 | |||
| Full name | Fudbalski klub Velež Mostar (Velež Mostar Football Club) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Rođeni (The Born) | ||
| Short name | Velež, VEL | ||
| Founded | 26 June 1922 (103 years ago) (1922-06-26) | ||
| Ground | Rođeni Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 7,000 | ||
| President | Admir Rahimić | ||
| Manager | Ibrahim Rahimić (caretaker) | ||
| League | Premier League BH | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League BH, 7th of 12 | ||
| Website | fkvelez.ba | ||
Fudbalski klub Velež Mostar (Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic:Фудбалски клуб Beлеж Мостар;English: Football club Velež Mostar) is a professionalfootball club based inMostar,Bosnia and Herzegovina. Founded in 1922, the club has a history of being one of the most successful clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1]
The club currently plays atRođeni Stadium (7,000 capacity), but its historic stadium is theBijeli Brijeg (9,000 capacity). Due to the divisions between Bosniak and Croat territories, Velež lost its previous home ground of Bijeli Brijeg in 1992. That stadium was largely used by Velež during the glory days of the club, when they triumphed in the1981 and1986 Yugoslav Cups. The club also reached the quarter-final stage of the1974–75 UEFA Cup. Velež have a bitter rivalry with city neighbours,HŠK Zrinjski Mostar.[2]
The club is named after a nearby mountainVelež, which in itself is named after one of the oldSlavic gods,Veles.
During the time offormer Yugoslavia, Velež was always in theYugoslav First League and the team often ended the season in the top ten. Velež was the most popular and most successful team fromHerzegovina 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 theFootball Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is active in thePremier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina and regardless of the difficult political situation, still has a mixture of fans from all three main ethnic groups. The team was relegated to theFirst League of the Federation from thePremier League. However, Velež was promoted to the top league of the country in 2019, and won theBosnian Cup in 2022.
In the summer of 2005, the club's assembly returned the five-pointedred star, also known as thepetokraka, to their logo. The red star has been the symbol of the club since its founding in 1922.
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At the beginning of 1922, drawing on experiences from other parts of the country, an initiative was proposed to establish a workers' sports society in Mostar. The goal was to unite the city's workers and other football fans, while also serving as a focal point for the working class struggle in defense of social and labor rights.
On 26 June 1922, in a suburb ofMostar called Sjeverni logor, Velež Mostar were founded with the prefix RŠD(Radničko športsko društvo) or Workers' Sports Club. The initiative came fromGojko Vuković, a revolutionary and respected citizen of Mostar who, at that time, enjoyed great authority both among workers and among prominent citizens of the city. There were many suggestions for the name, however according to an urban legend the name Velež was picked due to the nearbymountain, 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 fromZagreb. Velež's first derby with another club from Mostar,Zrinjski was canceled after Zrinjski's players wanted Velež's players to take off thered stars from their kits and Velež refused to do so. The club was sympathetic toworker's rights andsocialism, which made it a big target from theKingdom of Yugoslavia, who frequently harassed players and supporters.[3] 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.[3] On 1 September 1940 Velež played a friendly versus a team fromPodgorica 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 theSecond World War many members of Velež joined theYugoslav Partisans and 77 footballers from Velež were said to have lost their lives during the war. 9 players were awarded theOrder of the People's Hero award by the new socialist government, 8 of which posthumously. The only living player given the medal was former captainMehmed Trbonja.[4]
After the war ended, the newsocialist government banned clubs that participated in football tournaments organized by theIndependent 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.[5] 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.[6] 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 theBijeli Brijeg stadium: a 2–1 victory versusFK Željezničar.
In the1952–53 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 the1955–56 Yugoslav First League where they finished seventh out of 14 teams. For the duration of the entireYugoslav First League Velež were never relegated again. During the early days of Velež in the top flight, one of the most well respected players wasMuhamed Mujić,[7] who played over 400 games and was joint top scorer for the1955–56 season. Because of this he became Velež's first player to receive a call up to theSFR Yugoslavia national football team versusHungary in 1956. He scored 17 goals in 32 appearances, played inMelbourne for the1956 Olympics and inChile for the1962 World Cup but his career with the national team ended abruptly after a bad foul onSoviet playerEduard Dubinski, which indirectly caused Dubinski's death 7 years later.[8] The Yugoslav Football Association sent Mujić back home and he never played another international game again.
