Koševo City Stadium ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Gradski stadion Koševo'' / Градски стадион Кошево), also Koševo Olympic Stadium or Stadium Asim Ferhatović - Hase (''Stadion Asim Ferhatović Hase'' / Стадион Асим Ферхатовић Хасе) is a multi-purpose stadium located in the

Koševo Koševo ( cyrl, Кошево) is a neighborhood in the municipality of Centar in central Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located between the older parts of the city under Stari Grad and the newer more modern parts of the city under the ...

neighborhood of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. Its official name is Olimpijski stadion Koševo – Asim Ferhatović-Hase. Stadium is opened by the city, and leased on longterm basis by football club FK Sarajevo. The club proposed the new name for its sporting and football events, in honor to its former footballer and club's legend, Asim Ferhatović - Hase. It hosted the opening ceremony of the

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...

Construction

The stadium was opened in the year 1947. In 1984, it was reconstructed for the

, and is therefore often called ''Olympic Stadium''. In July 2004, FK Sarajevo proposed the new name for sporting and football events, in honor to its former player and club's legend from the 1960s, Asim Ferhatović - Hase. Today, the total capacity of Koševo is 34,500 seat, and up to 70,000 for musical and various public events, such as U2's

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

as part of their

PopMart Tour The PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of the group's 1997 album ''Pop'', the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks in 1997 and 1998. Much like the band's previous Zoo TV Tour, PopMart w ...

in 1997 and

Dino Merlin Edin Dervišhalidović (; born 12 September 1962), known professionally as Dino Merlin (), is a Bosnian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Born in Sarajevo, he was the founder and leader of Merlin, which eventually became one of ...

's Burek tour in 2004 and

Hotel Nacional "Hotel Nacional" ("National Hotel") is a song by Cuban-American recording artist Gloria Estefan. It was released as the second single from her studio album '' Miss Little Havana'' (2011). Written by Estefan, the song portrays the need to dance, ...

in 2015, or hosting of papal pastoral visitations by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

between 12–13 April 1997 and

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

on 6 June 2015. For a long time it was also the home stadium of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team.

History

Construction works started in 1947. The stadium was literally buried into a local hill thus merging with its natural surroundings. In 1950, a pitch and a tartan track were also added. The first international football match, between

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, was played in 1954. In 1966, the stadium hosted an athletic championship for the Balkans. It was renovated for that occasion. A new administration building was built, so were the new locker rooms and a restaurant. A modern scoreboard and new lighting were also provided. The stadium was renovated for the third time after the Bosnian War, in 1998. By adding the chairs on every stand the seating capacity of the stadium was reduced to 34,500. Throughout its football history, the stadium was usually a home ground for FK Sarajevo's and

FK Željezničar FK or fk may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise. * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block. * Funky Kong, a video game character. Place: ...

's international matches. The Sarajevo audience witnessed many great matches against Europe's finest clubs such as Manchester United,

Dynamo Kyiv Football Club Dynamo Kyiv (, ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Dynamo Sports Society, the club as a separate business entity was officia ...

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...

, Newcastle United,

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

etc. The stadium's largest attendance was recorded in a

1981–82 Yugoslav First League The 1981–82 Yugoslav First League season was the 36th season of the First Federal League ( sh, Prva savezna liga), the top level association football competition of SFR Yugoslavia, since its establishment in 1946. The season began on 26 July 1 ...

match between Sarajevo and Željezničar. Allegedly, up to 60,000 people attended the game, though the exact number was never officially published. In April 2021, the stadium was leased to FK Sarajevo for operating the stadium for the next 30 to 45 years, making the stadium FK Sarajevo's de facto property.

1984 Winter Olympics

On 7 February 1984, the Asim Ferhatović Hase stadium hosted the opening ceremonies of the

for which it was thoroughly renovated and expanded. About 50,000 people attended the ceremonies. The west stand held 18,500 seating places at that time.1984 Winter Olympics official report.
pp. 10-14, 90.

Notable events

International Football Matches

Notable Club Friendlies

Concerts

Zdravko Čolić Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnian Serb singer and is widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former Yugoslavia. Dubbed the "Tom Jones of the Balkans", he has garnered fame in Southeastern Europe ...

- 7 September 1978 (Putujući zemljotres Tour, the concert got stopped midway through due to heavy rain) * U2 - 23 September 1997 (

) *

- 31 July 2000 (''

Sredinom ''Sredinom'' (trans. ''Through the middle'') is the eight studio album of Bosnian musician Dino Merlin, his third as a solo artist. It was released in 2000 and is considered to be one of Dino Merlin's best work to date and helped establish Dino M ...

'' Tour, guests: Adi Lukovac & Ornamenti,

Ivana Banfić Ivana Banfić (); born 16 November 1969) is a Croatian dancer and pop singer. She became famous under the stage name I BEE in the 1990s during the period of popularity of dance music in Croatia. Banfić was born in Zagreb. She released her first ...

