NK Široki Brijeg
Encyclopedia
NK Široki Brijeg is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

 team from the town of Široki Brijeg
Široki Brijeg
-Name:The name of the city means "the wide hill" in Croatian . The city is also sometime referred to as "Široki Brig" and among the inhabitants of Herzegovina simply as "Široki" . Between 1945 and 1990, the name was officially Lištica, after the river that flows through it.-Geography:The river...

 that currently plays in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the top football league in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the country's most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs with last two teams relegated at the end of every season....

.
Considering the size of the town, NK Široki Brijeg has had a great deal of success and has started to expand that success to European Cups as well in recent years as is demonstrated by the club being a regular competitor in European Cups for the past 8 years.

The club was established in spring 1948, but due to many circumstances, some of them including unfavourable conditions towards the town of Široki Brijeg
Široki Brijeg
-Name:The name of the city means "the wide hill" in Croatian . The city is also sometime referred to as "Široki Brig" and among the inhabitants of Herzegovina simply as "Široki" . Between 1945 and 1990, the name was officially Lištica, after the river that flows through it.-Geography:The river...

 during the communist rule and relative size of it then, NK Široki Brijeg has experienced its greatest successes in the 1990s and onwards, and has become one of the most successful and organized clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina today. They play on Pecara Stadium
Pecara Stadium
Pecara Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Široki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of NK Široki Brijeg, and is also used for final match of football tournament mjesne zajednice. The stadium can hold up to 10,000...

, a modern stadium with a capacity of about 8,000. The stadium itself meets all UEFA criteria. The club also has a fully equipped sports and recreational center just outside of town which is used as training grounds for the team.

Colours and badge

The club wears blue and white striped jerseys at home while away the team has a yellow kit. The club's crest features a football bordered by the club's name and topped with the Croatian chequy
Coat of arms of Croatia
The coat of arms of Croatia consists of one main shield and five smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield. The main coat of arms is a checkerboard that consists of 13 red and 12 silver fields. It's commonly known as šahovnica or grb...

.

Škripari

Škripari is the organisation of football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 supporters of the Croat-backed club NK Široki Brijeg. They also support Široki Brijeg
Široki Brijeg
-Name:The name of the city means "the wide hill" in Croatian . The city is also sometime referred to as "Široki Brig" and among the inhabitants of Herzegovina simply as "Široki" . Between 1945 and 1990, the name was officially Lištica, after the river that flows through it.-Geography:The river...

's other sport clubs, primarily HKK Široki
HKK Široki
HKK Široki is a Bosnia-Herzegovinan basketball team from the town of Široki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club currently plays in the Adriatic League and the Bosnian basketball championship....

 in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

.

The name for the fan club as it exists today was given in 1996. At that time (from the year 1993/1994 onwards, reaching a peak in 1998), Škripari were the only real supporters in Herzegovina, aside from a small faction of supporters in Ljubuški
Ljubuški
Ljubuški is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in thewestern part of Herzegovina.-1971:28.269 total* Croats - 26.198 * Muslims by nationality - 1.812 * Serbs - 118 * Yugoslavs - 49...

, as well as Torcida Kiseljak and Torcida Mostar who where only really active in home matches of teams that they supported.

The very name Škripari (or križari to be more precise, which means crusaders) is in tribute to those originally known by that name, who resisted communist rule in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

 for several years after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and presented an unsolveable enigma to the communist authorities of that time. They would often hide in caves (local term being the so called škripine) and thus the name Škripari.

An earlier idea for the fan club's name was Broadly Hill Boys dating from the year 1989, more specifically when supporters came up with that name during a basketball match of the Republic league of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

 between KK Mladost LIŠTICA (at the time) and KK Borac Čapljina. It was accepted almost immediately and from that day on all up until the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

 a blue banner with the words Broadly Hill Boys written in white could be seen in all matches where the local clubs of Široki Brijeg
Široki Brijeg
-Name:The name of the city means "the wide hill" in Croatian . The city is also sometime referred to as "Široki Brig" and among the inhabitants of Herzegovina simply as "Široki" . Between 1945 and 1990, the name was officially Lištica, after the river that flows through it.-Geography:The river...

 played. This was a play on Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...

's Bad Blue Boys, as well as a play on the name of their own club (Široki Brijeg means wide, or broad, hill).

Škripari support the Croatian national football team primarily, as well as other Croatian national teams and Croatian players. The official song of the Škripari is Igraj, igraj Široki. They also made a new song with the local Hip-Hop group Berette called U mom srcu rijeci te... Both songs can be downloaded from the Škripari official website.

Current squad

Notable players

Juan Manuel Varea
Juan Manuel Varea
Juan Manuel Varea is an Argentine football player. He currently plays for NK Široki Brijeg in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina....

 Stanko Bubalo
Stanko Bubalo
Stanko Bubalo is a Croatian football striker.He made two appearances for the Croatia national football team, making his debut against Mexico in a friendly game on 16 June 1999.-External links:**...

