NK Maribor

NK Maribor

Full name	Nogometni Klub Maribor
Nickname(s)	Vijoličasti (The Purples) Vijolice (The Violets) Štajerski ponos (The pride of Styria)
Founded	December 12, 1960 (1960-12-12) (50 years ago)
Ground	Ljudski vrt (Capacity: 12,994)
Chairman	Drago Cotar
Manager	Darko Milanič
League	Slovenian PrvaLiga
2010–11	1st
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Nogometni Klub Maribor (English: Football Club Maribor), commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from Slovenian top flight 1. SNL since its establishment in 1991.^[1] They are regarded as a symbol of Slovenian football, particularly in their home region of Styria (Slovene: Štajerska) in northeastern Slovenia.

Maribor is the most successful club in the country, having won nine Slovenian League titles, six Slovenian Cups and one Slovenian Supercup.^[1] The club's most successful period was in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when they overwhelmingly dominated domestic football and won seven consecutive league titles and three national cups.^[1] Prior to Slovenia's independence in 1991 they played in the Yugoslav football system. Maribor is one of only three Slovenian clubs who had stints in the Yugoslav First League, the country's top level between 1946 and 1991. They are also the only Slovenian club to date to have participated in the UEFA Champions League, having appeared in group stages in the 1999–2000 season under the guidance of head coach Bojan Prašnikar. In addition, they are one of only four clubs from the former Yugoslavia who participated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League since the breakup of the country in 1991.

They maintain a fierce rivalry with Olimpija from the capital Ljubljana, with whom they contest the Eternal Derby (Večni derbi). Their other major rivalry is against Mura 05 from Murska Sobota and matches between the two are dubbed as the Northeastern Derby (Severovzhodni derbi). Maribor also have a loyal and passionate fan base and the club has the highest average all-time attendance in Slovenia.

The club's home ground is the Ljudski vrt stadium which has a capacity of 12,994.^[2] It was originally built in 1962 and later underwent a series of major reconstructions in the 1990s and 2000s. The club's Academy, which is hailed as the best in the country,^[3] is responsible for youth development at the club and has enjoyed a fair amount of success in producing promising young players.^[4] Maribor's nicknames are The Purples (Vijoličasti) and The Violets (Vijolice), both referring to their primary colour purple. The club's motto is One club, one honour (En klub, ena čast).

History

Main articles: History of NK Maribor, List of NK Maribor seasons, and NK Maribor in Europe

Founding

Maribor football club was founded on 12 December 1960.^[1] The board of the newly established club then organized the presidential elections and Dr. Srečko Koren was appointed as the first club president, while Andrija Pflander was appointed as the first head coach and Oto Blaznik as the first team captain. The club played their first match on 5 February, 1961, when they defeated city rivals Kovinar 2–1 (0–0), with Stefan Tolič scoring both goals.^[5] Although the team colours, purple and white, were chosen from the beginning, the team played its first match in a green and blue combination, as their violet jerseys were not available in time for the first match.^[5] The team won the Slovenian Republic League (third tier of Yugoslav football) in their first season and therefore won the right to contest the qualifications for the Yugoslav Second League.^[5] Andrija Pflander was the head coach of the team that won the Republic league. However, he had to step down from the position right before the start of the promotion play-off due to illness.^[5] His successor was Vladimir Šimunić, the man who eventually guided the team to their promotion to the Yugoslav First League six years later.^[5] Maribor won the first two rounds of the qualifying play-off and eventually defeated Croatian side Uljanik from Pula in the final qualifying phase with the score 2–1 on aggregate, therefore securing the right to play in the second Yugoslav division.^[5]

Ljudski vrt's main stand – built in 1962

In 1962 the club received a new stadium named Ljudski vrt. On 2 September of that year football fans across Slovenia witnessed the birth of a new rivalry between Maribor and Olimpija.^[6] The first match between the two clubs was played in Ljubljana and ended in a 1–1 draw. Matches between these two clubs later became known in Slovenia as the Eternal derby (Večni derbi). After five seasons, the average attendance of home matches was around 8,000 spectators, and under the guidance of coach Simunič, the club won the second division title and managed to reach the Yugoslav first league, becoming one of only three Slovenian clubs in history who played in the top flight of Yugoslav football.^[5]

Yugoslav top division

The club's first match in the Yugoslav top division was played in 1967 against Macedonian side Vardar in Skopje (1–1); Maras scored the only goal for Maribor.^[5] The first top level home match was played on 27 August 1967 against Proleter Zrenjanin in front of 8,000 spectators and Maribor won with the score 3–0.^[5] The goals were scored by Krajnc, Arnejčič and Binkovski.^[5] During the same season, football fans across Slovenia witnessed the first ever match in the Yugoslav top flight involving two clubs from Slovenia, when Maribor hosted a match against their rivals Olimpija in front of 13,000 spectators (0–0).^[7] Every match between the two clubs during this period would be sold out, with crowd attendance sometimes as high as 20,000.^[6] The team finished their first season in Yugoslav top flight in 12th place.^[5]