In the1957–58 Yugoslav Cup, Velež became the first Bosnian team to reach the final, after beatingRadnički Beograd,RNK Split andHajduk Split in previous rounds. In front of a crowd of 30,000 at theStadion JNA, Velež lost 4–0 after a lacklustre performance that served more asRajko Mitić's farewell game than a cup final.
In 1968, former playerSulejman "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 theUEFA 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 theBosnian War. The first players to come through the academy were goalkeeperEnver Marić and strikerDušan Bajević. They and midfielderFranjo Vladić would make up the famous BMV trio (named after the Germancar manufacturer) which was one of the most prolific partnerships in the history of Bosnian football. The1969–70 season saw Velež finish third and Bajević joint top scorer alongsideSlobodan Santrač with 20 goals each. 1970 also saw Bajević's first call-up to the national team, a 1–1 draw versusAustria in which he scored on his debut. Bajević would go on to make 37 appearances and score 29 goals, including a hat-trick againstZaire in a 9–0 demolition during the1974 World Cup. In the1972–73 Velež placed 2nd in the league, their best position yet and qualified for theUEFA cup, their first ever European competition. They were knocked out in the first round toTatran Prešov.
The 1973–74 season was one of Velež's best. In theleague, Velež were in a neck and neck race withHajduk 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.[9] InEurope the following season, Velež won on away goals againstSpartak Moscow in the first round and againstRapid Wien in the second round. In the third round they were faced withDerby County, who would go on to win theFirst Division that season. They lost 3–1 in the first leg at theBaseball Ground.Franjo Vladić scored Velež's only goal that day. The second leg at theBijeli Brijeg stadium featured a remarkable upset.Boro Primorac, another prodigy of Rebac, scored in the 14th minute with a follow-up goal fromVladimir 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 whichDušan Bajević scored. The game ended 5–4 on aggregate and Velež went on to the quarterfinals. There they facedFC 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 forSchalke 04 in 1976, Bajević left to joinAEK Athens in 1977, with Vladić following him in 1979.
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 brotherMili,Marko Čolić,Vladimir Pecelj,Jadranko Topić,Blaž Slišković but none were an integral part of post-BMV Velež more thanVahid 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 includingPartizan,Dinamo Zagreb andRed Star Belgrade because of his performances for the national team, but ultimately stayed at Velež.[10] The act did not pay off as Velež finished11th, miles off pace compared to the clubs trying to buy Halilhodžić. The next 2 seasons saw some improvement, finishing7th and5th, respectively. In the1979–80 season, Velež finished 8th and the manager at the time,Vukašin Višnjevac was sacked and replaced withMiloš Milutinović, famously known asPlava čigra.
Inthe league Velež finished a lowly 9th place, but their real shining moment came in thecup that season. Velež had beatenBorac Banja Luka in the first round 3–2, and after awalkover fromSutjeska Nikšić in the second round, advanced to the quarterfinals where they facedFK Bregalnica Štip, a lower league side fromNorth Macedonia, and beat them 2–0. Velež beatBudućnost 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 wereŽeljezničar, 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 sideFC 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.[11] In the cup final,Dragan Okuka scored the winning goal with a header in the 80th minute, and Velež won their first ever major trophy, defeatingŽeljezničar 3-2.
| Velež | 3–2 | Željezničar |
|---|---|---|
Halilhodžić 55',58'Okuka 80' | Baždarević 36' (pen.),62' (pen.) |
As a result of winning they were admitted into theCup Winners' Cup, and played their first game in Europe in 6 years. They also took part in the1980–81 Balkans Cup, which they won 12–7 on aggregate againstTrakia Plovdiv, later Botev Plovdiv. In the1981–82 Cup Winners' Cup beatJeunesse Esch 7–2 on aggregate in the first round and facedLokomotiv Leipzig in the second, which they lost on penalties. The1981–82 league season saw Velež finish 7th and Milutinović left forFK Partizan. Without him, Velež struggled and finished 13th, even with the efforts ofVladimir Skočajić (14 goals) andDušan Bajević (11 goals). Bajević eventually became manager in 1984. In the1984–85 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 goalkeeperVukašin Petranović, defendersNenad Bijedić andVladimir Matijević, midfielderVladimir Skočajić and forwardsPredrag Jurić,Sead Kajtaz andSemir Tuce.
