Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda (
Serbian Cyrillic:
Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда Београд -
Serbian pronunciation: [tsrʋena zʋeːzda beǒɡrad]), commonly known as
Red Star Belgrade or simply
Red Star, is a professional
football club based in
Belgrade, the major part of the
Red Star Sports Society and the most successful club in
Serbia,
with a record of 25 national championships and 24 national cups in both
Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions. Red Star was also the most
successful club in former
Yugoslavia and finished as first in the
Yugoslav First League all-time table.
[1] They are the only Serbian (and ex-
Yugoslav) club to have ever won the
European Cup, having done so in
1991, and the only team from the
Balkans and
Eastern Europe to have ever won the
Intercontinental Cup, which it won also in
1991. In the following season, Red Star reached the semi-finals of the
UEFA Champions League. Before they reached
1957,
1971, the semi-finals, as well as
1958,
1974,
1981,
1982,
1987 the quarterfinals of the
European Cup. In
1979, they reached the
UEFA Cup final, but lost to
Borussia Mönchengladbach. Also, they reached in
1975 the semifinals of the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
Red Star is the most successful club from the Balkans and Eastern
Europe, being the only club which was both European and World club
champion. Many analysts believe that if it wasn't for the Yugoslav War,
Red Star could have gone on to become one of the greatest football clubs
ever.
[citation needed]
According to 2008 polls, Red Star Belgrade is the most popular
football club in Serbia, with nearly 48.2% of the population supporting
them.
[2] The club is also very popular in
Montenegro and
Republika Srpska. They also have many supporters in all other former
Yugoslavian republics and in the Yugoslav diaspora. Their main rivals are fellow Belgrade side
Partizan. The championship matches between these two clubs are known as
The Eternal derby. In September 2009, British
Daily Mail ranked the
Red Star – Partizan derby fourth among the 10 greatest
football rivalries of all time.
[3]
According to the
International Federation of Football History & Statistics'
list of the Top 200 European clubs of the 20th century, Red Star
Belgrade is the highest-ranked Serbian and ex-Yugoslavian club, sharing
the 27th position on the list with
Feyenoord.
[4] In 2011, American web site
Bleacher Report ranked Red Star among the Top 50 most influential teams in the world
Stadium
Red Star's home ground is the Red Star Stadium. With a maximum
capacity of about 60 000, of which 55,538 seats, it is the largest
stadium in
Serbia and in the former
Yugoslavia.
The stadium was opened in 1963, and in the course of time and due to
the fact that stadium's former capacity was about 110,000, it got the
unofficial moniker
"Marakana", after the large and famous
Maracanã stadium in Brazil, and Belgrad's sold-out
"Marakana" garnered the reputation of being a very tough ground for visiting teams to play in. During the mid-90s, in order to meet
UEFA
demands for spectators comfort and security, standing places at the
stadium were completely done away with and seats were installed on all
four stands. In the years, since the stadium's capacity was gradually
decreased, followed different stadium modernisations. In 2008, the club
reconstructed the stadium's pitch
Under-soil grass heaters,
improved drainage system were installed and new modern turf replaced
the old surface. The training pitch, located next to the stadium, was
also renovated by laying down synthetic turf and installing new lighting
equipment. In 2011, the stadium received also a new modern LED
scoreboard. Today, the stadium has a central lodge, named
5 Zvezdinih Zvezda (English: 5 Star's of Red Star), which consist of five segments, each bears the name of one of Red Star's legendary players (
Mitić,
Šekularac,
Džajić,
Petrović,
Stojković), two other
VIP
lounges and a special VIP gallery with over 450 seats. It has also
modern press box with a capacity of 344 seats including seven
extra-comfortable seats, an extra media center, the Red Cafe and a
restaurant. On the west stand of the stadium exist also an official Red
Star shop along with a
Delije shop. The playing field measures are 110 x 73 m, and is illuminated at 1,400
lux floodlights. According to the known German
Web portal "Stadionwelt", belongs Belgrade’s
"Marakana" to the Top 50 football stadiums in Europa, that must be seen.
[15] In 2012, American
Bleacher Report ranked the Red Star Stadium, especially if it’s sold out, on the 1st place among the most intimidating stadiums in the world.
[16]
New stadium
In 2012, Red Stars executive board signed a memorandum for the reconstruction of the
Red Star Stadium.
