The Republika Srpska football team ( sr, Фудбалска репрезентација Републике Српске, Fudbalska reprezentacija Republike Srpske) is the official team of
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...
, an entity within
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 ...
. It is not affiliated with
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
or
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
.
The football team was formed in 1992, following the creation of Republka Srpska as a political entity. The
Football Association of Republika Srpska
The Football Association of Republika Srpska ( sr, Фудбалски савез Републике Српске, ФСРС / ''Fudbalski savez Republike Srpske'', ''FSRS'') is the official football association of the Republika Srpska entity of B ...
(FSRS) was established on 5 September 1992 in spite of
war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war ...
which had escalated earlier that year. The main task of FSRS in that period was to organize and manage competitions in the territory of Republika Srpska. The competitions were played in different league formats throughout wartime.
History
During the last years before the break-up of Yugoslavia, football was experiencing much popularity throughout the country, specially because of the series of successes. Such were Yugoslavia winning the
1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from 10 to 25 October 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th contested and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tournament the Yugoslavs defeated each of ...
, being runners-up at the
1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...
, an emotional campaign by the senior team in the
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...
in which Yugoslavia officially finished 5th after eliminating Spain in 1/8 finals, but losing dramatically in quarters against Argentina on penalties, a
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...
winning of the
1990–91 European Cup
The 1990–91 European Cup was the 36th season of the European Cup, a tournament for men's football clubs in nations affiliated to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It was won for the first time by Red Star Belgrade on penaltie ...
and the
1991 Intercontinental Cup
The 1991 Intercontinental Cup was an association football match played on 8 December 1991 between Red Star Belgrade of SFR Yugoslavia, winners of the 1990–91 European Cup, and Colo-Colo of Chile, winners of the 1991 Copa Libertadores. The match ...
, and even the local Republika Srpska major club,
FK Borac Banja Luka
Fudbalski klub Borac Banja Luka (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Бopaц Бања Лука, ) is a Bosnian professional association football club, based in the city of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is the major part of th ...
, won the
1992 Mitropa Cup
The 1992 Mitropa Cup was the 50th and last season of the Mitropa football club tournament. It was won by Borac Banja Luka who beat BVSC Budapest in the final 1–1 (5–3 after penalty shoot-out).
Semi-finals
Matches played on 27 May 1992.
...
. Football was always the most popular sport in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and those results had especially warm reception among Serbs in Bosnia because Yugoslav national team was known for having in Bosnia its strongest percentages of supporters, Red Star Belgrade was highly popular among Bosnian Serbs, and the conquest of Mitropa Cup in 1992 by Borac was the first ever international trophy won by a Bosnian team.
However, by the time Borac won the Mitropa title, its echo hardly was heard outside Serbian-inhabited parts of Bosnia. The war had started and Yugoslavia was disintegrating. Like the country itself, so the
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
fell apart in stages. In summer 1991 clubs from Slovenia and Croatia left and formed their own leagues, and during the
1991–92 season, so did Macedonian and Bosnian clubs as well. Only Borac Banja Luka refused to leave the league and stayed competing in Yugoslav league system long after Bosnia declared independence, supposedly serving as a symbolic proof that Bosnian Serbs continued to belong to Yugoslavia, now formed by Serbia and Montenegro.
[Football in Southeastern Europe: From Ethnic Homogenization to Reconciliation](_blank)
by John Hughson and Fiona Skillen, page 3, Routledge, 14 October 2015
When war started, football was used as an important morale-boosting activity, providing soldiers with distraction from the front, and encouraging interaction with peacekeepers. When Bosnia and Herzegovina became internationally recognised, Bosnian Serbs declared their own state demanding independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republika Srpska. Football soon followed this decision, and the
Football Association of Republika Srpska
The Football Association of Republika Srpska ( sr, Фудбалски савез Републике Српске, ФСРС / ''Fudbalski savez Republike Srpske'', ''FSRS'') is the official football association of the Republika Srpska entity of B ...
was formed along a senior national team. They played its first match at the
Banja Luka City Stadium
Banja Luka City Stadium (Gradski stadion Banja Luka / Градски стадион Бања Лука) is a multi-purpose stadium in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is currently used mostly for football match ...
on 20 December 1992, when the rival to the Srpska team was a team representing the
Republic of Serbian Krajina
The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sh, Република Српска Крајина, italics=no / or РСК / ''RSK'', ), known as the Serbian Krajina ( / ) or simply Krajina, was a self-proclaimed Serb proto-state, ...
