Fudbalski klub Velež Mostar ( sh-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Beлеж Мостар;
English: Football club Velež Mostar) is a professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Mostar
Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. The club has a history of being one of the most successful clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded on 26 June 1922. The club currently plays at
Rođeni Stadium (7,000 capacity), but its historic stadium is the
Bijeli Brijeg (9,000 capacity). Due to the divisions between Bosniak and Croat territories, Velež lost its previous home ground of Bijeli Brijeg. That stadium was largely used by Velež during the glory days of the club, when they triumphed in the
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
and
1986 Yugoslav Cups. The club also reached the quarter-final stage of the
1974–75 UEFA Cup
The 1974–75 UEFA Cup was the fourth season of the UEFA Cup, the third-tier club football competition organised by UEFA.
The final was played over two legs at the Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, West Germany, and at the Diekman Stadion, Enschede ...
. Velež have a bitter rivalry with city neighbours,
HŠK Zrinjski Mostar.
The club is named after a nearby mountain
Velež, which in itself is named after one of the old
Slavic gods
The pagan Slavs were polytheistic, which means that they worshipped many gods and goddesses. The gods of the Slavs are known primarily from a small number of chronicles and letopises, or not very accurate Christian sermons against paganism. Add ...
,
Veles.
During the time of
former Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, Velež was always in the
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
and the team often ended the season in the top ten. Velež was the most popular and most successful team from
Herzegovina
Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...
to play in the top Yugoslav League. The team was very popular in Herzegovina, but also had fans all over Yugoslavia, and had a mixture of fans from all three main ethnic groups.
Today, Velež is in the
Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is active in the
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; sr-Cyrl, Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football leagu ...
and regardless of the difficult and divisive political situation, still has a mixture of fans from all three main ethnic groups. The team was relegated to the
First League of the Federation from the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. However, Velež was promoted to the top league of the country in 2019.
In the summer of 2005, the club's assembly returned the five-pointed
red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. ...
, also known as the ''petokraka'', to their logo. The red star has been the symbol of the club since its founding in 1922.
History
Before World War II (1922–1941)
On 26 June 1922, in a suburb of
Mostar
Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
called Sjeverni logor, Velež Mostar were founded with the prefix RŠD ''(Radničko športsko društvo)'' or Workers' Sports Club. There were many suggestions for the name, however according to an urban legend the name Velež was picked due to the nearby
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
, as there was nothing higher. Velež's first kits were black and white due to destitution and poverty. Velež only started playing in red after a board member named Vaso Pucarić brought them from
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
. Velež's first derby with another club from Mostar,
Zrinjski was canceled after Zrinjski's players wanted Velež's players to take off the
red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. ...
s from their kits and Velež refused to do so. The club was sympathetic to
worker's rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, ...
and
socialism
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
, which made it a big target from the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
, who frequently harassed players and supporters.
Before the war there existed a league for clubs within the city: Velež, Zrinjski, SK Vardar and the JSK ''(Jugoslovenski sportski klub)''. Velež had won this competition twice in the 1929 and 1930 seasons. At one point during this time 3,500 people were members of Velež.
On 1 September 1940 Velež played a friendly versus a team from
Podgorica
Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
called Crna Gora. After the game players and those in attendance started a protest against the Yugoslav government on the streets of Mostar. Police shot at demonstrators and in 2 days the club was banned. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
many members of Velež joined the
Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
and 77 footballers from Velež were said to have lost their lives during the war. 9 players were awarded the
Order of the People's Hero
The Order of the People's Hero or the Order of the National Hero ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Orden narodnog heroja, Oрден народног хероја; , ), was a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav gallantry medal, the ...
award by the new socialist government, 8 of which posthumously. The only living player given the medal was former captain
Mehmed Trbonja.
Velež in SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992)
Early days in the top flight (1945–1968)

After the war ended, the new
socialist government banned clubs that participated in football tournaments organized by the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
, including Zrinjski. Vardar and JSK also disbanded, which left Velež as the only active football club in Mostar, a city of 48,000 people by 1948. Before the war, all teams in Mostar played in Sjeverni logor, which was technically owned by JSK. The stadium was in bad shape, there was no boundary between the pitch and the stands and one newspaper outlet said it should be banned to play games in Mostar.
In response the city council decided to build a modern stadium for the time in the Bijeli Brijeg suburb; equipped with a training ground, locker rooms and offices for club officials. Between 1947 and 1956 construction was made possible by youth work actions, with some involvement from unions and independent firms. Work stopped at various intervals due to lack of mechanization, but from June 1956 onwards resources that were necessary for completion were given and development of the stadium finished much faster. On 7 September 1958 Velež played their first ever game at the
Bijeli Brijeg stadium: a 2–1 victory versus
FK Željezničar.
