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{{Short description|Association football club in Bosnia and Herzegovina}}
{{Football club infobox |
{{Redirect|Velež|the mountain|Velež (Bosnia and Herzegovina)}}
clubname = FK Velež Mostar |
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
image = ] |
{{Infobox football club
fullname = Fudbalski Klub Velež Mostar |
| clubname = '''Velež Mostar'''
nickname = Rođeni |
| image = FK Velez Mostar.svg
founded = ], ] |
| image_size = 185px
ground = ] |
| alt = Club crest
capacity = 7.000 |
| fullname = Fudbalski klub Velež Mostar
chairman = ] Ćamil Zuhrić|
<br />(Velež Mostar Football Club)<br />
manager = ] Abdullah Ibraković|
| nickname = ''Rođeni'' (The Born)
league = ] |
| short name = Velež, VEL
season = 2007-08 |
| founded = {{Start date and age|1922|06|26|df=y|p=y|br=y}}
position = ], 9th |
| ground = ]
pattern_la1= |pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=|
| capacity = 7,000
leftarm1 = FF0000|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FF0000|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=FF0000|
| chrtitle = President
pattern_la2= |pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=|
| chairman = Admir Rahimić
leftarm2 = FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FF0000|socks2=FFFFFF|
| manager = ]
| league = ]
| season = ]
| position = Premier League BH, 3rd of 12
| website = {{URL|https://fkvelez.ba/|fkvelez.ba}}
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'''Fudbalski klub Velež Mostar''' ({{lang-sh-Cyrl|Фудбалски клуб Beлеж Мостар}}; ]: Football club Velež Mostar) is a professional ] club based in ], ]. The club has a history of being one of the most successful clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded on 26 June 1922.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=FK Velez Mostar |title=FUDBALSKI KLUB "VELEŽ", MOSTAR |url=http://www.fkvelez.ba/o_klubu.php |access-date=2008-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329091349/http://www.fkvelez.ba/o_klubu.php |archive-date=29 March 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> The club currently plays at ] (7,000 capacity), but its historic stadium is the ] (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 ] and ]. The club also reached the quarter-final stage of the ]. Velež have a bitter rivalry with city neighbours, ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Willis |first1=Craig |title=ECMI Minorities Blog. Ethnic Identity and Football in Mostar – A Clear Divide along the Old Front Line |url=https://www.ecmi.de/infochannel/detail/ecmi-minorities-blog-ethnic-identity-and-football-in-mostar-a-clear-divide-along-the-old-front-line |website=ECMI.de |publisher=ECMI |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>
'''FK Velež''' (''Fudbalski Klub Velež''), successor of ''RŠD Velež'', is a ] club from ], from the city of ], founded on ] ].<ref>{{cite web
|publisher = FK Velez Mostar
|title = FUDBALSKI KLUB "VELEŽ", MOSTAR
|url=http://www.fkvelez.ba/o_klubu.php
|accessdate=2008-04-22
}}</ref>
The club currently plays at ] (7.000), but its historic stadium is the ] (25.000).


The club is named after a nearby mountain Velež, which again is named after one of the old ], ]. The club is named after a nearby mountain ], which in itself is named after one of the old ], ].


FK Velež is a successful football team in ]. During the time of ], Velež was always in the ] and the team often ended the season in the top ten. Velež was the most popular and most successful team from ] to play in the top Yugoslav League. The team was very popular in Herzegovina and had a mixture of fans from all three main ethnic groups. During the time of ], Velež was always in the ] and the team often ended the season in the top ten. Velež was the most popular and most successful team from ] 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 ] and is active in the ]. The team was relegated to the ] from the ] for the 2004/2005 season. However, after two seasons in the second best league, Velež was promoted to the top league in the country in 2006. Today, Velež is in the ] and is active in the ] 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 ] from the ]. However, Velež was promoted to the top league of the country in 2019.


In the summer of 2005, the club's assembly returned the ] to their logo. In the summer of 2005, the club's assembly returned the five-pointed ], also known as the ''petokraka'', to their logo. The red star has been the symbol of the club since its founding in 1922.
A red star has been the symbol of the club since 1922.


==Achievements== ==History==
]
** ''']''':
::Runners-up 1973, 1974, 86.
Yugoslav 3-rd place/bronz medal: 1970, 87, 88.


===Before World War II (1922–1941)===
** ''']: champion 2:'''
On 26 June 1922, in a suburb of ] 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 ], 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 ]. Velež's first derby with another club from Mostar, ] was canceled after Zrinjski's players wanted Velež's players to take off the ]s from their kits and Velež refused to do so. The club was sympathetic to ] and ], which made it a big target from the ], who frequently harassed players and supporters.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://fkvelez.ba/historija/prije-ii-svjetskog-rata/|title=Prije II Svjetskog Rata|date=2016-10-05|website=FK Velež|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-01-01}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1" /> On 1 September 1940 Velež played a friendly versus a team from ] 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 ] many members of Velež joined the ] and 77 footballers from Velež were said to have lost their lives during the war. 9 players were awarded the ] award by the new socialist government, 8 of which posthumously. The only living player given the medal was former captain ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ljubusaci.com/2016/10/29/fk-velez-meha-i-ostali/|title=FK "VELEŽ": MEHA I OSTALI|last=M.|first=Mithad|date=2016-10-29|website=Ljubušaci|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-01-01}}</ref>
:: '''1981''''''', '''1986'''''''.
Runners upp: 1958, 89.


===Velež in SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992)===
** ''']: "2-nd div" 1:'''
====Early days in the top flight (1945–1968)====
:: 2006.
] for constructing the ] between 1947 and 1958]]
*Vice champion: 2004, 2005.
*Yugoslav Second league (West) champion: 1952, 55.
*European mitropa cup runner upp: 1975.
*Balkans cup winner: '''1981'''. (& runners upp 1972.)
*Cup UEFA 1/4: 1975.
*Olympic tournament/Mostar open cup runners up: 1924.
*Yugoslavia U-18 Cup champion 1: 1989.


After the war ended, the new ] banned clubs that participated in football tournaments organized by the ], 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://mostarskirodjeni.ba/nezvanicna-reprezentacija-mostara-sastavljena-od-igraca-jsk-fk-velez-hsk-zrinjski-lijep-je-primjer-nekadasnje-saradnje-gradskih-klubova/|title=Nezvanična reprezentacija Mostara sastavljena od igrača JSK, FK Velež i HŠK Zrinjski lijep je primjer nekadašnje saradnje gradskih klubova|last=Serdarević|first=Zlatko|date=2017-05-05|website=Mostarski Rođeni|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-01-01}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mostarskirodjeni.ba/izgradnja-gradskog-stadiona-pod-bijelim-brijegom/|title=Izgradnja gradskog stadiona pod Bijelim Brijegom|date=2017-04-07|website=Mostarski Rođeni|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-02-28|archive-date=10 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910150438/http://mostarskirodjeni.ba/izgradnja-gradskog-stadiona-pod-bijelim-brijegom/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 ] stadium: a 2–1 victory versus ].
==Velez 67–74,The first golden era==
For the 67-68 season Velez selected a new coach, the former Velez player ]. He was the second ever Mostar-born coach of Velez. (Haldun Hrvic was the first coach between 61-64). The season before Velez had ended in 10th place. It was time for a change. The team was getting old with players like Muhamed Mujic near the end of their playing careers. Rebac decided to promote young players from the Velez youth academy to the senior squad. The first ones to be brought in were Dusan Bajevic and Enver Maric. Despite this, the 67-68 season was even more worse than the previous season with the team ending in 14th place.


