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 in an industrial city well known for steel production. Throughout its history, the club has been known for the excellent support of its fans at its Bilino Polje Stadium, which hosts the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
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| Full name | Nogometni klub Čelik Zenica | ||
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| Nicknames | Crno-crveni (The Black-Reds) Starac (The Old Man) | ||
| Founded | 16 June 1945 | ||
| Ground | Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica | ||
| Capacity | 13,812 | ||
| Chairman | Denis Mušović | ||
| Manager | Bojan Regoje | ||
| League | Premier League BH | ||
| 2025–26 | First League of FBiH, 1st of 14 (promoted) | ||
| Website | www | ||
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NK Čelik is one of the most prominent and successful football teams in Bosnia and Herzegovina, being one of only two Bosnian clubs to win the national championship three consecutive seasons (1994 to 1997). The club also won consecutive national cups in 1995 and 1996. 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 was once a joint winner of the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
In addition, Čelik is the only fan-owned football club in Bosnia and Herzegovina where club members democratically elect its leadership.[1] Today, the club is active in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
History
editThe club was founded on 16 June 1945 by a group of World War II veterans. The name of the club had been proposed by one of the founders, Zdenko Mazanek, to symbolize the strength of the club and its link to the workers of the city's metallurgical industry.[2]
Čelik was relegated from the Bosnian Premier League for the first time ever in the 2019–20 season.[3] Subsequently, to stabilise the club due to financial difficulties, its General Assembly voted to continue competing in the fourth tier-League of Zenica-Doboj Canton on 13 July 2020.[4] In 2023, Čelik got promoted to the First League of FBiH, the second level of football in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[5] The club then managed to earn promotion back to the Premier League in the 2025–26 season.[6]
Club culture
editOver the years, the club developed a strong identification with its hometown, Zenica, becoming one of its symbols. The club has produced many important international players, including Elvir Bolić, Mirsad Hibić and Mladen Krstajić.
Grounds
editČelik plays 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.
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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[7]).
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 when Fiorentina would unsuccessfully contest the 1971 title holder Čelik, 1–0. The attendance record of 35,000 still stands today due to the introduction of seats in 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 where the pitch was changed with under-soil heating installed. During the renovation, 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
edit
The ultras supporter group of Čelik, established in 1988 in Zenica, is called Robijaši (The Convicts in English) because Zenica is famous for its prison. Widely known for their fanatic support, they have been fighting to preserve the club and support it through difficult financial times.[8]
Honours
editDomestic
editLeague
edit- First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
- First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
- Winners (1): 2025–26
- Second League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
- Winners (1): 2022–23 (center)
- Yugoslav Second League:
Cups
editEuropean
edit- Intertoto Cup:
- Winners (1): 1975 (group 10)
- Mitropa Cup:
- Winners (2): 1970–71, 1971–72
- Runners-up (2): 1972–73, 1979–80
Recent seasons
edit| Season | League | Cup | Europe | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | ||||||
| 1994–95 | First League Zenica Group | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1st | Winners | ||||
| First League Final Play-off | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 1st | ||||||
| 1995–96 | First League | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 65 | 23 | 68 | 1st | Winners | ||||
| 1996–97 | First League | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 57 | 23 | 58 | 1st | SF | ||||
| 1997–98 | First League Bosniaks First League | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 48 | 30 | 53 | 2nd | R16 | ||||
| First League Play-off | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 6th | ||||||
| 1998–99 | First League | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 47 | 47 | 42 | 9th | QF | ||||
| 1999–2000 | First League | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 45 | 36 | 55 | 9th | R16 | ||||
