THE BEGINNING OF A GOLDEN STORY
The first page of our golden story was written on July 4, 1926. That Sunday, in the 'Putnik' tavern at Fra Grge Martića 1, about fifty football enthusiasts gathered to hold the founding assembly of the Workers' Sports Club 'Borac'.
According to Banja Luka legend, passed down from generation to generation, the name of our club was suggested by Veselin Masleša, who, during a discussion about the name for the emerging club, famously said:
'If you are fighting, if you will fight for your workers' rights, why shouldn't your club be called Borac!' Masleša told those gathered in the 'Putnik' tavern before the founding assembly was held, and his proposal was enthusiastically accepted.
On July 4, 1926, Rudolf Hiter was elected as the first president, and Savo Novaković was appointed vice president. Red was chosen as the club's color, and the first jerseys were bought in Zagreb by Mustafa Softić, the secretary.
It is said that we played our first match on September 18 against ŠK Slavija from Prijedor, and in the first Borac generation, the players were: Zdravko Šerbl (first captain), Vlado Zeljković, Žarko Vranješević, Jakov Baruh, Velimir Amidžić, Josip Zeman, Ludwig Kirbaumer, Nikola Pucar, Mile Pucar, Mile Prlja, Rudi Toman, Ivan Sigler, Franjo Lemajić, Vjekoslav Rokvić, Ludvig Navrkalj, Branko Ilić, Mladen Stefanović, Mile Stefanović, Božidar Ilić, Karlo Polić, and Nikola Bandić. Our Borac won its first trophy on May 27, 1928. We participated in the Workers' Sports Clubs Tournament in Sarajevo, organized for the opening of Hajduk's playground at Skenderija.
In the first match, we defeated our namesake from Jajce 6:1, and in the final, we outplayed Proleter from Teslić 4:2. The trophy we won that day in Sarajevo still adorns our trophy room.
BORAC MOVES FORWARD, BANJA LUKA AWAKENS
Our club grew year by year, and during the 'thirties' it became a serious competitor to all rivals.
Our biggest rival was 'Krajisnik' with whom we fought battles in city derbies during which we celebrated our first major victories. In the 1936/37 season, we won the Banja Luka championship title. Among the competition of nine clubs from Banja Luka, our Borac was unmatched, and we defeated 'Krajisnik' 3:0 in front of more than a thousand spectators.
At that time, Banja Luka also embarked on the construction of a stadium, which was opened on September 5, 1937, under the name 'Ban Bogoljub Kujundzic Stadium', and which would later become our football home, well known as the City Stadium.
BAN ON OPERATIONS AND NEW RISE
The war whirlwind will engulf the entire planet in the forties, and our Banja Luka fell into the clutches of the infamous NDH regime, which decided to ban our club's operations.
As every evil eventually comes to an end, so did this one, and after the liberation of Banja Luka, FK Borac resumed its activities. The renewal assembly was held on June 23, 1945, in the Banski Dvor, and Niko Jurinčić was elected as the first post-war president.
The next day, we played a comeback match in front of more than 300 spectators. At that time, soldiers from several divisions of the People's Liberation Army played for our club.
By early 1946, we had the opportunity to qualify for the newly formed First League of the FNR Yugoslavia, and we fought for a spot belonging to the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina with Velež from Mostar and Željezničar from Sarajevo.
Our team was on the right track, and the decision on the new first-league team was made on July 6 in Banja Luka. A draw or a minimal loss to Željezničar would have led us to the first league, but we did not succeed. A 2:0 defeat marked the end of a great dream that we would realize years later.
From this period, the first junior championship title of BiH, which we won in 1948, is also remembered, and our golden generation of youth was then led by coach Aleksandar Mastela.
RETURN TO SECOND LEAGUE RANK
At the beginning of the 'fifties', we won our first republican title. It was in 1951, and then we had the opportunity to compete with Sarajevo's 'Željo' for qualifications and placement in the Second League. On the field, in a decisive match played in Mostar, we defeated our great rival 3:2, but that was the end - the Second League was abolished at the 'green table'.
Two years later, we won the title of the Banja Luka sub-association, which brought us direct placement in the Second League, which was reformed, but also qualification clashes for entry into the First League.
However, in duels with Odred from Ljubljana and Proleter from Osijek, we did not manage to reach the first league society, and we stayed in the Second League for only one season.