In the ] 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 ] where they finished seventh out of 14 teams. For the duration of the entire ] Velež were never relegated again. During the early days of Velež in the top flight, one of the most well respected players was ],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fkvelez.ba/jedan-je-muhamed-mujic/|title=Jedan je Muhamed Mujić !|last=Puzic|first=Fazlija|date=2017-02-20|website=FK Velež|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-03-28}}</ref> who played over 400 games and was joint top scorer for the ] season. Because of this he became Velež's first player to receive a call up to the ] versus ] in 1956. He scored 17 goals in 32 appearances, played in ] for the ] and in ] for the ] but his career with the national team ended abruptly after a bad foul on ] player ], which indirectly caused Dubinski's death 7 years later.<ref name="MujicFoul">. Retrieved May 20, 2014.</ref> The Yugoslav Football Association sent Mujić back home and he never played another international game again.
For the 68-69 season Sule brought in Franjo Vladic, Marko Colic, Jadranko Topic and Vladimir Pecelj from Leotar Trebinje. The results were becoming better with Velez ending in 8th place in the league. The following season 69-70 became the breakthrough season for Velez with the team ending in third place. Dusan Bajevic became the joint-top scorer in the league with OFK's Santrac, scoring 20 goals. He also made his debut for the Yugoslav national team in 1970.


In the ] Yugoslav Cup, Velež became the first Bosnian team to reach the final, after beating ], ] and ] in previous rounds. In front of a crowd of 30,000 at the ], Velež lost 4–0 after a lacklustre performance that served more as ]'s farewell game than a cup final.{{football box|date=29 November 1958|time=|team1=]|score=4–0|team2=Velež|goals1=] {{goal|61||71}}<br />] {{goal|68}}<br />] {{goal|73}}|goals2=|stadium=], ]|attendance=30,000|referee=Emil Erlich (Ljubljana)|report=|event=|round=|score1=|score2=|penaltyscore=|penalties1=|penalties2=|location=|aet=}}
For the season 70-71 Velez was determined to take the league home to Mostar. New players like Marjan Kvesic, Mirko Corluka, Dubravko Ledic, Boro Primorac and Aleksandar Ristic from FK Sarajevo were to help bringing home the league. They started the league good with after 4 matches 2 wins and 2 draws. But the next 10 following matches resulted with mixed results. The season ended with a big disappointment with the team ending at 8th place. The season 71-72 became a bit better than the previous with the team ending at 6th place. The only positive thing that year was that the goalkeeper Enver Maric had become the first goalkeeper for the national team, and the young leftwinger Momcilo Vukoje from Leotar who had impressed together with Ahmed Glavovic. The team was very young at that time. The year average in the team was 23-24 years, so the best years were to come.


====Sulejman Sula Rebac becomes manager (1968–1976)====
The season 72-73 was Velezs best ever with the team ending at 2nd place. With two new players, center Vahid Halilodzic and back Dzemal Hadziabdic the team was completed. Big results were beginning to show. For instance the team trashed Vardar Skopje 4-0 and in the next following game the finished Radnicki Nis off with also a 4-0 win. By this time everybody knew how the team looked. Enver Maric as goalkeeper, in front of him Dzemal Hadziabdic and Aleksandar Ristic, in front off them two Velez had Boro Primorac, Vladimir Pecelj and Marko Colic. The five attacking players were from the right Jadranko Topic, the left Momcilo Vukoje, in the middle Franjo Vladic and Vahid Halilhodzic and as the team leding goalscorer Dusan Bajevic.
], ] and ]]]


In 1968, former player ] 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 ] 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 ]. The first players to come through the academy were goalkeeper ] and striker ]. They and midfielder ] would make up the famous BMV trio (named after the German ]) which was one of the most prolific partnerships in the history of Bosnian football. The ] saw Velež finish third and Bajević joint top scorer alongside ] with 20 goals each. 1970 also saw Bajević's first call-up to the national team, a 1–1 draw versus ] in which he scored on his debut. Bajević would go on to make 37 appearances and score 29 goals, including a hat-trick against ] in a 9–0 demolition during the ]. In the ] Velež placed 2nd in the league, their best position yet and qualified for the ], their first ever European competition. They were knocked out in the first round to ].
In the season 73-74 Velez fought the entire season with ] for the first place. There were many games to remember like for example the 31 October when Velez won 5-0 at home against OFK or 4-2 in March 74 at home against ] (Red Star). For the last match of the season Velez had to play away against ] while Hajduk took on OFK also away. Both teams had 42 points ( I think it was 42 points), but Hajduk had better goal difference. Velez managed to defeat Sarajevo 3-1 but Hajduk won their game and became champions. After the season 73-74 Sulejman Rebac left the team as the coach after 8 seasons. For the ] World Cup 1974 in Germany Enver Maric, Dusan Bajevic and Franjo Vladic (The famous BMV) were selected in the Yugoslav squad and Rebac was one of Yugoslavia's 5 coaches. Other players in Velez also played for the national team like for instance Boro Primorac who played 14 games, Vahid Halilodzic who played 15 and scored 7 goals and Dzemal Hadziabdic with 20 games.


{{football box|date=11 December 1974|time=|team1=Velež|score=4–1|team2=]|goals1=] {{goal|14|pen}}<br />] {{goal|29}}<br />] {{goal|51}}<br />] {{goal|85|pen}}|goals2=] {{goal|56}}|stadium=], ]|attendance=20,000|referee=] (])|report=|event=|round=|score1=|score2=|penaltyscore=|penalties1=|penalties2=|location=|aet=}}
==Notable Velež players==

{|border="0" cellpadding="2"
The 1973–74 season was one of Velež's best. In the ], Velež were in a neck and neck race with ]. 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesj/joeg74.html|title=Yugoslavia 1973/74|website=]|access-date=2019-03-29}}</ref> In ] the following season, Velež won on away goals against ] in the first round and against ] in the second round. In the third round they were faced with ], who would go on to win the ] that season. They lost 3–1 in the first leg at the ]. ] scored Velež's only goal that day. The second leg at the ] stadium featured a remarkable upset. ], another prodigy of Rebac, scored in the 14th minute with a follow-up goal from ] in the 29th minute. Vladić scored in the 51st minute and Velež had a 4–3 lead. ] 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 ] scored. The game ended 5–4 on aggregate and Velež went on to the quarterfinals. There they faced ], 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 ] in 1976, Bajević left to join ] in 1977, with Vladić following him in 1979.
|

* ]
====Rebuilding and first trophies (1976–1992)====
* ]
] (pictured in 2008) is often cited as one of Velež's best players|alt=|left|251x251px]]
* ]

* ]
With the trio that Velež had depended upon now missing, the rest of Velež's squad now had a chance to shine: ], his younger brother ], ], ], ], ] but none were an integral part of post-BMV Velež more than ]. 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 ], ] and ] because of his performances for the national team, but ultimately stayed at Velež.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mostarski.ba/1976-vahid-halilhodzic-igrao-dva-puta-u-drzavnom-timu-i-ostao-u-velezu/|title=1976: Vahid Halilhodžić igrao dva puta u državnom timu i ostao u Veležu|date=2019-01-31|website=Mostarski.ba|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-27}}</ref> The act did not pay off as Velež finished ], miles off pace compared to the clubs trying to buy Halilhodžić. The next 2 seasons saw some improvement, finishing ] and ], respectively. In the ], Velež finished 8th and the manager at the time, ] was sacked and replaced with ], famously known as ''Plava čigra''.
* ]

* ]
In ] Velež finished a lowly 9th place, but their real shining moment came in the ]. Velež had beaten ] in the first round 3–2, and after a ] from ] in the second round, advanced to the quarterfinals where they faced ], a lower league side from ], and beat them 2–0. Velež beat ] 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 ], 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 ] 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiosarajevo.ba/sport/nogomet/povratak-na-mjesto-zlocina-zasto-je-vahid-halilhodzic-legenda-nantesa/314721|title=U nedjelju povratak na "mjesto zločina": Zašto je Vahid Halilhodžić legenda Nantesa|last=M|first=J.|website=Radio Sarajevo|date=6 October 2018 |access-date=2019-04-27}}</ref> In the cup final, the first goal came in the 36th minute after a penalty was given to Željezničar. ] 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. ] scored the winning goal with a header in the 80th minute, and Velež won their first ever major trophy.
* ]

