Yugoslavia national football team

History

The first national team was in the kingdom that existed between the two world wars. The Football Federation of what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was founded in Zagreb in 1919 under the name Jugoslavenski nogometni savez (and admitted into FIFA), and the national team played its first international game at the Summer Olympics in Antwerp in 1920. The opponent was Czechoslovakia, and the historic starting eleven that represented Kingdom of SCS on its debut were: Dragutin Vrđuka, Vjekoslav Župančić, Jaroslav Šifer, Stanko Tavčar, Slavin Cindrić, Rudolf Rupec, Dragutin Vragović, Artur Dubravčić, Emil Perška, Ivan Granec, and Jovan Ružić. They lost by a huge margin 0–7, but nonetheless got their names in the history books.

1930 World Cup

In 1929, the country was renamed to Yugoslavia and the football association became Fudbalski savez Jugoslavije and ordered to move its headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade. The national team participated at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, finishing in fourth place. In its first ever World Cup match in Montevideo's Parque Central, Yugoslavia managed a famous 2–1 win versus mighty Brazil, with the following starting eleven representing the country: Milovan Jakšić, Branislav Sekulić, Aleksandar Tirnanić, Milutin Ivković, Ivica Bek, Momčilo Đokić, Blagoje Marjanović, Milorad Arsenijević, Đorđe Vujadinović, Dragoslav Mihajlović, and Ljubiša Stefanović. The team was the youngest squad at the inaugural World Cup at an average age of just under 22 years old, and became quite popular among the Uruguayan public, who dubbed them "Los Ichachos". The national team consisted of players based in Serbian football clubs, while the Zagreb Subassociation forbid players from Croatian clubs, some of whom were regulars in the national team until then, to play in the World Cup due to the relocation of football association's headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade.

Post-World War II period

The federation and football overall was disrupted by World War II. After the war, a socialist federation was formed and the football federation reconstituted. It was one of the founding members of the UEFA in 1954.

Silver Medal at 1948 Summer Olympics

Yugoslavia began their football campaign by defeating Luxembourg 6–1, with five different players scoring the goals. In the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, they would take out Turkey and Great Britain by the same score of 3–1. In the final though, they would lose to Sweden.

Silver Medal at 1952 Summer Olympics

Having a team with many players from the 1948 generation, Yugoslavia was a formidable side at the 1952 Summer Olympics and finished as runners-up behind the famous "Golden Team" representing Hungary. Against the USSR, Yugoslavia was 5–1 up with 15 minutes of their first round match to go. The Yugoslavs, understandably, put their feet up. Arthur Ellis, the match referee, recorded what happened next in his book, The Final Whistle (London, 1963): "The USSR forced the most honourable draw ever recorded! [Vsevolod] Bobrov, their captain, scored a magnificent hat-trick. After the USSR had reduced the lead to 5–2, he, almost single-handed, took the score to 5–5, scoring his third in the last minute. For once, use of the word sensational was justified." Although Bobrov's early goal in their replay presaged a miraculous recovery, Yugoslavia recovered sufficiently to put out their opponents easily in the second half.

Later decades

In 1976, Yugoslavia organized the European Championship played in Belgrade and Zagreb. The national team participated in eight World Cups and four Euros, won the Olympic football tournament in 1960 at the Summer Games (they also finished second three times and third once), and developed a reputation for skillful and attacking football, leading them to be dubbed "the Brazilians of Europe".

Dragan Džajić holds the record for the most national team caps at 85, between 1964 and 1979. The best scorer is Stjepan Bobek with 38 goals, between 1946 and 1956.

Dissolution and UN embargo

With the end of the Cold War, democratic principles were introduced to the country which brought about the end of Titoist rule. In the subsequent atmosphere, national tensions were heightened. At the Yugoslavia-Netherlands friendly in preparation for the 1990 World Cup, the Croatian crowd in Zagreb jeered the Yugoslav team and anthem and waved Dutch flags (owing to its resemblance to the Croatian tricolour). With the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the team split up and the remaining team of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) was banned from competing at Euro 92. The decision was made on 31 May 1992, just 10 days before the competition commenced. They had finished top of their qualifying group, but were unable to play in the competition due to United Nations Security Council Resolution 757. Their place was taken by Denmark, who went on to win the competition.