In the
1952–53 season for the first time ever, Velež appeared in the top flight of any league but were relegated. Velež's top scorers were Vladimir Zelenika with 9 goals in 11 games and captain Haldun Hrvić with 7 goals in 22 games. After 2 seasons in the second tier Velež were promoted and competed in the
1955–56 Yugoslav First League where they finished seventh out of 14 teams. For the duration of the entire
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
Velež were never relegated again. During the early days of Velež in the top flight, one of the most well respected players was
Muhamed Mujić, who played over 400 games and was joint top scorer for the
1955–56 season. Because of this he became Velež's first player to receive a call up to the
SFR Yugoslavia national football team versus
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
in 1956. He scored 17 goals in 32 appearances, played in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
for the
1956 Olympics and in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
for the
1962 World Cup but his career with the national team ended abruptly after a bad foul on
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
player
Eduard Dubinski, which indirectly caused Dubinski's death 7 years later.
["ESPN Top Tenner: Notorious Fouls"](_blank)
Retrieved May 20, 2014. The Yugoslav Football Association sent Mujić back home and he never played another international game again.
In the
1957–58 Yugoslav Cup, Velež became the first Bosnian team to reach the final, after beating
Radnički Beograd,
RNK Split and
Hajduk Split in previous rounds. In front of a crowd of 30,000 at the
Stadion JNA, Velež lost 4–0 after a lacklustre performance that served more as
Rajko Mitić's farewell game than a cup final.
Sulejman Sula Rebac becomes manager (1968–1976)

In 1968, former player
Sulejman "Sula" Rebac who had played over 500 games for Velež became manager. At this point, Velež were a steady midtable-team in the first division however under the guidance of Rebac Velež would experience a meteoric rise that culminated in reaching the
UEFA cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
quarterfinals. His first full season in 1968–69 saw an 8th-place finish in which the main focus was Rebac successfully utilizing Velež's youth team, a tradition Velež held right up until the
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / 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. Following several earlier violent incid ...
. The first players to come through the academy were goalkeeper
Enver Marić and striker
Dušan Bajević
Dušan "Duško" Bajević ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Бајевић, ; , ''Doúsan Báyevits''; born 10 December 1948) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football manager ...
. They and midfielder
Franjo Vladić would make up the famous BMV trio (named after the German
car manufacturer) which was one of the most prolific partnerships in the history of Bosnian football. The
1969–70 saw Velež finish third and Bajević joint top scorer alongside
Slobodan Santrač
Slobodan Santrač (, ; 1 July 1946 – 13 February 2016) was a Serbian football manager and player.
He is the all-time top scorer of the Yugoslav First League with a total of 218 goals, as well as the top scorer in the history of OFK Beograd. A ...
with 20 goals each. 1970 also saw Bajević's first call-up to the national team, a 1–1 draw versus
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
in which he scored on his debut. Bajević would go on to make 37 appearances and score 29 goals, including a hat-trick against
Zaire
Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...
in a 9–0 demolition during the
1974 World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the 10th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the ...
. In the
1972–73 Velež placed 2nd in the league, their best position yet and qualified for the
UEFA cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, their first ever European competition. They were knocked out in the first round to
Tatran Prešov.
The 1973–74 season was one of Velež's best. In the
league, Velež were in a neck and neck race with
Hajduk Split. After the 32nd and 33rd round, Hajduk and Velež had the same number of points; with Hajduk having the better goal difference. On the final day of the season, both won their games and Hajduk won the league on account of goal difference. In
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
the following season, Velež won on away goals against
Spartak Moscow in the first round and against
Rapid Wien in the second round. In the third round they were faced with
Derby County, who would go on to win the
First Division that season. They lost 3–1 in the first leg at the
Baseball Ground.
Franjo Vladić scored Velež's only goal that day. The second leg at the
Bijeli Brijeg stadium featured a remarkable upset.
Boro Primorac, another prodigy of Rebac, scored in the 14th minute with a follow-up goal from
Vladimir Pecelj in the 29th minute. Vladić scored in the 51st minute and Velež had a 4–3 lead.
Kevin Hector scored for Derby in the 75th minute and the aggregate was tied at 4–4. In the 85th minute Velež were awarded a penalty which
Dušan Bajević
Dušan "Duško" Bajević ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Бајевић, ; , ''Doúsan Báyevits''; born 10 December 1948) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football manager ...
scored. The game ended 5–4 on aggregate and Velež went on to the quarterfinals. There they faced
FC Twente
Football Club Twente (), sometimes known internationally as FC Twente Enschede, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from the city of Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub E ...
, and lost 2–1 on aggregate. After the UEFA Cup run, Rebac resigned, while the core of the team was also leaving. Marić left for
Schalke 04 in 1976, Bajević left to join
AEK Athens
A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens.
Establishe ...
in 1977, with Vladić following him in 1979.
Rebuilding and first trophies (1976–1992)

With the trio that Velež had depended upon now missing, the rest of Velež's squad now had a chance to shine:
Džemal Hadžiabdić, his younger brother
Mili,
Marko Čolić,
Vladimir Pecelj,
Jadranko Topić
Jadranko Topić (born 20 August 1949) is a Yugoslavian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Career
Topić played for FK Velež Mostar.
He also spent one season in the North American Soccer League, making six appearances for ...
,
Blaž Slišković
Blaž "Baka" Slišković (; born 30 May 1959) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the most successful Bosnian football managers.