* ]
{{football box
* ]
| date = 24 May 1981
* ]
| time =
* ]
| team1 = Velež
* ]
| score = 3–2
* ]
| team2 = ]
* ]
| goals1 = ] {{goal|55||58}}<br />] {{goal|80}}
* ]
| goals2 = ] {{goal|36|pen|62|pen}}
* ]
| stadium = ], ]
* ]
| attendance = 40,000
* ]
| referee = Milorad Vlajić (Belgrade)
* ]
| report =
* ]
| event =
* ]
| round =
* ]
| score1 =
* ]
| score2 =
* ]
| penaltyscore =
* ]
| penalties1 =
* ]
| penalties2 =
* ]
| location =
|
| aet =
* ]
}}
* ]

* ]
As a result of winning they were admitted into the ], and played their first game in Europe in 6 years. They also took part in the ], which they won 12–7 on aggregate against ], later Botev Plovdiv. In the ] beat ] 7–2 on aggregate in the first round and faced ] in the second, which they lost on penalties. The ] saw Velež finish 7th and Milutinović left for ]. Without him, Velež struggled and finished 13th, even with the efforts of ] (14 goals) and ] (11 goals). Bajević eventually became manager in 1984. In the ] 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 ], defenders ] and ], midfielder ] and forwards ], ] and ].
* ]

* ]
Velež had another good cup run in the ], first beating lower league ] 1–5 away from home. ] from Belgrade were beaten 2–0 but in the quarterfinals faced tough opponents ]. 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 ], which Velež beat 3–0 at home. In the final they were faced with ], one of the big 4 teams in Yugoslavia led by famous coach ]. ] scored a penalty in the sixth minute with an additional goal in the 51st minute. ] of Dinamo quickly scored in the 58th minute, but the final score was settled after ] scored in the 87th minute. The performance of Velež was so good it caught the eye of the new ] coach, ] who was the manager of ] during the 1981 cup final. ] was capped twice following the final and Semir Tuce was capped 7 times and scored 2 goals. Them and ], who was a youth prospect in 1986 would be the last players to play for the Yugoslavia national team while playing for Velež.
* ]

* ]
{{football box|date=14 May 1986|time=|team1=Velež|score=3–1|team2=]|goals1=] {{goal|6|pen|51}}<br />] {{goal|87}}|goals2=] {{goal|58}}|stadium=], ]|attendance=40,000|referee=Dušan Čolić (Belgrade)|report=|event=|round=|score1=|score2=|penaltyscore=|penalties1=|penalties2=|location=|aet=}}Velež had a fantastic performance in ] that season as well, but it was marred by the final matchday. Velež lost 2–3 to ] 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 ] next season (but played in the ] instead) but OFK needed a win to stay up.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://wmd.hr/portal/hrvatska/hrvatska/namjestanje-utakmica-je-stari-zanat/|title=Namještanje utakmica je stari zanat|date=10 June 2010|work=novilist.hr|access-date=12 August 2011|language=hr}}</ref> 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 ] in the first round with a 5–4 aggregate victory but lost versus ] (later Levski Sofia) with the same aggregate. In ] 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 ] of Switzerland in the first round 5–3 on aggregate in the ] first round. Their next opponent would be ] powerhouse ]. ], Dortmund's coach at the time decided to watch Velež play live before the game. The game was a 5–0 victory over ] which is still regarded as a memorable victory by many Velež fans.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://crvenahronika.com/saftigova-briga/|title=Saftigova briga|work=Crvena Hronika|date=25 March 2019 |language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-05-03}}</ref> Velež ended up losing 2–0 away in the first leg however the second leg would be one of Velež's most famous victories. ] and ] both scored goals, ] missed a penalty, but ] 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 ] Stadium.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.klix.ba/sport/nogomet/na-danasnji-dan-prije-27-godina-u-mostaru-je-porazena-borussia-dortmund/141104144|title=Na današnji dan prije 27 godina u Mostaru je poražena Borussia Dortmund|website=Klix.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-05-18}}</ref> For the 1988–89 season Velež played their ever last season in a European competition (namely the UEFA Cup). They beat ] 6–2 on aggregate in the first round and ] 4–3 on penalties after 0–0 on aggregate in the second round. In the third round they were faced with ]. 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 ] 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 ], ], ], and ] (later Rudar Prijedor). In the final Velež were thoroughly beaten by the First League opposition ] 6–1 with goals from ], ], ], ] and ]. Velež's sole goal came from Zijad Repak in the 65th minute.
* ]

* ]
{{football box|date=10 May 1989|time=|team1=]|score=6–1|team2=Velež|goals1=] {{goal|30|pen|34}} <br />] {{goal|52}}<br />] {{goal|55}}<br />] {{goal|58}}<br />] {{goal|79}}|goals2=Repak {{goal|65}}|stadium=], ]|attendance=35,000|referee=Branko Bujić (Bar)|report=|event=|round=|score1=|score2=|penaltyscore=|penalties1=|penalties2=|location=|aet=}}In 1989, Velež's youth team reached the final of the ] for the fourth time (after losing the final in 1969, 1977 and 1987) and won 4–1 versus ] with a team featuring ], ] and ]. This would be the only piece of silverware ever won by Velež's youth team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sportske.ba/foto-retrovizor-omladinci-rodjenih-trofej-kupa-iz-1989-godine/|title=FOTO retrovizor: Omladinci "Rođenih" i trofej Kupa iz 1989. godine|last=Edin.Ramic|date=2017-11-09|website=Sportske.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-05-18}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
===Velež in an independent Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–present)===
* ]
] in the away stands versus ] in the ]]]
* ]

* ]
====Rebuilding and instability (1992–2006)====
* ]
On 15 March 1992, Velež would play their last ever game at the ] stadium; a 2–0 win versus ]. Shortly after the game the ] started, rendering football a dangerous and logistically impossible task. Velež were already on the way out of the ] due to Bosnia voting to leave Yugoslavia in an ] 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 ] 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiosarajevo.ba/sport/nogomet/rodeni-kraj-neretve-rodeni-velez-posljednji-put-domacin-pod-bijelim-brijegom/256779|title=Na današnji dan: Velež posljednji put bio domaćin pod Bijelim brijegom|last=Radiosarajevo.ba|website=Radio Sarajevo|date=15 March 2017 |access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref> Zrinjski had positioned themselves as a club specifically for ], 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 ], ] and ] origin). Velež didn't play another game until 1994, when they were placed in the "Zenica Group" of the ], a wartime cuplike competition. Velež lost their first game 3–0 to ] and things didn't improve, they lost their next 2 games and exited the competition along with ] as the only 2 teams who lost all of their games.
* ]

