 Yugoslavian authorities did not allow Zrinjski to play at a tournament in Dubrovnik because they had Croatian colors on their jersey. In 1938 Zrinjski won a tournament against Velež, ŠK Sloga and ŠK Makabi. Also at that time they played three night games, with the lights they borrowed from the local mine. Some of the club presidents from 1905 to 1945 were Miško Mikulić, Drago Turkelj, Jakša Miljković, and Blaško Slišković.

In 1941 with the beginning of World War II and the creation of the Independent State of Croatia, the Prva HNL was also formed. Zrinjski joined the league along with SAŠK Sarajevo and NK Hrvoje from Banja Luka when Independent State of Croatia was admitted to FIFA. In the league Zrinjski played historic games against Građanski Zagreb and Hajduk Split. In 1943 Zrinjski played against Jedinstvo, winning that match 2:1, which was probably the last before the club was banned.

The Ban

After World War II, in 1945 the Yugoslavian communist government banned use any nationalist names and signs. Also any sort of organization that used them, was shut down. Zrinjski was affected with that and the club was not allowed to operate for 47 years (1945–92).

Restoration

After Bosnia and Herzegovina became independent state, Zrinjski was reestablished. This happened in 1992 in Međugorje. Because of the ongoing war, for the first two years Zrinjski played only friendly games, mostly in Herzegovina and Croatia, but also in Canada and Germany. In 1994 Zrinjski, along with other Croatian clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina helped create the Herzeg-Bosnia Football Federation. The club participated in its league for seven seasons, and was one best teams over the years. Some of the notable players at that time were Blaž Slišković and Slaven Musa, both FK Velez Mostar players before that. In 1998 Zrinjski participated in first playoffs with Bosnian teams. In 2000 the Premier League for the first time included Bosnian and Croatian clubs together and Zrinjski was one of the clubs competing in the league and still is today. Serbian clubs joined in 2002.

Also in the summer of 2000 Zrinjski participated for the first time in a UEFA competition. They played in the Intertoto Cup against Swedish team Västra Frölunda IF. Zrinjski lost the first game in Sweden 1:0 and in Mostar led 1:0 after 90 minutes. At the beginning of overtime Zrinjski scored another goal and had the result that would send them to the next round, but the game ultimately ended with 3:2 Zrinjski victory and Vastra Frolunda went through because of away goals.

The new era

Title celebration

Before the 2003-04 season, some new board members entered the club, bringing better sponsors. Their primary goal was to make Zrinjski one of the top clubs in the country by its 100th anniversary in 2005. Zrinjski then took four players on loan from Dinamo Zagreb: Luka Modrić, Marko Janjetović, Ivica Džidić and Davor Landeka. After the season Džidić and Landeka stayed permanently. Although Zrinjski was nowhere near the top, the base for the next season was created. In summer of 2004, the club signed some of the best players in the league, such as Zoran Rajović, Dušan Kerkez, Velimir Vidić, and Sulejman Smajić. The team, led by coach Franjo Džidić won the title easily, with a significant point advantage over runner up Željezničar. Zoran Rajović was the league's leading scorer.

Many of Zrinjski’s star players were on one year contracts and left the team after the season. As a result, the team did not play well at the beginning of the season and was surprisingly knocked out of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round by Luxembourg team F91 Dudelange. Zrinjski won the first game away 1:0, but lost at home after overtime 4:0. Not long after the beginning of the season Blaž Slišković was appointed as a head coach.

Zrinjski finished the 2005-06 season in third place, earning a place in the Intertoto Cup where Zrinjski knocked out Maltese team Marsaxlokk F.C. (3:0 home, 1:1 away) in the first round and lost to Israel team Maccabi Petah Tikva FC (1:1 away, 1:3 home) in the second round.

In 2006-07 season Zrinjski earned second place, earning a UEFA Cup berth. During the winter break team lost one of its best players Lamine Diarra, who transferred to S.C. Beira-Mar, but it signed former star player Zoran Rajović on a free transfer. Zrinjski also signed experienced midfielder Mario Ivanković from NK Brotnjo.