As a player, Slišković was capped 26 times for Yugoslavia in th ...
but none were an integral part of post-BMV Velež more than
Vahid Halilhodžić. He scored 253 goals in 376 matches and solidified himself as one of Velež's best ever players. During the 1976 transfer window he was a keen transfer target for many important Yugoslav clubs including
Partizan,
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
and
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
because of his performances for the national team, but ultimately stayed at Velež. The act did not pay off as Velež finished
11th, miles off pace compared to the clubs trying to buy Halilhodžić. The next 2 seasons saw some improvement, finishing
7th and
5th, respectively. In the
1979–80 season, Velež finished 8th and the manager at the time,
Vukašin Višnjevac
Vukašin Višnjevac (; 10 June 1937 – 26 September 2019) was a Yugoslav football manager and player.
Playing career
Višnjevac spent three seasons with Sarajevo from 1954 to 1957, making 18 appearances and scoring three goals in the Yugoslav F ...
was sacked and replaced with
Miloš Milutinović, famously known as ''Plava čigra''.
In
the league
''The League'' is an American television sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football l ...
Velež finished a lowly 9th place, but their real shining moment came in the
cup that season. Velež had beaten
Borac Banja Luka in the first round 3–2, and after a
walkover
John Baxter Taylor and William Robbins (athlete)">William Robbins to refuse to race in protest.
A walkover, also W.O. or w/o (originally two words: "walk over"), is awarded to the opposing team/player, etc., if there are no other players avail ...
from
Sutjeska Nikšić in the second round, advanced to the quarterfinals where they faced
FK Bregalnica Štip, a lower league side from
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
, and beat them 2–0. Velež beat
Budućnost Podgorica 2–1 in the semi-final and ensured that they would be in the cup final for the first time in 23 years. Their opponents were
Željezničar, who had finished 14th the same season. This tie resulted in the first and only ever all-Bosnian final in the Yugoslav Cup. Halilhodžić had signed a contract with French side
FC Nantes
Football Club de Nantes, commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Naunnt''), is a French professional association football, football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 Ap ...
and would leave Velež after the final, no matter the result, but the game was praised for being one of his finest hours for Velež. After joining Nantes he became one of their most iconic and legendary players and would go on to manage them in 2018. In the cup final, the first goal came in the 36th minute after a penalty was given to Željezničar.
Mehmed Baždarević
Mehmed Baždarević (born 28 September 1960) is a Bosnian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. He was most recently the manager of Ligue 2 club En Avant Guingamp, Guingamp.
Baždarevi� ...
scored and by the end of the first half the score remained 1–0 to Željezničar. Halilhodžić scored a brace in the space of 3 minutes and Velež were in the lead. In the 62nd minute another penalty was called for Željezničar, which Baždarević converted again.
Dragan Okuka
Dragomir "Dragan" Okuka (; born 2 April 1954) is a Serbian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player.
As a player, he was predominantly associated with his time with FK Velež Mostar, Velež ...
scored the winning goal with a header in the 80th minute, and Velež won their first ever major trophy.
As a result of winning they were admitted into the
Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...
, and played their first game in Europe in 6 years. They also took part in the
1980–81 Balkans Cup, which they won 12–7 on aggregate against
Trakia Plovdiv, later Botev Plovdiv. In the
1981–82 Cup Winners' Cup beat
Jeunesse Esch
Jeunesse Esch (full name ''Association Sportive la Jeunesse d'Esch/Alzette'') is a professional football club based in Esch-sur-Alzette, in south-western Luxembourg. The side play in the National Division, the highest league in the country, and ...
7–2 on aggregate in the first round and faced
Lokomotiv Leipzig in the second, which they lost on penalties. The
1981–82 league season saw Velež finish 7th and Milutinović left for
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Партизан, ; ), often referred to in English as Partizan Belgrade, is a Serbian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Belgrade. It forms ...
. Without him, Velež struggled and finished 13th, even with the efforts of
Vladimir Skočajić (14 goals) and
Dušan Bajević
Dušan "Duško" Bajević ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Бајевић, ; , ''Doúsan Báyevits''; born 10 December 1948) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football manager ...
(11 goals). Bajević eventually became manager in 1984. In the
1984–85 season Velež finished 11th but the next season saw a huge improvement, with Velež finishing 3rd, their best season since 1973–74. This was largely due to the efforts of a new golden generation including goalkeeper
Vukašin Petranović
Vukašin Petranović (born 6 December 1962) is a Montenegrin professional football goalkeeping coach and former player.
Petranović was a product of the Dinamo Zagreb youth system but failed to achieve playing for the first team. During his ca ...
, defenders
Nenad Bijedić
Nenad "Ćeća" Bijedić ( Turkish: ''Nejat Biyediç'' or ''Nejat Vardar''; 24 September 1959 – 15 August 2011) was a Bosnian and naturalized Turkish football manager and player. He began playing football in FK Velez Mostar.
Playing career Cl ...
and
Vladimir Matijević, midfielder
Vladimir Skočajić and forwards
Predrag Jurić,
Sead Kajtaz and
Semir Tuce
Semir Tuce (born 11 February 1964) is a Bosnian retired footballer, who played as left winger.
He was part of the Velež Mostar ''second golden era'', which won the 1985–86 Yugoslav Cup.