During their five years in the top division, Maribor played a total of 166 matches and achieved 40 wins, 57 draws and 69 defeats, with a goal difference of 166–270. Maribor's highest league position was in the 1969–70 season when the club finished in 10th place in an 18-club league.^[5] The average league placement of the club in Yugoslav top flight was 13.8. The 1971–72 season was their last season in top division as the team finished last with 20 points.^[8] Mladen Krajnc, one of the best players in history of the club, was the best goalscorer for the team in each of its five seasons spent in the Yugoslav top division, having scored a total of 54 league goals, which eventually led to his transfer to one of the top Yugoslav clubs, Dinamo Zagreb.^[9]

Next season Maribor played in the second Yugoslav division and finished runners-up, which meant that they qualified for the Yugoslav first division promotion play-off.^[8] In the first qualifying round against Montenegrin side Budućnost, Maribor won on penalties and qualified for the decisive round against Proleter.^[8] The first leg was played in Maribor on 8 July, 1973, and is acknowledged as one of the most historic matches in history of the club as it still holds the club's attendance record.^[8] There were 20,000 spectators, 15,000 of whom were already present in the stands almost three hours before kick off, eventually helping Maribor win the game 3–1.^[10] However, the two-goal advantage proved to be insufficient as Proleter won the second leg in Zrenjanin 3–0 and earned promotion with the score 4–3 on aggregate.^[8] In the second leg match when the score was 1–0 for the home team, Maribor had scored an equaliser in the 23rd minute, but the goal was disallowed.^[8] The later TV replay showed that the ball had actually crossed the goal line and that the goal should have stood.^[8]

After the dramatic play-off against Proleter, the club entered a period of stagnation. During this period Maribor were again close to promotion to top division in the 1978–79 season when they finished in second place, six points behind Bosnian side Čelik.

Bribery scandal and aftermath

At the end of 1980–1981 season Maribor were celebrating as the club managed to avoid relegation, when the "Ball" (Žoga) bribery scandal emerged, and caused the club to be relegated from second tier to third by the decision of the Football Association of Yugoslavia disciplinary committee.^[11] The club had a secret fund that was used for bribing officials and opponents.^[12] Some club officials were keeping track of the bribery expenses in their black book, which was later confiscated by the authorities.^[12] From the book it is clear that Maribor had bribed a total of 31 people.^[12] After the scandal and the subsequent relegation to third division, Maribor spent the following years bouncing between the second and third Yugoslav leagues until the independence of Slovenia in 1991.

In 1988 Maribor merged with another local football club Branik, to form Maribor Branik.^[13] Although the club uses only the name Maribor in domestic and international competitions it is still officially registered as NK Maribor Branik to this day.^[14] The two clubs always had close ties as Branik had been dissolved only a couple of months before Maribor was established and, many fans who had supported Branik simply switched to supporting Maribor as they viewed the club as the successor of Branik.^[13] Branik was later re-established and legally the two clubs had nothing in common until the merger in 1988.^[13] In October that year Mladen Krajnc was involved in a tragic motorcycle accident in Dolnja Počehova.^[9] Considered to be one of the best goalscorers in the history of the club, he died at the age of 43.^[9][11]

After independence

Following the 1991 independence of Slovenia, Slovenia's best clubs joined the newly formed Slovenian League.^[15] Maribor were one of the league's founding members, and are one of only three clubs, along with Gorica and Celje, who have never been relegated from the Slovenian top division. In the first couple of seasons, Maribor's rivals Olimpija from Ljubljana, who have had a long tradition of playing in the Yugoslav first league and at the time still had their squad composed of players from that era, dominated the league.^[15] Although Olimpija dominated the league, Maribor still managed to win the first edition of the Slovenian Cup in 1992.^[15] The final match was played in Ljubljana at Bežigrad Stadium versus Olimpija. It ended in a goalless draw after regular time and was won by Maribor after a penalty shoot-out (4–3).^[15] This was the first major success for Maribor.^[15] During the next season the team had their European début, appearing in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They played their first European match on 19 August, 1992, when they hosted Ħamrun Spartans of Malta and won with the score 4–0.^[15] Ante Šimundža scored the first historic goal of the match^[15] and still holds the record for most goals (9) in European club competitions for the club.^[16] Olimpija went on to win the first four domestic championships, until their streak was interrupted by Gorica who won it in the 1995–96 season.^[17] Maribor were runners-up in the 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1994–95 seasons, before finishing third in 1993–94 and then fourth in the 1995–96 season. During this period the club managed to win another Slovenian cup in 1993–94, defeating Mura from Murska Sobota in the final with 3–2 on aggregate.^[15]