In 2007-08, Zrinjski lost in the first qualifying round to FK Partizan of Serbia, 11-1 on aggregate. However, Partizan was expelled from the competition due to crowd trouble, so Zrinjski progressed to the second round where they lost 2-1 on aggregate to FK Rabotnički of Macedonia. The domestic campaign saw them finish fourth, but a victory in the Bosnian Cup earned them a place in the UEFA Cup once again.

Rivals

Velež

See Mostar derby. Zrinjski Mostar's main rival is Velež Mostar,the other football team in Mostar. The highly contested game between both teams is called the Mostar derby. Zrinjski first played against Velež Mostar in the 1920s and 1930s, but when Zrinjski was banned (1945.-1992), no games between the rival teams were played. During that period, Velež became a successful club in former Yugoslavia, and it was supported a majority of Mostarian inhabitants. After Zrinjski's league ban was lifted, the team became one of the important symbols of the Croatian entity in Mostar, and it was mainly supported by Croats. The rival team,Velež, is mostly supported by Bosniaks. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile mentioning that both teams still have a varied fan base, with football fans supporting their teams regardless of ethnic divisions. The Mostar derby is highly contested , just as the Sarajevo-Željezničar derby. On 1. march 2000, Zrinjski and Velež played a friendly game, for the first time in over 55 years. The game took place in Sarajevo, and ended in a 2:2 draw. The first official game between both teams was played in Premier League of BiH at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium on 13. August 2000., and was won by Zrinjski with 2:0.

The two fan groups which support each team are:

• FK Velež Supporters: Red Army Mostar
• HŠK Zrinjski Supporters : Ultras Zrinjski

Both fanbases still represent a division among ethnic lines, as the Ultras are almost exclusively Croats and the Red Army are mostly Bosniaks. The ethnic connection of both fanbases leads to vigorous clashes at the Mostar derby. Furthermore, some extreme groups of the Red Army are left-wing-inspired, while extreme Ultras are right-wing-inspired, which further exacerbates their rivalry.

Others

Other notable rivals of Zrinjski are Sarajevo clubs FK Sarajevo and NK Željezničar. Those clubs with famous history, along with Zrinjski are favorites for the top of the table almost every season. One of the other reasons for this rivalry is that Mostar is the center of Herzegovina, while Sarajevo is the center of Bosnia, and the capital of the entire country. Also there is a rivalry with NK Široki Brijeg, the other top team from Herzegovina. This rivalry started during Herzeg-Bosnia league (1994–2000), and continued in Premier League.

Supporters

Zrinjski’s fans are called Ultras. Ultras group from Mostar was founded in 1994.

Stadium

Zrinjski plays its games on Bijeli Brijeg Stadium, (English: White Hill Stadium). The stadium was built in 1971 and was used by Velež until 1991. Stadium capacity today is 25,000, but in the 1970s and 1980s some games attracted over 35,000 spectators. It is the second largest stadium in Bosnia and Herzegovina after Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium.

Honours

• Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Winners (2): 2004-05, 2008-09

• Football Cup of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Winners (1): 2007-08

Current squad

As of 20 August 2011

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Adnan Hadžić 2 DF Toni Šunjić 3 DF Damir Džidić (captain) 4 MF Samir Duro 6 MF Mario Lamešić 7 FW Phil Jackson 8 MF Lazar Marjanović 9 FW Amer Bekić 10 MF Igor Žuržinov 11 FW Mile Pehar 12 GK Igor Melher (vice-captain) 13 MF Pavle Sušić

No. Position Player 14 MF Tomislav Živko 15 MF Hrvoje Miličević 16 DF Pero Stojkić 17 MF Levan Kutalia 18 MF Davor Martinović 19 DF Toni Markić 20 FW Ivan Drežnjak 22 GK Igor Budimir 23 MF Vlado Zadro 25 DF Marko Popović 27 MF Marin Aničić 30 GK Matej Marković

