OFK Bačka

Association football club in Bačka Palanka. Serbia

Not to be confused with FK Bačka 1901.

Football club

OFK Bačka

Full name| OFK Bačka
Nickname(s)| Plavi sa Dunava (The Blues from the Danube)
Founded| 1945; 78 years ago (1945)
Ground| Stadion Slavko Maletin Vava
Capacity| 4,000
Chairman| Marjan Rnić
Manager| TBA
League| Serbian First League
2020–21| Serbian SuperLiga, 20th (relegated)
Website| Club website

Home colours

Away colours

|

OFK Bačka (Serbian Cyrillic: ОФК Бачка) is a football club based in Bačka Palanka, Serbia. In 2016, the club achieved promotion to the Serbian SuperLiga. It is known as one of the most successful football clubs in Serbia at the all time table of the Yugoslav Second League.

## Origins and rise[edit]

The club was founded in 1945 and plays in the stadium Stadion Slavko Maletin Vava, capacity of 2,500, which was officially inaugurated on 7 July 1951. In 1959, Bačka achieved promotion to the Yugoslav Second League group East, but, at the end of the 1959–60 season, ended up being relegated. However, a bright sign was that Bačka striker Petar Remete became league top-scorer in 1960.[1] Bačka returned to Second League in the 1961–62 season and this time stayed in the national second level for 14 consecutive years.[2]

Its major accomplishment was the promotion to the 1988–89 Yugoslav Second League which was a unified second league. This edition of the Second League, compared to the previous ones Bačka played in, was stronger because it was a unified Second League in which clubs from all over Yugoslavia played in, thus more restricted and difficult to qualify to, while the other editions from the 1960s and 1970s had the second league divided into two groups, East and West. In total, during the Yugoslav period, Baćka spent 16 seasons in the Second League.[2]

In the Yugoslav Cup, Bačka best performance was in the 1968–69 edition when Bačka reached the quarter-finals, not advancing further because they were stopped by one of the Yugoslav "Big Four", Hajduk Split, who got to eliminate Bačka by 2–1 only after extra-time. Bačka managed to qualify to the final stages of the national cup on several occasions, the next being in the 1993–94 FR Yugoslavia Cup when they lost in the last 16 against Radnički Niš.[2]

After the 1988–89 season in the Second League, during the following two decades, the club played mostly in the third national level, the Serbian League Vojvodina, occasionally dropping to the Bačka Zone League at times when the financial crisis in the club was more notorious.

## Recent history[edit]

The rise started when Bačka won the 2012–13 Vojvodina League West. Immediately afterwards, Bačka won the 2013–14 Serbian League Vojvodina thus qualifying to the Serbian First League, the second national level.[2] It only took two seasons in the first league for Bačka to finish second in the 2015–16 edition and this way directly qualified for the Serbian SuperLiga. The 2016–17 Serbian SuperLiga was the first time in the club's history that Bačka played in the national top level. Soon after they were relegated, but did manage to secure promotion back to the Serbian SuperLiga by claiming 3rd spot in the 2019–20 Serbian First League.

## Name[edit]

The name of the club always was FK Bačka. It comes from the region of Bačka where the city Bačka Palanka is located. The club should not be confused with another ones with same name, like FK Bačka 1901 or FK Bačka Mol, or another with similar name, FK TSC Bačka Topola. OFK Bačka never played in Yugoslav highest level, but in 2016 got to be promoted to the Serbian SuperLiga. In summer 2015, club name changed to OFK Bačka.[3]

## Honors[edit]

* Serbian League Vojvodina
* Champions: 2013–14[2]
* Vojvodina League West
* Champions: 2012–13[2]

## Stadium[edit]

Main article: Stadion Slavko Maletin Vava

Slavko Maletin Vava Stadium west stand

The Bačka stadium, known as Stadion Slavko Maletin Vava, was inaugurated on the date the city of Bačka Palanka celebrates its slava, July 7, 1951. It has a capacity of 5,500. The west stand is completely covered while the east stand is not. The stadium is located in downtown of Bačka Palanka.[4]

The first field where FK Bačka played was where the old railway station was located. As the club was growing and gaining popularity, a decision was made to relocate the stadium from the outskirts to the city center where it still stands. Its location is in an exclusive part of the town, 20 meters from the city center and the pedestrian area.[4]

The stadium is known for its high attendance. The biggest one recorded was on March 12, 1969, in a Yugoslav Cup quarter-finals game against Hajduk Split, when 10.000 spectators were present inside.[4]