Velež had another good cup run in the1985-86 Yugoslav Cup, first beating lower leagueŽeljezničar Doboj 1–5 away from home.Rad from Belgrade were beaten 2–0 but in the quarterfinals faced tough opponentsPartizan. 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 timeOFK Belgrade, which Velež beat 3–0 at home. In the final they were faced withDinamo Zagreb, one of the big 4 teams in Yugoslavia led by famous coachMiroslav "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 afterPredrag Jurić scored in the 87th minute. The performance of Velež was so good it caught the eye of the newYugoslavia national team coach,Ivica Osim who was the manager ofŽeljezničar 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 andMeho Kodro, who was a youth prospect in 1986 would be the last players to play for the Yugoslavia national team while playing for Velež.
| Velež | 3–1 | Dinamo Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Bijedić 6' (pen.),51' P. Jurić 87' | Mlinarić 58' |
Velež had a fantastic performance inthe league that season as well, but it was marred by the final matchday. Velež lost 2–3 toOFK 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 theUEFA Cup next season (but played in theCup Winners' Cup instead) but OFK needed a win to stay up.[12] 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 beatVasas SC in the first round with a 5–4 aggregate victory but lost versusVitosha Sofia (later Levski Sofia) with the same aggregate. Inthe 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.
Their UEFA Cup campaign began by disposing of Swiss clubSion 5–3 on aggregate in the first round. Their next opponent would beWest German powerhouseBorussia 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 overRed Star Belgrade which is still regarded as a memorable victory by many Velež fans.[13] 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 andPredrag Jurić both scored goals,Semir Tuce missed a penalty, butFrank Mill scored for Dortmund and ended any chance of Velež going through, with Dortmund advancing 3–2 on aggregate despite losing 2-1 in the second leg.[14] For the 1988–89 season Velež played their ever last season in a European competition (namely the UEFA Cup). They beatAPOEL 6–2 on aggregate in the first round andBelenenses 4–3 on penalties after 0–0 on aggregate in the second round. In the third round they were faced withHeart 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. The1988-89 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 includingSileks Kratovo,HNK Šibenik,Liria Prizren, andRudar Ljubija (later Rudar Prijedor). In the final Velež were thoroughly beaten byPartizan Belgrade 6–1; Velež's sole goal came from Zijad Repak in the 65th minute.
In 1989, Velež's youth team reached the final of theYugoslav Youth Football Cup for the fourth time (after losing the final in 1969, 1977 and 1987) and won 4–1 versusFK Vardar with a team featuringFranjo Džidić,Slaven Musa andSergej Barbarez. This would be the only piece of silverware ever won by Velež's youth team.[15]
On 15 March 1992, Velež would play their last ever game at theBijeli Brijeg stadium; a 2–0 win versusFK Zemun. Shortly after the game theSiege of Mostar started, rendering football a dangerous and logistically impossible task. Velež were already on the way out of theYugoslav First League due to Bosnia voting to leave Yugoslavia in anindependence 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 toZrinjski 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.[16] Zrinjski had positioned themselves as a club specifically forCroats, which led to a large number of Velež's supporters abandoning them (Velež were a multiethnic club for all of their history, including players ofBosniak,Serb andCroat origin). Velež didn't play another game until 1994, when they were placed in the "Zenica Group" of the1994–95 First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a wartime cuplike competition. Velež lost their first game 3–0 toSlaven Živinice and things didn't improve, they lost their next 2 games and exited the competition along withNK Đerzelez as the only 2 teams who lost all of their games.