* ]
For the ] 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 ] Velež chose ], on the very outskirts of Mostar. The next few seasons would be rough as Velež finished 14th in ] and 10th in ] and ]. 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 ] 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 ] (OHR) rejected the appeal, Velež and other teams boycotted the playoff for that season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ohr.int/?p=54975|title=UEFA for Football Play-offs|date=1999-06-11|website=Office of the High Representative|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref> Velež later qualified for the inaugural season of the ], 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 ] season, however a goal in injury time for ] ensured that they would be promoted instead of Velež.<ref>{{Citation|last=Ragaaci|title=Most Rođenih – Pozitivna Geografija|date=2018-02-23|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_XTmYc_UuM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/G_XTmYc_UuM |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|access-date=2019-06-02}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In ] another title challenge was mounted but a 2–1 loss versus ] made sure ] would get promoted.<ref>{{Citation|last=psychedelic psy|title=Red Army – Operacija "Kakanj mora pasti" 11.06.2005.g.|date=2013-01-29|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOI2u7D727A |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/cOI2u7D727A |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|access-date=2019-06-02}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In ] 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 ] 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 ] 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sportsport.ba/fudbal/odluceno-zrinjski-velez-03/65264|title=Odlučeno: Zrinjski – Velež 0:3|website=SportSport.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref> The second leg ended 2–0 to Velež and they would book themselves a place in the quarterfinals versus ], 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 ] and Velež's best cup run in 15 years was over. In the ] 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 ], ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.klix.ba/sport/nogomet/nermin-niksic-predsjednik-skupstine-fk-velez/150624001|title=Nermin Nikšić predsjednik Skupštine FK Velež|website=Klix.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref> 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 ] 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.klix.ba/sport/nogomet/semsudin-hasic-imenovan-za-predsjednika-veleza/160728082|title=Šemsudin Hasić imenovan za predsjednika Veleža|website=Klix.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref> That didn't mean the ] 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 ] was sacked and replaced with ], who had previously played for and coached Velež.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sportsport.ba/fudbal/zvanicno-ibro-rahimic-preuzeo-velez/208169|title=Zvanično: Ibro Rahimić preuzeo Velež|website=SportSport.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref> Velež miraculously stayed up on the final day of the season and ] were relegated instead of them. Between seasons the stadium "Vrapčići" changed their name to "Stadion Rođeni" named after fans of Velež.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sportsport.ba/fudbal/stadion-u-vrapcicima-ima-novo-ime/233856|title=Stadion u Vrapčićima ima novo ime|website=SportSport.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref>
* ]

====New comeback (2017–present)====
], June 2021]]

For the 2017–18 season, thanks to new signings such as ], Hamza Mešanović and Minel Doljančić, Velež wrapped up a 3rd place spot.

For the ] season, Velež signed many attackers like attacking midfielder Edo Vehabović, right winger ] and striker ]. 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 ], ] and ] 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).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sportsport.ba/fudbal/fk-velez-se-dzaba-zalio-usvojen-izvjestaj-kontrolora-nema-ponavljanja-meca/310037|title=FK Velež se džaba žalio: Usvojen izvještaj kontrolora, nema ponavljanja meča|website=SportSport.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref> Velež overcame this and won the First League 7 points ahead of their nearest rivals ], 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 ], a match that had an attendance of 7,000, one of the highest in the new stadium.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sportsport.ba/fudbal/fk-velez-rusi-sve-rekorde-da-li-je-danas-pao-rekord-stadiona-rodeni/321140|title=FK Velež ruši sve rekorde: Da li je danas pao rekord stadiona Rođeni?|website=SportSport.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref>

Velež's return to the top flight was not as glamorous as anticipated as they lost their first three games to ], Zrinjski and ]. Rahimić resigned and ] was chosen as the next manager. His first game featured the debut of Macedonian centre-back ], who was cited as one of Velež's best players that season.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tikvesa|first=Semir|date=2020-05-06|title=Kosta Manev za Sportske.ba: Pregovori su trenutno stopirani, sve je još otvoreno|url=https://sportske.ba/kosta-manev-za-sportske-ba-pregovori-su-stopirani-sve-je-jos-otvoreno/|access-date=2020-06-02|website=Sportske.ba|language=bs-BA}}</ref> Dudić's first game as manager was a 0–0 draw against ] and Velež picked up its first point in the season. Velež picked up several wins against teams like ], ], ] 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 ].<ref name=Klix.ba>{{cite web|url=https://www.klix.ba/sport/nogomet/zvanicno-sarajevo-prvak-bih-drugu-godinu-zaredom-celik-i-zvijezda-ispadaju/200601116|title=Zvanično! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, Čelik i Zvijezda ispadaju|date=1 June 2020|access-date=1 June 2020|language=bs|author=F.Z.|publisher=Klix.ba}}</ref> However, the ] saw Velež's fortune turn with a return to European competition, finishing 3rd in the league and qualifying for the first iteration of the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.klix.ba/sport/nogomet/velez-nakon-33-godine-izborio-evropu-zrinjski-ostao-bez-plasmana-na-medjunarodnu-scenu/210530065|title=Velež nakon 33 godine izborio Evropu, Zrinjski ostao bez plasmana na međunarodnu scenu|date=30 May 2021|access-date=30 May 2021|language=bs|author=H.H.|publisher=Klix.ba}}</ref> In the ], Velež eliminated semi-professional Northern Irish club ] and Greek giants ], before themselves getting eliminated by Swedish side ] in the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaconferenceleague/clubs/50163--velez/matches/|title=FK Velež Mostar UEFA Europa Conference League matches|access-date=28 August 2021|website=].com}}</ref> In the ] season, Velež won the first ] title in their history, after a ], following a 0–0 draw against ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sport.avaz.ba/domaci-nogomet/743775/odlucili-penali-velez-je-osvajac-kupa-bih|title=Odlučili penali: Velež je osvajač Kupa BiH!|date=19 May 2022|access-date=19 May 2022|language=bs|author=M.K.|publisher=sport.avaz.ba}}</ref>

Following Feđa Dudić leaving Velež at the end of the 2021–22 season, the club appointed ], one of the most successful Bosnian football managers, as its new manager on 11 June 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.klix.ba/sport/nogomet/amar-osim-predstavljen-u-velezu-pomoci-cu-klubu-da-se-dalje-razvija-imamo-perspektivu/220611078|title=Amar Osim predstavljen u Veležu: Pomoći ću klubu da se dalje razvija, imamo perspektivu|date=11 June 2022|access-date=11 June 2022|language=bs|author=K.H.|publisher=Klix.ba}}</ref>

==Rivalry==
{{Main|Mostar derby}}

FK Velež's main rival is ], the other team from ]. The match between the two Mostar teams is called the ]. The first match between ] 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 ], they were the only major club from ] and were supported by all people from the city of Mostar. After the ] 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 ] 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 ] are predominantly Bosniaks, while Zrinjski and their fans called ] are Croats. Making the rivalry bigger is the fact that ] 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Giordano Merlicco, Danilo Kovač, Luca Alteri |title=Competing for the Nation on the Football Pitch: Ideology and Sports in Mostar, in football in the Balkans I: Internal Views, External Perceptions, eds. D. Wojtaszyn, M. Melichárek |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2023 |pages=101–29}}</ref>

==Supporters==
{{Main|Red Army Mostar}}

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 ''']''' and '''Mostarski Rođeni'''.

==Honours==

===Domestic===

====League====
*''']''':<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fkvelez.ba/historija/velez-u-nezavisnoj-bih/|title=Velež u Nezavisnoj BiH|last=root|date=2016-10-05|website=FK Velež|language=bs-BA|access-date=2020-01-01}}</ref>
**'''Winners (2)''': ], ]
**Runners-up (2): ], ]
*''']:'''<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://fkvelez.ba/historija/velez-u-sr-jugoslaviji/|title=Velež u SFR Jugoslaviji|last=root|date=2016-10-05|website=FK Velež|language=bs-BA|access-date=2020-01-01|archive-date=28 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328095318/https://fkvelez.ba/historija/velez-u-sr-jugoslaviji/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
**Runners-up (3): ], ], ]
**Third place (4): ], ], ], ]
*''']''':<ref name=":2" />
**'''Winners (2):''' ], 1954–55

====Cups====
*''']''':<ref name=":2" />
**'''Winners (2):''' ], ]
**Runners-up (2): ], ]
*''']''':
**'''Winners (1):''' ]
**Runners-up (1): ]

