Stadion pod Goricom | |
 The interior of the Podgorica City Stadium | |
 Interactive map of Podgorica City Stadium | |
| Location | Vaka Đurovića Street,Podgorica,Montenegro |
|---|---|
| Owner | City of Podgorica |
| Operator | Football Association of Montenegro,Budućnost |
| Capacity | 11,080[1] |
| Record attendance | 20,000 (Budućnost -Hajduk Split, 1975) |
| Field size | 105 x 70 metres |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1945 |
| Renovated | 2004–2006 |
| Tenants | |
| FK Budućnost Podgorica (1945–present) OFK Titograd (1953–1997) Montenegro national football team (2007–present) | |
Podgorica City Stadium (Montenegrin:Stadion pod Goricom, Стадион под Горицом) is an all-seatermulti-purpose stadium inPodgorica, Montenegro. Itsseating capacity changed over the years due to several renovations, as of 2019 it has 11,080 seats.[1] The stadium is the home ground of theMontenegro national team andBudućnost.
Podgorica City Stadium was built in 1945, followingWorld War II. Before the war, Budućnost and other clubs from Podgorica played their matches in a field near that location.
The stadium's original capacity was around 5,000 spectators. The stadium burned down completely in 1952, but was later rebuilt, with a new capacity of about 17,000 seats. The new stadium has four stands—west, east, south and north.
In 1989, floodlights were installed in the City Stadium in Podgorica (then known as Titograd). During the 1980s, the main stand (west) was reconstructed. The new stand has a seating capacity of 6,000 and a modern roof.
After the breakup ofSFR Yugoslavia, the stadium underwent additional construction work. The east stand was torn down, and a new north stand was built. Capacity was reduced to 12,000.
On 27 March 2015, the stadium was the site of an abandoned match when theUEFA Euro 2016 qualifier between Montenegro andRussia was dismissed by the referees to ensure the safety of the players.[2] Russian goalkeeperIgor Akinfeev had been struck in the head by aflare and was sent to a hospital as a result.[2] Russia was awarded a 3-0 result byUEFA as a result of the match abandonment.[3]
The north stand is the home ofBudućnost fans, the popularVarvari (Barbarians). Varvari often account for a large percentage of the attendance at games featuring Budućnost. They are the largestultras group in Montenegro.
Since 2006, Podgorica City Stadium has had four stands. From 1992 to 2006, there were three stands (after the old east stand was torn down). Below are the approximate capacities of each stand with technical details.
| Stand | Built | Renovated | Levels | Capacity | Sectors | Entrances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West | 1945 | 1952–1953, 1984–1985, 2004 | 1 | 4,700[4] | 8 (VIP + media) | 7 |
| East | 1952–53 | 2006 | 1 | 900[4] | 8 | 2 |
| North | 1952–53 | 1992—1993, 2004–2005 | 2 | 2,700[4] | 8 | 5 |
| South | 1952–53 | 2004–2005 | 2 | 2,700[4] | 8 | 5 |
| Overall | 11,000 (rounded) | 32 | 19 | |||
Thepitch measures 105 by 70 meters. The stadium is well known for close distance between pitch and stands. The Pitch was totally renovated in 2014 and today is among the best football pitches in the Balkans.
Floodlights were installed in 1989 for the first nighttime match,Budućnost-Rad (First League, 28 May 1989). Twenty years later, new 1900 lux floodlights were installed.[5]
During its history, the Podgorica City Stadium was used by a few clubs and theFootball Association of Montenegro.
It is the host stadium for theMontenegro national football team.
Before theindependence of Montenegro, the Podgorica City Stadium hosted the final of theRepublic Cup of Montenegro. Following this tradition, Podgorica City Stadium is now the host venue of everyMontenegrin Cup final.
Clubs which played their host matches at the Podgorica City Stadium are:
Notable matches played at the stadium include:
During the history, stadium in Podgorica was a place of numerous accidental situations, especially on FK Budućnost matches. Crowd violence escalated in the early 1970s, and after that—in the new century.
In 2004, during aFirst League Budućnost-Partizan match, blocks, construction materials and similar objects were thrown from the north stand to the pitch and the match was halted for 15 minutes. A year later, the Budućnost-Red Star Belgrade match was suspended for two hours after home supporters (Varvari) threw tear gas on the pitch and, after that, attacked visitors' ultras.[6][7] In spring 2006, there was crowd violence in a match between Budućnost andZeta.[8] In theMontenegrin First League, numerous matches of FK Budućnost were suspended due to crowd violence or crowd-invasion to the pitch.
With the full crowd at every important match, and the architecture of the stands which are only four meters away from the pitch-lines, games of Montenegrin national team are playing in the highly-electric atmosphere. During the past years, Montenegrin FA is sanctioned by UEFA and FIFA in numerous occasions.
In 2011, after the Montenegro-England match, Montenegrin ultras intruded upon the pitch. During the game, missiles and flares were hurled at goalkeeperJoe Hart while he was in front ofUltra Montenegro group.[9] The same thing occurred a year later in the match between Montenegro andPoland.
On 27 March 2015,Montenegro had a home match againstRussia. The match was abandoned after 67 minutes due to crowd violence (during the match, the Russian goalkeeper was hit byDmitri Kombarov, who was hit by an object). The original score was 0-0 and Russia missed a penalty moments before the match was abandoned. Russian goalkeeperIgor Akinfeev was hit by a flare, causing a second 33-minute delay.[10] After that game, barriers were constructed in the upper portions of the stadium to prevent similar incidents in the future.
42°26′41.02″N19°15′51.76″E / 42.4447278°N 19.2643778°E /42.4447278; 19.2643778