After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the FRY consisted of Montenegro and Serbia.

In 1992, Yugoslavia had also been drawn as the second seed in Group 5 of the European Zone in the qualifying tournament for the 1994 World Cup. FRY was barred from competing, rendering the group unusually weak.

In 1994, when the boycott was lifted, the union of Serbia and Montenegro competed under the name "Yugoslavia", as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia national football team. The Serbia and Montenegro national team continued under Yugoslavia's naming until 2003 when the country and team were renamed Serbia and Montenegro.

The Serbia national football team inherited Yugoslavia's spot within FIFA and UEFA and is considered by both organizations as the only successor of Yugoslavia (and of Serbia and Montenegro).

Youth teams

The under-21 team won the inaugural UEFA U-21 Championship in 1978.

The Yugoslav under-20 team won the FIFA World Youth Championship 1987.

Kits

Head coaches

Player statistics

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup record

Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place

UEFA European Championship record

Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place

:*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Mediterranean Games

Yugoslavia Olympic football team

Balkan Cup

:*Edition abandoned.

Head-to-head record

Honours

Global

• Olympic Games
  • Gold Medal (1): 1960
  • Silver Medal (3): 1948, 1952, 1956
  • Bronze Medal (1): 1984

Continental

• UEFA European Championship
  • Runners-up (2): 1960, 1968

Regional

• Balkan Cup
  • Winners (2): 1934–35, 1935
  • Runners-up (6): 1929–31, 1932, 1933, 1946, 1947, 1977–80
  • Third place (1): 1931
• Mediterranean Games
  • Gold medal (2): 1971, 1979

Summary

Notes

References

Bibliography

References

1. [http://www.opendemocracy.net/people-debate_36/article_325.jsp A farewell to Yugoslavia] {{Webarchive. link. (7 July 2017 [[openDemocracy.net]]. ''Dejan Djokic; 10 April 2002'')
2. (14 October 2009). "Jugoslavija – Venecuela 10–0".
3. "1974 FIFA World Cup Germany ™ – Matches – Yugoslavia-Zaire".
4. (1992-06-01). "SOCCER; Yugoslav Athletes Banned". The New York Times.
5. "Yugoslavia Banned From 1994 World Cup Soccer Play {{!}} The Seattle Times".
6. [http://www.fss.rs/sr/savez/istorijat.html History] {{Webarchive. link. (4 September 2009 at [[Football Association of Serbia]] official website, Retrieved 17 May 2913 {{in lang). sr
7. (4 June 2014). "90: 'The team was far better than the country' – The lost brilliance of Yugoslavia".
8. "S/RES/757(1992) – e – S/RES/757(1992) -Desktop".
9. "Yugoslavia barred from European Championships".
10. "Sports ban hits Yugoslavia - UPI Archives".
11. "Yugoslavia and the breakup of its soccer team".
12. Merrill, Austin. (2 June 2010). "The Splintering of Yugoslavia and Its Soccer Team".
13. "Yugoslavia banned for 1994 World - UPI Archives".
14. Lowe, Sid. (2020-05-29). "Slavisa Jokanovic: 'Euro 92 was taken away from us. We were better than Denmark'". The Guardian.
15. [http://www.fss.rs/sr/savez/istorijat.html History] {{Webarchive. link. (4 September 2009 at FSS official website, Retrieved 4 October 2012 {{in lang). sr
16. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070603185848/http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=srb/index.html Serbia] at [[FIFA]] official website
17. link. (25 September 2017 at [[UEFA]] official website, published 1 January 2011, Retrieved 4 October 2012)
18. "1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay 1930". FIFA.com.