NK Čelik Zenica

Not to be confused with FK Čelik Nikšić of Montenegro.

Čelik Zenica

Full name	Nogometni klub Čelik Zenica
Nickname(s)	Crno-crveni (The Black-Reds)
Founded	16 June 1945 (1945-06-16)
Ground	Bilino Polje, Zenica
Ground Capacity	13,632
Chairman	Senad Sarajlić
Manager	Kemal Alispahić
League	Premier League
2015–16	Premier League, 6th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Nogometni klub Čelik Zenica (English: Football Club Čelik Zenica) is a professional football club based in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name Čelik means "Steel" in Bosnian and it symbolizes the strength and power of the club and the city since Zenica is an industrial city well known in this part of Europe.

NK Čelik is one of the most prominent and successful football teams in Bosnia and Herzegovina being the only Bosnian club to win the national championship three times in a row – from 1994 to 1997. During the time of the former Yugoslavia, Čelik had played 17 seasons in the Yugoslav First League.

Čelik won the Mitropa Cup two times, and the UEFA Intertoto Cup once. Today, Čelik is in the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is active in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The club has produced many important players including Elvir Bolić, Mirsad Hibić and Mladen Krstajić.

Grounds

Main article: Bilino Polje

Bilino Polje

Location	Bulevar Kulina Bana bb, Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Owner	City of Zenica
Capacity	13,362 seated
Construction
Broke ground	1972
Opened	4 October 1972
Tenants
NK Čelik Zenica (1972–present) NK Đerzelez Zenica (1999–01)

Čelik play their home games at the Bilino Polje stadium which is also the biggest stadium in the city. Over the years the club had changed four different stadiums settling at their current ground in 1972.

During the first few years of the club's existence, following World War II, Čelik's stadium was located roughly on the place of the current Bilino Polje stadium, close to the Bosna river. The ground was covered in clay, as was the practice of lower-level football grounds at the time. The stadium itself had one wooden stand which was built over time and the club often played in front of full capacity.

However, due to the increased popularity of the club and the need for a better surface, during the early 1950s the club moved to the nearby Stadion Blatuša which was located in the Blatuša neighborhood of Zenica. It was there that Čelik started its first run of successes when they had reached promotion to the Yugoslav First League in 1966 and won the Mitropa Cup in 1971 (the final was played on neutral ground in Gorizia, Italy).

Shortly after the first Mitropa Cup victory, plans were made for a new, modern stadium, built in place of Čelik's first stadium. The construction took 8 months to complete and it was officially opened on 4 October 1972 for the second leg of the 1972 Mitropa Cup final against Fiorentina which Čelik won 1–0 to claim their second title in a row. The attendance record of 35,000 still stands today due to the introduction of seats on the stadium over the years. The stadium went through a number of renovations and reconstructions, the most recent being in 2012.

From July to August 2012, the stadium went through another renovation process where the pitch had been changed and under-soil heating installed beneath. During the reconstruction, Čelik played two Bosnian Premier League matches as well as one Bosnian Cup match on the Stadion Kamberovića Polje, winning all of them. In the second part of the same season, the club played one more game there which ended in a draw.

The youth squads of Čelik usually play their games at the smaller stadium Kamberovića Polje.

Supporters

The home team supporters group is called Robijaši (Convicts in English). It was established in 1988 in Zenica.

Honours

Domestic

• Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
  • Winners (3): 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup:

• Winners (2): 1994–95 1995–96.
• Double
  • Premier League and National Cup (2): 1994–95, 1995–96 (Record)
• Yugoslav Second League:
  • Winners (5): 1965–66, 1978–79 1982–83, 1984–85

International

• Mitropa Cup:
  • Winners (2): 1971, 1972
• UEFA Intertoto Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1975

European record

As of October 2012:

Season	Competition	Round		Club	Home	Away
2001	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R		Denizlispor	1–0	5–3
		2R		Gent	1–0	0–2
2008	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R		Grbalj	3–2	1–2

Current squad

First team squad

As of August 2016

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

No. Position Player 2 DF Harun Huseinspahić 3 MF Vladimir Grahovac 4 DF Sead Jakupović 5 DF Renato Gojković 7 MF Armin Duvnjak 8 MF Anel Dedić 10 MF Fenan Salčinović 12 GK Salih Hinović 11 FW Vernes Selimović 13 DF Emir Jusić 15 MF Marin Popović

No. Position Player 16 MF Dženan Bureković 17 MF Dženis Huseinspahić 19 FW Semir Pezer 20 DF Darko Mišić 21 DF Emir Jusić 22 DF Slobodan Lakičević 24 DF Vedad Jaganjac 44 DF Mehmedalija Čović MF Dženis Huseinspahić FW Ahmed Džafić

Former players

For details of former players, see Category:NK Čelik Zenica players.

Coaching staff

For a full list of Čelik Zenica managers, see List of NK Čelik Zenica managers.

Position	Staff
Manager	Elvedin Beganović
Assistant manager	Senad Brkić
Goalkeeping coach	Nijaz Hrustanović
Physio	Dario Zrnić

Last updated: 15 August 2015
Source: [5]

External links

• Official website (Bosnian)
• NK Čelik Zenica on Facebook
• Čelik at UEFA.com