Club career Velež Mostar
Tuce was born in Mostar an ...
.
Velež had another good cup run in the
1985-86 Yugoslav Cup, first beating lower league
Željezničar Doboj 1–5 away from home.
Rad from Belgrade were beaten 2–0 but in the quarterfinals faced tough opponents
Partizan. Velež fielded an upset winning 5–3 on penalties after the game ended 1–1 in normal time. In the semi-finals Velež faced yet another team from Belgrade, this time
OFK Belgrade, which Velež beat 3–0 at home. In the final they were faced with
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
, one of the big 4 teams in Yugoslavia led by famous coach
Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević.
Nenad Bijedić
Nenad "Ćeća" Bijedić ( Turkish: ''Nejat Biyediç'' or ''Nejat Vardar''; 24 September 1959 – 15 August 2011) was a Bosnian and naturalized Turkish football manager and player. He began playing football in FK Velez Mostar.
Playing career Cl ...
scored a penalty in the sixth minute with an additional goal in the 51st minute.
Marko Mlinarić of Dinamo quickly scored in the 58th minute, but the final score was settled after
Predrag Jurić scored in the 87th minute. The performance of Velež was so good it caught the eye of the new
Yugoslavia national team coach,
Ivica Osim
Ivan Osim (6 May 1941 – 1 May 2022), best known as Ivica Osim, was a Bosnian professional Football player, footballer and Manager (association football), football manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football managers of all ...
who was the manager of
Željezničar during the 1981 cup final.
Predrag Jurić was capped twice following the final and Semir Tuce was capped 7 times and scored 2 goals. Them and
Meho Kodro
Mehmed "Meho" Kodro (born 12 January 1967) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who played as a forward.
Kodro started playing professionally at Velež Mostar, making his first team debut in 1985. He spent most of his 1 ...
, who was a youth prospect in 1986 would be the last players to play for the Yugoslavia national team while playing for Velež.
Velež had a fantastic performance in
the league
''The League'' is an American television sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football l ...
that season as well, but it was marred by the final matchday. Velež lost 2–3 to
OFK Belgrade at home and it was suspected that Velež, along with 13 other teams that day was suspected of match fixing. The claim for Velež's game was that Velež had confirmed themselves a place in the
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
next season (but played in the
Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...
instead) but OFK needed a win to stay up. They were deducted 6 points the following season but come the end of the season the deduction would be overturned.
Velež got to participate in the Cup Winners' Cup again and beat
Vasas SC in the first round with a 5–4 aggregate victory but lost versus
Vitosha Sofia (later Levski Sofia) with the same aggregate. In
the league
''The League'' is an American television sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football l ...
Velež originally finished 3rd again however courts rejected that any matchfixing took place on the final day of the season. As charges were dropped Velež's 6-point deduction would be overturned and finished 2nd instead. This would be the last time Velež finished 2nd in the top flight. They beat
FC Sion
Football Club Sion, commonly known as simply FC Sion or Sion, is a Swiss Association football, football club from the city of Sion, Switzerland, Sion. The club was founded in 1909 and play their home matches at the Stade Tourbillon. They have wo ...
of Switzerland in the first round 5–3 on aggregate in the
UEFA cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
first round. Their next opponent would be
West German
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...
powerhouse
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
.
Reinhard Saftig, Dortmund's coach at the time decided to watch Velež play live before the game. The game was a 5–0 victory over
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
which is still regarded as a memorable victory by many Velež fans. Velež ended up losing 2–0 away in the first leg however the second leg would be one of Velež's most famous victories.
Meho Kodro
Mehmed "Meho" Kodro (born 12 January 1967) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who played as a forward.
Kodro started playing professionally at Velež Mostar, making his first team debut in 1985. He spent most of his 1 ...
and
Predrag Jurić both scored goals,
Semir Tuce
Semir Tuce (born 11 February 1964) is a Bosnian retired footballer, who played as left winger.
He was part of the Velež Mostar ''second golden era'', which won the 1985–86 Yugoslav Cup.
Club career Velež Mostar
Tuce was born in Mostar an ...
missed a penalty, but
Frank Mill scored for Dortmund and ended any chance of Velež going through with 3–2 on aggregate for Dortmund and 2–1 only counting the game played at the
Bijeli Brijeg Stadium. For the 1988–89 season Velež played their ever last season in a European competition (namely the UEFA Cup). They beat
APOEL 6–2 on aggregate in the first round and
Belenenses 4–3 on penalties after 0–0 on aggregate in the second round. In the third round they were faced with
Heart of Midlothian. They lost 3–0 in the first leg away and couldn't overturn the deficit with a 2–1 win at home, ending 15 years and 6 seasons in European competitions. In the league Velež finished 11th, their worst position in 5 years. The
1988-89 Yugoslav Cup was also the last time Velež would appear in a cup final. Velež go on to beat lower league opposition in the early rounds including
Sileks Kratovo,
HNK Šibenik
Hrvatski nogometni klub Šibenik (), better known as HNK Šibenik or simply Šibenik (), is a Croatian professional association football, football sports club, club based in Šibenik. It competes in the Croatian Football League, SuperSport HNL, t ...