Simeunovič Židan Cipi Galič Karić Balajić Djuranovič Sešlar Bozgo Šimundža

The UEFA Champions League lineup that beat Dynamo Kiev 1–0 in Kiev[18]

The 1996–97 season proved to be the turning point in the history of Maribor. The club stormed the Slovenian league and became national champions for the first time in their history.^[15] During this season average home attendance was 5,289 spectators, which is still a record in the Slovenian League.^[19][20] The final match of the season was played on 1 June 1997, against Beltinci and attracted a crowd of 14,000,^[21] which is also a record of the Slovenian top league.^[20] In that season Maribor also won the 1996–97 Slovenian Cup, thus winning the domestic Double, a feat also repeated in the 1998–99 season. After their first title in 1996–97 Maribor went on to win six more titles, bringing their total number to seven consecutive titles by 2003. During this period the team also won three Slovenian cups and in the 1999–2000 season, the club, led by head coach Bojan Prašnikar, managed to defeated Genk of Belgium (5–1, 0–3) and French powerhouse Lyon (1–0, 2–0) and qualify for the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions league.^[22] Maribor were drawn into the same group with Dynamo Kiev, Bayer Leverkusen and Lazio. To date, Maribor is one of only four clubs (along with Dinamo Zagreb, Partizan and Hajduk Split) from the former SFR Yugoslavia who participated in UEFA Champions League group stages since the breakup of the country in 1991.^[23][24][25]

Financial difficulties

The 2003–04 Slovenian Cup was the last trophy won by Maribor before the darkest era of the club began. Between 2004 and 2008, the club was plagued by financial difficulties, and Maribor even came close to being disbanded at one point.^[26] However, the club did not follow their rivals Olimpija and Mura on that path.^[26]

Due to their large debts, which at one point amounted to 4 million euros, the club could not afford to buy new players. As a consequence, the first team at the time consisted mostly of youth players mixed with a couple of foreign players brought to the club on free transfers. In the autumn of 2006, the leadership of the club changed, with the debt still amounting to over 3 million euros, and it was not until January 2011 that the club announced that the debt had been paid in full.^[27] During this period, Maribor never finished above third place in the Slovenian league, and were runners-up in the Slovenian Cup twice. They were, however, one of the eleven winners of the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, in which they defeated Spanish side Villarreal in the final round, only a couple of months after Villareal had played in the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League.^[16]

Current status

Maribor players celebrating the club's ninth league title

From the season 2007–08 onwards, Slovenian football legends Zlatko Zahovič as sport director, and soon afterwards, Darko Milanič as head coach, and club legend Ante Šimundža as assistant coach, were appointed to head the club's sports department.^[28] On 10 May 2008, the club re-opened the renovated Ljudski vrt Stadium, which had undergone a major reconstruction that lasted almost 20 months.^[29] The first match played in the newly refurbished stadium was a league match against Nafta and was won 3–1 in front of 12,435 spectators.^[29] At the start of 2008–09 season, Maribor entered history books as the first club who won 1,000 points in the Slovenian top division, after a 2–1 away win against Rudar Velenje on 26 July 2008.^[30] Under the guidance of head coach Darko Milanič, Maribor won all three domestic trophies available to them (the Slovenian League, Cup, and Super Cup) in only two seasons with the club, thus becoming the first coach with all three domestic trophies won in Slovenian football.^[31] On 12 December 2010, the club celebrated its 50th anniversary.^[32][33][34] With the 2–1 away victory over Primorje, on 21 May 2011, Maribor secured its ninth Slovenian league title.^[35] Four days later the team played the Slovenian cup final at Stožice stadium and lost to Domžale 4–3.^[36]

At the start of the 2011–12 season Maribor played in the 2011 Slovenian Supercup against Domžale and lost with the score 2–1 after regulation.^[37] This was the second consecutive loss for Maribor against Domžale in domestic cup finals in five weeks, after losing the Slovenian cup in May 2011.^[37]

Social identity

Maribor's original kit

Kit and colours

Throughout the entire history of Maribor the club's main colour was purple.^[38] At the beginning of the club some officials were favouring the red and white colours, while the traditional colours of Branik were black and white. Because of the fact that many football teams in SFR Yugoslavia wore red-white or black-white jerseys, most notably FK Crvena Zvezda and FK Partizan, Maribor officials decided for a new and fresh combination. They decided to follow the example of ACF Fiorentina, which at the time was one of the most successful clubs in Europe, and their purple and white combination.^[38] Oto Blaznik, the first captain in history of the club, was the one who proposed the combination after seeing the Italian side play.^[38] Eventually they changed the secondary colour to yellow.^[38] Today Maribor play their home matches in purple and away matches in yellow kits. The team is nicknamed The Purples (Vijoličasti);^[39][40] another common nickname is The Violets (Vijolice),^[41][42] both referring to their primary colour purple, present on players' jerseys and in the club crest. The club's current kit manufacturer is Adidas.^[43]

