FK Vojvodina

Three national titles in over a century may look like a very poor tally, but considering the highly competitive environment Vojvodina have always had to fight in, the two Yugoslav First League triumphs and the one Serbian Cup the team have to show for, are actually much bigger that what they look at first glance.

History

Fudbalski Klub Vojvodina (Football Club, Фудбалски Kлуб Војводина in Cyrillic; referred to as Vojvodina FC in English) were founded in March 1914 by a group of students, most of whom were studying in Prague, and were in Novi Sad on vacation. Some of them are credited not only with founding Vojvodina, but also with reviving the club soon after the end of World War I.

The very fact that the team have been wearing red since the early twenties, instead of the bright blue that they used to wear the first few years, has the name “Slavia Prague” all over it, since it was Serbian students who lived in today's Czech capital city and were also associated with the historic Prague club who helped Vojvodina stand on their feet after the “Great War” was over.

“Voša” (pronounced “vosha”) as the team are affectionately called, managed to win only twice the Yugoslav First League, in 1966 and 1989, but someone should keep in mind that former Yugoslavia's championship included top teams from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other parts of the now extinct country, so winning the title was a privilege that very few teams, seven in total, enjoyed, in almost half a century.

Numbers show that Vojvodina was the fifth most successful club in the Yugoslav First League, and the only Serbian team other than powerhouses Red Star and Partizan Belgrade to win the championship.

Vojvodina's biggest success ever since Serbia got its own national competitions has been winning the Serbian Cup in 2014, something that felt… historically right, since they had already reached the final four times the previous seven years, only to lose all four.

Vojvodina have been playing in their iconic Karađorđe (pronounced “karadjordje”) Stadium since 1928, working on expanding and renovating it every time that resources allowed that. Not based in Belgrade, Vojvodina had always had to depend on their own selves for financial survival, either gathering money from their members, or, occasionally, especially in the nineties, which were very troubled times in former Yugoslavia, selling their top players abroad.

Player records

Radomir Krstić has played for the team more times than any other player in their history, 613 or 678, depending on at least two conflicting accounts. What is for sure is that both numbers include friendly games. Krstić joined Vojvodina in 1945 as an 18-year-old, having spent the previous 12 months in a labor camp, while World War II was still going on. He served the club as a player until 1959, and from various other posts in the following decades.

Krstić is also third in goals scored for Vojvodina (269), behind list leader Todor Veselinović and second-placed Zdravko Rajkov. Veselinović is credited with an incredible 586 goals wearing the red and white shirt, despite spending only eight years at the club, eight of the 20 that his career lasted. What is beyond doubt is that he finished four Yugoslav First League seasons as top scorer while playing for Vojvodina, in 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1961, just before moving to Sampdoria.

By Dimitris Basias

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FK_Vojvodina
https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/ФК_Војводина
http://www.fkvojvodina.rs/klub/osnivanje-i-istorija/
https://sr.wikipedia.org/sr-el/Радомир_Крстић
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todor_Veselinović
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karađorđe_Stadium