,
Liria Prizren, and
Rudar Ljubija (later Rudar Prijedor). In the final Velež were thoroughly beaten by the First League opposition
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Партизан, ; ), often referred to in English as Partizan Belgrade, is a Serbian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Belgrade. It forms ...
6–1 with goals from
Nebojša Vučićević,
Goran Milojević,
Fadil Vokrri,
Vladimir Vermezović and
Zoran Batrović. Velež's sole goal came from Zijad Repak in the 65th minute.
In 1989, Velež's youth team reached the final of the
Yugoslav Youth Football Cup for the fourth time (after losing the final in 1969, 1977 and 1987) and won 4–1 versus
FK Vardar
FK Vardar () is a professional Association football, football club based in Skopje, North Macedonia, which competes in the Macedonian First Football League, Macedonian First League. They are the most successful football club in Football in Maced ...
with a team featuring
Franjo Džidić,
Slaven Musa and
Sergej Barbarez. This would be the only piece of silverware ever won by Velež's youth team.
Velež in an independent Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–present)
Rebuilding and instability (1992–2006)
On 15 March 1992, Velež would play their last ever game at the
Bijeli Brijeg stadium; a 2–0 win versus
FK Zemun. Shortly after the game the
Siege of Mostar started, rendering football a dangerous and logistically impossible task. Velež were already on the way out of the
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
due to Bosnia voting to leave Yugoslavia in an
independence referendum
An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an Independence, independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independenc ...
at the beginning of the month, and to make matters worse due to Bosnia being independent, the ban on fascist clubs was lifted, which led to
Zrinjski being refounded in 1992. After the war, a new municipality within Mostar called Jugozapad (eng. ''Southwest'') awarded the Bijeli Brijeg stadium to Zrinjski, which would lead to controversy for the next few years. Zrinjski had positioned themselves as a club specifically for
Croats
The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
, which led to a large number of Velež's supporters abandoning them (Velež were a multiethnic club for all of their history, including players of
Bosniak
The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
,
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
and
Croat
The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
origin). Velež didn't play another game until 1994, when they were placed in the "Zenica Group" of the
1994–95 First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a wartime cuplike competition. Velež lost their first game 3–0 to
Slaven Živinice and things didn't improve, they lost their next 2 games and exited the competition along with
NK Đerzelez as the only 2 teams who lost all of their games.
For the
1995–96 season which transitioned football in Bosnia to a proper league system (albeit with three leagues competing on ethnic lines) all teams needed to compete on their own stadium. After friendlies in Sjeverni logor and
Jablanica Velež chose
Vrapčići, on the very outskirts of Mostar. The next few seasons would be rough as Velež finished 14th in
1995–96 and 10th in
1996–97 and
1997–98. For the last season mentioned a playoff system was introduced between the Bosniak and Croat clubs where the best of each league played against each other to determine a true champion in Bosnian football. In
1998–99 Velež pulled off a shock result by qualifying to the playoffs. To mark the occasion Velež demanded to play at the Bijeli Brijeg stadium, however after the
Office of the High Representative (OHR) rejected the appeal, Velež and other teams boycotted the playoff for that season. Velež later qualified for the inaugural season of the
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; sr-Cyrl, Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football leagu ...
, the first post-war competition not based on ethnic lines where they finished 5th in their first season. The next season saw an 8th-place finish but the 2002–03 season saw a relegation into the second tier for the first time since 1952.
In the second tier Velež were a strong contender for promotion, first in the
2003–04 season, however a goal in injury time for
Budućnost Banovići ensured that they would be promoted instead of Velež. In
2004–05 another title challenge was mounted but a 2–1 loss versus
Rudar Kakanj made sure
Jedinstvo Bihać would get promoted. In
2005–06 Velež were finally promoted, 14 points clear of second placed Rudar Kakanj.
Comeback and collapse (2006–2017)
For the next few seasons Velež would be a consistent midtable team in the Premier League with no major cup runs until the 2011–12 season, when Velež defeated
Travnik
Travnik ( cyrl, Травник) is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative center of the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, ...
3–2 away in the first round and faced local rivals Zrinjski in the next round. The game originally ended 1–0 to Velež when
Riad Demić scored in the 93rd minute which resulted in a pitch invasion from Zrinjski fans. This meant the game ended 3–0 to Velež and the Bijeli Brijeg stadium was suspended for 5 games. The second leg ended 2–0 to Velež and they would book themselves a place in the quarterfinals versus
HNK Branitelj, which they won 3–1 on aggregate. As a result, Velež appeared in the cup semi-finals for the first time since 1998. They ended up losing 2–0 on aggregate to
Široki Brijeg
Široki Brijeg () is a city and the regional capital of West Herzegovina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. the town itself had a population of 6,149 and the municipality of 28,929.
Name
...
and Velež's best cup run in 15 years was over. In the
2013–14 season Velež finished in 5th place, 3 points away from European football, the highest since the leagues in Bosnia were reunified.
In June 2015, Velež were bought out by president of the Bosnian
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Form ...
,
Nermin Nikšić
Nermin Nikšić (; born 27 December 1960) is a Bosnian politician serving as List of prime ministers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina since April 2023, having previously serve ...