. This match ended 1–1. Srpska scored the first goal in the 16th minute thanks to Zoran Nešković and the equaliser was scored in the 45th minute by Tihomir Žorić. Žorić, then playing for
Dinara
Dinara is a long mountain range in the Dinaric Alps, located on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It has four major mountains or peaks, from north-west to south-east:
* Ilica or Ujilica (1654 m)
* Sinjal or Dinara (1831 m), ep ...
from
Knin
Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagr ...
, was chosen the best player of that friendly match. There were about 2,000 spectators at the FK Borac stadium. Republika Srpska was coached in that match by
Miloš Đurković
Miloš Đurković (born 29 February 1956) is a Bosnian Serb former football goalkeeper and manager who played for clubs in the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. He is known locally as Faks.
Playing career Club
Born in Sarajevo, Đurković began play ...
, assistant coach was
Mladen Katić
Mladen () is a South Slavic masculine given name, derived from the Slavic root ''mlad'' (, ), meaning "young". It is present in Bulgarian, Serbian, and Croatian society since the Middle Ages.
Notable people with the name include:
* Mladen (vojvo ...
, and the selected players were
Nikola Čobanović
Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montene ...
,
Dragan Marković
Dragan Marković ( sr-cyr, Драган Марковић; born 2 May 1960), commonly known as Palma ("palm tree"), is a Serbian businessman, politician and entrepreneur. He currently serves as a member of the National Assembly of Serbia and is a ...
,
Neđo Zdjelar,
Sretko Vojkić,
Zoran Vranješ
Zoran ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран) is a common South Slavic name, the masculine form of Zora, which means ''dawn, daybreak''. The name is especially common in Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia and a little in Slovenia.
Notable people with this given na ...
,
Stojan Janjetović,
Veljko Salamić Veljko (Cyrillic script: Вељко) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. It may refer to:
*FK Hajduk Veljko, Serbian football club based in Negotin, Serbia
* Hajduk Veljko Petrović (1780–1813), Vojvoda of the First Serbian Uprising rebel ...
,
Vlado Jagodić
Vlado Jagodić (; born 22 March 1964) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player.
Club career
Born in Gradiška, SFR Yugoslavia, Jagodić played with lower-league Bosnian clubs Zadrugar Kočićevo, Lijevče Nova Topola, Slog ...
,
Borče Sredojević,
Ljubiša Kukavica,
Borislav Tonković,
Danijel Pajić,
Jovica Lukić,
Milan Miladinović,
Stojan Malbašić,
Enver Ališić,
Mićo Gračanin,
Zoran Nešković,
Aleksa Marić,
Predrag Šobot,
Boris Gluhović,
Filip Trivan,
Drago Lukić and
Miro Šarac.
The game had a much greater political meaning than a football one.
Afterwards, war intensified, and no more national team matches for Republika Srpska were played, the FSRS was more focused in organising a proper club championship and cup competitions. The first to be formed was the
Republika Srpska Cup
The Football Cup of Republika Srpska (Serbian Cyrillic: Kуп Peпубликe Cpпcкe, Serbian Latin: Kup Republike Srpske), also just known as the Republika Srpska Cup, is a secondary knockout football competition contested annually by clubs fr ...
in 1993, while, despite all efforts, a united
First League of the Republika Srpska
The First League of the Republika Srpska ( sh, Prva liga Republike Srpske / ) is a second level football competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The league champion is promoted to the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Relegated teams, de ...
only got formed in 1995.
Although the
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( Croatian: ''Daytonski sporazum'', Serbian and Bosnian: ''Dejtonski mirovni sporazum'' / Дејтонски мир ...
(which ended war conflict in the country) allowed the general forming of independent sport organizations in Republika Srpska which would be recognized internationally, FIFA and UEFA allowed FSRS to participate in the international scene only as part of FSBiH. However, a possibility for international friendly matches for national teams of Republika Srpska was left open, but with explicit permission of FIFA. The national team of Republika Srpska had its "international debut" in 2000 against the Greek club
Kavala FC
Kavala ( el, Καβάλα, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit.