===European===
*''']''':<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesm/mit76.html|title=Mitropa Cup 1975/76|website=]|access-date=2020-01-01}}</ref>
**Runners-up (1): 1975–76
*''']''':<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sportske.ba/foto-retrovizor-rodjeni-koji-su-osvojili-balkanski-kup/|title=FOTO retrovizor: "Rođeni" koji su osvojili Balkanski kup|last=Čopra|first=Kenan|date=2017-12-19|website=Sportske.ba|language=bs-BA|access-date=2020-01-01}}</ref>
**'''Winners (1):''' ]
*''']''':<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://starmo.ba/dan-velike-pobjede-rodjenih/|title=Dan velike pobjede Rođenih…|last=Behram|first=Mirsad|date=2019-12-11|website=Starmo|language=bs-BA|access-date=2020-01-01}}</ref>
**Quarter-finals (1): ]

==Recent seasons==
{{Main|List of FK Velež Mostar seasons}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! rowspan="2" |Season
! colspan="9" |League
! rowspan="2" |Cup
! colspan="2" |Top league goalscorer
|-
!Division
! width="20" |P
! width="20" |W
! width="20" |D
! width="20" |L
! width="20" |F
! width="20" |A
! width="20" |Pts
!Pos
!Player
!Goals
|-
!2014–15
|]||30||10||8||12||32||33||38||9th||]||Alidin-Dino Hajdarović<br>]||6
|-
!2015–16
|]||30||1||6||23||10||55||9||bgcolor="#ffdddd"|16th||]||Dino Ćemalović||2
|-
!2016–17
|]||30||11||10||9||39||33||43||11th||]||]||8
|-
!2017–18
|]||30||15||10||5||49||23||55||3rd||]||]||9
|-
!2018–19
|]||30||24||4||2||78||18||76||bgcolor="#ddffdd"|1st||]||]||28
|-
!2019–20<ref name="Klix.ba" />
|]||22||9||5||8||25||23||32||8th||]||]||10
|-
!2020–21
|]||33||16||13||4||50||30||61||bgcolor="#cc9966"|3rd||]||]||11
|-
!2021–22
|]||33||13||8||12||42||37||44||5th||bgcolor="gold"|''']'''||]||9
|-
!2022–23
|]||33||11||12||10||40||37||45||6th||bgcolor=silver|]||]||12
|-
!2023–24
|]||33||16||11||6||50||28||59||bgcolor="#cc9966"|3rd||]||]||12
|} |}


==European record==
== Current squad ==
Since the late 1970s up until the ] 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UEFA Team Ranking 1988 |url=http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method1/trank1988.html |website=kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl}}</ref>
*'''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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UEFA Team Ranking 1989 |url=http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method1/trank1989.html |website=kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl}}</ref>
**''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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UEFA Team Ranking 1990 |url=http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method1/trank1990.html |website=kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl}}</ref>
*'''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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UEFA Team Ranking 1991 |url=http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method1/trank1991.html |website=kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl}}</ref>
*'''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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UEFA Team Ranking 1992 |url=http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method1/trank1992.html |website=kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl}}</ref>

===Summary===
{{updated|18 July 2024}}

<small>(This summary does not include matches played in the ], which was not endorsed by ] and is not counted in UEFA's official European statistics.)</small>
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align: center;"
! width="150"|Competition
! width="30"|Pld
! width="30"|W
! width="30"|D
! width="30"|L
! width="30"|GF
! width="30"|GA
! width="150"|Last season played
|-
| ]
| 20
| 9
| 4
| 7
| 29
| 27
| ]
|-
| {{nowrap|]}}
| 10
| 3
| 2
| 5
| 10
| 17
| ]
|-
| ]
| 8
| 3
| 4
| 1
| 18
| 13
| ]
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''38'''
|'''15'''
|'''10'''
|'''13'''
|'''57'''
|'''57'''
|—
|}

<small>'''Pld''' = Matches played; '''W''' = Matches won; '''D''' = Matches drawn; '''L''' = Matches lost; '''GF''' = Goals for; '''GA''' = Goals against</small>

===By season===
<small>(Velež score always listed first. Source:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesj/joeg-ec.html|title=Yugoslav teams in Eurocups|website=]}}</ref>)</small>
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align: center;"
! width="60"|Season
! width="150"|Competition
! width="30"|Round
! width="190"|Opponent
! width="30"|Home
! width="30"|Away
! width="90"|]
|-
|rowspan=1|1960
|rowspan=1|]
|rowspan=1|N/A
| align="left" |{{flagicon|ITA}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|4–1
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–1
|rowspan=1 |6–2
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
|rowspan=3|1962–63
|rowspan=3|]
|rowspan=3|GS
| align="left" |{{flagicon|FRG}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|9–1
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–0
|rowspan=3 |3rd
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| align="left" |{{flagicon|HUN}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–4
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| align="left" |{{flagicon|NED}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|2–3
|-
|rowspan=3|1963–64
|rowspan=3|]
|rowspan=3|GS
| align="left" |{{flagicon|TCH}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–6
|rowspan=3 |2nd
|-
| align="left" |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL|1928}} ]}}
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|4–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–4
|-
| align="left" |{{flagicon|DDR}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|1–0
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|1–0
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| {{nowrap|1973–74}}
| ]
| R1
| align="left" |{{flagicon|Czechoslovakia}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|2–4
| 3–5
|-
| rowspan=4|1974–75
| rowspan=4|]
| R1
| align="left" |{{flagicon|USSR}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–0
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–3
| 3–3 (])
|-
| R2
| align="left" |{{flagicon|AUT}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|1–0
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| 2–1
|-
| R3
| align="left" |{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|4–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–3
| 5–4
|-
| QF
| align="left" |{{flagicon|NED}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|1–0
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|0–2
| 1–2
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
|rowspan=3|1975–76
|rowspan=3|]
|rowspan=2|GS
| align="left" |{{flagicon|ITA}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|0–0
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|4–2
|rowspan=2 |1st
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| align="left" |{{flagicon|Austria}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–0
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–2
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
|rowspan=1 bgcolor=silver|Final
| align="left" |{{flagicon|Austria}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–3
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–3
|rowspan=1 |2–6
|-
|rowspan=3|1980–81
|rowspan=3|]
|rowspan=2|GS
| align="left" |{{flagicon|GRE}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–0
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–3
|rowspan=2 |1st
|-
| align="left" |{{flagicon|Albania|1946}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|4–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–2
|-
|rowspan=1 bgcolor=gold|Final
| align="left" |{{flagicon|Bulgaria|1971}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|6–2
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|6–5
|rowspan=1 |12–7
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| rowspan=2|1981–82
| rowspan=2|]
| R1
| align="left" |{{flagicon|LUX}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|6–1
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| 7–2
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| R2
| align="left" |{{flagicon|East Germany}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| {{nowrap|2–2 (1–4 ])}}
|-
| rowspan=2|1986–87
| rowspan=2|]
| R1
| align="left" |{{flagicon|HUN}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|3–2
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|2–2
| 5–4
|-
| R2
| align="left" |{{flagicon|BUL|1971}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|4–3
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|0–2
| 4–5
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| rowspan=2|1987–88
| rowspan=2|]
| R1
| align="left" |{{flagicon|SUI}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|5–0
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|0–3
| 5–3
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| R2
| align="left" |{{flagicon|West Germany}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|0–2
| 2–3
|-
| rowspan=3|1988–89
| rowspan=3|]
| R1
| align="left" |{{flagicon|CYP|1960}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|1–0
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|5–2
| 6–2
|-
| R2
| align="left" |{{flagicon|POR}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|0–0
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|0–0
| 0–0 (4–3 ])
|-
| R3
| align="left" |{{flagicon|SCO}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|0–3
| 2–4
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| rowspan=3|2021–22
| rowspan=3|{{nowrap|]}}
| QR1
| align="left" |{{flagicon|NIR}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–1
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–1
| 4–2
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| QR2
| align="left" |{{flagicon|GRE}} ]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd"|2–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|0–1
| 2–2 (3–2 ])
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| QR3
| align="left" |{{flagicon|SWE}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–4
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| 2–5
|-
| 2022–23
| {{nowrap|]}}
| QR2
| align="left" | {{flagicon|MLT}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|0–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|0–1
| 0–2
|-bgcolor=#EEEEEE
| 2024–25
| {{nowrap|]}}
| QR1
| align="left" | {{flagicon|AND}} ]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd"|1–5
| 2–6
|}