. Things quickly turned worse as the club failed to organize friendlies, pay player's wages, repeatedly fired coaches and fans got involved in brawls with opposing players. Velež ended the
2015–16 season in last place with only 9 points out of 30 games, which is one of the worst records in any top-flight league. The Nikšić board and subsequent emergency board was eventually replaced by a board led by Šemsudin Hasić, director of local pharmaceutical company Hercegovinalijek. That didn't mean the
2016–17 season started off easy. After 8 games Velež had not won a single game and were in 15th place out of 16 teams. The previous coach
Avdo Kalajdžić was sacked and replaced with
Ibrahim Rahimić, who had previously played for and coached Velež. Velež miraculously stayed up on the final day of the season and
FK Goražde
Fudbalski klub Goražde is a professional association football club based in the city of Goražde in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club was founded in 1918.
Goražde plays in the First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the second ...
were relegated instead of them. Between seasons the stadium "Vrapčići" changed their name to "Stadion Rođeni" named after fans of Velež.
New comeback (2017–present)

For the 2017–18 season, thanks to new signings such as
Elmir Kuduzović, Hamza Mešanović and Minel Doljančić, Velež wrapped up a 3rd place spot.
For the
2018–19 season, Velež signed many attackers like attacking midfielder Edo Vehabović, right winger
Obren Cvijanović and striker
Nusmir Fajić. The push to more attacking football worked as Velež went the whole first part of the season (15 games) unbeaten and Fajić himself scored 18 goals. Things turned sour after a controversial away game versus Goražde, where multiple refereeing errors lead to Goražde scoring the only goal of the game and Velež losing the unbeaten run record. Multiple former players including
Velibor Pudar,
Vahid Halilhodžić and
Džemal Hadžiabdić expressed support for overturning the result but the FA adopted the original scoreline and 8.0 rating for the referees (7 or lower would mean suspension). Velež overcame this and won the First League 7 points ahead of their nearest rivals
Olimpik, who were at one point only 1 point behind Velež. Velež also finished with a record 76 points and Nusmir Fajić scored a record 28 goals in one season. Another record broken that season was the final game played between Velež and
Igman Konjic, a match that had an attendance of 7,000, one of the highest in the new stadium.
Velež's return to the top flight was not as glamorous as anticipated as they lost their first three games to
Mladost Doboj Kakanj, Zrinjski and
Čelik Zenica. Rahimić resigned and
Feđa Dudić was chosen as the next manager. His first game featured the debut of Macedonian centre-back
Kosta Manev, who was cited as one of Velež's best players that season. Dudić's first game as manager was a 0–0 draw against
Sloboda Tuzla and Velež picked up its first point in the season. Velež picked up several wins against teams like
Široki Brijeg
Široki Brijeg () is a city and the regional capital of West Herzegovina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. the town itself had a population of 6,149 and the municipality of 28,929.
Name
...
,
Željezničar,
Borac Banja Luka and Zrinjski in the rematch later that season. The season would ultimately be abandoned after 22 of the planned 33 games had been played due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
However, the
following season saw Velež's fortune turn with a return to European competition, finishing 3rd in the league and qualifying for the first iteration of the
UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual association football, football competition organised since 2021 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European foot ...
. In the
Conference League qualifying rounds, Velež eliminated semi-professional Northern Irish club
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...
and Greek giants
AEK Athens
A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens.
Establishe ...
, before themselves getting eliminated by Swedish side
IF Elfsborg
Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional association football, football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Alls ...
in the
third qualifying round. In the
2021–22 season, Velež won the first
Bosnian Cup title in their history, after a
penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
, following a 0–0 draw against
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
.
Following Feđa Dudić leaving Velež at the end of the 2021–22 season, the club appointed
Amar Osim, one of the most successful Bosnian football managers, as its new manager on 11 June 2022.
Rivalry
FK Velež's main rival is
HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, the other team from
Mostar
Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
. The match between the two Mostar teams is called the
Mostar derby. The first match between
Velež Mostar and ''Zrinjski'' was played during the 1920s, but when Zrinjski was banned (from 1945 to 1992) for playing in the fascist league during World War II, the rivalry stopped. During Velež's glory days in the
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
, they were the only major club from
Mostar
Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
and were supported by all people from the city of Mostar. After the
war
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
Zrinjski was reformed, and they became a symbol of the Croatian side of Mostar (west side) and Velež become a symbol of the Bosniak side (east side). On 1 March 2000, Zrinjski and Velež played a friendly game, for the first time after Zrinjski was reformed. The game was played in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
and the result was a 2–2 draw. The first official league game was played on 18 August 2000 at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium. Zrinjski won 2–0.
The rivalry is both local and ethnic. FK Velež and their fans, called
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
are predominantly Bosniaks, while Zrinjski and their fans called
Ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are known for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tendency ...
are Croats. Making the rivalry bigger is the fact that
Zrinjski stadium was Velež's stadium during their glory days in Yugoslavia, but because of the war, Velež was forced to move from their stadium, which was located in the western part of Mostar, and build a new stadium on the other side of the city.