Crest

Maribor's crest evolution

The badge of the club is one of the most recognizable sport symbols in Slovenia. It is based on the official emblem of the city of Maribor which is turn based on a 14th-century seal,^[44] with minor differences. The badge is formed in a shape of a shield, and shows the former Piramida Castle with open doors that used to stand on top of the Pyramid Hill before it was demolished at the end of the 18th century. A violet blossom forms the backdrop. Unlike the coat of arms of the city of Maribor, the current badge of the club does not represent a white dove facing downwards to the castle but an athlete.^[38] At the top of the shield the name of the club and the year of its foundation is inscribed. The entire badge uses only two colours, purple and yellow.^[38] Previous versions of the crest included the colour white, a traditional third colour of the club, in the form of a white castle in the centre and a white ball that was on top of the shield.^[38]

Stadium

For more details on this topic, see Ljudski vrt Stadium.

Ljudski vrt

The Ljudski vrt (German: Volksgarten, English: People's Garden) stadium is the only stadium in Maribor that lies on the left bank of the river Drava. The stadium is a natural, cultural, architectural and sports landmark of the city^[45] and is considered one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world.^[46][47] The stadium is named after a public park previously located in the area.^[45] A cemetery was also located on the same area before the stadium was built.^[48][49] The first football pitch in the area was built in 1952, while the stadium itself was not built until 1962.^[45] The club first started to compete in Ljudski vrt in 1961, when the current main stand was still under construction.^[45] The stand is notable for its 129.8 metres long and 18.4 m high concrete arch and is still the main stand of the stadium.^[45] In 1994 floodlights were installed and the stadium hosted its first evening match.^[45] Since then the stadium went through several renovations.^[50] The most notable was the one in 2008 when the stadium was completely refurbished. Presently, it has a capacity of 12,994 seats.^[2]

Beside being the home ground of Maribor, the stadium also hosts matches of the Slovenia national football team and was their main venue used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. It was one of two stadiums in the country which hosted the national team in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers.^[51][52] The record attendance in the Yugoslav era was 20,000 spectators, while the record for a Slovenian League match is 14,000 spectators, achieved on the last match of the 1996–97 season.^[10][21] This match is still the record holder for attendance at a football match in Slovenian League.^[20]

Supporters

Viole Maribor

Since their inception in 1960, Maribor have developed a loyal, passionate and dedicated fanbase and Maribor's fans are considered the best in the country.^[53] After Slovenia declared independence in 1991, most of the town's industry perished and over 25% of the population was unemployed.^[54] Still, the people remained loyal to the club. The club is by far the most popular football team in the country and is, in number of football supporters, second only to the Slovenia national football team.^[20] Besides the city of Maribor and the surrounding area, the club also has a large fan base in the regions of Styria (Štajerska) and Carinthia (Koroška), from which a number of fan groups emerged from places such as Ptuj, Ljutomer, Pragersko, and Šentilj.^[55] The club also draws a significant number of supporters from northern Upper Carniola (Gorenjska), with supporters located between Rateče and Kranj,^[55] and northeastern Lower Carniola (Dolenjska), in the area around Krško and Kočevje,^[55], as well as the capital city of Ljubljana itself. This is due to a large number of students and workers from eastern part of the country.^[55] A small number of supporters are also present in Ilirska Bistrica in the Slovenian Littoral (Primorska).^[55] Soon after the foundation of Maribor, the club was branded as the citizens club, while their city rivals Železničar has always been branded as the club of the working class. This was mainly because Maribor was seen, by the fans, as the successor of Branik, a club that folded in 1960. Many fans of Branik then started to cheer for Maribor, a club that was founded only couple of months later.^[56] Branik was later reestablished as a new club, and in 1988, merged with Maribor under the name NK Maribor Branik.^[13]

Since the establishment of the Slovenian league, 1. SNL, Maribor had the highest average attendance in almost every season to date (17 out of 20), and, overall, had more spectators on its home matches than the second and third most viewed clubs in the league combined.^[20] The highest attendance was in season 1996–97 when on average 5,289 people attended Maribor's matches, which is still a record in Slovenian club football.^[19][20] To date, Maribor is the only team in Slovenian league that gathered over 10,000 people during their league matches, achieving that number on several occasions.^[57][58][59] The highest attendance ever on a Slovenian league match was on 1 June 1997, when Maribor played against Beltinci (14,000).^[21] In addition, they are the only club that gathered over one million people on their matches in Slovenian league, since its foundation in 1991.^[20]

Maribor supporters celebrating the club's ninth league title

The club also has an ultras group called Viole Maribor established in 1989 which is, by numbers and organization, considered the biggest in Slovenia.^[60] The core of Viole consists of around 250 fans, while the whole group has over 500 official members.^[55] They are located on the southern stand of the stadium which has a capacity of just over 2,000.^[55] The most Maribor fans gathered on an away match in domestic competitions was in 2001 when 3,000 fans gathered in Ljubljana,^[61] while the most fans gathered on a away match abroad was in 1999 during the club's UEFA Champions League campaign when 700 fans gathered in Rome.^[55] Their biggest rivals are the Green Dragons of Olimpija.^[55] Recently another fan group emerged to support Maribor at their matches. The group is called ESS (East Side Supporters) and consists mostly of former members of Viole Maribor, now season tickets holders.^[62] They are, as the name implies, located at the east stand of the stadium.

