FK Zemun

Fudbalski klub Zemun (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Земун) is a Serbian professional football club based in Zemun, Belgrade, that competes in the Serbian League Belgrade.

Zemun
Земун
logo
Full nameFudbalski klub Zemun
Nickname(s)Taurunumi (The Taurunum people)
Founded20 October 1946 (20 October 1946)
GroundZemun Stadium
Capacity9,588
PresidentGavrilo Kovačević
Head coachSaša Štrbac
LeagueSerbian League Belgrade
2021–22Serbian League Belgrade, 2nd of 16

History

Immediately after the end of the Second World War, the sports activities in Zemun were restored. By early 1945, a club FK Maksim Divnić was formed, named in honour of a player with that name that played before the war and who died as Partisan fighter during the war. After just a couple of played matches the club changed its name into FK Sremac Zemun. By the end of that year another club is also formed in Zemun, FK Sparta Zemun. On 20 October 1946, the two clubs were merged to form a new sports society whose football section was FK Jedinstvo Zemun.[1]

By 1962, the club were promoted into the group East of the Yugoslav Second League, which was divided back then into two geographical groups, East and West. It stayed at Second national level for two seasons, after which it returned into the Serbian republic league, Yugoslav third tier. In the late 1960s, the club struggled financially, and on February 23, 1969, it is merged with FK Galenika, a club sponsored by the Galenika a.d., a pharmaceutical company located in Zemun. Under the new name FK Galenika Zemun, and with new financial backing, the club soon returned to the higher leagues, winning promotion as soon as 1970 to the Yugoslav Second League.[2]

Coached by Ivan Čabrinović, the club became one of the strongest teams in the second league, and after several times being close, it finally reached promotion to the Yugoslav First League in 1982. In that same season, the club reached the semi-finals of the 1981–82 Yugoslav Cup where they lost against the cup winners Red Star Belgrade. The club played in the 1982–83 Yugoslav First League however it finished bottom of the table subsequently relegated back to the Second League. On 1 January 1985, the club changed its name into the one that still carries nowadays, FK Zemun.[3]

During the late 1980s, the club had fallen into the lower leagues, but after the stabilization of their financial situation the club began rising again. In 1990, after two consecutive promotions, the club was back in the 1990–91 Yugoslav First League. This time the club stabilized in the top league and even managed to achieve good results, like fourth place in the 1992–93 First League of FR Yugoslavia, just behind the best Serbian clubs Partizan, Red Star and Vojvodina, or the 5th place archive in the 1993–94 First League of FR Yugoslavia. In the 1992–93 season the club had reached again the semi-finals of the Yugoslav Cup.[4]

FK Zemun competed in the top league all the way until 2007. In the season 2004–05 they managed to achieve 5th place once more.[5]

In 2007, Zemun competed in the Serbian First League and came away with the 15th position and an automatic relegation to the Serbian League Belgrade, third tier. FK Zemun played in the 2007–08 Serbian Cup and found its way to the final. The club won three matches after penalties, defeated two first league sides and goalie Nemanja Jovšić was voted most valuable player. They lost the final 3–0 to Serbian team Partizan but since Partizan had already qualified for the Champions League Zemun were given the UEFA Cup spot as they were the runners-up. During the summer, however, Zemun was not able to obtain a license from UEFA and had to give their spot to fourth-placed side Borac Čačak. Borac then gave their Intertoto Cup spot to OFK Beograd.

In 2008–09, Zemun became the champion of Serbian League Belgrade and were back to the Serbian First League after only one season.

In 2015–16, Zemun was promoted again to the Serbian First League. The following year after a bad start, they fired Dragoljub Bekvalac and hired Milan Milanović.[6]

In November 2017, a news website Srbijadanas.rs, published a research in which they found that FK Zemun is the club that transferred more players, 35 at that time, than any other club to the Serbian "Big two" eternal rivals, Partizan and Red Star Belgrade.[7]

Honours

Stadium

The official stadium of FK Zemun is Zemun Stadium and can host up to 9,588 spectators.