 Mario Bazina
Mario Bazina
Mario Bazina is a retired Bosnian-born Croatian footballer.He last played as an offensive midfielder for Austria Wien in the Austrian Bundesliga and signed with the club until 2009...

 Saša Papac
Saša Papac
Saša Papac is a Bosnian association footballer who currently plays for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League and the Bosnia & Herzegovina national team....

  Ricardo Baiano
Ricardo Santos Lago
Ricardo Santos Lago , best known as Ricardo Baiano, is a Brazilian-born Bosnian football midfielder who last played for FC Zhemchuzhina-Sochi.-Biography:...

 Mirko Hrgović
Mirko Hrgovic
Mirko Hrgović is a Croatia-born Bosnian football player who most current playes for Croatian club RNK Split.-NK Široki Brijeg:...

 William Etchu Tabi
William Etchu Tabi
William Etchu Tabi is a Cameroonian football midfielder, who currently plays for NK Kustošija Zagreb.-Career:He started his career in Sable FC, then he made a transfer to San Lorenzo...

 Vladimir Vasilj
Vladimir Vasilj
Vladimir Vasilj is a former Croatian football goalkeeper.He was born in Hanover and started his professional career at Croatian club Hrvatski Dragovoljac in the 1995-96 season...

 Boris Pandža
Boris Pandža
Boris Pandža is a Bosnian football player, who currently plays for KV Mechelen in the Belgian First Division.-International career:...


Honours

Široki won two Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

 championships
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the top football league in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the country's most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs with last two teams relegated at the end of every season....

 as well as five First League of Herzeg-Bosnia championships that served as the top football league for Croats clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina until merger into Premier League in 2000. The club also won one Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup title in 2007. In the following table defunct competitions are indicated in italics.
Honours No. | Years
League
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the top football league in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the country's most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs with last two teams relegated at the end of every season....

Champions
2 2004, 2006
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the top football league in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the country's most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs with last two teams relegated at the end of every season....

Runners-up
3 2002, 2008, 2010
2009–10 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 2009–10 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the tenth season since its establishment and the eighth as a unified country-wide league. It began on 1 August 2009 and will end in May 2010...

First League of Herzeg-Bosnia Champions 5 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
First League of Herzeg-Bosnia Runners-up 1 1999
Domestic cups
Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup Winners 1 2007
Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup Runners-up 2 2005, 2006

European record

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Agg.
2002–03 UEFA Cup QR   Senec
FC Senec
FC Senec was a football club from Senec. It existed in years 1994 - 2008. After 2007/2008 season it was merged with FK DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda.- Previous names :* 1990 - STK Senec* 1992 - FK Koba Senec* 1995 - FK VTJ Koba Senec* 2002 - FK Koba Senec...

3–0 2–1 5–1
R1   Sparta Prague 0–1 0–3 0–4
2004–05 Champions League QR1   Neftchi Baku 2–1 0–1 2–2 (a
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...

)
2005–06 UEFA Cup QR1   Teuta 3–0 1–3 4–3
QR2   Zeta
FK Zeta
FK Zeta is a football club from Montenegro. It is based in Golubovci, a suburb of Podgorica.- History :The club was formed in 1927 as FK Danica. In 1945 it was renamed to FK Napredak. In 1955 it was renamed to FK Zeta....

4–2 1–0 5–2
R1   Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...

0–1 0–5 0–6
2006–07 Champions League QR1   Shakhtyor 1–0 1–0 2–0
QR2   Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

0–0 0–3 0–3
2007–08 UEFA Cup QR1   Koper
FC Koper
FC Koper is a Slovenian football club, playing in the town of Koper. The club is one of only three football clubs in the country, the others being Maribor and former Olimpija, that won all three domestic competitions . The team plays its matches on Bonifika stadium that was built in 2010 and has a...

3–1 3–2 6–3
QR2   Hapoel Tel Aviv 0–3 0–3 0–6
2008–09 UEFA Cup QR1   Partizani Tirana 0–0 3–1 3–1
QR2   Beşiktaş
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...

1–2 0–4 1–6
2009–10 Europa League QR1   Banants
FC Banants
Football Club Banants is an Armenian professional football team, playing in the capital, Yerevan. The club plays in the Armenian Premier League and has won the Armenian Cup twice, in 1992 and 2007.- Banants Kotayk :...

0–1 2–0 2–1
QR2   Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909 and the club colours are black and white....

1–1 1–2 2–3
2010–11 Europa League QR1   Olimpija Ljubljana 3–0 2–0 5–0
QR2   Austria Wien
FK Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. They are considered the most successful club in Austria, having won the highest Austrian Bundesliga 23 times, the Austrian Cup 27 times and the Austrian Supercup 6 times. They also reached the UEFA...

0–1 2–2 2–3
2011–12 Europa League
2011–12 UEFA Europa League
The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League is the third season of the competition since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and will end on 9 May 2012 with the final to be held at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania...

QR1   Olimpija Ljubljana 0–0 0–3 0–3

External links

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