Famous fans

Famous, non football related, supporters with verifiable citations confirming their support for NK Maribor are listed on this list alphabetically.

• Anže Kopitar^[63] – NHL ice hockey player and current member of the Los Angeles Kings
• Primož Kozmus^[64] – Current Olympic and former World champion in hammer throw
• Tone Partljič^[65] – Writer, author, playwright, former politician (lifetime honorary season ticket holder)
• Sašo Peče^[66] – Politician
• Zoran Predin^[67] – Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer
• Sasha Vujačić^[68] – Professional basketball player and current member of the Anadolu Efes S.K.

Rivalries

Eternal derby

For more details on this topic, see Eternal derby (Slovenia).

Maribor's biggest rivalry was with Olimpija, against whom they contested the Eternal derby (Večni derbi). Olimpija folded and was dissolved in 2004.^[69] Today, the continuation of the rivalry is considered (by certain Ljubljana based media^[70] and fans, mostly of the old Olimpija), as the matches between Maribor and the new NK Olimpija Ljubljana, established in 2005 as Bežigrad.^[71] The rivalry traced its roots back to the early 1960s, when the first match between the two clubs was played.^[72] The two teams represented the two largest cities in Slovenia, the capital city of Ljubljana and the second largest city Maribor, and both teams always had the largest fan bases in the country.^[20] Traditionally, Ljubljana represents the richer western part of the country, while Maribor is the center of the poorer eastern part.^[73] In addition, Ljubljana was always the cultural, educational, economic and political center of the country and Olimpija and its fans were considered as the representatives of the upper class.^[74] Maribor, on the other hand, was one of the most industrialized cities in Yugoslavia,^[75] and the majority of its fans were the representatives of the working class, which means that the rivalry usually political, social, and cultural tensions as well.

The old rivalry reached its peak in the final round of 2000–01 season when one of the most celebrated matches in Slovenian League history was played, when Olimpija met Maribor at their home stadium, Bežigrad.^[76] Both teams were competing for their fifth Slovenian League title. The home team needed a win for the title, while a draw was enough for Maribor. The atmosphere was electric days before the kick-off, and the stadium with a capacity of 8,500 was completely sold out. At the end, the match ended with a draw (1–1)^[76] and Maribor started to celebrate their fifth consecutive title^[77] in front of 3,000 of their fans that gathered in Ljubljana that day.^[61]

An additional intensity to the rivalry is the fact that both Maribor and Olimpija always had support on their matches from ultras groups, called Viole Maribor^[60] supporting Maribor, and the Green Dragons who support Olimpija.^[78] The two groups are the largest in the country, and it is not uncommon that the matches between the two clubs were sometimes interrupted by violent clashes between the two groups or with the police.^[79] On many occasions, before or after the matches, the fans of the two clubs would also meet up and fight on the streets. One of the worst incidents, in April 2010 after a match, resulted in a stabbing of a member of the Green Dragons who, with a group of friends, got into a fight with members of the Viole in Ljubljana's railway station.^[80] However, to date, there have not been any fatalities in the country related to football violence.

Because the new Olimpija is supported by most of the fans of the previous Olimpija, including their ultras group, the Green Dragons, who have a long-standing rivalry with Maribor's own ultras group Viole Maribor, many see the matches between Maribor and the new club as the continuation of the rivalry and refer to it by the same name.^[81][82] However, there are many fans, either the ones from Maribor or the ones from Ljubljana, that do not share the same view and do not share similar beliefs,^[83][84][85] including part of the media.^[86][87] The overall statistics of the old and the new Olimpija are tracked separately by the Football Association of Slovenia and the Association of 1. SNL.^[20][88] The first match between Maribor and the new Olimpija took place on 24 October 2007 on a Slovenian cup quarter-final match that was won by Maribor, 3–1.^[89] At the time Olimpija was still competing under the name Olimpija Bežigrad.^[89] Statistically, Maribor is the more successful club either in the case of matches only from the period from 1962 to 2005 or the whole period from 1962 to present day.^[6] Maribor is also much more successful in case of the matches against Olimpija, established in 2005 as Bežigrad.^[72]

Northeastern derby

For more details on this topic, see Northeastern derby (Slovenia).