For the1995–96 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 andJablanica Velež choseVrapčići, on the very outskirts of Mostar. The next few seasons would be rough as Velež finished 14th in1995–96 and 10th in1996–97 and1997–98. 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. In1998–99 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 theOffice of the High Representative (OHR) rejected the appeal, Velež and other teams boycotted the playoff for that season.[17] Velež later qualified for the inaugural season of thePremier 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 the2003–04 season, however a goal in injury time forBudućnost Banovići ensured that they would be promoted instead of Velež.[18] In2004–05 another title challenge was mounted but a 2–1 loss versusRudar Kakanj made sureJedinstvo Bihać would get promoted.[19] In2005–06 Velež were finally promoted, 14 points clear of second placed Rudar Kakanj.
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 defeatedTravnik 3–2 away in the first round and faced local rivals Zrinjski in the next round. The game originally ended 1–0 to Velež whenRiad 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.[20] The second leg ended 2–0 to Velež and they would book themselves a place in the quarterfinals versusHNK 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 toŠiroki Brijeg and Velež's best cup run in 15 years was over. In the2013–14 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 BosnianSocial Democratic Party,Nermin Nikšić.[21] 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 the2015–16 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.[22] That didn't mean the2016–17 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 coachAvdo Kalajdžić was sacked and replaced withIbrahim Rahimić, who had previously played for and coached Velež.[23] Velež miraculously stayed up on the final day of the season andFK Goražde were relegated instead of them. Between seasons the stadium "Vrapčići" changed their name to "Stadion Rođeni" named after fans of Velež.[24]
For the 2017–18 season, thanks to new signings such asElmir Kuduzović, Hamza Mešanović and Minel Doljančić, Velež wrapped up a 3rd place spot.
For the2018–19 season, Velež signed many attackers like attacking midfielder Edo Vehabović, right wingerObren Cvijanović and strikerNusmir 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 includingVelibor Pudar,Vahid Halilhodžić andDžemal 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).[25] Velež overcame this and won the First League 7 points ahead of their nearest rivalsOlimpik, 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 andIgman Konjic, a match that had an attendance of 7,000, one of the highest in the new stadium.[26]
Velež's return to the top flight was not as glamorous as anticipated as they lost their first three games toMladost Doboj Kakanj, Zrinjski andČelik Zenica. Rahimić resigned andFeđa Dudić was chosen as the next manager. His first game featured the debut of Macedonian centre-backKosta Manev, who was cited as one of Velež's best players that season.[27] Dudić's first game as manager was a 0–0 draw againstSloboda Tuzla and Velež picked up its first point in the season. Velež picked up several wins against teams likeŠiroki 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 ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[28] However, thefollowing season saw Velež's fortune turn with a return to European competition, finishing 3rd in the league and qualifying for the first iteration of theUEFA Europa Conference League.[29] In theConference League qualifying rounds, Velež eliminated semi-professional Northern Irish clubColeraine and Greek giantsAEK Athens, before themselves getting eliminated by Swedish sideIF Elfsborg in thethird qualifying round.[30] In the2021–22 season, Velež won the firstBosnian Cup title in their history, after apenalty shoot-out, following a 0–0 draw againstSarajevo.[31]
Following Feđa Dudić leaving Velež at the end of the 2021–22 season, the club appointedAmar Osim, one of the most successful Bosnian football managers, as its new manager on 11 June 2022.[32]
FK Velež's main rival isHŠK Zrinjski Mostar, the other team fromMostar. The match between the two Mostar teams is called theMostar derby. The first match betweenVelež Mostar andZrinjski 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 theYugoslav First League, they were the only major club fromMostar and were supported by all people from the city of Mostar. After thewar 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 inSarajevo 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, calledRed Army are predominantly Bosniaks, while Zrinjski and their fans calledUltras are Croats. Making the rivalry bigger is the fact thatZrinjski 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.[33]
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 areRed Army Mostar andMostarski Rođeni.
| Season | League | Cup | Top league goalscorer | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | ||
| 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[28] | 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 |
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 33 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 45 | 39 | 42 | 7th | QF | Mihael Mlinarić | 19 |
Since the late 1970s up until theBosnian 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.