It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the Egnat ...
which won 6–0. After that, two other "international matches" were played. In 2001, in Germany, there were two matches against Bayern II (lost by 0–1) and Schweinfurt 05 (won by 4–2). On the other hand, the U21 squad of Republika Srpska takes part in "international" friendly tournaments every year.
In 1995, the
First League of Republika Srpska
The First League of the Republika Srpska ( sh, Prva liga Republike Srpske / ) is a second level Association football, football competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The league champion is promoted to the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...
was established as a top division for clubs competition. Also a cup tournament was created, the
Republika Srpska Cup
The Football Cup of Republika Srpska (Serbian Cyrillic: Kуп Peпубликe Cpпcкe, Serbian Latin: Kup Republike Srpske), also just known as the Republika Srpska Cup, is a secondary knockout football competition contested annually by clubs fr ...
. Meanwhile, separate leagues were formed in other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina which gathered multinational, as well as ethnic Croat clubs in the country. The
Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Nogometni/Fudbalski Savez Bosne i Hercegovine (N/FSBiH); Ногометни/Фудбалски Савез Босне и Херцеговине (Н/ФСБиХ), (FSBiH); unified abbreviation N/FS ...
, FSBiH, was created in 1992 and was recognised by
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
in 1996 and
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
in 1998. As the FSBiH was the only football federation in Bosnia and Herzegovina recognized by FIFA its clubs alone were allowed to compete internationally and contest the newly formed
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The m:tel Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, m:tel Premijer liga Bosne i Hercegovine / м:тел Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), also known as Liga 12, is the top tier football league in Bosnia and Herz ...
. Faced with the fact that clubs from Republika Srpska hadn't been allowed to take part in international competitions, FSRS decided to join FSBiH, on 23 May 2002. After that, the First League of Republika Srpska became one of the two second leagues of the country, with the other,
joining clubs from the rest of the country, was the other one. Top ranked clubs from the RS First League were promoted to the
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The m:tel Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, m:tel Premijer liga Bosne i Hercegovine / м:тел Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), also known as Liga 12, is the top tier football league in Bosnia and Herz ...
, which started on 4 August the same year, and has been as such ever since.
The Republika Srpska official football team saw in July 2013 a disputed run over the election of the main coach between 3 candidates;
Ilija Petković
Ilija Petković ( sr-Cyrl, Илија Петковић, ; 22 September 1945 – 27 June 2020) was a Serbian footballer and manager.
Petković was capped 43 times for Yugoslavia, participating in the 1968 European Football Championship, and in t ...
,
Nebojša Gudelj
Nebojša Gudelj (Serbian Cyrillic: Небојша Гудељ; born 23 September 1968) is a Serbian football manager and former player.
Playing career
Born in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gudelj started out at his hometown club Leotar, co ...
and
Željko Buvač
Željko Buvač ( sr-cyrl, Жељко Бувач; born 13 September 1961) is a Bosnian football manager and former professional player who works as a sporting director for Russian Premier League club FC Dynamo Moscow. He is the former assistant m ...
. The elected was Buvač who has been keeping the post still by mid-2019. He succeeded
Borče Sredojević who ended not leading any game. The first coach was
Miloš Đurković
Miloš Đurković (born 29 February 1956) is a Bosnian Serb former football goalkeeper and manager who played for clubs in the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. He is known locally as Faks.
Playing career Club
Born in Sarajevo, Đurković began play ...
, who's assistant was
Mladen Katić
Mladen () is a South Slavic masculine given name, derived from the Slavic root ''mlad'' (, ), meaning "young". It is present in Bulgarian, Serbian, and Croatian society since the Middle Ages.
Notable people with the name include:
* Mladen (vojvo ...
, and next it was
Velimir Sombolac
Velimir Sombolac (Serbian Cyrillic: Велимир Сомболац; 27 February 1939 – 22 May 2016) was a Serbian footballer and manager. He was part of the Yugoslav squad that won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Playing career Club
Followi ...
, with
Velimir Stojnić
Velimir Stojnić (Serbian Cyrillic: Велимир Стојнић; born 29 October 1962) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player.
Managerial career
Stojnić took up the hot seat of Rudar Prijedor in March 2012 after Dragan ...
as his assistant.
Current status
With similar disputed regions having been granted opportunities to have international matches the FSRS began to receive pressure from the citizens of Republika Srpska to push for more matches for their national team.
Following FIFA's decision on 22 May 2012 to approve the
Football Federation of Kosovo
The Football Federation of Kosovo ( sq, Federata e Futbollit e Kosovës; FFK) is the governing body of football in Kosovo, with headquarters in Pristina. The Football Federation of Kosovo was established in 1946 as a branch of the Football Associa ...
to play friendly matches, the FSRS President
Mile Kovačević announced the next day that the Association would ask FIFA for the same.
Head coaches
*
Miloš Đurković
Miloš Đurković (born 29 February 1956) is a Bosnian Serb former football goalkeeper and manager who played for clubs in the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. He is known locally as Faks.
Playing career Club
Born in Sarajevo, Đurković began play ...
(1992)
*
Velimir Sombolac
Velimir Sombolac (Serbian Cyrillic: Велимир Сомболац; 27 February 1939 – 22 May 2016) was a Serbian footballer and manager. He was part of the Yugoslav squad that won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Playing career Club
Followi ...
(1998–2001)
*
Borče Sredojević (2008)
*
Nikola Nikić
Nikola Nikić ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Никић, ; born 7 January 1956) is a Bosnian former footballer and current manager of NK Bratstvo Gračanica in the First League of FBiH.
Playing career
Nikić, born to father Ilija and mother Radojka (n ...
(2013)
*
Željko Buvač
Željko Buvač ( sr-cyrl, Жељко Бувач; born 13 September 1961) is a Bosnian football manager and former professional player who works as a sporting director for Russian Premier League club FC Dynamo Moscow. He is the former assistant m ...
(2013–2015)
Assistant coaches
* Mladen Katić (1992)
*
Velimir Stojnić
Velimir Stojnić (Serbian Cyrillic: Велимир Стојнић; born 29 October 1962) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player.
Managerial career
Stojnić took up the hot seat of Rudar Prijedor in March 2012 after Dragan ...
(1998–2001)
Recent results and forthcoming fixtures
Results in the past
Republika Srpska played its first senior game in 1992 as the national team of the self-proclaimed Republika Srpska. It was the only game the team played under such circumstances.
Its next game was in 1998, 3 years after the signing of the
Dayton agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( Croatian: ''Daytonski sporazum'', Serbian and Bosnian: ''Dejtonski mirovni sporazum'' / Дејтонски мир ...
, and by then the FA of Republika Srpska had already become part of the structure of the
Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Nogometni/Fudbalski Savez Bosne i Hercegovine (N/FSBiH); Ногометни/Фудбалски Савез Босне и Херцеговине (Н/ФСБиХ), (FSBiH); unified abbreviation N/FS ...
. Ever since, it has played unofficial matches against local and foreign clubs. Until 2019 the team has played a total of 15 games.
In recent years, Republika Srpska has planned to play a friendly match against
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. Although the Srpska team received the approval of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, this match has not been played yet.
Република Сръбска започва формирането на собствен национален отбор по футбол
/ref>
Youth competitions
Since 2000, the U19 team regularly takes part in the international Stevan Nešticki Tournament in Novi Sad, Serbia. Republika Srpska won the tournament on two occasions (in 2004 and 2012).
See also
*Football Association of Republika Srpska
The Football Association of Republika Srpska ( sr, Фудбалски савез Републике Српске, ФСРС / ''Fudbalski savez Republike Srpske'', ''FSRS'') is the official football association of the Republika Srpska entity of B ...
*Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Nogometni/Fudbalski Savez Bosne i Hercegovine (N/FSBiH); Ногометни/Фудбалски Савез Босне и Херцеговине (Н/ФСБиХ), (FSBiH); unified abbreviation N/FS ...
* Republika Srpska national under-21 football team
* Republika Srpska official under-23 football team
References
External links
*
Players from the first match
{{DEFAULTSORT:Republika Srpska official football team
Football in Republika Srpska
Football in Bosnia and Herzegovina
European national and official selection-teams not affiliated to FIFA