The other major rivalry of the club was that against Mura from Murska Sobota. Similar to Olimpija, Mura also folded and was dissolved in 2004^[69] and today the continuation of the rivalry is considered as the matches between Maribor and Mura 05, established in 2005, who consider themselves, together with the fans of the old Mura, as the spiritual continuation of the 2004 dissolved club.^[90] The match between the two clubs was first played in 1967 in the time of SFR Yugoslavia. Although the first match was played in the late 1960s it was not until the independence of Slovenia in 1991 when most of the matches were played.^[91] Before the establishment of the 1. SNL in 1991 both clubs had never played together in the top division and the rivalry became apparent only after the independence of Slovenia, when both clubs were among the top teams of the newly established national league. Mura comes from a small, rural town of Murska Sobota in eastern Slovenia which is the center of the poorest region in the country, Prekmurje.^[73] Prekmurje was, for about a thousand years, part of the Kingdom of Hungary, unlike other Slovene Lands.^[92] It therefore maintains certain specific linguistic, cultural and religious features that differentiate it from other traditional Slovenian regions.^[92] The Mura river, which runs on the border between Styria (Štajerska), the capital of which is Maribor,^[93] and Prekmurje was therefore not just a natural barrier, but political as well.^[92] During the 1990s and early 2000s the two clubs were the most successful and popular teams in the eastern part of the country.^[20] The rivalry reached its peak in 2003–04 season when Mura hosted Maribor at home in the final round of the season. Before the match Maribor was leading the table and was close in winning their eighth consecutive title while the mid table position of Mura was predetermined before the final round. However, Mura won the match 2–1^[94] and Maribor eventually finished the season on third place, losing the title by two points.^[95]

Mura also has support during their matches from their ultras group, named the Black Gringos.^[96] Statistically, both teams always enjoyed one of the biggest attendances on their matches and, in term of numbers, both teams had one of the largest fan bases in the country.^[20] The fact that Prekmurje is one of the smallest and least populated regions in Slovenia has made Mura's fans labeled, by the general public, as one of the most loyal in the country.^[97] Currently, Mura 05 plays in the lower tier of Slovenian football and still has higher average attendances than most of the first division clubs.^[98] Statistically, Maribor is the more successful club, considering either the case of matches from the period from 1967 to 2005, or the whole period from 1967 to present day.^[91]

Honours

Yugoslavia

League

• Yugoslav Second League:

Winners (1): 1966–67

Runners-up (3): 1963–64, 1972–73, 1978–79

• Yugoslav Third League:

Winners (5): 1960–61, 1975–76, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86

Runners-up (1): 1987–88

Cup

• Yugoslav Cup

Semi-final (1): 1967–68

Slovenia

League

• Slovenian Championships:

Winners (9): 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2008–09, 2010–11

Runners-up (4): 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2009–10

Cup

• Slovenian Cup:

Winners (6): 1991–92, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2003–04, 2009–10

Runners-up (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11

• Slovenian Supercup:

Winners (1): 2009

Runners-up (2): 2010, 2011

Other

• The double (League and Cup):

Winners (2): 1996–97, 1998–99

Maribor's tally of nine Slovenian Championships^[99] and the total of six Slovenian Cup titles^[100] is the highest in Slovenian football. Maribor holds the record for most consecutive league titles (7), ahead of Olimpija (4) and ND Gorica (3).^[101] They are also the only team in the country that has achieved Slovenian Championship and Slovenian Cup 'Doubles' on more than one occasion (2). In addition, they have won the Slovenian Supercup once. On their official website, UEFA states that Maribor has won one international cup, as Maribor was one of the winners of UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2006.^[16] However, the trophy itself was awarded to Newcastle United, the team that advanced farthest in UEFA competitions that season.^[102] Maribor have the best top-flight record in history, having finished bellow fourth place only once.^[103] Maribor also have the highest average league finishing position for the Slovenian league, with an average league placing of 2,25. In addition, they were the first team to win 1,000 points in Slovenian top flight, achieving that with a 2–1 away victory against Rudar Velenje on 26 July, 2008.^[30]

Youth Academy

Maribor's Academy is responsible for youth development at the club, with the goal of developing young players for the future. The academy is hailed as the best in Slovenia^[3] and has been enjoying a fair amount of success in producing promising young players.^[4] The academy is composed of ten youth selections, ranging from U–18 to U–7, with over 220 youth players in the system who are trained by professional staff within the club.^[104] The vision of the club and its youth system is not only to produce new players but also to prepare young children for the future and life without football. Therefore, each child who wants to be a member of the academy must also be successful not only on the football field but also in the field of education.^[104] During the last few years the club has also spread the football school activities to primary schools in the city of Maribor and the surrounding area, in the form of circles, where as part of the Children's Football School around 300 of the youngest footballers train.^[22]