==European campaigns&nbsp;– Finals achievements==
{| class="toccolours" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="left" style="margin:0.5em;"
|- bgcolor=#cadcfb
! Season
! Achievement
! Notes
|-
!colspan="4" bgcolor=#EFEFEF | ]
|-
| align="center" | ]
| align="center" | '''Quarter-finals'''
| align="left" | eliminated by {{flagicon|Netherlands}} ] 1–0 in Mostar, 0–2 in Enschede
|}
{{clear}}

===Player records===
*Most appearances in UEFA club competitions: '''14 appearances''':
**]
**]
**]
*Top scorer in UEFA club competitions: '''10 goals'''&nbsp;– ]

==Players==
===Current squad===
{{updated|31 August 2024}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fkvelez.ba/timovi/prvi-tim/|title=FK Velež Mostar current squad|access-date=31 August 2024|language=bs|website=fkvelez.ba|date=13 April 2019 }}</ref>
{{Fs start}} {{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=GK}} {{Fs player|no=2|nat=CRO|name=Ante Oreč|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=12|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=GK}} {{Fs player|no=6|nat=CRO|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=1|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=GK}} {{Fs player|no=7|nat=BIH|name=Omar Pršeš|pos=MF|other=]}}
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=SER|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=8|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF|other=]}}
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=9|nat=CRO|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=13|nat=SLO|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=11|nat=CRO|name=Mihael Mlinarić|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=5|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=12|nat=BIH|name=Faris Ribić|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=6|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=13|nat=BRA|name=Elzio Lohan|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=3|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=16|nat=BIH|name=Tarik Šikalo|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=17|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=FW|other=]}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=18|nat=SRB|name=Nikola Savić|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=19|nat=BIH|name=Armando Bobaj|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=22|nat=CRO|name=Karlo Išasegi|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=2|nat=BIH||name=]|pos=MF}} {{Fs player|no=23|nat=SVN|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs mid}} {{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=MF}} {{Fs player|no=25|nat=CRO|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=MF}} {{Fs player|no=26|nat=SRB|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=MF}} {{Fs player|no=28|nat=BIH|name=Edo Vehabović|pos=MF|other=]}}
{{Fs player|no=21|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=MF}} {{Fs player|no=31|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=8|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=MF}} {{Fs player|no=33|nat=BIH|name=Haris Jogunović|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=MF}} {{Fs player|no=38|nat=BIH|name=Dženan Puce|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=9|name=]|nat=BIH|pos=MF}} {{Fs player|no=44|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=MNE|name=]|pos=FW}} {{Fs player|no=45|nat=BIH|name=Kenan Đuliman|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=77|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=FW}} {{Fs player|no=55|nat=BIH|name=Arman Rebac|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=FW}} {{Fs player|no=65|nat=BIH|name=Omar Kuko|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=17|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=FW}} {{Fs player|no=77|nat=GEO|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=10|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=FW}} {{Fs player|no=80|nat=CRO|name=Tino Blaž Lauš|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=BIH|name=]|pos=FW}} {{Fs player|no=90|nat=NGA|name=Emmanuel Okeke|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=96|nat=BRA|name=Rodrigo Souza|pos=MF}}
{{Fs end}} {{Fs end}}


==Supporters== ===Out on loan===
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=BIH|name=Adin Bajrić|pos=DF|other=at ] until 30 June 2025}}
{{Fs end}}


==Club officials==
FK Velež Mostar fans are called ] and they are politically left-oriented.They were founded on 01.04.1981.
===Technical staff===
Nowadays, the supporters of Velež are mainly ], but there are also ] and ] (as time passes, there are more non-Bosniak players in Velež and members of the fan club); the fan organization is called "Red Army". In the former Yugoslavia, Velež was supported by all three ethnic groups of Mostar and Herzegovina. The current political situation in ] is that the ] claim the west side of the city (divided by the former front) and their new football club, while Bosniaks claim the east side and the football club Velež.
{{Fb cs header}}
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Head coach |s={{flagicon|TUR}} ]}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Assistant coach |s={{flagicon|BIH}} ]}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Assistant coach |s={{flagicon|TUR}} Doğukan Başcan}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Assistant coach |s={{flagicon|TUR}} Musa Öztürk}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Goalkeeping coach |s={{flagicon|BIH}} Adnan Dizdarević}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Video analyst |s={{flagicon|TUR}} Erkan Buz}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Fitness coach |s={{flagicon|TUR}} Cemal Ayyıldız}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Doctor |s={{flagicon|BIH}} Adnan Konjhodžić}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Physiotherapist |s={{flagicon|BIH}} Adnan Rudan}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Physiotherapist |s={{flagicon|BIH}} Anel Husnić}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Kit manager |s={{flagicon|BIH}} Hasan Jakić}}
|-
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Club representative |s={{flagicon|BIH}} Veselin Đurasović}}
{{Fb cs footer|u=5 November 2024 |s=|date=November 2024}}
<!--

Template:Fb cs staff (Football - coach staff - staff)

Parameters
bg : background color. y = yes; blank = no
p : staff position
s : staff

Template:Fb cs footer (Football - coach staff - footer)

Parameters
u : date of last update
s : source

-->

===Club management===
{{fb oi header}}
{{Fb oi information |bg= |id=President |i={{flagicon|BIH}} Admir Rahimić}}
{{Fb oi information |bg= |id=Vice president |i={{flagicon|BIH}} Anel Demić}}
{{Fb oi information |bg= |id=Chairman of the Assembly |i={{flagicon|BIH}} Samir Sunagić}}
{{Fb oi information |bg= |id=Chairman of the Disciplinary Board |i={{flagicon|BIH}} Anel Droce}}
{{Fb oi information |bg= |id=Director |i={{flagicon|BIH}} ]}}
{{Fb oi information |bg= |id=Sporting director |i={{flagicon|BIH}} ]}}
{{Fb oi information |bg= |id=Youth School director |i={{flagicon|BIH}} Vedran Pelić}}
{{Fb oi information |bg= |id=Club secretary |i={{flagicon|BIH}} Fazlija Puzić}}

{{Fb oi footer|s=|date=December 2024}}

==Managerial history==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1953–55)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1955–59)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1959–60)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1960–61)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1961–64)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1964–65)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1965–66)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1966–67)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1967–68)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1968–76)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1976–77)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1977–80)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1980–82)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1982–83)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1983–87)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1988–89)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1989–90)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1990)
*{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} ] (1990–92)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina|1992}} ] (1994–96)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina|1992}} ] ''(interim)'' (1996)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina|1992}} ] (1996–98)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (1998–00)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2002–03)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2003)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2003–05)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2005)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2005–07)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2007–08)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2008)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2008–10)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] ''(interim)'' (2010)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2010)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] ''(interim)'' (2010)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2011)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2011–12)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] ''(interim)'' (2012)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2012)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2012–13)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2013–15)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2015)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] ''(interim)'' (2015)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] ''(interim)'' (2015)
*{{flagicon|North Macedonia}} ] (2015)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] ''(interim)'' (2015)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2015–16)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2016)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2016–19)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2019–22)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2022)
*{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ] (2022–2023)
*{{flagicon|Croatia}} ] (2023–2024)
*{{flagicon|Austria}} ] (2024)
*{{flagicon|Turkey}} ] (2024–present)
{{div col end}}

==Songs==
The official anthem of FK Velež Mostar is by ]. The text was written by Milenko Mišo Marić. The music was composed by ]. The first demo recording was done after the ] ] final in 1981 against ]. For the first time, the official club anthem was played before the final of the ] ] in 1986 against ]. It was also played live at the ] by ] in 1987 before the ] game against ]. The official anthem of the club's ultras group ] is by 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 ].