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player DF Josip Aničić (at Branitelj Mostar) DF Ivo Zlatić (at Branitelj Mostar) MF Pero Zovko (at Branitelj Mostar)

Notable players

Miroslav Brozović Lamine Diarra Ivica Džidić Velibor Đurić Mario Ivanković Dušan Kerkez Krešimir Kordić Davor Landeka

Armando Marenzzi Romeo Mitrović Luka Modrić Igor Musa Slaven Musa Staniša Nikolić Zoran Rajović Blaž Slišković

Sulejman Smajić Toni Šunjić William Etchu Tabi Mladen Žižović

Notable managers

• Vladimir Skočajić
• Vjeran Simunić
• Blaž Slišković (1995–1997)
• Ivica Barbarić (2002–2003)
• Stjepan Deverić (2003–2004)
• Franjo Džidić (2004–2005)
• Dragan Jović (2007–2010)

European record

Season	Competition	Round		Club	Home	Away
2000	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R		Västra Frölunda	2-1	0-1
2005/06	UEFA Champions League	1Q		Dudelange	0-4 (AET)	1-0
2006	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R		Marsaxlokk	3-0	1-1
		2R		Maccabi Petah Tikva	1-3	1-1
2007/08	UEFA Cup	1Q		Partizan	1-61	0-5
		2Q		Rabotnički	1-2	0-0
2008/09	UEFA Cup	1Q		Vaduz	3-0	2-1
		2Q		Braga	0-2	0-1
2009/10	UEFA Champions League	2Q		Slovan Bratislava	1-0	0-4
2010/11	UEFA Europa League	1Q		Tobol	2-1	2-1
		2Q		Tre Penne	4-1	9-2
		3Q		Odense	0-0	3-5

¹ UEFA expelled Partizan from the 2007–08 UEFA Cup due to crowd trouble at their away tie in Mostar, which forced the match to be interrupted for 10 minutes. UEFA ajudged travelling Partizan fans to have been the culprits of the trouble.^[2], but Partizan were allowed to play the return leg while the appeal was being processed.^[3] However, Partizan's appeal was rejected so Zrinjski Mostar qualified.^[4]

Seasons

Season	League									Cup	European competitions		Top goalscorer
	Division	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Pos				Player	Goals
2002–03	BiH PL	38	17	2	19	46	65	53	11th	SF
2003–04	BiH PL	30	11	5	14	40	47	38	11th	1/16
2004–05	BiH PL	30	19	4	7	56	30	61	1st	SF			Zoran Rajović	17
2005–06	BiH PL	30	17	3	10	47	29	54	3rd	1/8	Champions League	QR1
2006–07	BiH PL	30	17	4	9	67	40	54	2nd	1/16	Intertoto Cup	R2
2007–08	BiH PL	30	15	4	11	46	27	49	4th	W	UEFA Cup	QR2
2008–09	BiH PL	30	18	3	9	50	37	57	1st	SF	UEFA Cup	QR2	Krešimir Kordić	13
2009–10	BiH PL	30	15	6	9	46	33	51	4th	SF	Champions League	QR2	Krešimir Kordić	10

Key

League: P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; Pts = Points won; Pos = Final position;

Cup / Europe: PR = Preliminary round; QR = Qualifying round; R1 = First round; R2 = Second round; Group = Group stage; QF = Quarter-final; SF = Semi-final; RU = Runner-up; W = Competition won;

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ "Partizan disqualified from UEFA Cup". uefa.com. Union of European Football Associations. 26 July 2007. http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=512/newsid=564584.html. 
3. ^ "Partizan decision deferred". uefa.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 July 2007. http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=512/newsid=566068.html. 
4. ^ "Partizan disqualified from UEFA Cup". uefa.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 August 2007. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/news/kind=1/newsid=568390.html. Retrieved 8 August 2007. 

External links

• Official website (Croatian)
• Zrinjski sports association website (Croatian)
• Ultras official website (Croatian)
• Profile at UEFA.com