Players

Current squad

As of 3 January 2021[8]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Serbia SRB Dejan Davidović
2 DF Serbia SRB Nikola Jovanović
3 DF Serbia SRB Nemanja Stevanović
4 MF Serbia SRB Dušan Jovančević
5 DF Serbia SRB Aleksa Marinković
6 DF Serbia SRB Aleksa Jovanović
7 FW Serbia SRB Nikola Đurđević
8 MF Serbia SRB Veljko Kuzmanović
9 MF Serbia SRB Tadija Pantić
10 FW Serbia SRB Nikola Ristović
11 MF Serbia SRB Mitar Milanović
12 GK Montenegro MNE Nikola Pejović
13 GK Serbia SRB Uroš Đorđević
15 MF Serbia SRB Nikola Todorović
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF Serbia SRB Milan Turkulj
27 DF Serbia SRB Luka Lazarević
30 Serbia SRB Stefan Gojković
32 FW Serbia SRB Lazar Stokić
33 DF Serbia SRB Andrija Mijailović
41 MF Serbia SRB Miloš Pavlović
44 DF Serbia SRB Filip Petrović
55 Serbia SRB Aleksa Stojanović
66 MF Serbia SRB Andrej Đorđev
77 DF Serbia SRB Aleksandar Križan
86 MF Serbia SRB Marko Đalović
88 MF Serbia SRB Filip Avrić
90 MF Serbia SRB Dušan Cakić
96 MF Serbia SRB Strahinja Bosanac


Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK Serbia SRB Predrag Kovačević (at BSK Batajnica until the end of season)
GK Serbia SRB Marko Blagojević (at Stepojevac Vaga until the end of season)
No. Pos. Nation Player
Serbia SRB Stefan Pavić (at Milutinac until the end of season)

For recent transfers, see List of Serbian football transfers summer 2019.

Notable players

The following list contains players that played in the club and that have national team appearances:[9][10]

For the list of all current and former players with wikipedia article, please see Category:FK Zemun players.

Coaching history

Supporters

The supporters of the club are known as the Taurunum Boys. The group was formed in 1987.

The first organised supporting groups of back then FK Galenika begin to appear by mid-1980s. In 1986 the first ultras groups were formed under the names of Testas Caldas, Pajtosi and Godfathers. In 1987 the three groups united under the name Taurunum. The name comes from the Latin name of a settlement that existed in Roman period in the place where Zemun is located nowadays, and that was named Taurunum. The group stands in the north stand of the stadium. Some supporting groups out of the town of Zemun are formed, the most important being the Rangers from Pančevo. In 1995 by the end of the Yugoslav Wars there is a generational turn-over, and the group standing in the east stand formed by younger supporters and named The Boys – Dragons, joins Taurunum in the north stand forming a bigger group renamed Taurunum Boys. The moto of the group becomes "One city, one club, only Zemun".[11]

Nowadays the group is composed of several sub-groups, and beside supporting their club FK Zemun, they are usually present at the matches of the Serbia national team. They have friendly relationships with the fan group of Radnički Kragujevac, Crveni Đavoli.[12] and Young Rats Firm of Krylia Sovetov Samara.[13]

References

  1. Copy of the history page of former official website at ticketservis.com
  2. Copy of the history page of former official website at ticketservis.com
  3. Copy of the history page of former official website at ticketservis.com
  4. Copy of the history page of former official website at ticketservis.com
  5. FK Zemun league standings since 2001 Archived 4 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine at Srbijafudbal
  6. Milanović menja Bekvalca[Usurped!] at fudbal.info.com, 30-8-2016 (in Serbian)
  7. ODUVEK JE BIO RASADNIK FUDBALERA: Zemun dao Zvezdi i Partizanu više od 30 igrača (FOTO) at srbijadanas,rs, 21-11-2017, retrieved 22-2-2020 (in Serbian)
  8. "Team roster". Serbian PrvaLiga official website. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  9. FK Zemun at National-Football-Teams.com
  10. Galenika Zemun at National-Football-Teams.com
  11. "Interview with Taurunum Boys (Zemun, Serbia)".
  12. History Archived 2019-01-03 at the Wayback Machine at Taurunum Boys official website
  13. "Interview with Young Rats Firm (Samara, Russia)".
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