Sarajevo derby

The history of the Sarajevo derby dates back to 1954, but the rivalry began eight years earlier. At the end of the World War II the three major clubs in Sarajevo, Đerzelez, SAŠK and Slavija, were disbanded by the new authorities which formed FK Sarajevo in 1946. Since the idea was for this new club to represent the city on a national level, SD Torpedo, as initially FK Sarajevo was called, needed the best players from the city. Numerous notable players were brought to the club, and they received good salaries for that time. On the other side, FK Željezničar Sarajevo is a club which was formed by a group of railway workers much earlier, in 1921. However, until then, during the pre-war period, they were in the shadow of Đerzelez, SAŠK and Slavija and had never managed to qualify to the Yugoslav Championship. Željezničar won the second-tier Bosnian championship title in 1946, as part of the Yugoslav football league system, and that achievement marked the beginning of their climb. After the war, these two clubs became the most prominent and successful clubs in Sarajevo, and since then, the rivalry between the two has been intense. FK Sarajevo supporters were considered to be upper-class individuals, mainly from Bosniak dominated old and central parts of town. On the other side, supporters of FK Željezničar were usually working-class with a liberal image. Those differences were later partly erased. FK Željezničar still has the image of a liberal club and they are also popular among other supporters in the region, while FK Sarajevo's support outside Sarajevo comes mostly from the Bosniak dominated areas in the region and diaspora. Since they played in different levels, the first matches between FK Željezničar and FK Sarajevo were friendlies. The first official league match was held in 1954; FK Sarajevo won 6–1. That is still the biggest victory by any team in these matches. As of 4 April 2026, 138 league matches have been played. Željezničar have won 40 times, Sarajevo have won 39 times, while 59 matches have ended in a draw. Goal difference is 158:154 in Sarajevo's favour. In all competitions, Željezničar and Sarajevo have played 158 times, Željezničar have won 48 times, Sarajevo have won 47 times and 63 games have ended in a draw. ==Honours==

The Sarajevo derby is currently played four times a year in the Premier League, but they may also play against one another in other competitions. There are also friendly matches and games played in various tournaments. Although these games are not included in official statistics. ==Bosnian Premier League head-to-head ranking==

• Total: FK Sarajevo 18 times higher, FK Željezničar 12 times higher. ==Records==

• Most appearances: Slobodan Janjuš – 21 (16 for Željezničar, 5 for Sarajevo) • Best goalscorers: Asim Ferhatović (Sarajevo), Dželaludin Muharemović (Željezničar) – 6 goals • Record win: Željezničar – Torpedo 9:1 (29 December 1946, first derby match recorded) • Biggest attendance: 55,000 (10 March 1982, Koševo Stadium) • Double victory (two wins in a season): Željezničar (1968–69, 1989–90, 2000–01, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2019–20); Sarajevo (1955–56, 1966–67, 1998–99, 2006–07, 2018–19); • Longest unbeaten run: 11 games (Sarajevo: 6 June 1963 – 1 December 1968; Željezničar: 15 October 2000 – 5 April 2006) • Longest unbeaten run (home): 17 games (Željezničar: 3 April 1977 – 26 October 1997) • Longest unbeaten run (away): 6 games (Sarajevo: 2 June 1963 – 29 June 1969; Željezničar: 28 April 2001 – 21 April 2007) • Longest winning run: 3 games (Željezničar: 14 May 1988 – 10 December 1989; Sarajevo: 5 April 2006 – 21 April 2007) • Longest winning run (home): 3 games (Željezničar two times: 23 August 1981 – 18 March 1984 & 10 October 1999 – 11 May 2002) • Longest winning run (away): Two games by both teams on several occasions; • Radmilo Mihajlović is the only player to score a hat-trick. (7 September 1986, Željezničar won 4–1) Note that only league matches are included in statistics. Cup, other tournaments and friendly matches are not included. ==Fans==

at Grbavica Stadium Sarajevo derby fans are known for their cheering and choreography. Both sides of fans prepare between the matches and make large flags and special messages that are appropriate for that particular occasion that are usually directed towards the opposing side. FK Željezničar's most passionate fans (wearing blue) are called Manijaci because their love for the club is on the edge of insanity, so it is said. They are located on the South side of Grbavica Stadium (the Holy South as they call it). The older fans ones are known affectionately as the Košpicari (which can metaphorically be translated as "seed eaters", although the name itself has different meaning - namely that of "seed sellers"). FK Sarajevo's most passionate fans (crimson) are called the Horde Zla (Evil hordes) after the popular Zagor comic book. At their home games at the Asim Ferhatović - Hase Stadium, they are located on the North stands, while the older fans are known as the Pitari (similar to the Košpicari etymology except referring to pie and not seeds) and they are mainly on the East side. ==Results 1946–1992==

==League Results 1992–present==

Both the two big Sarajevo clubs have a rivalry with Slavija Sarajevo, a club dominated by Bosnian Serbs in eastern Sarajevo. Another football club from Sarajevo was Olimpik; located in the neighbourhood of Otoka, but their support group was very small. Olimpik's games between its rivals, FK Sarajevo and FK Željezničar, in town were known as the little town derby (Mali gradski derbi). ==References==