FC Partizan History

For all those who doesn't know anything about Serbian football. The history of second biggest team in Serbia (by achievements) and my favorite club - FC Partizan...
Football Club Partizan is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It is a major part of the Sports Association Partizan. The second division team FK Teleoptik is also owned by Partizan. According to UEFA, Partizan has the second-ranking youngster school in Europe, after Ajax Amsterdam. According to a recent poll, Partizan Belgrade is the second most popular football club in Serbia, with 32.2 percent of the population supporting the club.

The club played in 2003/04 UEFA Champions League season, after eliminating Newcastle United in the last qualifying round. Partizan also played in a 1966 European Cup final against Real Madrid, after eliminating Manchester United in semifinals.

HISTORY

Partizan was founded on October 4, 1945, as a part of Yugoslav Sports Association, and was named after the partisans, the communist resistance military formation during the World War II in Yugoslavia. The club is still a member of the same association now renamed to Sports Association of Serbia, including 25 clubs in different sports, as well as the Football Association of Serbia, but it has complete independence regarding organisation, management, finances, material goods and facilities.

The club was initially formed under Yugoslav People's Army, and the stadium was named for most of the time Stadion JNA (Stadium of Yugoslav People's Army). In the early 50's club became independent from the Army. The first international match was played on December 6, 1945, against CSKA Moscow (then known as CDKA).

There are several companies in the Partizan business system, which are working together with the club. There are also few own public organs such is a radio station "MIP" ("Music & Partizan") and magazine "Samo Partizan" ("Only Partizan").

Partizan's current colors are black and white, after blue and red for the first thirteen years.

FANS

Partizan's fans, known as Grobari (Gravediggers), were formed in 1970. The nickname itself was given by their biggest rivals F.C. Red Star Belgrade fans, referring to club's mostly black colours which were similar to official uniforms of cemetery undertakers. The other theory is that the name arrives from the Partizan's stadium street name - Humska (Graves'). They generally support all clubs in the Sports Association Partizan. In 1999, organized fans who traditionally occupy South stands at the stadium split into two groups. Newly formed group named Južni Front (South Front) accused several top members of Grobari organization for abusing their privileges, and the club itself for favouring those individuals. Last year fans settled their differences and today there are three major fan groups: "Južni Front", "Grobari 1970" and "Grobari Beograd". As of November 2005, all fan groups are boycotting the FC Partizan matches until sports director Nenad Bjeković and general secretary Žarko Zečević resign. Bjeković finally resigned in May, and Zečević in September 2007.

STADIUM

The primary stadium of the club is now named "Stadion Partizana", although it was known as "Stadion JNA" (Stadium of the Yugoslav People's Army) for most of its history, and is still sometimes called that. The stadium seats 32,710 people.


Stadium was used from mid fifties until 1987 as the final point of yearly festivities called the "Day of Youth". Each year on May 25th, the baton of Relay of Youth was finally passed into the hands of Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia.

The sports centre "Partizan-Teleoptik", also known as "Zemunelo" (the name being composed to show the resemblance to the A.C. Milan's sports center, Milanello), is situated on the surface of almost 10 hectares, in the west part of Zemun, on the intersection of two major highways and in vicinity of the airport. Regarding functionality, architectural solutions, modern equipment and building materials used, this centre is among sports buildings of the highest value. At present, it's a training and preparatory base of all Partizan selections, consisting of around six hundred sportsmen- beginning with the first team, through the 2nd division team of Teleoptik, down to the youngest categories of large Partizan family.

HONORS

19 national championships:

* 8 in the era of the Serbia-Montenegro / Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:

2004/05, 2002/03, 2001/02, 1998/99, 1996/97, 1995/96, 1993/94, 1992/93

* 11 in the era of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia / Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia:

1986/87, 1985/86, 1982/83, 1977/78, 1975/76, 1964/65, 1962/63, 1961/62, 1960/61, 1948/49, 1946/47

10 national cups:

* 1 in the era of the Serbia: 2007/2008
* 4 in the era of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:

2000/01, 1997/98, 1993/94, 1991/92

* 5 in the era of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:

1988/89, 1956/57, 1953/54, 1952, 1946/47,

Internationally, Partizan was the runner-up in the European Cup Championship in 1966, winner of the Mitropa Cup in 1978, quarterfinalist of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1989, and have reached the "round-of-16" stage in the UEFA cup four times.

RECORDS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Momčilo Vukotić is the Partizan record-holder by the number of appearances: He played in 752 matches. The goal scoring record-holder is a striker Stjepan Bobek, with 403 goals.

Over 130 Partizan football players were in the Yugoslav national team and Stjepan Bobek, Branko Zebec, Zlatko Čajkovski, Fahrudin Jusufi, Milan Galić, Milutin Šoškić, Slaviša Jokanović and Predrag Mijatović (who is the current sporting director of Real Madrid). Former Partizan player Savo Milošević played 101 matches for the national football team, which is an absolute national record.

One of the legendary Partizan players is Dragan Mance. He led Partizan in their UEFA Cup tie in 1984. against English side Queens Park Rangers. The Rangers won the first leg 6-2, but Partizan advances after a 4-0 return victory. Mance died 3 September 1985. in a car crash at the peak of his popularity.

The "Black and whites" are record-holders of the Yugoslav First League, in terms of points scored during a campaign, with 107 in one year's championship and are the only unbeaten champion team ever (in season 2004/05). Partizan also won most national championships since the break of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, being a champion 8 out of 16 times.

Arguably Partizan's most exciting match was a double header against Celtic in 1989. The first tie was held in Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina) which Partizan won 2-1. The second leg was held in Scotland which Celtic won 5-4. Partizan scored in the last minute to qualify on the away goals rule in front of nearly 50,000 fans. Partizan also played in a 1966 European Cup final against Real Madrid, after eliminating Manchester United in semifinals. At one point Partizan was 1-0 up, only to lose to the Spaniards 2-1 at the end.

Some of the highlights from Partizan's recent past include an UEFA Champions League appearance in 2003-04 season. After eliminating Newcastle United in the last qualifying round, Partizan was drawn in a tough group with Real Madrid, FC Porto (actual winner of the UEFA cup and the eventual winner of the competition) and Olympique de Marseille (eventual runner-up of the UEFA cup). The team never lost a home game, playing 0:0 with Real Madrid, and 1:1 with FC Porto and Olympique de Marseille. They are the first, and so far the only Serbian team to qualify for the main draw of this elite European club competition since its inception.

In the next season, Partizan reached the "round-of-16" in UEFA Cup, where it was eliminated by CSKA Moscow, eventual winner of the competition.

In the 2007/2008 UEFA Cup Qualifying Stages, Partizan were expelled and fined €30,056 due to crowd trouble, after fighting broke out with opponent fans and Bosnian police during their qualifying match against HŠK Zrinjski Mostar.

RIVALRY WITH RED STAR

Partizan's city rival is Red Star Belgrade, and the matches between these rivals are often called "the eternal derby". These games were always hotly anticipated and quite spectacular, but the lower quality of football that’s been displayed in recent times, as well as very large amount of violence and hooliganism, made the fall of the attendance an inevitable consequence. The derby played May 11, 2005 in the semi-final of the Serbia and Montenegro Cup had only 8,000 spectators, which is all-time lowest attendance in these matches. The greatest attendance was about 108,000 spectators. Although the first ever derby was won by Red Star, Partizan still holds the record victory: 7-1.