## Players[edit]

### Current squad[edit]

As of 9 September 2021[5][6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

2  | DF |  SRB | Ognjen Mažić
3  | FW |  SRB | Danilo Milenković
4  | DF |  SRB | Veljko Bogdanović (on loan from Vojvodina)
5  | DF |  SRB | Milovan Petrić
6  | DF |  SRB | Matija Košanin
7  | DF |  SRB | Aleksandar Kostić
8  | MF |  SRB | Nikola Ristovski
9  | FW |  SRB | Tomislav Todorović
10  | MF |  SRB | Strahinja Karišić
14  | DF |  SRB | Slađan Mijatović
16  | FW |  SRB | Nikola Njamculović
17  | MF |  SRB | Petar Tanasić
18  | FW |  SRB | Vukašin Bogdanović (on loan from Vojvodina)
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

19  | FW |  SRB | Nenad Radonjić
20  | MF |  SRB | Stefan Levićanin
22  | MF |  SRB | Marko Keča
23  | DF |  BIH | Nemanja Vještica
24  | MF |  SRB | Marko Džodan
27  | DF |  SRB | Marko Mandić
28  | FW |  SRB | Luka Marković (on loan from Red Star Belgrade)
30  | FW |  SRB | Miloš Janković
32  | MF |  SRB | Nemanja Trifunović
35  | FW |  SRB | Miljan Marinković
36  | MF |  SRB | Nikola Zindović
40  | GK |  SRB | David Matić
99  | GK |  SRB | Danijel Mićanović

### Players with multiple nationalities[edit]

* Nikola Eskić

For recent transfers, see List of Serbian football transfers summer 2019.

### Notable former players[edit]

For the list of all current and former players with Wikipedia article, please see: Category:OFK Bačka players.

* Daur Chanba – played for Abkhazia national team
* Shabat Logua – played for Abkhazia national team

## Coaches[edit]

In April 1947 Bačka got his first professional coach, Vladimir Jurak from Zagreb, and ever since a number of paid professional coaches came, like Ilija Ranković from Belgrade, László Bozóky from Hungary, Josip Takač from Subotica and Gojko Džepina from Belgrade.[7]

## Fans[edit]

In addition to a number of audiences and supporters Bačka has its ardent fans. They gather in the eastern stand.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Petar Remete - Biografija at Povijest Dinama (in Croatian)
2. ^ a b c d e f Istorija kluba (Club history) at OFK Bačka official website, retrieved 18-6-2016 (in Serbian)
3. ^ ""FUDBAL" 32/15 – page 3016" (PDF). Football Association of Serbia (in Serbian). 12 August 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
4. ^ a b c Stadion (Stadium) at FK Bačka Balka Palanka official website, retrieved 18-6-2016 (in Serbian)
5. ^ "First Team". FK Bačka. Archived from the original on 26 July 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
6. ^ "Licensed for the Serbian First League". Serbian First League. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
7. ^ Book: "Deset Godina Sporta u Bačkoj Palanci 1945 – 55", pag. 8, (in Serbian)

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* FK Bačka Forum
* FK Bačka at Srbijasport.net

* v
* t
* e

Serbian First League

2023–24 teams|

* Dubočica
* Grafičar Beograd
* Inđija
* Jedinstvo Ub
* Kolubara
* Mačva Šabac
* Metalac Gornji Milanovac
* Mladost GAT
* Novi Sad 1921
* OFK Beograd
* OFK Vršac
* Radnički Beograd
* Radnički Sremska Mitrovica
* Sloboda Užice
* Smederevo 1924
* Tekstilac Odžaci

Seasons|

* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24

* v
* t
* e

Serbian SuperLiga

« First League of Serbia and Montenegro

2023–24 clubs|

* Čukarički
* IMT
* Javor Ivanjica
* Mladost Lučani
* Napredak Kruševac
* Novi Pazar
* Partizan
* Radnički Kragujevac
* Radnički Niš
* Radnik Surdulica
* Red Star Belgrade
* Spartak Subotica
* TSC
* Vojvodina
* Voždovac
* Železničar Pančevo

Former clubs|

* Banat Zrenjanin
* Bežanija
* Borac Čačak
* BSK Borča
* Dinamo Vranje
* Donji Srem
* Hajduk Kula
* Inđija
* Jagodina
* Kolubara
* Mačva Šabac
* Metalac Gornji Milanovac
* Mladi Radnik
* Mladost Apatin
* Mladost Novi Sad
* OFK Bačka
* OFK Beograd
* Proleter Novi Sad
* Rad
* Sloboda Užice
* Smederevo
* Zemun
* Zlatibor Čajetina

Seasons|

* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24

Associated competitions|

* Serbian Cup
* Serbian First League
* Serbian League
* Belgrade
* East
* Vojvodina
* West

Serbian SuperLiga is the UEFA-recognised official successor of the Yugoslav First League and the First League of Serbia and Montenegro.
*[No.]: Number
*[Pos.]: Position
*[DF]: Defender
*[FW]: Forward
*[MF]: Midfielder
*[GK]: Goalkeeper
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