FK Smederevo 1924

FK Smederevo
Full nameFudbalski klub Smederevo 1924
NicknameOklopnici (The Armors)
Founded6 May 1924 (1924-05-06)
GroundSmederevo Stadium
Capacity17,200
PresidentČaslav Ilić
Head CoachNikola Mitić
LeagueSerbian First League
2024–25Serbian First League, 12th of 16
Websitefksmederevo1924.rs

Fudbalski klub Smederevo 1924 (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Смедерево 1924), commonly known as FK Smederevo, is a Serbian professional football club based in Smederevo. They compete in the Serbian First League, the second tier of the national league system.

At the beginning of the 2000s, the club (then known as Sartid Smederevo) became one of the most successful clubs in the country and took part in European competitions in five consecutive seasons, with some memorable matches against the likes of TSV 1860 Munich and Ipswich Town. The club achieved its greatest success by defeating Red Star Belgrade 1–0 in the 2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup final.

History

Acting on suggestion from chief engineer Ernest Radlinski, the club was first founded on 6 May 1924 by SARTID (Srpsko akcionarsko rudarsko topioničarsko industrijsko društvo) as FK Sartid. At the beginning, FK Sartid's roster was mostly filled with professional players from Hungary, Austria and Germany and the club failed to make much noise in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia's football scene. Then in 1944, it was essentially disbanded by Yugoslavia's new communist authorities following the end of World War II, along with the entire Sartid factory whose property was nationalized.

Though it is not certain if what followed can be viewed in continuity with FK Sartid, many fans consider it to be a part of club's history, so depending on one's opinion, either a new club appeared or the name was simply changed to FK Metalac in 1944.

The following period was marked by numerous name changes. Two years later in 1946 the name was switched to FK Jedinstvo, and it lasted only three years until 1949 when it was changed to FK Smederevo.

In 1958, FK Smederevo merged with FK Metalac to form OFK Budućnost, the name that stuck around until 1962 when it was switched back to FK Smederevo. That setup lasted until 1967, when the club became FK Metalurg.

In 1976, the name was switched to FK Smederevo for the third time, lasting until the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992.

All throughout this 48-year period, the club toiled in lower leagues (Serbian regional league, etc.).

FK Sartid was reborn in 1992 when Sartid metallurgical concern took over the club's ownership and sponsorship, and promptly switched to its original name. The renaissance commenced immediately as the club went from Smederevo Zone League to Yugoslav First League in six seasons. The 1998–99 campaign will go down in history as the club's first in top flight. The club's success in this period was tied to their main board president Dušan Matković. In addition to his position at FK Sartid, Matković was also a high-ranking official of Slobodan Milošević's party SPS as well as Minister of Industry in the government of Mirko Marjanović. The allegations that the club was involved in various illegal and irregular activities, and also protected from persecution because of their powerful benefactor, during this period are numerous.

After losing the national cup final to Crvena Zvezda in 2002, the club won the competition against the same opponent in 2003.[1] In the summer of 2004, the club changed its name back to FK Smederevo.[2][3]

The most noted player is former team captain Goran Bogdanović. He retired after the 2003–04 season.[4]

In summer 2014, FK Smederevo merged with FK Seljak from Mihajlovac to form FK Semendrija 1924. In January 2015, the club changed its name to FK Smederevo. They finished 7th in the 2014–15 Serbian League West.[5]

In the 2018–19 season FK Smederevo finished first in the Serbian League West and were promoted to the Serbian First League.

In the 2022–23 season FK Smederevo won the Serbian League West and were promoted to the Serbian First League again.

