NK Čelik Zenica

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NK Čelik Zenica
Badge of NK Čelik Zenica
Basic data
Surname NK Čelik Zenica
Seat Zenica , Bosnia and Herzegovina
founding June 16, 1945
Colours Red Black
Website nkcelik.ba
First soccer team
Venue Bilino Polje
Places 13,632
league Cantonal League Zenica-Doboj
2019/20   11th place, Premijer Liga
home
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NK Čelik Zenica is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian football club from Zenica , which currently plays in the highest Bosnian league, the Premijer Liga .

history

The club was founded on June 16, 1945 by war veterans from World War II after the city was liberated from fascism. During the existence of Yugoslavia , the club played a total of 17 seasons first class in the Prva Liga . He caused a stir internationally when the Mitropa Cup was won twice.

After the country gained independence after the Bosnian War , Čelik Zenica played in the Premijer Liga, which was initially limited to the Muslim territories . In the first edition, the first national title was won without losing points in the championship play-off round. In the following season they managed to defend their title with four points ahead of Slavija Lukavica and in 1997 they achieved their third title in a row. These titles are also officially recognized as championship titles by UEFA. They also won the trophy in 1995 and 1996.

After the Croatian regional championship was merged with the Bosniak championship from 1998 , Čelik Zenica succeeded as runner-up of the Bosniak part in the championship playoffs, but ended without a win. After two ninth places in the following years, the club was fourth in 2001 and was thus able to qualify for the UI Cup .

2004 came Čelik Zenica for the first time in danger of relegation, but was able to receive the class with four points behind relegated FK Glasinac Sokolac . In the following two years it got even tighter, with only one point separating the club from the second division.

In the 2007/08 season, Čelik was surprisingly third thanks to a strong defense and good statistics at home. Until the last matchday they even had the chance to become champions in the Premijer Liga , but also missed this with a 3-0 defeat away from home.

After all, they were able to qualify for the Intertoto Cup (UI Cup), but were unlucky enough to be eliminated by Grbalj Radanovici in the first qualifying round. They won 3: 2 at home, but lost 1: 2 to the Montenegrin representative. Due to the away goals rule, Čelik had to accept the elimination in the UI Cup.

In the 2017/18 season, the club was penultimate and the first relegation in club history was already a done deal. However, since Borac Banja Luka did not receive a license for the next season, Celik Zenica remained in the first division and thus remained alongside FK Željezničar and FK Sarajevo as one of the only three clubs that have not yet been relegated since the establishment of the Premijer League .

In the 2019/20 season, Celik was relegated with the termination of the season and a weak 11th place and now has to enter the lower division for the first time in the club's history.

successes

  • Bosnian champion (3): 1995 1 , 1996 1 , 1997
  • Bosnian Cup Winner (2): 1995 1 , 1996 1
  • Mitropapokal (2): 1971, 1972

1 title before 1997 limited to Bosniak association, but these are officially recognized by UEFA as national titles

Stadion

Čelik Zenica plays its home games in the 13,632-seat Bilino Polje . Built in 1972, the stadium once had a capacity of 35,000. The same attendance record was set at a European cup match against Fiorentina in the year it was built. The Bosnian-Herzegovinian national team also plays their games in the Bilino Polje stadium, because it is known for its thrilling atmosphere.

Fans

The club's fan group is called "Robijaši" (German: the prisoners , which refers to the famous Zenica prison) and was founded in 1988.

Surname

Zenica is the largest industrial center in the region and has a large and well-known steel mill. A name was sought for the club that would represent the working-class city and its characteristics well. Therefore, the name "Celik", which means steel, was chosen for the football club.

Club colors

The club colors of NK Čelik are black and red. Black stands for steel and red for the fire through which steel was processed.

player

Youth, (1998–1999) player,

Women's soccer

The women's football department ŽNK Čelik Zenica was founded in 2006. After its founding, the club only played in the second division for the first 3 years and rose to the highest Bosnian league in 2009.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ stadium data europlan-online
  2. ↑ ŽNK Čelik Zenica
  3. ^ ZNK Celik ( Memento from April 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Zenska FBIH ( Memento from May 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive )

Web links