We had to wait until the 1957/58 season to return to the second league rank when we first defeated Tekstilac in the qualifications. In Derventa, it was 5:1, in Banja Luka 8:3 for our Borac. After that, we faced Split's Dalmatinac, to whom we gave two football lessons. In Split, we defeated them 10:2, and in Banja Luka, we celebrated with 4:3, thus reaching the Second League for the second time.
At the City Stadium, at the end of the 'fifties', the north and south stands for standing were built, and Božidar Jovanović, on May 15, 1957, celebrated his 500th match played for our club.
FIRST LEAGUE RANK BECOMES REALITY
While the world was in the grip of rock and roll fever, in Banja Luka, the football fever was reaching its peak. The first league dream that had been dreamt for more than three decades finally became a reality. FK Borac reached the First League for the first time by winning the championship title in the second league caravan in the 1960/1961 season. With the captain's armband around his arm, we were led by the 'golden Olympian' Tomo Knez, who was responsible for the 'Borac's fine weave' from which Momčilo Spasojević scored eleven times against rivals.
We were led from the bench by Mirko Kokotović, and at that time, FK Borac's players were: Stanislav Kolak, Jovo Radević, Ismet Biščević, Muhamer Kulenović, Brane Krivokuća, Adem Kasumović, Pero Alfirević, Nikola Vezmar, Mile Tomljenović, Tomo Knez, Mladen Timotijević, Andrija Jurić, Ivica Andrijević, Suad Švraka, Momčilo Spasojević, Radomir Janković, Ante Gombović, Bogomil Gomiršek, and Nijaz Kulenović.
We played our first, historic match in the First League on August 20, 1961, and in Banja Luka, we defeated Hajduk from Split 1:0 with a goal by Nikica Vezmar. However, we will not remember our debut in the First League fondly. We won eleven points, which were enough for the 'lantern', but the last match of that season, in which we defeated Crvena Zvezda 2:1 in Banja Luka, shows that we were a tough nut to crack.
We will spend almost a decade in the second league rank, and during those years, some of our greatest players and coaches will mature in Borac. Ilija Miljuš, Nenad Gavrilović, Husnija Fazlić, Pašo Bećirbašić, Josip Pelc, Smail Alagić, Hikmet Kušmić, and many others who will leave an indelible mark in our Borac stepped onto the big stage.
Belgrade Finale, European Debut, and Half a Century of Existence
Čačak, July 12, 1970. A clash of two Borac teams, with a first-league visa at stake. Our team arrived by the Morava River with a Banja Luka goal advantage, and in the opening part of the return match, Husnija Fazlić 'froze' 15,000 spectators in Čačak. Borac from Banja Luka reached the first-league caravan of Yugoslav football for the second time. It was the crown of a brilliant season during which the Second League title was won.
Abid Kovačević, who had been a Borac child from a young age, also stepped onto the scene, and Marijan Jantoljak arrived at the goal, soon to be declared the best goalkeeper in Yugoslavia. Floodlights shone at the City Stadium, and on the field, we were once again a tough nut to crack for everyone. We established ourselves among the best Yugoslav clubs, but in the 1973/74 season, we went down a rank again.
From the Second League, we achieved great success. Our Borac reached the final of the Yugoslav Cup, or as the competition was then called, the 'Marshal Tito Cup'. In the Belgrade battle for the trophy on November 29, 1974, Hajduk from Split awaited us, defeating us 1:0 after ninety minutes of play.
The generation that reached the Marshal Tito Cup final also returned us to the first-league rank, and on September 17, 1975, we played on the European stage for the first time. In the Cup Winners' Cup, our first opponent was Rumelange from Luxembourg. It was a historic night for our club, adorned with a brilliant 9:0 victory.
It will be remembered that Miloš Cetina scored our first European goal, and it will also be remembered that Muhamed 'Fisher' Ibrahimbegović shook the net of the guests from Luxembourg five times. We also won the return match, with a 5:1 victory for Borac, and then we faced a two-legged tie with Anderlecht. The Belgian team outplayed us in Banja Luka, with a score of 3:0, but we avenged them at 'Heysel'. Muhamed Ibrahimbegović scored the goal that inflicted Anderlecht's only defeat on their way to the Cup Winners' Cup trophy.