Names of the club through history

Year Club
1924–1944 FK Sartid Smederevo
1944–1946 FK Metalac Smederevo
1946–1949 FD Jedinstvo Smederevo
1949–1952 ŽSD Smederevo
1952–1958 FK Smederevo
1958–1962 OFK Budućnost Smederevo – fusion FK Smederevo and FK Metalac
1962–1967 FK Smederevo
1967–1976 FK Metalurg Smederevo
1976–1992 FK Smederevo
1992–2004 FK Sartid Smederevo
2004–2014 FK Smederevo
2014–2015 FK Semendrija 1924 Smederevo – fusion FK Smederevo and FK Seljak Mihajlovac
2015– FK Smederevo ‘24

European seasons

2001–02

The trio of Nenad Mirosavljević (15 league goals), Vladimir Mudrinić (earned a mid-season move to Zenit Saint Petersburg) and Goran Bogdanović led the way on pitch during 2001–02 campaign that, among other things, will be remembered for the absence of now customary mid-season Sartid coaching changes. Head coach Jovica Škoro confidently guided his team to a 3rd place league finish and a Yugoslav Cup final where they were unlucky to lose to the more experienced Red Star side.

On the European front, Sartid competed in UEFA Intertoto Cup where they recorded a memorable first round win versus Dundee (0–0 away, 5–2 at home before 16,000 fans). Unfortunately, the journey ended in second round versus an experienced TSV 1860 München side featuring veterans Thomas Häßler and Vidar Riseth (1–3 away, 2–3 at home).

2002–03

Main article: 2002–03 FK Sartid Smederevo season

The year that started off in high style almost turned sour towards the end with a string of poor results that sent the team spiraling down the table. Management reacted quickly, sacking coach Škoro in April,[6] and bringing in Milenko Kiković for his second stint with the club.[7] The move paid immediate dividends and relegation was avoided comfortably. And if that wasn't enough cause for celebration, Sartid managed to beat Crvena Zvezda 1–0 in Serbia and Montenegro Cup final at Partizan Stadium, achieving the club's greatest success in history.[8]

Similarly to Sartid's domestic campaign, the year in Europe started off glowingly. They quickly disposed of Welsh side Bangor City to reach the UEFA Cup first round where Ipswich Town was waiting. The hopes were further raised following a favourable away result 1–1, meaning they just needed to keep a clean sheet at home to progress.[9] However, the combination of Marcus Bent converting an early 9th-minute penalty and Sartid failing to score for the remainder of the match spelled painful elimination.[10]

2003–04

Main article: 2003–04 FK Sartid Smederevo season

The 2003–04 campaign was another fairly stable season in top league result wise. Though as usual not on the coaching front. New head coach Ratko Dostanić, brought in before the season, started off tremendously. In UEFA Cup, he led the squad to a memorable win in a tie against Sarajevo. With Dostanić firmly in charge, Sartid's form continued in the domestic league, too. At the midway point of the season Sartid was sitting in third place, just behind Belgrade powerhouses Crvena Zvezda and Partizan. During the winter break, Dostanić wanted the team captain Goran Bogdanović promoted to the role of technical director, but new club president Thomas Kelly would have none of it so Dostanić decided to leave.[11][12] In January 2004, Zvonko Varga was appointed as a new coach,[13] but he left the club after only few matches. Afterwards, old face Milenko Kiković was brought back to coach and he managed to complete a successful season for the club.

2004–05

The following 2004–05 season was not nearly as happy. It started off alright with demolition of lowly Andorran side Sant Julià in Intertoto Cup first round, but the painful next round exit at the hands of Dinamo Minsk turned out to be ominous. All throughout the domestic campaign Smederevo battled relegation threat. During the winter break coach Kiković resigned leaving the team in 10th place with 17 points. New head coach Tomislav Sivić managed to narrowly keep the club in top flight.

2005–06

The 2005–06 season has been another difficult one for the club. The embarrassing Intertoto Cup first round exit to Prilep's Pobeda was a sign of things to come. After managing only 13 points from 11 league matches, head coach Tomislav Sivić resigned on 1 November 2005 in the wake of the team's third straight league loss. Following a period under a caretaker, club appointed Spaniard Jaume Bauzà on 28 November 2005. Though the team's overall play somewhat improved, it was enough to avoid relegation at the end of the season.

