 | |||
| Full name | Fudbalski Klub Trepča | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rudari (The Miners) Trepčani (Members of Trepča) | ||
| Founded | (1932; 93 years ago (1932)) 25 May 1989; 35 years ago (1989-05-25) (current form)[1] | ||
| Ground | Zvečan Stadium (formerly) | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 | ||
| Chairman | Bratislav Radibratović | ||
| Manager | Zoran Drobac | ||
| League | Šumadija-Raška Zone League | ||
| 2022–23 | Šumadija-Raška Zone League, 6th | ||
Fudbalski klub Trepča (Serbian Cyrillic:Фудбалски клуб Трепча), commonly known as Trepča, is aSerbianfootballclub based inNorth Mitrovica, inKosovo.[2][3][4] Despite being located inKosovo, the club plays in theSerbian football league system, currently in the fourth tierŠumadija-Raška Zone League.[5]
FK Trepča andKF Trepça both claim the heritage of the successful club in Yugoslavia.[1] However, KF Trepça is recognized as the successor by theFootball Federation of Kosovo and FK Trepča is considered to be operating illegally.[6][7][8] In 2010, the Serbian FK Trepča merged with the local Serbian clubFK Partizan Kosovska Mitrovica and integrated with it.[citation needed]
The club was named after the formerTrepča Mines, which are located north-east ofKosovska Mitrovica. It was first known asFK Rudar Kosovska Mitrovica until 1962 when it was namedFK Trepča.[9]
On the 25 May 1989, the multiethnic club Trepca converted into two clubs, which both claimed heritage of the successes in the Yugoslavian era, because Albanian players were forced to leave after the start of the cultural oppression of the ethnic Albanian population.[1] The AlbanianKF Trepça started competing in theIndependent League of Kosovo[10] and FK Trepča stayed in the Serbian League system with other phantom clubs likeFK Priština, FK Kosovo Polje and Budućnost Peć. Thus there were two clubs in the city with virtually the same name.
In the season 2001–02 they finished bottom of theSerbian League Morava and were relegated.[11] In the season 2003–04 they played in the 1/16 finals of the Serbia and Montenegro Cup.[12] In the season 2004–05 FK Trepča was playing in the Serbian fourth level, Šumadijska zona, and finished 15th. They played their matches inZubin Potok.[13] In the season 2006–07 they played again in the Šumadija zone finishing 10th.[14]
FK Trepča reached the pre-eliminary round of the 2011–12 Serbian Cup. They played it after winning the Kosovo and Metohija qualifying group.[15]
In April 2013, Trepča attended a friendly match against the Serbian top-level clubPartizan inBelgrade, which symbolized the solidarity withSerbs from Kosovo, which Trepča narrowly lost with 2–3.[2] Both goals for Trepča were scored by Perica Ilić. A year later, they also played a friendly match with same character against the other Serbian top clubRed Star Belgrade, which they lost by 0–3.[16]
From 1990 to this date, the club do not have its own venue.
After the war in 1999, the city was divided into a southern part with almost exclusively Kosovo Albanian and a northern part with non-Albanian or predominantly Serb population.[4]
The Trepča Stadium is located in the southern part of the city, thus the FK Trepča is not possible to play its home matches in the stadium.[4][17] Currently, only Albanian teams play in Trepča Stadium.[4] The Trepča Stadium is officially known now asStadiumi Olimpik Adem Jashari, afterAdem Jashari, a former leader of the Albanian military organisationUÇK, but the Serbian population still calls itStadion Trepča.[18] Because of these current difficult political situation, Trepča plays its home games near Zvečan, in 3.500 seater Zvečan Stadium.[18]
Since 2023, Trepča does not play anymore inNorth Kosovo but inRaška orNovi Pazar which was accepted byZoran Gajić, the Serbian minister of sports.[19]
The club colors are green and black, which are also included in the coat of arms of the city, and were also the colors prior to the merger and the integration ofPartizan Kosovska Mitrovica. To the club color of Partizan Belgrade belonged also red and blue. Thus, the away kit ofPartizan Kosovska Mitrovica wore these colors were symbolic the main colors of theSerbian flag. It was similar at Partizan Belgrade.
Kosovo's federation disagrees, arguing that the club's history, and future, are in Kosovo.