Supporters
Velež supporters are famous for their loyalty and passion, and they follow their club wherever it plays. There are few groups of Velež supporters. The most famous are
Red Army Mostar and Mostarski Rođeni.
Honours
Domestic
League
*
:
**Winners (2):
2005–06,
2018–19
**Runners-up (2):
2003–04,
2004–05
*
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
:
**Runners-up (3):
1972–73,
1973–74,
1986–87
**Third place (4): 1965–66 Yugoslav First League, 1965–66,
1969–70, 1986–87 Yugoslav First League, 1985–86, 1987–88 Yugoslav First League, 1987–88
*Yugoslav Second League:
**Winners (2): 1952 Yugoslav Second League, 1952, 1954–55
Cups
*Yugoslav Cup:
**Winners (2): 1980–81 Yugoslav Cup, 1980–81, 1985–86 Yugoslav Cup, 1985–86
**Runners-up (2):
1957–58, 1988–89 Yugoslav Cup, 1988–89
*Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup, Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup:
**Winners (1): 2021–22 Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup, 2021–22
**Runners-up (1): 2022–23 Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup, 2022–23
European
*Mitropa Cup:
**Runners-up (1): 1975–76
*Balkans Cup:
**Winners (1): 1980–81 Balkans Cup, 1980–81
*
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
:
**Quarter-finals (1): 1974–75 UEFA Cup, 1974–75
Recent seasons
European record
Since the late 1970s up until the
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / 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. Following several earlier violent incid ...
of 1992–1995, Velež has been consistently ranked on the UEFA Team Rankings. While the club has often reached ranks of top 100–200 teams, on some occasions the UEFA has ranked Velež among the top 100 teams. In 1989 Velež was ranked at the 43rd place on the UEFA Team Ranking List which also marks the highest UEFA ranking achieved by any football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
*In 1988, Velež was ranked ''88th'' on the UEFA's Team Ranking List, ahead of clubs like Everton (ranked 100), Olympique Marseille (ranked 115), Espanyol (ranked 121), Napoli (ranked 125), Young Boys (ranked 126), Dinamo Zagreb and Borussia Dortmund (ranked 158), Aston Villa (ranked 200) and many others, as cited in the UEFA Team Ranking database for 1988.
*In 1989, Velež was ranked ''43rd'' on the UEFA's Team Ranking List, ahead of clubs like Hamburger SV (ranked 45), AC Milan (ranked 51), CSKA Sofia (ranked 57), Napoli (ranked 62), Dinamo Moscow (ranked 67), AS Roma (ranked 74), Real Sociedad (ranked 80), AEK Athens (ranked 105), FC Nantes (ranked 121), Manchester United (ranked 126), Tottenham Hotspur (ranked 141), Paris Saint-Germain (143), Dinamo Zagreb (195) and many others, as cited in the UEFA Team Ranking database for 1989.
**''The above record is the highest UEFA ranking achieved by any football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina.''
*In 1990, Velež was ranked ''51st'' on the UEFA's Team Ranking List, ahead of clubs like VfB Stuttgart (ranked 55), Hamburger SV (ranked 56), AS Monaco (ranked 60), AEK Athens (ranked 73), Real Sociedad (ranked 79), Levski Sofia (ranked 92), Borussia Dortmund (ranked 94), Lech Poznan (ranked 100), Paris Saint Germain (ranked 139), Dinamo Zagreb (192) and many others, as cited in the UEFA Team Ranking database for 1990.
*In 1991, Velež was ranked ''53rd'' on the UEFA's Team Ranking List, ahead of clubs like AS Roma (ranked 55), AS Monaco (ranked 57), Fiorentina (ranked 80), Valencia (ranked 86), Manchester United (ranked 92), Young Boys (ranked 103), Dinamo Zagreb (105), Espanyol (ranked 111), Sevilla (ranked 147), Sturm Graz (ranked 206) and many others, as cited in the UEFA Team Ranking database for 1991.
*In 1992, when the war started and when Mostar was being bombed and under siege, Velež was even then still ranked ''81st'' club on the UEFA's Team Ranking List, still ahead of clubs like Dinamo Moscow (ranked 85), Torino (ranked 99), Espanyol (ranked 107), Aston Villa (ranked 111), Sevilla (ranked 147) and many others, as cited in the UEFA Team Ranking database for 1992.
Summary
(This summary does not include matches played in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which was not endorsed by UEFA and is not counted in UEFA's official European statistics.)
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against
By season
(Velež score always listed first. Source:)
European campaigns – Finals achievements
Player records
*Most appearances in UEFA club competitions: 14 appearances:
**
Vukašin Petranović
Vukašin Petranović (born 6 December 1962) is a Montenegrin professional football goalkeeping coach and former player.
Petranović was a product of the Dinamo Zagreb youth system but failed to achieve playing for the first team. During his ca ...
**Mili Hadžiabdić
**Vladimir Gudelj
*Top scorer in UEFA club competitions: 10 goals –
Semir Tuce
Semir Tuce (born 11 February 1964) is a Bosnian retired footballer, who played as left winger.
He was part of the Velež Mostar ''second golden era'', which won the 1985–86 Yugoslav Cup.