, Amir Bjelanović Tula, Miro Asotić) *

- 31 July 2004 ('' Burek'' Tour, guests:

Željko Joksimović Željko Joksimović ( sr-Cyrl, Жељко Јоксимовић, ; born 20 April 1972) is a Serbian vocalist, composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He plays 12 different musical instruments including accordion, piano, guitar ...

Nina Badrić Nina Badrić (; born 4 July 1972) is a Croatian pop singer and songwriter. She began performing in the early 1990s, and competed in " Dora" – the Croatian selection for Eurovision Song Contest 4 times. She won 7th place in 1993 with "Ostavljam ...

, Edo Zanki, Almir Hukelić, Gani Tamir) *

Bijelo dugme Bijelo Dugme (trans. ''White Button'') was a Yugoslav rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. Bijelo Dugme is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in the former Socialist Federal Republic ...

- 15 June 2005 *

Haris Džinović Haris Džinović (; born 26 September 1951) is a Bosnian and former Yugoslavian folk singer, composer and lyricist. Džinović is one of the best known singers of Southeastern Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geogra ...

- 23 June 2007 (guests:

Halid Bešlić Halid Bešlić (; born 20 November 1953) is a Bosnian folk singer and musician who has been performing professionally since 1979. Bešlić's singing career was one of the most successful in Yugoslavia, and continues today throughout the entire ...

Hari Varešanović Hajrudin "Hari" Varešanović (; born 16 January 1961) is a Bosnian musician. Known for his impassioned lyrical tenor vocals, distinct stage presence and specific brand of poetic lyrics, Varešanović remains the vocal soloist, primary composer ...

, Enis Bešlagić) *Moj ummete 2007 - 28 July 2007 *

- 19 July 2008 ('' Ispočetka'' Tour, guests:

Vesna Zmijanac Vesna Zmijanac (, ; born 4 January 1957) is a Montenegrin-born Serbian singer and actress. Dubbed the "Queen of Sadness", she is known for her emotional vocal delivery and melancholic ballads. Also noted for her provocative appearance and weste ...

Tony Cetinski Anthony Cetinski (born 31 May 1969), known professionally as Tony Cetinski, is a Croatian pop singer. Today, he is one of the most popular male singers in Croatia and countries of former Yugoslavia. Biography Born into a family of musicians in ...

, Eldin Huseinbegović,

, Baby Dooks, Elvedin Krilić) *

Hari Mata Hari Hari Mata Hari is a Bosnian pop band. Hari Mata Hari is the stage name for the singer Hari Varešanović. The group originated from the city of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The group has performed over 1,000 concerts and sol ...

- 10 August 2009 (''Sreća'' Tour, guests:

, Dino Merlin,

, Dražen Žerić Žera, Eldin Huseinbegović) *

- 12 June 2010 (guests:

Jelena Tomašević Jelena Tomašević ( sr-cyr, Јелена Томашевић, ; born November 1, 1983) is a Serbian pop singer of international career famed for her strong vocal performances. She has won numerous awards for her songs and represented Serbia at 20 ...

) *

- 31 July 2010 (''Kad pogledaš me preko ramena'' Tour, guests:

Nikša Bratoš Nikša Bratoš (born 17 August 1959 in Travnik, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia) is a Bosnian musician. He is known for having played in bands Valentino and Crvena jabuka. He has worked on so ...

) *

- 22 June 2013 (''Romanija'' Tour, guests:

, Enes Begović, Dženan Jahić,

Viki Miljković Violeta "Viki" Miljković ( sr-cyr, Виолета "Вики" Миљковић; born 18 December 1974) is a Serbian singer and television personality. Born in Niš, she started her recording career in the early nineties and has released ten albums ...

, Colonia, Enis Bešlagić) *

- 25 July 2015 (''

'' Tour) *

- 19 August 2016 *

Marija Šerifović Marija Šerifović ( sr-cyr, Марија Шерифовић, ; born 14 November 1984) is a Serbian singer. Born in Kragujevac as the daughter of Verica Šerifović, she rose to prominence in 2003 with her debut album '' Naj, Najbolja''. Šerif ...

- 1 July 2018 (guests:

Jelena Karleuša Jelena Karleuša ( sr-cyr, Јелена Карлеуша; born 17 August 1978) is a Serbian singer and media personality. Born and raised in Belgrade, she rose to prominence upon the release of her debut album ''Ogledalce'' in 1995, which was su ...

)

Other events

celebrated a mass in the stadium in front of 50,000 people - 13 April 1997 *

celebrated a mass in the stadium in front of 67,000 people - 6 June 2015

References

External links

SoccerwayWorld Stadiums
{{Authority control Venues of the 1984 Winter Olympics FK Sarajevo Architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina k Football venues in Yugoslavia Athletics (track and field) venues in Yugoslavia National stadiums Olympic stadiums Sports venues in Sarajevo Centar, Sarajevo Music venues in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1947 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina Sports venues completed in 1947