Season-by-season record

Key

Champions † Runners-up ‡ Promoted ↑ Relegated ↓

Seasons

Domestic and international results of Smederevo
Season League Cup Europe
Division Pos P W D L F A Pts
1996–97 Div 2 ↑ 1st † 34 26 4 4 77 20 82 — —
1997–98 Div 1B ↑ 2nd ‡ 33 19 6 8 46 23 63 QF —
1998–99 Div 1 9th 24 7 9 8 24 27 30 QF —
1999–00 Div 1 16th 40 14 8 18 42 47 50 R2 —
2000–01 Div 1 4th 34 17 3 14 49 47 54 R2 —
2001–02 Div 1 3rd 34 17 7 10 46 36 58 F UEFA Intertoto Cup – R2
2002–03 Div 1 11th 34 10 15 9 44 44 45 W UEFA Cup – R1
2003–04 Div 1 5h 30 14 7 9 43 36 49 R2 UEFA Cup – R1
2004–05 Div 1 10th 30 9 10 11 28 36 37 QF UEFA Intertoto Cup – R2
2005–06 Div 1 11th 30 11 6 13 30 37 39 QF UEFA Intertoto Cup – R1
2006–07 Div 1 8th 30 12 7 13 33 40 43 R1 —
2007–08 Div 1 ↓ 10th 33 10 6 17 33 44 36 R2 —
2008–09 Div 2 ↑ 2nd ‡ 34 19 9 6 47 24 66 QF —
2009–10 Div 1 10th 30 8 10 12 23 30 34 QF —
2010–11 Div 1 10th 30 8 11 11 24 31 35 R2 —
2011–12 Div 1 13th 30 9 2 19 22 42 29 QF —
2012–13 Div 1 ↓ 16th 30 3 6 21 18 53 15 R2 —
2013–14 Div 2 ↓ 16th 30 8 7 15 26 38 31 R1 —
2014–15 Div 3 7th 30 12 8 10 39 35 44 PR —
2015–16 Div 3 3rd 30 16 4 10 46 33 52 — —
2016–17 Div 3 7th 30 11 6 13 33 27 39 — —
2017–18 Div 3 3rd 34 19 7 8 60 31 64 — —
2018–19 Div 3 ↑ 1st † 30 19 8 3 46 18 64[a] — —
2019–20 Div 2 ↓ 16th 30 9 5 16 27 47 22[b] — —
2020–21 Div 3 6th 34 15 8 11 53 40 53 R1 —
2021–22 Div 3 6th 30 13 9 8 51 34 48 — —
2022–23 Div 3 ↑ 1st † 30 24 5 1 62 17 77 — —
2023–24 Div 2 5th 37 14 14 9 40 31 56 R2 —
2024–25 Div 2 12th 37 10 11 16 31 47 41 R1 —
2025–26 Div 2 37 PR —

UEFA competitions

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
2001–02 Intertoto Cup R1 Dundee 5–2 0–0 5–2
R2 1860 München 2–3 1–3 3–6
2002–03 UEFA Cup QR Bangor City 2–0 0–1 2–1
R1 Ipswich Town 0–1 1–1 1–2
2003–04 UEFA Cup QR Sarajevo 3–0 1–1 4–1
R1 Slavia Praha 1–2 1–2 2–4
2004–05 Intertoto Cup R1 Sant Julià 3–0 8–0 11–0
R2 Dinamo Minsk 1–3 2–1 3–4
2005–06 Intertoto Cup R1 Pobeda 0–1 1–2 1–3

Stadium

Main article: Smederevo Stadium

The home ground of FK Smederevo 1924 is Smederevo Stadium, commonly named "The Fortress" (for nearby Smederevo Fortress)[14] – is one of the stadiums in Serbia with the largest seating capacity, holding up to 17,200 spectators. It was opened in 1930, but it was greatly expanded into a modern-day stadium during the 1990-s.

Supporters

The supporters of FK Smederevo are known as Despoti (The Despots).[15] The name is based on a famous ruler of medieval Serbia Đurađ Branković and his title of Despot.