Since the independence of Slovenia in 1991 and the establishment of Maribor's youth system in its present form, the academy has been the most successful in the country.^[104] U–18 team holds the record for most titles then any other team, having won six times.^[105] The same team has also won two U–18 Cups^[106] and is therefore the most triumphant team in their category. Other teams are equally successful as U–16 holds the record for most titles (4),^[107] the same as U–14 team in their own category.^[108] Even younger selections of the club also play in top-flight of their respective age categories and share similar success. In addition, Maribor's youth squads are the only ones in the country that were able to achieve league victories in the four highest youth levels (U–18, U–16, U–14 and U–12) during the course of one season.^[104] Maribor's youth selections give, on average, at least 15 players per season to the Slovenia national football team selections and players from the academy are continuously tracked by top European clubs.^[104]

Players

Current squad

The following list of players is current as of the date shown in the update status at the foot of the listing and player inclusion, team positions, nationalities and squad numbers depicted for the players is based solely on the first team squad information that is published and regularly maintained under the "Players" tab of the NK Maribor official web site.

Handanović Mejač Arghus Rajčević Viler Mezga Filipović Mertelj Ibraimi Berić Volaš

The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League lineup that beat Rangers 2–1 in Maribor.

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 2 MF Matic Črnic 3 DF Matjaž Kek, Jr. 4 DF Jovan Vidović 5 MF Željko Filipović 6 MF Martin Milec 7 DF Aleš Mejač 8 MF Dejan Mezga 9 FW Marcos Tavares (captain) 10 MF Agim Ibraimi 11 FW Etien Velikonja 12 GK Marko Pridigar 13 GK Matej Radan 17 FW Dalibor Volaš 20 MF Goran Cvijanović

No. Position Player 22 DF Nejc Potokar 24 DF Dejan Trajkovski 26 DF Aleksander Rajčević 27 FW Alen Ploj 28 DF Mitja Viler 31 MF Zoran Lesjak 32 FW Rober Berić 33 GK Jasmin Handanović 34 GK Dragan Topič 36 DF Aleš Majer 44 DF Arghus 61 FW Dragan Jelić 70 MF Aleš Mertelj (vice-captain)

Information in the above player listing is current as of 22 October 2011.

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 Mitja Rešek (at Heerenveen)[109] MF Rajko Rep (at Mura 05)[110] MF Timotej Dodlek (at Mura 05)[110] MF Gabriel (at Nafta)[111] FW Alen Ploj (at Aluminij)[112] (double registration)

Retired numbers

For more details on this topic, see Retired numbers in association football.

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 19 DF Stipe Balajić

Number 19 is the only retired number in history of Maribor. It was retired in honour of Stipe Balajić, who was with the club for eight seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s, during the club's most successful period.^[113] He is considered as one of the best players to ever play for the club and played, both, as a defender and midfielder.^[113] In his last couple of seasons he was also team captain.^[113] Balajić earned a total of 229 official appearances for the club, scoring 37 goals in the process.^[114] He played his last match with the club on 7 July 2005, in a friendly match against his former club Hajduk Split.^[113] He started the match and was then substituted after 19 minutes of play in a symbolic gesture.^[113]

Notable former players

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

For a list of all Maribor players, major or minor, with a Wikipedia article, see Category:NK Maribor players.

Bellow is the list of notable players that were acknowledged, in a special tribute, by the club on its 50th anniversary. The list consists of six players with the most appearances for the club during each of the first five decades.^[32] Vojislav Simeunović, also a former player, was honoured as a man with the most seasons spent as head coach of the club during the first 50 years of existence.^[32]

Name	Nat.	Position	Period[A]	Caps	Goals	Note
Tomislav Prosen		MF	1960–1970 (228)	375	74	Most caps for the club
Branko Horjak		FW	1971–1980 (259)	268	117	Most goals for the club
Milan Žurman		MF	1981–1990 (240)	276	82
Gregor Židan		DF/MF	1991–2000 (294)	306	35	Most caps for the club after independence of Slovenia
Ante Šimundža		FW	1991–2000 (294)	294	103	Most goals for the club in UEFA competitions
Dragan Jelić		FW	2001–2010 (196)	200	51	Active

Purple warrior

Purple warrior (Vijoličasti bojevnik or Vijol'čni bojevnik), is a trophy awarded to the most distinguished player in the past season.^[115] The winner of the trophy is decided by a poll on the official website of the club, where everybody can participate. The voting starts at the end of the season and is usually finished in a month. The trophy itself is awarded to a player before the first match of the next season by a random selected fan (usually a season ticket holder). To be eligible to participate in a poll, a player must appear in at least 10 league matches of the season.^[115] The voting was first introduced at the end of 2007–08 season. Czech defender Lubomir Kubica was selected as the first ever trophy winner. Defender Elvedin Džinič was the first domestic player that won the award.^[116]

Winners^[115]

Name	Nat.	Position	Season
Lubomir Kubica		DF	2007–08
Dejan Mezga		MF	2008–09
Elvedin Džinić		DF	2009–10
Marcos Tavares		FW	2010–11

Internationals

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

Bellow is the list of present/former NK Maribor players who were capped on full international level for their respective countries. Players in bold represented their countries while being part of the club. Some players went through Maribor Youth Academy and left the club before making an appearance for the main squad.