==February Tournament==
{{Main|February Tournament}}

In 1965, to commemorate 20 years of the ] 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 ] and Velež no longer being able to play on the ] 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FK Velež obnavlja čuveni Februarski turnir |url=https://bljesak.info/sport/nogomet/bih-fk-velez-obnavlja-cuveni-februarski-turnir/409386 |access-date=2023-02-10 |website=Bljesak.info |language=en}}</ref>

The tournament featured many notable club and national teams, the latter of which included ] and the ]. 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 ] holds the record for most appearances, as well as most goals in the tournament.


==References== ==References==
Line 165: Line 710:


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|FK Velež Mostar}}
*
{{Portal bar|Association football|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}
* {{bs icon}}
* {{bs icon}} *{{official website|http://www.fkvelez.ba/}} {{in lang|bs}}
* {{bs icon}} * at ] {{in lang|en}}
* at ] {{in lang|en}}
* {{bs icon}}
* {{in lang|bs}}


{{fb start}} {{FK Velež Mostar}}
{{Navboxes|titlestyle=background:#ef0000;color:white;|list1=
{{FK Velež Mostar squad}}
{{FK Velež Mostar managers}}
{{Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina}} {{Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina}}
{{Yugoslav First League}}
{{Football in BiH}} {{Football in BiH}}
{{Bosnian football supporter associations}}
{{fb end}}
}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:FK Velez Mostar}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Velez Mostar}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

]
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Latest revision as of 02:56, 29 December 2024

Association football club in Bosnia and Herzegovina "Velež" redirects here. For the mountain, see Velež (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Football club
Velež Mostar
Club crest
Full nameFudbalski klub Velež Mostar
(Velež Mostar Football Club)
Nickname(s)Rođeni (The Born)
Short nameVelež, VEL
Founded26 June 1922
(102 years ago) (1922-06-26)
GroundRođeni Stadium
Capacity7,000
PresidentAdmir Rahimić
Managerİrfan Buz
LeaguePremier League BH
2023–24Premier League BH, 3rd of 12
Websitefkvelez.ba
Home colours Away colours

Fudbalski klub Velež Mostar (Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Beлеж Мостар; English: Football club Velež Mostar) is a professional football club based in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 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 and 1986 Yugoslav Cups. The club also reached the quarter-final stage of the 1974–75 UEFA Cup. 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, Veles.

During the time of former Yugoslavia, Velež was always in the Yugoslav First League and the team often ended the season in the top ten. Velež was the most popular and most successful team from Herzegovina 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 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. 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, also known as the petokraka, to their logo. The red star has been the symbol of the club since its founding in 1922.

History

Velež Mostar squad in 1939

Before World War II (1922–1941)

On 26 June 1922, in a suburb of Mostar 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, 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. 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 stars from their kits and Velež refused to do so. The club was sympathetic to worker's rights and socialism, which made it a big target from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 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 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 many members of Velež joined the Yugoslav Partisans 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 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)

A youth work action for constructing the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium between 1947 and 1958

After the war ended, the new socialist government banned clubs that participated in football tournaments organized by the Independent State of Croatia, 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 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 in 1956. He scored 17 goals in 32 appearances, played in Melbourne for the 1956 Olympics and in Chile for the 1962 World Cup but his career with the national team ended abruptly after a bad foul on Soviet player Eduard Dubinski, which indirectly caused Dubinski's death 7 years later. 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.

Red Star4–0Velež
Kostić 61', 71'
Borozan 68'
Rudinski 73'
Stadion JNA, BelgradeAttendance: 30,000Referee: Emil Erlich (Ljubljana)

Sulejman Sula Rebac becomes manager (1968–1976)

The famous BMV trio (from left to right): Enver Marić, Dušan Bajević and Franjo Vladić

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 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 first players to come through the academy were goalkeeper Enver Marić and striker Dušan Bajević. 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 with 20 goals each. 1970 also saw Bajević's first call-up to the national team, a 1–1 draw versus Austria 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 in a 9–0 demolition during the 1974 World Cup. In the 1972–73 Velež placed 2nd in the league, their best position yet and qualified for the UEFA cup, their first ever European competition. They were knocked out in the first round to Tatran Prešov.

Velež4–1Derby County
Primorac 14' (pen.)
Pecelj 29'
Vladić 51'
Bajević 85' (pen.)
Hector 56'
Stadion pod Bijelim Brijegom, MostarAttendance: 20,000Referee: Charles Corver (Netherlands)

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 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 scored. The game ended 5–4 on aggregate and Velež went on to the quarterfinals. There they faced FC Twente, 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 in 1977, with Vladić following him in 1979.

Rebuilding and first trophies (1976–1992)

Vahid Halilhodžić (pictured in 2008) is often cited as one of Velež's best players

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, Blaž Slišković 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 and Red Star Belgrade 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 was sacked and replaced with Miloš Milutinović, famously known as Plava čigra.

In the league 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 from Sutjeska Nikšić in the second round, advanced to the quarterfinals where they faced FK Bregalnica Štip, a lower league side from North Macedonia, 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 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 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 scored the winning goal with a header in the 80th minute, and Velež won their first ever major trophy.

Velež3–2Željezničar
Halilhodžić 55', 58'
Okuka 80'
Baždarević 36' (pen.), 62' (pen.)
Red Star Stadium, BelgradeAttendance: 40,000Referee: Milorad Vlajić (Belgrade)

As a result of winning they were admitted into the Cup Winners' Cup, 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 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. Without him, Velež struggled and finished 13th, even with the efforts of Vladimir Skočajić (14 goals) and Dušan Bajević (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, defenders Nenad Bijedić and Vladimir Matijević, midfielder Vladimir Skočajić and forwards Predrag Jurić, Sead Kajtaz and Semir Tuce.

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, one of the big 4 teams in Yugoslavia led by famous coach Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević. Nenad Bijedić 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 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, who was a youth prospect in 1986 would be the last players to play for the Yugoslavia national team while playing for Velež.

Velež3–1Dinamo Zagreb
Bijedić 6' (pen.), 51'
P. Jurić 87'
Mlinarić 58'
Stadion JNA, BelgradeAttendance: 40,000Referee: Dušan Čolić (Belgrade)

Velež had a fantastic performance in the league 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 next season (but played in the Cup Winners' Cup 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 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 of Switzerland in the first round 5–3 on aggregate in the UEFA cup first round. Their next opponent would be West German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund. 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 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 and Predrag Jurić both scored goals, Semir Tuce 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, Liria Prizren, and Rudar Ljubija (later Rudar Prijedor). In the final Velež were thoroughly beaten by the First League opposition FK Partizan 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.

Partizan6–1Velež
Vučićević 30' (pen.), 34'
Milojević 52'
Vokrri 55'
Vermezović 58'
Batrović 79'
Repak 65'
Stadion JNA, BelgradeAttendance: 35,000Referee: Branko Bujić (Bar)

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 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)

Image from 2000 featuring Red Army Mostar in the away stands versus Zrinjski in the Mostar derby

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 due to Bosnia voting to leave Yugoslavia in an independence referendum 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, 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, Serb and Croat 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 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 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 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, Nermin Nikšić. 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 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)

Stadion Rođeni, June 2021

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, 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. In the Conference League qualifying rounds, Velež eliminated semi-professional Northern Irish club Coleraine and Greek giants AEK Athens, before themselves getting eliminated by Swedish side IF Elfsborg 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, following a 0–0 draw against Sarajevo.

