Fudbalski klub Sarajevo () is a Bosnian professional football club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is one of the most successful clubs in the country.
This article presents an overview of the club's history from its founding in 1946 to the present day, summarized in ten epochs.
Club history
Origins and post World War II years (1946–1965)
Less than two years after liberation of Sarajevo from Nazi Germany, FK Sarajevo was established on 24 October 1946 as the result of a merger between local Sarajevo football clubs Udarnik (Vanguard) and Sloboda (Liberty), following an earlier joint meeting between the committees of said clubs and the Sarajevo sports society. The club first appeared on the Yugoslav sports scene in 1946 under the name SD Torpedo that represented an hommage to Torpedo Moscow. The first Chairman of the newly founded club was Safet Džinović, while the positions of vice-chairmen were granted to Vojo Marković and Alojz Stanarević respectively. Furthermore, Josip Bulat was named manager. The newly formed team, which inherited the results and league standings of Udarnik, which was previously ranked 7th in the Republic League standings, was joined by selected players from both Udarnik and Sloboda. Namely, Hodžić, Vlajičić, Šarenkapa, Pauković, Fizović, Konjević, Radović, Viđen and Mustagrudić from the former, and Mantula, Glavočević, Tošić, Pecelj, Novo, Strinić, Đ. Lovrić and Alajbegović from the latter. The team played its first match on 3 November 1946 against Bratstvo Travnik, winning the fixture 6–0. Another historical assembly was held on 5 October 1947 when it was decided, on the proposal of then editor of the popular daily newspaper Oslobođenje, Mirko Ostojić, that the club name shall be changed to SDM Sarajevo, before it was finally changed to the current name in 1949. Furthermore, in September 1948 SDM Sarajevo was joined by Yugoslav footballing legend, Miroslav Brozović, who brought in a largely needed level of experience to the new team. The Mostar-native previously wore the black and white jersey of FK Partizan, as well as captaining the Yugoslavia national team. Brozović was offered the position of player-manager which he accepted, turning his attention to promoting the team to the Yugoslav First League. Even though the team concluded the second part of the season without losing a single game, fans hoped for more persuasive results and weren't overly satisfied with the five draws that were mustered. Luckily, even this was enough for a first-place finish and a promotion to the top flight after a playoff series. FK Sarajevo first entered the top-flight Yugoslav First League after eliminating Sloga Novi Sad. They drew the first match 3:3 in Novi Sad but then won the second match 5:1 in Sarajevo. The team was relegated after its first season in the First League but was promoted back to the top tier in 1950. From then on FK Sarajevo played in every season of the First League apart from 1957 to 1958. In February 1950 FK Sarajevo went on a Belgian tour, with the goal of promoting Yugoslav football in the country. This was the club's first international expedition and was concluded with a 2–1 victory over the Top 11 of the Belgian First League. Previously, Sarajevo had defeated Olympic Charleroi and drawn Racing Tirimon. The next season the club finished on 6th spot in the league, and traveled on a large tour across Turkey, playing friendly ties against Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe and recording victories against both of the Turkish powerhouses. The 1951–52 season brought a 6th-place finish for the club, but also bad news for its fans. Namely, team star Lev Mantula transferred to Dinamo Zagreb in the summer transfer window, while Miroslav Brozović retired from professional football, continuing to manage the team. The club brought in future record holders Ibrahim Biogradlić and Mladen Stipić for the next season, in which the maroon-whites met their city rivals FK Željezničar for the first time in a league fixture. Brozović's boys went out on top, winning 5–2, and eventually earned a 7th-place finish in the league standings. The 1955–56 season was the debut for legendary striker Asim Ferhatović, who found the back of the net on 11 occasions and finished the club's league top scorer. The next season brought the club's second and last relegation to the second-tier of Yugoslav football after a 13th-place league finish, which subsequently marked the end of Miroslav Brozović's 8-year reign. The club quickly appointed Aleksandar Tomašević manager for the 1957–58, who promoted the side back to the Yugoslav First league.