SFR Yugoslavia Vladislav Bogićević Milko Ǵurovski Milan Janković Slobodan Janković Stjepan Lamza Slovenia Janez Aljančič Siniša Andjelković Armin Bačinović Peter Binkovski Danijel Brezič Spasoje Bulajič Fabijan Cipot Matjaž Cvikl Aleš Čeh Nastja Čeh Mladen Dabanovič Dejan Djuranovič Suad Filekovič Damjan Gajser Saša Gajser Marinko Galič Jasmin Handanović Josip Iličić Amir Karić Matjaž Kek Vladimir Kokol Rene Krhin Aleš Križan Aleš Mejač Rene Mihelič

Željko Milinovič Damjan Ošlaj Zoran Pavlović Andrej Pečnik Milan Rakič Ermin Rakovič Igor Poznič Amir Ružnič Simon Sešlar Marko Simeunovič Ante Šimundža Matej Šnofl Etien Velikonja Muamer Vugdalič Zlatko Zahovič Gregor Židan

Albania Kliton Bozgo Geri Çipi Mehmet Dragusha Viktor Paço Bosnia and Herzegovina Samir Duro Faruk Ihtijarević Enes Mešanović Amir Osmanović Zdravko Šaraba Dalibor Šilić Zajko Zeba Bulgaria Dimitar Makriev Cape Verde Nilton Fernandes Hungary Barnabás Sztipánovics Macedonia Dragan Čadikovski Milko Ǵurovski Agim Ibraimi Blagoja Milevski Moldova Vladislav Lungu Netherlands Antilles Rocky Siberie

Most appearances

Matjaž Kek won the 1. SNL title with the club as player and coach

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

Name	Nat.	Position	Caps[114]	Goals	Note
Tomislav Prosen		MF	375	74	Most caps for the club
Aleš Križan		DF	363	7	Most minutes played for the club in 1. SNL
Herbert Vabič		GK	315	0
Mladen Krajnc		FW	311	104	Most goals for the club in Yugoslav top division
Gregor Židan		DF/MF	306	35	Most caps for the club after independence of Slovenia
Ante Šimundža		FW	294	103	Most goals for the club in UEFA competitions
Milan Arnejčič		FW	281	73
Matjaž Kek		DF	277	59	1. SNL Champion with the club as player and coach
Milan Žurman		FW	276	82
Branko Horjak		FW	268	117	Most goals for the club

Most goals

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

Name	Nat.	Position	Caps	Goals[114]	Note
Branko Horjak		FW	268	117	Most goals for the club
Kliton Bozgo		FW	177	109	Most goals for the club after independence of Slovenia
Mladen Krajnc		FW	311	104	Most goals for the club in Yugoslav top division
Ante Šimundža		FW	294	103	Most goals for the club in UEFA competitions
Igor Poznič		FW	256	89
Milan Žurman		FW	276	82
Damir Pekič		FW	177	78	Active
Tomislav Prosen		MF	375	74	Most caps for the club
Bojan Krempl		MF	220	74
Milan Arnejčič		FW	281	73

Club officials

Sports Position Name Nationality Head Coach Darko Milanič[117] Assistant Coach Saša Gajser[118] GK Coach Drago Kondič[119] U–18 Coach Zvonko Breber[120] U–16 Coach Marko Lešnik[121] U–14 Coach Radovan Karanović[122] U–13 Coach Saša Gajser[118] U–12 Coach Zvonko Breber[120] U–11 Coach Muamer Vugdalič[123] U–10 Coach Saša Gajser[118] U–9 Coach Anže Brumen[124] U–8 Coach Muamer Vugdalič[123] U–7 Coach Žikica Vuksanovič[125]

Medical Position Name Nationality Doctor Dr. Matjaž Vogrin[126] Physiotherapist Zlatko Milišić[127] Physiotherapist Mirzet Sprečo[128] Management Position Name Nationality President Drago Cotar[1] Director of Football Zlatko Zahovič[129] Business Chairman Bojan Ban[1] Secretary (PR) Uroš Jurišič[1] Public Relations Željko Latin[1] Public Relations Stipe Jerič[1]

Footnotes

• ^A Numbers in brackets indicate the number of appearances for the club during the respective period. Players may have more appearances during their whole career for the club and were not necessarily part of the team during the whole period (decade).

References

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External links

• Official website (Slovene)
• Official supporters' website (Slovene)