FK Bežanija

Bežanija
Full nameFK Bežanija
Nickname(s)Lavovi (The Lions)
Founded1921; 104 years ago (1921)
GroundStadion FK Bežanija
Capacity5,000[1]
PresidentJovan Rusić
LeagueBelgrade Zone League
2023–24Belgrade First League – Group A, 1st of 14 (promoted)
Websitefcbezanija.com

FK Bežanija (Serbian Cyrillic: ФК Бежанија) is a football club based in Bežanija, Belgrade, Serbia. They compete in the Belgrade Zone League, the fourth tier of the national league system.

History

Founded in 1921, the club changed its name several times in its early stages, being known as Soko, BSK and finally HŠK (during the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia).[2] They adopted the new name Jedinstvo following the end of World War II in 1946, becoming a member of the Novi Sad Football Association.[2] After competing in the Srem League for six years, the club joined the Belgrade Football Association in 1952.[2] They would change their name to Bežanija ahead of the 1955–56 season.[2]

Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, the club won the Serbian League Belgrade in 2000 and took promotion to the Second League of FR Yugoslavia, reaching the second tier for the first time ever. They competed in Group North for two seasons, finishing bottom of the table in 2002.[3] However, the club instantly won the Serbian League Belgrade to earn promotion back to the second tier in 2003.[3]

In the 2005–06 campaign, the club finished as Serbian First League champions and earned promotion to the newly formed Serbian SuperLiga. They became the biggest surprise of the competition's inaugural 2006–07 season (despite playing their home games at Železnik), placing fourth and securing a spot in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup. However, the club was eliminated in the first qualifying round by Albanian side Besa Kavajë on the away goals rule (2–2 on aggregate),[4] without losing a game.[5]

After suffering relegation in the 2007–08 Serbian SuperLiga, the club went on to spend 11 consecutive seasons in the Serbian First League, finishing in fourth place on three occasions during this time. They were forced to withdraw from the league due to financial difficulties following the conclusion of the 2018–19 season,[6] finding themselves in the Belgrade Intermunicipal League, the sixth tier of Serbian football. In June 2021, the club marked its 100th anniversary.[7]

Honours

Serbian First League (Tier 2)

Serbian League Belgrade (Tier 3)

  • 1999–2000, 2002–03

Belgrade First League (Tier 5)

  • 2023–24 (Group A)

Seasons

Season League Cup Continental
Division Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pos
 Serbia and Montenegro
1998–99 3 – Belgrade 17[a] – – – – – 19 11th — —
1999–2000 3 – Belgrade 34 23 8 3 68 28 77 1st —
2000–01 2 – North 34 13 4 17 45 58 43 10th —
2001–02 2 – North 34 4 6 24 24 76 18 18th —
2002–03 3 – Belgrade 34 22 6 6 65 28 72 1st —
2003–04 2 – North 36 21 5 10 72 49 68 4th —
2004–05 2 – Serbia 38 17 7 14 59 53 58 5th —
2005–06 2 – Serbia 38 25 7 6 70 25 82 1st —
 Serbia
2006–07 1 32 12 12 8 36 31 48 4th Quarter-finals —
2007–08 1 33 5 4 24 31 58 17[b] 12th Round of 16 UEFA Cup – First qualifying round
2008–09 2 34 8 13 13 34 40 37 15th Round of 16 —
2009–10 2 34 14 11 9 34 28 53 4th Round of 32
2010–11 2 34 11 7 16 26 28 40 12th Round of 32
2011–12 2 34 11 19 4 33 15 52 4th Preliminary round
2012–13 2 34 11 11 12 41 32 44 8th Round of 32
2013–14 2 30 11 12 7 34 26 45 4th Round of 32
2014–15 2 30 11 7 12 25 27 40 9th Round of 32
2015–16 2 30 11 10 9 35 27 43 5th Round of 16
2016–17 2 30 12 12 6 36 22 47[c] 5th Round of 32
2017–18 2 30 11 11 8 35 32 44 7th Round of 32
2018–19 2 37 15 5 17 48 50 28 7th[d] Round of 32
  1. ^ The season was cut short due to the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
  2. ^ The club was docked two points.
  3. ^ The club was docked one point.
  4. ^ The club withdrew from the league due to financial problems.

European record

Season Competition Round Opponent Score Aggregate
2007–08 UEFA Cup First qualifying round Albania Besa Kavajë 2–2 (H), 0–0 (A) 2–2

Notable players

This is a list of players who have played at full international level.[8]

For a list of all FK Bežanija players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:FK Bežanija players.

Managerial history

References

  1. ^ "Stadion" (in Serbian). fcbezanija.com. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Klub" (in Serbian). fcbezanija.com. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "SISTEM TAKMIČENJA 2000.-2006" (in Serbian). fsgzrenjanin.com. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Vojvodina lead the way for Serbia". uefa.com. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Who has never lost a UEFA club competition game?". uefa.com. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Kolubara prvoligaš, Bežanija ide u najniži rang" (in Serbian). mozzartsport.com. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Bežanija slavi jubilej za ponos: "Tek prvih 100 godina!"" (in Serbian). vesti-online.com. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  8. ^ "FK Bežanija". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 6 July 2021.