Our club also celebrated fifty years of existence, and a ceremonial academy was held at the House of Culture on December 26, 1976. FK Borac, in fifty years, grew into a club spoken of with chosen words from Vardar to Triglav, and all sports rivals knew that in Banja Luka, they would always face a tough field and a team that would defend the honor of the club and the city as befits its name.
"The White Tulip Bloomed"
At the beginning of the '80s, we returned to the second league rank, where we spent almost an entire decade, achieving one of the greatest successes in the club's history and orchestrating one of the biggest feats in the football history of former Yugoslavia.
It will forever be recorded that FK Borac from Banja Luka, as a second-league team, managed to win the 'Marshal Tito Cup'. In the grand final, played on May 11, 1988, we defeated Crvena Zvezda, with Senad Lupić scoring the trophy-winning goal in the 60th minute of the match. One of the heroes of the match was Slobodan Karalić, who saved a penalty from Dragan Stojković. The song composed by captain Damir Špica became a timeless hit:
'The white tulip bloomed, we took the Marshal's Cup.'
Our journey to the gates of football history began on May 7, 1987, in Kozarska Dubica. The local Radnik 'received' nine balls in their net, and then, on the way to the top 32 clubs in the Yugoslav Cup, we successively defeated Elektrobosna, Kozara, Rudar Prijedor, Jedinstvo, and Leotar.
Before the Belgrade final and the epic clash with Crvena Zvezda, we achieved several more great victories. With memorable play, we eliminated Osijek, Spartak from Subotica, Vojvodina, and Priština.
In Banja Luka, at the then Edward Kardelj Square, a magnificent welcome was organized for the sports heroes from Platonska Street, attended by more than 30,000 fans.
Riding the wave of great success, our Borac continued with good results and once again appeared on the European stage. Metalist from Kharkiv arrived at the City Stadium, whom we defeated 2:0 in the first match, but a 4:0 defeat away cost us a place in the next round of the Cup Winners' Cup.
However, this did not discourage anyone in our club. The return to the First League of Yugoslavia was the next task, and the goal was reached in that epic match with Proleter when not even a needle could fall on the packed City Stadium.
The penalty shootout went in our favor, and FK Borac returned to the First League after eight years spent in the second-league company.
European Trophy in the Shadow of War
At the beginning of the '90s, our Borac achieved its best placement in the First League. In the 1990/91 season, we finished in fourth place, with only Crvena Zvezda, Dinamo, and Partizan ahead of us. The club's management, led by Mesud Mulaomerović, Milorad Slavnić, and Husnija Fazlić, did an excellent job, but many future plans were interrupted by 'a higher power.'
The war whirlwind was slowly engulfing former Yugoslavia, but despite everything, our Borac managed to secure a European trophy. In the last edition of the Mitropa Cup tournament held in Foča, our 'red and blue' defeated Foča and Vasutas, and the Mitropa Cup trophy became the permanent property of FK Borac.
Soon, a new struggle for the football survival of our club began. Due to the war events, we were forced to play our matches outside Banja Luka and compete in the First and Second Leagues of Yugoslavia. We hosted games in Senta, Valjevo, Kostolac, Sremska Mitrovica, Pančevo, Novi Sad, Šid, Kula, and Bač, and although the desire for results was always present, football was in the background during those years.
Football Returns to Fashion
The war ended and the ball rolled again on our fields, and at the end of 1995, an epic two-legged match was played in the fight for the trophy in the Republic of Srpska Cup. The footballers of Borac and Rudar from Prijedor faced each other. The first match, played in Prijedor in front of about 5,000 spectators on December 16, ended with a score of 2:2. The rematch was as dramatic as only football and life can script. Scheduled for December 20, it was postponed due to thick fog for three days later. More than 20,000 spectators awaited the participants of the great final, and Milorad Bilbija scored a goal in the very end of the match for a final score of 3:2. FK Borac won its first Republic of Srpska Cup.
The Republic of Srpska championship also started, in which Borac would play one of the most important roles in the coming years. We played our premiere match in the Republic of Srpska championship in Novi Grad on March 16, 1996, and at the 'Mlakve' stadium, we defeated Sloboda 3:0.
However, we only reached our first championship title in the Republic of Srpska championship in the 2000/2001 season, and in the meantime, we managed to win another trophy in the Republic of Srpska Cup by defeating Jedinstvo from Brčko in the final in 1996.