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

Main article: Mostar derby

FK Velež's main rival is HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, the other team from Mostar. 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, they were the only major club from Mostar and were supported by all people from the city of Mostar. After the war 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 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 are predominantly Bosniaks, while Zrinjski and their fans called Ultras 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

Main article: Red Army Mostar

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

Cups

European

Recent seasons

Main article: List of FK Velež Mostar seasons
Season League Cup Top league goalscorer
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos Player Goals
2014–15 Premier League 30 10 8 12 32 33 38 9th QF Alidin-Dino Hajdarović
Anel Hebibović
6
2015–16 Premier League 30 1 6 23 10 55 9 16th R32 Dino Ćemalović 2
2016–17 First League of FBiH 30 11 10 9 39 33 43 11th R16 Brandao 8
2017–18 First League of FBiH 30 15 10 5 49 23 55 3rd R32 Brandao 9
2018–19 First League of FBiH 30 24 4 2 78 18 76 1st R32 Nusmir Fajić 28
2019–20 Premier League 22 9 5 8 25 23 32 8th R16 Brandao 10
2020–21 Premier League 33 16 13 4 50 30 61 3rd R16 Obren Cvijanović 11
2021–22 Premier League 33 13 8 12 42 37 44 5th W Dženan Zajmović 9
2022–23 Premier League 33 11 12 10 40 37 45 6th RU Nermin Haskić 12
2023–24 Premier League 33 16 11 6 50 28 59 3rd QF Nermin Haskić 12

European record

Since the late 1970s up until the Bosnian War 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

As of 18 July 2024

(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.)

Competition Pld W D L GF GA Last season played
UEFA Cup 20 9 4 7 29 27 1988–89
UEFA Conference League 10 3 2 5 10 17 2024–25
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 8 3 4 1 18 13 1986–87
Total 38 15 10 13 57 57

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:)

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Agg.
1960 Mitropa Cup N/A Italy Alessandria 4–1 2–1 6–2
1962–63 Intertoto Cup GS West Germany Hildesheim 9–1 2–0 3rd
Hungary Dózsa 1–2 1–4
Netherlands Blauw-Wit 1–1 2–3
1963–64 Intertoto Cup GS Czechoslovakia Slovnaft Bratislava 1–1 1–6 2nd
Poland Zagłębie Sosnowiec 4–1 1–4
East Germany Motor Jena 1–0 1–0
1973–74 UEFA Cup R1 Czechoslovakia Tatran Prešov 1–1 2–4 3–5
1974–75 UEFA Cup R1 Soviet Union Spartak Moscow 2–0 1–3 3–3 (a)
R2 Austria Rapid Wien 1–0 1–1 2–1
R3 England Derby County 4–1 1–3 5–4
QF Netherlands Twente 1–0 0–2 1–2
1975–76 Mitropa Cup GS Italy Perugia 0–0 4–2 1st
Austria Austria WAC Wien 2–0 1–2
Final Austria Wacker Innsbruck 1–3 1–3 2–6
1980–81 Balkans Cup GS Greece AEK Athens 2–0 1–3 1st
Albania Flamurtari 4–1 1–2
Final Bulgaria Trakia Plovdiv 6–2 6–5 12–7
1981–82 Cup Winners' Cup R1 Luxembourg Jeunesse Esch 6–1 1–1 7–2
R2 East Germany Lokomotive Leipzig 1–1 1–1 2–2 (1–4 p)
1986–87 Cup Winners' Cup R1 Hungary Vasas 3–2 2–2 5–4
R2 Bulgaria Vitosha Sofia 4–3 0–2 4–5
1987–88 UEFA Cup R1 Switzerland Sion 5–0 0–3 5–3
R2 West Germany Borussia Dortmund 2–1 0–2 2–3
1988–89 UEFA Cup R1 Cyprus APOEL 1–0 5–2 6–2
R2 Portugal Belenenses 0–0 0–0 0–0 (4–3 p)
R3 Scotland Hearts 2–1 0–3 2–4
2021–22 Conference League QR1 Northern Ireland Coleraine 2–1 2–1 4–2
QR2 Greece AEK Athens 2–1 0–1 2–2 (3–2 p)
QR3 Sweden IF Elfsborg 1–4 1–1 2–5
2022–23 Conference League QR2 Malta Ħamrun Spartans 0–1 0–1 0–2
2024–25 Conference League QR1 Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes 1–1 1–5 2–6

European campaigns – Finals achievements

Season Achievement Notes
UEFA Cup
1974–75 Quarter-finals eliminated by Netherlands Twente 1–0 in Mostar, 0–2 in Enschede

Player records

Players

Current squad

As of 31 August 2024

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
2 DF Croatia CRO Ante Oreč
6 MF Croatia CRO Dino Halilović
7 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Omar Pršeš (third captain)
8 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Ante Hrkać (fourth captain)
9 MF Croatia CRO Tonći Mujan
11 MF Croatia CRO Mihael Mlinarić
12 GK Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Faris Ribić
13 MF Brazil BRA Elzio Lohan
16 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Tarik Šikalo
17 FW Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Nermin Haskić (captain)
18 DF Serbia SRB Nikola Savić
19 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Armando Bobaj
22 DF Croatia CRO Karlo Išasegi
23 DF Slovenia SVN Klemen Šturm
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 GK Croatia CRO Tomislav Duka
26 MF Serbia SRB Milan Jevtović
28 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Edo Vehabović (vice-captain)
31 GK Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Osman Hadžikić
33 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Haris Jogunović
38 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Dženan Puce
44 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Adi Mehremić
45 FW Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Kenan Đuliman
55 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Arman Rebac
65 FW Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Omar Kuko
77 FW Georgia (country) GEO Zurab Museliani
80 MF Croatia CRO Tino Blaž Lauš
90 DF Nigeria NGA Emmanuel Okeke
96 MF Brazil BRA Rodrigo Souza

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 Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Adin Bajrić (at Igman Konjic until 30 June 2025)

Club officials

Technical staff

Position Staff
Head coach Turkey İrfan Buz
Assistant coach Bosnia and Herzegovina Samir Merzić
Assistant coach Turkey Doğukan Başcan
Assistant coach Turkey Musa Öztürk
Goalkeeping coach Bosnia and Herzegovina Adnan Dizdarević
Video analyst Turkey Erkan Buz
Fitness coach Turkey Cemal Ayyıldız
Doctor Bosnia and Herzegovina Adnan Konjhodžić
Physiotherapist Bosnia and Herzegovina Adnan Rudan
Physiotherapist Bosnia and Herzegovina Anel Husnić
Kit manager Bosnia and Herzegovina Hasan Jakić
Club representative Bosnia and Herzegovina Veselin Đurasović

Last updated: 5 November 2024
Source: fkvelez.ba

Club management

President Bosnia and Herzegovina Admir Rahimić
Vice president Bosnia and Herzegovina Anel Demić
Chairman of the Assembly Bosnia and Herzegovina Samir Sunagić
Chairman of the Disciplinary Board Bosnia and Herzegovina Anel Droce
Director Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Zvonić
Sporting director Bosnia and Herzegovina Adnan Mravac
Youth School director Bosnia and Herzegovina Vedran Pelić
Club secretary Bosnia and Herzegovina Fazlija Puzić

Source: fkvelez.ba

Managerial history

Songs

The official anthem of FK Velež Mostar is Rođeni, Rođeni by 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. The official anthem of the club's ultras group Red Army Mostar is Ili grmi il' se zemlja trese by 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.

February Tournament

Main article: February Tournament

In 1965, to commemorate 20 years of the 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 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 and the 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 holds the record for most appearances, as well as most goals in the tournament.

References

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External links

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