FK Sutjeska Nikšić

FK Sutjeska

Full name	Sutjeska Football Club
Nickname(s)	Plavi (The Blues), Plavo-bijeli (The Blue-Whites)
Founded	5 September 1927 (85 years ago)
Ground	City stadium “Kraj Bistrice” Nikšić, Montenegro (capacity: 10,800[1])
President	Mitar Matijašević
Manager	Dragan Radojičić
League	First League of Montenegro
2011-12	8th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Active sport clubs of Sutjeska
Football	Basketball	Volleyball
Handball	Athletics	Shooting
Judo	Handball Women	Boxing
Tennis

FK Sutjeska is a football club from Nikšić, Montenegro, currently competing in the First League of Montenegro. Its colours are blue and white. FK Sutjeska is a part of the Sutjeska sport society based in the same city. As seen on the logo, the club was established in 1927.

History [edit]

The first name of the club upon its establishment was SK Hajduk. Later though (before World War II began), the club changed its name to SK Hercegovac. As the Second World War raged in the territories of Yugoslavia, the club's name was changed in 1945 to Sutjeska in honour of Yugoslav communists killed in the Battle of Sutjeska.

FK Sutjeska made its debut in the Yugoslav First League in the 1964 season. It is one of only two football clubs from Montenegro who competed in the first tier football league of Yugoslavia. As a result, FK Sutjeska gained considerable prestige and international reputation, and therefore remains one of the biggest sporting institutions in Montenegro. It is especially the most recognized sports organization in the city of Nikšić.^[2]

Even after the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia, Sutjeska remained at the top football league in subsequent-state FR Yugoslavia. After a great season in 2003, Sutjeska had a notable appearance in European competition in which they eliminated Racing FC Union Luxembourg in the UEFA Intertoto Cup.^[3] Following Montenegrin independence, the team made the final of the Montenegrin Cup. The club finished in third place of the First League of Montenegro in the 2008-2009 season and participated in the qualification rounds for the UEFA Europa League, where they were eliminated by Partizan Minsk from Belarus.^[4]

Youth program [edit]

Mirko Vučinić began his career with Sutjeska.

Sutjeska's youth academy is one of the most famous and recognized in Montenegro along with that of Budućnost. The first Sutjeska player to have been selected for the Yugoslav national team was Vojin Lazarević, who would later have a bright career with Red Star Belgrade. Lazarević was capped by the Yugoslav senior side in a friendly match against Romania in 1964 while still playing in Nikšić.^[5]

In 1976, a notably talented generation of the youth team became the champions of Yugoslavia; the team included named that would later turn to be successful soccer players like Brajan Nenezić, Mojaš Radonjić, and Pero Giljen. Interestingly, Pero Giljen's own son became a successful goalkeeper after learning his trade in Sutjeska; Vladan Giljen continued playing successfully in Portugal with C.D. Nacional after leaving Nikšić. Four years after the famed 1976 generation made its first mark in Yugoslav football, FK Sutjeska won the Yugoslav Cup in 1980—becoming the only Yugoslav club at the time to have won both trophies.

In 2010, Sutjeska's cadet team (for under-17 players) were champions of Montenegro in the country's U-17 league. During the same year, Sutjeska's U-19 team won the Gallipolli Cup in Italy, which one of the most prestigious international tournaments for players of this age group. The U-19 teams of U.S. Lecce, A.S. Bari, Zenit St. Petersburg, and Krylia Sovetov Samara all competed for the title which Sutjeska's youth team won.

Most notably, Sutjeska was the club in which the famous Juventus and Rayo Vallecano strikers Mirko Vučinić and Andrija Delibašić began their careers.^[6]

Sutjeska in Europe [edit]

Season	Competition	Round		Club	Home	Away	Agg.
2003	UEFA Intertoto Cup	R1		Racing FC	3-0	1-1	4-1
		R2		Tampere United	0-0	0-1	0-1
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	QR1		Partizan Minsk	1-1	1-2 (et)	2-3

UEFA ranking [edit]

Rank	Team	Points
400	Fylkir	1.333
	Keflavík Football Club	1.333
	KS Besa	1.333
403	NSÍ Runavík	1.316
404	FK Sutjeska	1.200
405	Nõmme Kalju	1.191
406	UN Käerjéng 97	1.175

Stadium [edit]

City stadium “Kraj Bistrice” boasts a capacity for 11,000 spectators. The grass surface is non-artificial and is surrounded by an athletic track. Located around the building is a spacious parking lot. The sports complex adjacent to the stadium is a modern training field with synthetic surface and a mini auditorium space.

Current squad [edit]

As of 26 April 2013

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 GK Ivan Janjušević (captain) GK Marko Radović GK Boris Bulajić DF Dejan Ognjanović DF Igor Ćuković DF Stefan Zogović MF Nemanja Kosović MF Nikola Stijepović MF Srđan Bečelić MF Jovan Nikolić MF Igor Poček

No. Position Player MF Miloš Stevović MF Petar Perošević MF Petar Čolaković MF Stefan Stefanović MF Vladimir Jovović FW Andrija Pejović FW Darko Isidorović FW Darko Karadžić (vice-captain) FW Vladan Karadžić FW Đorđije Ćetković

Loan [edit]

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 MF Srđan Bečelić (from FK Vojvodina)

Technical staff [edit]

Club management [edit]

Notable players [edit]

This list of "famous" or "notable" sporting persons has no clear inclusion or exclusion criteria. Please help to define clear inclusion criteria and edit the list to contain only subjects that fit those criteria. (May 2013)

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Football Association of Montenegro
• UEFA.com Profile