ENTERING THE 21ST CENTURY: PREMIER LEAGUE SOCIETY
On its 75th birthday, our Borac achieved its first championship title in the Republic of Srpska, and our 'red and blue' played a brilliant 2000/2001 season, gaining a twelve-point lead over the second-placed Sloboda.
For the 75th birthday celebration in 2001, we were visited by the national team of Yugoslavia, as well as FK Vojvodina, the Belgrade 'eternal rivals', and FK Obilić. These were memorable matches and an opportunity for our club to once again shine in full glory.
FK Borac participated in the first edition of the Premier League of BiH in the 2002/2003 season, debuting on August 4, 2002, in Ugljevik. We achieved our first victory then, with a 2:1 result and two goals by Vladimir Karalić.
Our time in the Premier League was marked by numerous ups and downs, and we waited until 2010 for our first trophy in competitions under the auspices of the N/FS BiH, by which time we would become champions of the Republic of Srpska twice and win one trophy in the Republic of Srpska Cup.
TROPHY IN THE BIH CUP AND FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
We played our first BiH Cup final in 2004, but the trophy slipped away in the match against Modriča. We reached a new opportunity to bring the BiH Cup to the Trophy Room at the City Stadium in 2010. In the final two-legged match, we faced Željezničar. The Banja Luka duel ended 1:1, and at the 'Grbavica' stadium, it was 2:2. The 'away goal' rule decided it, and captain Oliver Jandrić lifted the trophy high, which also brought us back to the European stage after eighteen years.
There, we faced Swiss Lausanne. We lost 1:0 away, and at our City Stadium, it ended 1:1. The European episode ended earlier than expected, but our 'red and blue' finished the season that had just begun in the best possible way. After the BiH Cup trophy, we also claimed the Premier League title in the 2010/2011 season. We were led by Vlado Jagodić from the bench, and during thirty Premier League matches, we achieved 19 wins, seven draws, and four losses.
Our club's jersey was worn by: Boris Raspudić, Oliver Jandrić, Darko Maletić, Asmir Avdukić, Stevo Nikolić, Duško Stajić, Borislav Mikić, Srđan Grahovac, Milan Stupar, Leonid Ćorić, Vule Trivunović, Marko Maksimović, Branislav Krunić, Dragoslav Stakić, Nemanja Vidaković, Perica Stančeski, Bojan Petrić, Rade Veljović, Dražen Međedović, Bojan Puzigaća, Nemanja Damjanović, Duško Sakan, Ljubiša Vukelja, Draško Žarić, Milan Muminović, Milan Srećo, Vukašin Benović, Siniša Dujaković, Siniša Marčetić, Nemanja Prodanović, Nikola Luburić, and Aleksandar Petrović.
After winning the championship title, we entered the Champions League qualifiers. In the draw in Nyon, we were paired with Maccabi Haifa. In the first match, played away, we took the lead with a goal by Boris Raspudić, but Maccabi eventually secured a convincing 5:1 victory. At the 'City' stadium, we managed to avenge them with a 3:2 win, but not to achieve a feat.
THE PATH TO THE SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
Borac's history is interwoven with painful defeats, and there were such on the path that had to be traversed for the Giant from Platonova to shine again in full glory. Our club left the Premier League society a total of four times, but since the last return in 2019, it has been achieving successes.
In a difficult moment, Vico Zeljković took on the presidential role, today the president of the N/FS BiH and the Football Association of the Republic of Srpska, and support came from the relevant institutions of the Republic of Srpska. FK Borac, after turbulent results, began to achieve successes, and in 2020, it achieved great success on the European stage. Stojan Vranješ, the captain of FK Borac, scored against Sutjeska from Nikšić, and the 'red and blue', after forty-five years, secured a place in the second round of qualifications for a European competition.
In the next round of European qualifications, Stojan Vranješ and his teammates were stopped by Rio Ave, but it was a hint of a successful season. And so it was. FK Borac, for the second time in its history, reached the championship title in the Premier League of BiH after a great comeback during the football spring.
Our 'red and blue' caught up and surpassed the advantage of FK Sarajevo, the main rival, and on May 23, 2021, after a victory over Tuzla City, celebrated winning the championship title.