(This summary does not include matches played in theInter-Cities Fairs Cup, which was not endorsed byUEFA 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
(Velež score always listed first. Source:[44])
| Season | Achievement | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Cup | |||
| 1974–75 | Quarter-finals | eliminated by Twente 1–0 in Mostar, 0–2 in Enschede | |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Ibrahim Rahimić (caretaker) |
| Assistant coach | Vacant |
| Goalkeeping coach | Adnan Dizdarević |
| Video analyst | Vacant |
| Fitness coach |  Ante Jurić |
| Doctor | Adnan Konjhodžić |
| Physiotherapist | Adnan Rudan |
| Physiotherapist | Anel Husnić |
| Kit manager | Šaćir Šabanović |
| Club representative | Veselin Đurasović |
Last updated: 1 October 2025
Source:fkvelez.ba
| President | Admir Rahimić |
| Vice president | Anel Demić |
| Chairman of the Assembly | Samir Sunagić |
| Chairman of the Disciplinary Board | Anel Droce |
| Counselor of Administrative Board | Meho Kodro |
| Director | Denis Zvonić |
| Sporting director | Ibrahim Rahimić |
| Youth School director | Vedran Pelić |
| Club secretary | Fazlija Puzić |
Source: fkvelez.ba
Bernard Hügl (1953–55)Ratomir Čabrić (1955–59)Gustav Lechner (1959–60)Ratomir Čabrić (1960–61)Haldun Hrvić (1961–64)Dragoslav Filipović (1964–65)Domagoj Kapetanović (1965–66)Mirko Kokotović (1966–67)Haldun Hrvić (1967–68)Sulejman Rebac (1968–76)Muhamed Mujić (1976–77)Vukašin Višnjevac (1977–80)Miloš Milutinović (1980–82)Muhamed Mujić (1982–83)Dušan Bajević (1983–87)Žarko Barbarić (1988–89)Salem Halilhodžić (1989–90)Enver Marić (1990)Franjo Džidić (1990–92)
Zejnil Selimotić (1994–96)Zijad Tojaga(interim) (1996)Sedin Tanović (1996–98)Avdo Kalajdžić (1998–00)Kemal Hafizović (2002–03)Avdo Kalajdžić (2003)Husnija Arapović (2003–05)Kemal Hafizović (2005)Milomir Šešlija (2005–07)Anel Karabeg (2007–08)Emir Tufek (2008)Abdulah Ibraković (2008–10)Veselin Đurasović(interim) (2010)Demir Hotić (2010)Enes Spahić(interim) (2010)Milomir Odović (2011)Mirza Varešanović (2011–12)Adnan Dizdarević(interim) (2012)Asmir Džafić (2012)Ibrahim Rahimić (2012–13)Nedim Jusufbegović (2013–15)Dželaludin Muharemović (2015)Adis Obad(interim) (2015)Dženan Zaimović(interim) (2015)
Dragi Kanatlarovski (2015)Dženan Zaimović(interim) (2015)Zijad Tojaga (2015–16)Avdo Kalajdžić (2016)Ibrahim Rahimić (2016–19)Feđa Dudić (2019–22)Amar Osim (2022)Nedim Jusufbegović (2022–2023)Dean Klafurić (2023–2024)
Damir Čanadi (2024)
İrfan Buz (2024–2025)
Vladimir Janković (2025)Goran Sablić (2025)Ibrahim Rahimić(interim) (2025–present)The official anthem of FK Velež Mostar isRođeni, rođeni (Rođeni, Rođeni) byŽeljko Samardžić. The text was written by Milenko Mišo Marić. The music was composed byKemal Monteno. The first demo recording was done after theMarshall TitoYugoslav Cup final in 1981 againstŽeljezničar. For the first time, the official club anthem was played before the final of theMarshall TitoYugoslav Cup in 1986 againstGNK Dinamo Zagreb. It was also played live at theBijeli Brijeg Stadium byŽeljko Samardžić in 1987 before theUefa cup game againstBorussia Dortmund. The official anthem of the club's ultras groupRed Army Mostar isIli grmi il' se zemlja trese (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 fromMostar.
In 1965, to commemorate 20 years of theliberation 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 theBosnian War and Velež no longer being able to play on theBijeli 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.[46]
The tournament featured many notable club and national teams, the latter of which includedPoland and theSoviet 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 ownDušan Bajević holds the record for most appearances, as well as most goals in the tournament.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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