| Full name | Fudbalski klub Mačva Šabac | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Provincijski Urugvaj (ProvincialUruguay) | ||
| Founded | 1919; 106 years ago (1919) | ||
| Ground | Stadium FK Mačva | ||
| Capacity | 5,500 | ||
| Coordinates | 44°44′54.0″N19°41′09.1″E / 44.748333°N 19.685861°E /44.748333; 19.685861 | ||
| President | Filip Pejović | ||
| Head coach | Nemanja Glušica | ||
| League | Serbian First League | ||
| 2024–25 | Serbian First League, 4th of 16 | ||
| Website | fkmacva.com | ||
Fudbalski klub Mačva Šabac (Serbian Cyrillic:Фудбалски клуб Мачва Шабац,lit. 'Football Club Mačva Šabac') is a Serbian professionalfootball club based inŠabac, which competes in theSerbian First League.
One of the oldest football clubs in Serbia, their nickname isProvincijski Urugvaj (lit. 'the provincial Uruguay'), which was first used in 1927, when theUruguay national football team were one of the best teams in the world, and due to local people and media comparing Mačva's style to that of the Uruguayan team, the main daily newspaperPolitika consistently used the nicknameProvincijski Urugvaj.
In the period ofYugoslavia, Mačva mostly played in the lower tiers of the football system but did spend two seasons in national top flight ofYugoslavia in the1951 and1952 seasons. Afterwards, they would spend the next six decades in the Yugoslav lower-leagues but were a stable and respected lower-tier club in the country.
Mačva reached theSerbian SuperLiga for the first time ever in the2017–18 season, returning to the top tier of Yugoslav/Serbian football for the first time in over six decades.[1]
The club was founded in 1919.[2] During the 1920s, it played in the First League of the Novi Sad district (a league within theBelgrade Football Subassociation) and in 1930 the league was transferred into the First League of theNovi Sad Football Subassociation. In the period between the two world wars Mačva developed a fierce rivalry for the titles in those leagues withFK Vojvodina.[3] The highlight for Mačva in this era was their participation in the1931 Yugoslav Football Championship, even though they finished at the bottom in 6th place.
During this period the club got nicknamed in the press the "Provincial Uruguay".[4][5]Provincial because they were playing in the Provincial Group of the Belgrade Subassociation League, andUruguay because of their playing style which resembled Uruguay's, highly regarded at that time as they were the Olympic champions. The nickname was used for the first time in 1927. By early spring of 1928, Mačva finished at the top of the First League of the Novi Sad District where they defeated their main rivals Vojvodina. In the decisive match Mačva won over Vojvodina by 6:1. By the league system of that time, the winners of the district (župa) leagues had to compete to determine the Belgrade Subassociation Provincial League champion. Mačva first played at home against the winner of Banat district league champion, Obilić Veliki Bečkerek, which they won by 4:1, and then played away and won by 4:3 against the champion of the Šumadija district league,FK Šumadija 1903. Then, the draw determined that the final match would be played in Šabac against ZAŠK from Zemun, which Mačva smashed by 6:1 with goals by Bora Kesić, Milan Perić, Raduška Gajić and Kokan Stevanović.[4]Otto Fischer coached the team in the1931 Yugoslav Championship.[6][7]
After becoming Belgrade Subassociation Provincial League champions, Mačva became notorious and the main daily newspaperPolitika consistently used the nickname Provincial Uruguay, especially after their surprising win againstSK Jedinstvo Beograd by 3:2 in Belgrade, and after their successful tour in Greece where they beat Thessaloniki sidesIraklis by 3:1, andAris by 4:2.[4][8]
In the following season, they became Novi Sad District League champions for the third time and qualified for the Vojvodina Group of the Belgrade Subassociation League. Mačva won the league and thus earned a spot in theYugoslav First League where the major clubs in the country compete. They played well againstBSK Belgrade andHajduk Split and won in competition with the three-time Yugoslav championsGrađanski Zagreb. Some Mačva players started to receive calls for theYugoslavia national team, namelyMilorad Arsenijević,Ivan Bek,Milorad Ilić,Milanče Jovanović,Radomir Vojisavljević,Andreja Kojić, Raduška Gajić andBora Kesić. Other players of theProvincial Uruguay generation were Jefta Jovanović, Jovan Vračarić, Jovan Cvetković, Gidra Šljivić, Milan Perić, Kokan Stefanović, Kulja Suvajdžić, Bata Kiš, Vido Božović, Moma Jovanović, Mikica Sinđelić, Đole Jovanović, Đorđe Pantazijević, Mikela Stanojčić, Mita Salajdžijević, Nikola Kradžić, and Brana Janković.[4]
After the Second World War, still within Yugoslavia, Mačva played two seasons in national top flight, it was in seasons1951 and1952 Yugoslav First League. Afterwards, they spent the next 6 decades in lower-leagues.
Under the club presidency of formerYugoslavia goalkeeperIvica Kralj, FK Mačva returned to top flight football, after a six decade absence. in March 2015, Mačva made headlines by becoming the first professional club in Europe to have aMongolian player, the internationalMurun Altankhuyag[9][10]
In the2017–18 Serbian SuperLiga season, Mačva's first season back in the top flight after more than six decades, Mačva finished in 12th position out of 16 clubs in the Serbian SuperLiga finishing the season with 11 wins 8 draws and 18 losses with a goal difference of 38 against 52. Securing survival in the club's first season back in the top flight after more than six decades of absence from top tier, was an accomplishment of a goal made at the start of the season by the club management.[1] In the2018–19 Serbian SuperLiga, Mačva finished in 12th place the same position they finished in their first season in the top flight of Serbian football.[11]
The2019–20 Serbian SuperLiga season was a disaster for Mačva, they finished bottom of the ladder (16th) winning only two games out of a possible 30, but due to theCOVID-19 global pandemic, theFootball Association of Serbia decided against relegating the bottom two teams of theSerbian SuperLiga which were FK Mačva and Belgrade clubFK Rad, TheFootball Association of Serbia decided to scrap relegation and add more clubs so the league in the 2020/21 season would be going ahead with 20 clubs. In a time of crisis for the entire world some fortune came Mačva's way in a time of misery for most. In the 2019/20 season, Mačva struggled for goals all season scoring the fewest goals in the league with only 18 goals scored all up.[1]
The organized supporters of Mačva Šabac are known asŠaneri (Serbian Cyrillic: Шанери), and have a friendship withNapredak Kruševac fan groupJakuza.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Nemanja Glušica |
| Assistant manager | Ivan Obrovac |
| Fitness coach | Mladen Mićanović |
| Goalkeeping coach | Marko Petrović |
| Club representative and coaching staff secretary | Miroslav Popović |
| Analyst coach | Miloš Budaković |
| Physiotherapist | Zoran Jovanović Živorad Radojičić Vladan Bogićević |
| Doctor | Ivan Stefanović |
| Economic | Dragan Stošić |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Filip Pejović |
| Sporting director | Miloš Adamović |
| General secretary | Zoran Jovanović |
| Security commissioner | Ljubomir Peranović |
| PR manager | Jelena Novaković |
Former players with senior national team appearances:[15]
For the list of all current and former players with Wikipedia article, please see:Category:FK Mačva Šabac players.