The team was led from the bench by Vlado Jagodić in the first and Marko Maksimović in the second part of the season, and our club's jersey was worn by: Stojan Vranješ, Aleksandar Subić, Jovo Lukić, Bojan Pavlović, Nikola Lakić, Luka Damjanović, Siniša Dujaković, Marko Jovanović, Đorđe Milojević, Nemanja Janičić, Douglas Cruz, Đorđe Ćosić, Marko Kujundžić, Vladan Danilović, Aleksandar Radulović, Dejan Bosančić, Marko Brtan, Aleksandar Vojnović, David Čavić, Dino Kalesić, Almedin Ziljkić, Goran Zakarić, Miloš Borvčanin, Mamadou Jalo, Ivan Crnov, Bojan Marković, Dejan Uzelac, Dino Ćorić, Dejan Meleg, Boban Georgiev, Donald Mols, Panagiotis Moraitis, Elvis Mehanović, Amar Tahrić.
Our 'red and blue' also played the BiH Cup final, where we were defeated by the Sarajevo team after penalties.
THIRD PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE
We reached our third Premier League title in the 2023/24 season, which we started with European clashes against Austria Vienna. In the Austrian capital, we suffered a 1:0 defeat, and at the City Stadium in Banja Luka, we lost 2:1.
However, the early European elimination did not deter us. Our 'red and blue' entered the new season determined to claim the championship title, and in the end, they succeeded in achieving their goal.
We were led from the bench by Vinko Marinović, and the FK Borac jersey was worn by: Srđan Grahovac, Stojan Vranješ, Aleksandar Subić, Sebastian Herrera, Zoran Kvržić, Jakov Blagaić, Damir Hrelja, Jovo Lukić, Milan Makarić, Enver Kulašin, Max Juraj Ćelić, David Čavić, Vasilije Terzić, Savo Šušić, Jovan Nišić, David Vuković, Marko Milošević, Bojan Pavlović, Nikola Ćetković, Bojan Pavlović, Stefan Marčetić, Nikola Pejović, Jorge Cortez, Roslan Barski, Stefan Fićović, Alen Jurilj, Janez Pišek, Fedor Predragović, Nemanja Mihajlović, Pavle Đajić, David Stjepanović.
We also reached the final of the BiH Cup, where we were defeated by the Zrinjski team after a two-legged match.
1740 MINUTES OF EUROPEAN DREAM
After the third championship title, our club set a clear goal - to make a breakthrough on the European stage, and the dream of many Borac generations became a reality in the best possible way.
FK Borac, in the 2024/25 season, embarked on its European journey from the Champions League qualifiers, and our first rival was the Egnatia team. We celebrated in Banja Luka with a 1:0 victory, and then, in a tough away match in Elbasan, we advanced to the next round via penalties. There, we faced PAOK from Thessaloniki, to whom we extended a hand as the better rival after two matches, and we continued in the next European battles that would bring us one of the greatest successes in club history.
FK Borac became the first Premier League club to reach the knockout stage of a European competition, and in the Conference League, we reached the round of 16.
Our 'red and blue' played 18 matches on their European journey, and the duels in Budapest will be remembered. The draw with Panathinaikos at the City Stadium and the victory over LASK will be remembered. The magical nights in Nicosia and Ljubljana will be remembered, and it will also be remembered that we showed our teeth to Rapid in the middle of Vienna.
The European story we directed under the coaching command of our Mladen Žižović remains to be passed down from generation to generation with the hope of all those who have Borac in their hearts that it will one day be repeated.
A Century of Existence
Our club, our Giant from Platonova, celebrates a century of existence this year.
FK Borac has written numerous golden pages in the sports history of Banja Luka over the years.
FK Borac is renowned for its results, its fighting spirit passed down from generation to generation, the football greats who have grown in the 'red and blue' jersey, and the people who have contributed on and off the field, making our club one of the greatest symbols of Banja Luka today.
From the early days, those founding days in the 'Putnik' tavern, to today, our club has remained true to the idea—to fight, to never give up, to move forward bravely and boldly.
Behind us are many great victories, but we also remember the painful defeats that made us stronger.
We are proud of our brilliant history, which gives us motivation and the obligation to be better every day. We have learned that in life, it is important to be a fighter, and so it will be—as long as the Vrbas flows through Banja Luka.