| Current format of Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 75 | 40 | 73 | 4th | QF | ||||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 39 | 30 | 43 | 6th | SF | UEFA Intertoto Cup – R2 | |||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 61 | 33 | 58 | 5th | R1 | ||||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 42 | 43 | 37 | 12th | R2 | ||||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 30 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 29 | 37 | 41 | 13th | R2 | ||||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 33 | 45 | 35 | 14th | R1 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 29 | 35 | 39 | 14th | SF | ||||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 38 | 32 | 52 | 3rd | R2 | ||||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 29 | 32 | 41 | 10th | R1 | UEFA Intertoto Cup – R1 | |||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 30 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 36 | 50 | 13th | R2 | ||||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 30 | 30 | 40 | 10th | Runners-up | ||||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 31 | 39 | 34 | 9th | QF | ||||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 30 | 51 | 4th | QF | ||||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 30 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 35 | 32 | 43 | 7th | Runners-up | ||||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 34 | 35 | 66 | 7th | R2 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 35 | 28 | 46 | 6th | R2 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 32 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 28 | 39 | 35 | 10th | R1 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 32 | 8 | 4 | 20 | 30 | 61 | 28 | 11th | R2 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 33 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 30 | 49 | 43 | 7th | R1 | ||||
| 2019–20[nb 1] | Premier League | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 33 | 17 | 11th ↓ | R1 | ||||
| 2020–21 | League of Zenica-Doboj Canton[nb 2] | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 65 | 5 | 50 | 1st ↑ | |||||
| 2021–22 | Second League of FBiH - Center | 30 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 79 | 21 | 66 | 3rd | |||||
| 2022–23 | Second League of FBiH - Center | 30 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 92 | 12 | 81 | 1st ↑ | R2 | ||||
| 2023–24 | First League of FBiH | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 40 | 31 | 46 | 4th | R1 | ||||
| 2024–25 | First League of FBiH | 28 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 40 | 29 | 45 | 3rd | R2 | ||||
| 2025–26 | First League of FBiH | 26 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 52 | 19 | 59 | 1st ↑ | R2 | ||||
European record
edit| Competition | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 |
| Total | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goals difference. Defunct competitions indicated in italics.
List of matches
edit| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Agg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R |  Denizlispor |
1–0 | 5–3 | 6–3 |
| 2R |  Gent |
1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | ||
| 2008 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R |  Grbalj |
3–2 | 1–2 | 4–4 (a) |
Players
editCurrent squad
edit- As of 27 June 2026[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable managers
edit| Dates | Name | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1971 |  Dušan Varagić |
1970–71 Mitropa Cup |
| 1971–1972 | Midhat Mujkić |
1971–72 Mitropa Cup |
| 1974–1975 | Marcel Žigante |
1975 Intertoto Cup (Joint Winner) |
| 1992–1996 |  Nermin Hadžiahmetović |
1994–95 Bosnian Championship 1994–95 Bosnian Cup 1995–96 Bosnian Championship 1995–96 Bosnian Cup |
| 1996–1997 | Kemal Hafizović |
1996–97 Bosnian Championship |
Notes
edit- ↑ 2019–20 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina; season curtailed and final standings (including Sarajevo as champions) declared by a points-per-game ratio on 1 June 2020.[3]
- ↑ Čelik were initially relegated to the Prva Liga FBiH, but were then excluded from the league on 13 July 2020.[4]
References
edit- ↑ "Usvojen novi statut NK Čelik na principu "jedan član-jedan glas"". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ↑ "Historija". Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- 1 2 F.Z. (1 June 2020). "Zvanično! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, Čelik i Zvijezda ispadaju" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- 1 2 E.M. (13 July 2020). "Čelik takmičenje nastavlja u Kantonalnoj ligi, izabrana i nova uprava kluba" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ↑ E. Ć. (11 June 2023). "Čelik u sjajnoj atmosferi savladao Klis i izborio plasman u Prvu ligu FBiH" (in Bosnian). Dnevni avaz. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ↑ "Čelik proslavio povratak u WWin ligu BiH". tvarenasport.ba (in Bosnian). 31 May 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ "Mitropa Cup 1970/71". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ↑ "Fans of Celik protest against club leadership". Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- ↑ "NK Čelik Zenica – Prvi tim (sezona 2024/25)" [NK Čelik Zenica – First team (2024–25 season)] (in Bosnian). NK Čelik Zenica. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
External links
edit
- NK Čelik Zenica on Facebook
- Čelik at UEFA.com