[17] The current stadium is expected to be redesigned by Chinese
company NCEC (Natong Construction Engineering Constructing Co.) in corporation with
Portuguese Holding company Sonae Sierra. The 34.8 hectares of land, named
"Zvezdani Grad"
(English: Star City or Starry City), will include the stadium with
approximately 50,000 seats, fitness centre, ambulance, shopping and
Spa
centre, office towers, a five-star hotel, modern apartment blocks and
underground parking. The area between the stadium and the shopping
centre, which will allow a visit in the summer, and winter conditions,
will be used for markets, cafes, restaurants, and provide space for
temporary exhibitions and performances. Ticket office and club shop will
also be placed in the this covered area. On the roof of the shopping
centre will be a public garden with entrance from the shopping centre,
where visitors can enjoy panoramic views of
Belgrade.
The stadium will be covered with solar panels that will supplement the
energy needs of the stadium, another areas will be used for collecting
rainwater for irrigation of football fields and green areas of the
complex. The new stadium will be recognized for the symbol of the club -
the
Red Star, then the main structure of the stadium will be in
the form of five-pointed star. The cost of the project is estimated to
be between €450-600 million. Should be really €600 million, then it will
be the third, after the new
Wembley Stadium and the
Olympic Stadium in Montreal, most expensive stadium in the world.
[18][19]
Supporters
The organized supporters of Red Star are known as
Delije, the plural of the singular form
Delija,
which in Serbian generally signifies a courageous, brave, strong or
even handsome young man. A rough English translation might be simply
"Hardman".
The name Delije first began to be used by hardcore Red Star supporters
during late 1980s, with official inauguration taking place in 1989. Up
to that point, the Red Star fans were scattered amongst several
organized fan groups that shared in the north stand of
Red Star's stadium. The Delije belongs today to one of the most famous supporter groups in the world, who support all clubs in the
Red Star Sports Society.
Their style of supporting includes the use of large and small flags,
displaying of banners and especially the creation of colorful and large
choreographys, noisy and constant cheering and other supporters stuff.
The acoustic support is often coordinated by a so-called "Vodja"
(Serbian: leader) by a megaphone and accompanied by drums. Delije
members exist also outside of
Belgrade, as well exist various fan groups in cities across
Serbia,
Montenegro and
Republika Srpska. They also have members in all other former
Yugoslavian
republics and in the Yugoslavian diaspora. As a sign of appreciation,
Red Star painted in the late 1990s, the word Delije in block letters
across their stadium's north stand.
Notable fans
Affiliated clubs
Spartak Moscow
Olympiacos
The Eternal derby
Main article:
Večiti derbi
Graffiti of the
Delije at Red Star Stadium.
Red Star’s fiercest and long standing city rival is
Partizan, the other large and popular sport society in
Serbia. The clubs are also the most popular ones in
Montenegro and
Republika Srpska.
They also have many supporters in all other former Yugoslavian
republics and also in the Yugoslavian diaspora. The rival started
immediately after the creation of the two clubs in 1945. Red Star was
founded with close ties to the
Interior ministry and Partizan as the football section of the
Yugoslav People's Army.
Since then, both clubs have been dominant in domestic football. The
match is particularly noted for the passion of the Red Star’s
supporters, called Delije, and Partizan’s supporters, the Grobari
(English: Gravediggers or Undertakers). The stands of both teams feature
fireworks, coloured confetti, flags, rolls of paper, torches, smoke,
drums, giant posters and choreographies, used to create visual grandeur
and apply psychological pressure on the visiting teams, hence the slogan
"Welcome to Hellgrade". Some fans use sometimes also trumpets,
similar to the supporters in South America. This creates for the region a
typical and distinctive
Balkan Brass Band
atmosphere. Both sets of supporters sing passionate songs against their
rivals, and the stadiums are known to bounce with the simultaneous
jumping of the fans. There are many derbies in world football but very
few compare to this, it is more than just game and has a deeper meaning.
[24] The duel is regarded as one of the
greatest football rivalries in the world and the matches between these rivals have been labeled as the
Eternal derby.
Given its widespread touch on the entirety of a major city, it's dubbed
one of, along with the Old Firm, the Rome derby and the Istanbul derby,
the most heated rivalries in European football.
[25] In 2009, British
Daily Mail ranked the Eternal derby 4th among the 10 greatest
football rivalries of all time.
[3] The biggest attendance for a Red Star - Partizan match was about 108,000 spectators at the
Red Star Stadium.
Međunarodni
društveno-odgovorni projekat „Fudbal za prijateljstvo“, čiji je
pokrovitelj kompanija Gazprom, predstavljen je na Marakani. U njemu će,
osim fudbalera iz podmlatka Crvene zvezde učestvovati i talenti Čelsija,
Šalkea i Zenita, koje takođe sponzoriše ruski energetski gigant.
Direktor Omladinske skole Crvene zvezda Dušan Vasiljević zahvalio je Gaspromu na kvalitetnoj ideji da pokrene ovakav projekat.