Current squad

As of 24 September 2025[16][17]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  SRB Strahinja Jović
2 MF  FRA Vladimir Karajčić (on loan from Železničar Pančevo)
3 DF  SRB Luka Čakovan
4 DF  SRB Božidar Blagojević (on loan from Železničar Pančevo)
5 DF  SRB Aleksandar Lukić
6 MF  KOR Se-jin Myeong
7 FW  SRB Toplica Grbović
8 MF  SRB Nikola Stojković (3rd captain)
9 FW  SRB Đorđe Glavinić (dual registration with Železničar Pančevo)
10 MF  SRB Uroš Gajić
11 DF  SRB Aleksa Marković (captain)
12 GK  SRB Aleksandar Stanković (vice-captain)
13 FW  SRB Aleksa Perić
14 MF  SRB Filip Ivelja
15 DF  SRB Bojan Balaž
16 MF  NGA Timileyin Joseph (dual registration with Železničar Pančevo)
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF  SRB Nemanja Vidojević (dual registration with Železničar Pančevo)
18 MF  SRB Lukijan Abadžija
19 FW  NGA Anthony Lokosa
20 DF  SRB Aleksa Adamović
21 FW  MNE Petar Barac (on loan from Železničar Pančevo)
22 MF  MNE Bogdan Rmuš
23 DF  SRB Aleksandar Vidović
24 MF  SRB Uroš Filipović
25 DF  SRB Jovan Mitrović
26 DF  SRB Luka Vidić
27 FW  SRB Aleksa Preradov
28 FW  SRB Luka Petrović
29 FW  SRB Nikola Kodžić
30 FW  SRB Martin Nešić
31 GK  SRB Vukašin Đorđević
32 FW  SRB Luka Jurak

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  SRB Dimitrije Ilić (at Brodarac until the end of the season)

Club officials

Coaching staff

Position Name
Manager Nikola Mitić
Assistant manager Stefan Subotić
Branko Mihajlović
Goalkeeping coach Stefan Radulović
Fitness coach Stefan Radić
Physiotherapist Milanče Raičković
Mihailo Marković
Doctor Fedor Zogović
Economic Vladimir Osmanović
Club president Časlav Ilić
Sporting director Vladimir Simović
General secretary Marjan Milenković

Notable players

Below are the notable players who have represented the club in national and international competitions since the club's foundation in 1924. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 100 league matches for the club, at least 50 league matches for the club and have at least 1 appearance for their national team, or have at least 5 appearances for their national team.

Rank. Player Period Apps Goals Int. Apps Int. Goals
1 Milorad Zečević 2000–2010 240 39 n/a
2 Saša Kocić 1995–2001; 2002–2006 224 18 n/a
3 Dejan Ranković 2000–2001; 2002–2012 180 0 n/a
4 Dejan Živković 2006–2013 166 16 n/a
5 Marko Sočanac 2000–2008 166 2 n/a
6 Dragan Radosavljević 2000–2006; 2007–2008; 2013 157 11 n/a
7 Vladimir Mudrinić 2000–2001; 2003–2004; 2006–2008 148 30 n/a
8 Nenad Mirosavljević 2000–2004; 2007 130 63 n/a
9 Dragan Ćeran 2005–2011 129 18 n/a
10 Ivan Milosavljević 2010–2012; 2015–2019 129 1 n/a
11 Dragan Paunović 2000–2006 114 2 n/a
12 Dragan Žilić 2001–2005 112 0 8 0
13 Goran Bogdanović 2000–2004 105 7 n/a
14 Željko Kovačević 2003–2007; 2009 104 3 n/a
15 Saša Antunović 1998–2002; 2004 102 21 n/a
16 Dejan Kekezović 2002–2006 102 3 n/a
17 Nenad Mladenović 2006–2010 92 21 1 0
18 Boris Vasković 2000–2003 92 4 3 0
19 Saša Zorić 2003–2006 63 7 2 0
20 Dejan Ognjanović 2010–2012 45 2 7[c] 0
21 Marko Pantelić 2003 31 13 43 10
22 Blaže Georgioski 1998–1999 23 1 7 0
23 Mateja Kežman 1998 14 4 49 17
24 Goran Trobok 2017 14 0 10 0
25 Omega Roberts 2012–2013 14 0 8 1
26 Ivan Radovanović 2007 13 0 10 0
27 Vlade Lazarevski 2012 13 0 43 0

For a list of all Smederevo players with a Wikipedia article, please see: Category:FK Smederevo 1924 players.

Historical list of coaches

Honours

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2001–2003 NAAI SARTID
2003–2004 USS
2005–2011 Nike
2012 City of Smederevo
2012–2014 NAAI None

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sartid osvojio Kup Srbije i Crne Gore!" (in Serbian). b92.net. 30 May 2003. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  2. ^ "FK Sartid menja ime u FK Smederevo" (in Serbian). b92.net. 7 July 2004. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Sartid revert to Smederevo". UEFA. 26 July 2004. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Oproštajna utakmica Gorana Bogdanovića" (in Serbian). b92.net. 30 July 2004. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Srpska liga Zapad - Rezultati".
  6. ^ "Škoro quits Sartid". UEFA. 20 April 2003. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  7. ^ "Kikovic glad of second chance". UEFA. 23 April 2003. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  8. ^ "Pantelic strike seals it for Sartid". UEFA. 30 May 2003. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Sartid hold Ipswich". bbc.co.uk. 19 September 2002. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  10. ^ "Ipswich overcome Sartid". guardian.co.uk. 3 October 2002. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  11. ^ "B92: Dostanić napustio Sartid" (in Serbian). b92.net. 23 December 2003. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  12. ^ "Dostanic quits at Sartid". UEFA. 24 December 2003. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  13. ^ "Varga faces Sartid challenge". UEFA. 6 January 2004. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  14. ^ "SRBIJA DOBIJA JOŠ JEDAN FUDBALSKI OBJEKAT ZA PONOS: "Tvrđava" u potpuno novom ruhu? (VIDEO)". Republika.rs | Srpski telegraf (in Serbian). 3 May 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  15. ^ FANATIK: Kup je praznik za Ultrase! at mozzartsport.com, 24 September 2014, Retrieved 19 April 2016 (in Serbian)
  16. ^ "Igrači" (in Serbian). fksmederevo1924.rs. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Tim" (in Serbian). prvaliga.rs. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Zoran Vujičić novi prvi čovek na klupi Smedereva". Podunavlje.info (in Serbian). 18 October 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  19. ^ "PUAČA PREUZEO FK SMEDEREVO 1924". SD Sport (in Serbian). 20 June 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  20. ^ "Nebojša Vučićević novi prvi čovek na klupi Smedereva". Podunavlje.info (in Serbian). 20 August 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  21. ^ "Ognjen Koroman novi trener Smedereva: Sve za opstanak". Zurnal (in Serbian). 29 December 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  22. ^ "Smederevo ima novog trenera, Nebojša Maksimović menja Ognjena Koromana!". Hotsport (in Serbian). 3 June 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  23. ^ "Igor Savić, od juče novi prvi čovek na klupi FK Smederevo 1924". Podunavlje.info (in Serbian). 24 July 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  24. ^ "Dragan Stevanović novi prvi čovek na klupi FK Smederevo 1924". Danas (in Serbian). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  25. ^ "Sava Šašić, na klupu tima iz rodnog grada stigao preko Amerika i Japana". Podunavlje.info (in Serbian). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  26. ^ "Saša Mićović - novi prvi čovek na klupi novog/starog prvoligaša". Podunavlje.info (in Serbian). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  27. ^ "Dragan Radojičić novi trener FK Smederevo 1924". ePodunavlje (in Serbian). 13 June 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  28. ^ "Jovan Golić novi šef stručnog štaba oklopnika". FK Smederevo 1924 (in Serbian). 4 October 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  29. ^ "Novi šef stručnog štaba Smedereva je Branko Mirjačić". FK Smederevo 1924 (in Serbian). 9 April 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  30. ^ "Ozvaničena saradnja: Nikola Mitić novi šef stručnog štaba Smedereva". FK Smederevo 1924 (in Serbian). 17 June 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  1. ^ 1 point deducted by FA
  2. ^ 10 point deducted by FA
  3. ^ 2 international apps for FR Yugoslavia and 5 for Montenegro
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