Club career Velež Mostar
Tuce was born in Mostar an ...
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Club officials
Technical staff
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
Club management
Managerial history
* Bernard Hügl (1953–55)
* Ratomir Čabrić (1955–59)
* Gustav Lechner (1959–60)
* Ratomir Čabrić (1960–61)
* Haldun Hrvić (1961–64)
* Dragoslav Filipović (1964–65)
* Domagoj Kapetanović (1965–66)
* Mirko Kokotović (1966–67)
* Haldun Hrvić (1967–68)
* Sulejman Rebac (1968–76)
*
Muhamed Mujić (1976–77)
*
Vukašin Višnjevac
Vukašin Višnjevac (; 10 June 1937 – 26 September 2019) was a Yugoslav football manager and player.
Playing career
Višnjevac spent three seasons with Sarajevo from 1954 to 1957, making 18 appearances and scoring three goals in the Yugoslav F ...
(1977–80)
*
Miloš Milutinović (1980–82)
*
Muhamed Mujić (1982–83)
*
Dušan Bajević
Dušan "Duško" Bajević ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Бајевић, ; , ''Doúsan Báyevits''; born 10 December 1948) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football manager ...
(1983–87)
* Žarko Barbarić (1988–89)
* Salem Halilhodžić (1989–90)
*
Enver Marić (1990)
*
Franjo Džidić (1990–92)
* Zejnil Selimotić (1994–96)
* Zijad Tojaga ''(interim)'' (1996)
* Sedin Tanović (1996–98)
*
Avdo Kalajdžić (1998–00)
* Kemal Hafizović (2002–03)
*
Avdo Kalajdžić (2003)
* Husnija Arapović (2003–05)
* Kemal Hafizović (2005)
* Milomir Šešlija (2005–07)
* Anel Karabeg (2007–08)
* Emir Tufek (2008)
* Abdulah Ibraković (2008–10)
* Veselin Đurasović ''(interim)'' (2010)
* Demir Hotić (2010)
* Enes Spahić ''(interim)'' (2010)
* Milomir Odović (2011)
* Mirza Varešanović (2011–12)
* Adnan Dizdarević ''(interim)'' (2012)
* Asmir Džafić (2012)
*
Ibrahim Rahimić (2012–13)
* Nedim Jusufbegović (2013–15)
* Dželaludin Muharemović (2015)
* Adis Obad ''(interim)'' (2015)
* Dženan Zaimović ''(interim)'' (2015)
* Dragi Kanatlarovski (2015)
* Dženan Zaimović ''(interim)'' (2015)
* Zijad Tojaga (2015–16)
*
Avdo Kalajdžić (2016)
*
Ibrahim Rahimić (2016–19)
*
Feđa Dudić (2019–22)
*
Amar Osim (2022)
* Nedim Jusufbegović (2022–2023)
* Dean Klafurić (2023–2024)
* Damir Čanadi (2024)
* İrfan Buz (2024–2025)
* Vladimir Janković (football), Vladimir Janković (2025)
* Goran_Sablić, Goran Sablić (2025–present)
Songs
The official anthem of FK Velež Mostar i
Rođeni, Rođeniby Željko Samardžić. The text was written by Milenko Mišo Marić. The music was composed by Kemal Monteno. The first demo recording was done after the Marshall Tito Yugoslav Cup final in 1981 against
Željezničar. For the first time, the official club anthem was played before the final of the Marshall Tito Yugoslav Cup in 1986 against GNK Dinamo Zagreb. It was also played live at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium by Željko Samardžić in 1987 before the Uefa cup game against
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
. The official anthem of the club's ultras group
Red Army Mostar i
Ili grmi il' se zemlja treseby MO Selection Band. Later, a band called Red Army Band recorded seven songs that quickly became popular among Velež fans. Other artists did the same too, so today there are a lot of recorded songs about the red club from
Mostar
Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
.
February Tournament
In 1965, to commemorate 20 years of the Mostar operation, liberation of Mostar by Yugoslav partisans, a football tournament was organized by Velež and the city's government at the Bijeli Brijeg stadium. It was held every year from 1965 and 1992, ending due to the outbreak of the
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / 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. Following several earlier violent incid ...
and Velež no longer being able to play on the
Bijeli Brijeg stadium. The tournament was revived in 2023 with U-19 youth teams, but the organizers said they hope to return to senior teams as soon as possible.
The tournament featured many notable club and national teams, the latter of which included Poland national football team, Poland and the Soviet Union national football team, Soviet Union. Velež has won 16 editions of the February Tournament, 15 of which with their senior team. That is more than all other winning teams combined. In addition to this, Velež's own
Dušan Bajević
Dušan "Duško" Bajević ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Бајевић, ; , ''Doúsan Báyevits''; born 10 December 1948) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football manager ...
holds the record for most appearances, as well as most goals in the tournament.
References
External links
*
FK Velež Mostarat UEFA.com
FK Velež Mostarat Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, N/FSBiH
KN Red Army Mostar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velez Mostar
FK Velež Mostar,
Association football clubs established in 1922
Football clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Football clubs in Yugoslavia
Sport in Mostar
1922 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina