New Red Star Stadium. Stadium "Crvena Zvezda" in Belgrade: description, history and interesting facts. New name and plans for the future
Address: Ljutice Bogdana 1a, Belgrade, Serbia. How to get there: the stadium is located in the city center.
Serbia is often called the heart of European football, because a myriad of major matches. Naturally, this facility is a real shrine for both local and foreign football fans.
The history of the appearance of the Marakana stadium in Belgrade
A complex was erected on the site of the modern stadium back in 1927, which, due to outdated buildings, was demolished in 1959 after a solemn match between the local legend Red Star and the Novi Sad team. The old site remembered many exciting and historic competitions, incredible goals and maneuvers.
After the dismantling of the outdated stadium, the site was leveled, more than 30 thousand cubic meters were taken out. m of waste soil and about 15 cubic meters. m of stones, thoroughly cleaned the site, equipped with the most modern drainage system for those years, laid a solid coating. So new stadium got a beautiful and perfectly even lawn, and not artificial, but the most natural - many layers of different materials allow you to support the growth and development of grass.
The construction of the arena was completed in a fairly short time - just three years, and already in the fall of 1963 the first match took place here. More than 55 thousand fans could fit in the unfinished stands, and after the completion of the work, the stadium was able to accommodate a record number of spectators - 110 thousand people!
Later, in accordance with world safety rules, it was decided to remove the standing places, which reduced the number of seats to 55 thousand, but they are all seated and offer an excellent view of the football field.
Description of the stadium
Of course, now, after decades have passed since its opening, the stadium no longer produces such a stunning effect, some parts of the building even look a little dilapidated. But the situation is saved by colorful graffiti created by fans of the local football club, bright and memorable white and red drawings cover most of the walls and have become a kind of symbol of the sports complex.
The victories of the famous Crvena Zvezda are also reminded by the museum and souvenir shop located in the stadium building. In the first one, football fans will be able to see photos from the construction of the attraction, as well as the most interesting moments of the games, to view the cups and awards of the winners, and personal belongings of the players. It will also be interesting in the souvenir shop, where, as expected, most of the goods are dedicated to Crvena Zvezda and its players, and the range of products is quite wide - from traditional badges, flags, scarves and other trifles to sportswear and children's clothing.
The stadium itself is amazing. It looks like a huge flying saucer with endless rows of seats. As the story goes, at the first match, the still unfinished stands accommodated 55,000 fans, after a couple of months, 74,000 people came to watch the next competition. And after the completion of all construction work, the stadium accommodated a simply colossal number of citizens - 110 thousand people. It happened in 1975, at a match with a team from Hungary, but then the management officially submitted information about 96 thousand tickets sold - the data was deliberately underestimated. 
It is also interesting that the figures on the number of spectators are compiled on the basis of the number of tickets sold at the box office, which means that in reality there were many more people, including journalists, season ticket holders and ordinary free riders, without whom no significant event takes place.
At the same time, old-timers say that the first visitor to the complex was an ordinary farmer from a village near Loznitsa, his name was Laza Petrovich. This ardent football fan came to his place in the stadium on the day of the match at six o'clock in the morning! Rumor has it that, having settled comfortably on the seat according to the purchased ticket, the man calmly took out the sandwich he brought with him and began to have breakfast, waiting for the start of the competition.
Football fans will not be able to pass by the famous Maracan when visiting Belgrade, because it was here that many significant matches in the history of Serbian and world football took place. Players from Bayern, Juventus, Ajax, Barcelona and other world famous clubs entered this arena. Of course, it is best to visit this sports complex on match days and combine sightseeing with this sporting event, but even on ordinary days, football fans have something to see here!
Story [ | ]
On December 27, 1959, Crvena Zvezda played their last match at the old stadium built in 1927, which stood on the same spot. The opponent in the farewell game was the Novi Sad club. After the game, the stadium was destroyed in order to build a new modern facility. More than 350,000 cubic meters of soil and 15,000 cubic meters of stone were excavated to prepare the construction site for the new stadium, which was to be 12 meters lower than the previous one.
After three years of construction, the new stadium was ready. The official opening took place on September 1, 1963 before the game of the First League of Yugoslavia, in which Crvena Zvezda beat Rijeka with a score of 2: 1. On this day, approximately 55,000 spectators entered the stadium through nine 5-meter entrance gates and settled in the still unfinished stands. The very first visitor to the stadium was Laza Petrović, a peasant from Loznica. This ardent Crvena Zvezda fan arrived at the new stadium early in the morning, took his seat in the east stand, took cheese and a tortilla out of his bag, ate breakfast and patiently waited until the end of the day for the game to start.
The highest attendance for that period was recorded in the autumn at the derby against Partizan - 74,000 people. The following year, after the stadium was completely finished, its capacity increased to 110,000 spectators and it received the unofficial nickname - "Maracana", in honor of the famous Brazilian stadium. Apart from the breathtaking view, the new stadium also had a great turf surface with drainage which made the games much more enjoyable.
The first official goal here was scored by Trifon Mikhailovich in the match between the youth teams of Red Star Star and Zemun, which took place before the first game with Rijeka. Rijeka's Vukoja scored the first official goal in the top Yugoslav football division, while Dušan Maravić scored the very first goal in the new stadium for Crvena Zvezda in the same game.
According to the number of tickets sold, on April 23, 1975, in the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final against the Hungarian Ferencváros (2: 2), there were officially 96,070 spectators in the stands, but the number of spectators was approaching a maximum of 110,000.
In the mid-90s, in order to meet the UEFA requirements for the comfort and safety of spectators, the stadium was equipped with only seats, and their number was reduced to 51,538.
In December 2014, the management of the Crvena Zvezda football club, at the suggestion of the club's fans and veterans, renamed the stadium into the Rajko Mitić Stadium, legendary player and one of the founders of the club
On November 18, 2017, before the match against Rad, a monument was unveiled to him at the Raiko Mitic Stadium. It is worth saying that Crvena Zvezda defeated Rad with a score of 6:1
Notable matches [ | ]
- final match Champions Cup in the 1972/1973 season between Ajax and Juventus (1: 0) on May 30, 1973. It ranks third in the list of attendance records (91,564 spectators were registered in the stands). The match was attended by Rud Krol, Johan Neskens, Johnny Rep, Johan Cruyff, Dino Zoff, Fabio Capello, José Altafini, Roberto Bettega and others.
- European Football Championship 1976 (the only tournament of this magnitude that Yugoslavia hosted). Two matches were played here: the semi-final between Yugoslavia and West Germany, in which West Germany won 2:4 in Extra time, losing most of the match 0:2, as well as the final on June 20, 1976 between Czechoslovakia and West Germany, in which Czechoslovakia won on penalties 5:3 (regular time of the match ended in a draw 2:2). The winning penalty was scored in an original manner by Antonin Panenka, who parachuted the ball straight through the center into the goal of Sepp Maier. This strike went down in history as a “Panenka-style strike”.
- On April 24, 1991, Red Star Zvezda and Bayern Munich met in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup. The Belgrade club had a 2-1 lead after the away game (this was the Munich club's first home defeat in European competition). The stadium was attended by 100 thousand people. The first goal was scored by Siniša Mihajlović, but Bayern won back the advantage with two quick goals and equalized the cumulative score of the meetings. Only in stoppage time the Yugoslavs were saved by the fatal mistake of Klaus Augenthaler, who in the fall cut off the ball into the goal of Raymond Aumann. The match ended with a score of 2:2, and Red Star Zvezda advanced to the final. The final whistle caused jubilation in the stadium and a massive exit of fans onto the field. In the final, Crvena Zvezda, already in a match in Italy, beat the Marseille Olympic on penalties and won the European Cup for the first and last time in its history.
- In the fall of 1996, Red Star Star hosted "
With a capacity of 55,538 spectators. It is the home stadium of the Crvena Zvezda club.
Story
old stadium
The construction of the stadium began in 1960 and after 3 years it was completed.
On December 27, 1959, Crvena Zvezda played their last match at the old stadium, which stood on the same spot. The opponent in the farewell game in the dilapidated arena built in 1927 was the Novi Sad football club.
After the farewell game, the stadium was demolished to be replaced by a new modern facility on the same site. More than 350,000 cubic meters of soil and 15,000 cubic meters of stone were excavated to prepare the construction site for the new stadium, which was to be 12 meters lower than the previous one.
New stadium
After three years of construction, the new stadium was ready. The official opening took place on September 1, 1963 before the game of the First League of Yugoslavia in which Red Star Star beat Rijeka with a score of 2: 1. On this day, approximately 55,000 spectators entered the stadium through nine 5-meter entrance gates and settled in the still unfinished stands. The very first visitor to the stadium is known to be Laza Petrović, a peasant from Loznica. This ardent Crvena Zvezda fan arrived at the new stadium early in the morning, took his seat in the east stand, took cheese and a tortilla out of his bag, ate breakfast and patiently waited until the end of the day for the game to start.
The highest attendance for that period was recorded in the autumn at the derby against Partizan - 74,000 people. The following year, after the stadium was completely finished, its capacity increased to 110,000 spectators and it received the unofficial nickname - "Maracana", in honor of the famous Brazilian stadium . Apart from the breathtaking view, the new stadium also had a great turf surface with drainage which made the games much more enjoyable.
The first official goal here was scored by Trifon Mikhailovich in the match between the youth teams of Red Star Star and Zemun, which took place before the first game with Rijeka. Rijeka's Vukoja scored the first official goal in the top Yugoslav football division, while Dušan Maravić scored the very first goal in the new stadium for Crvena Zvezda in the same game.
According to the number of tickets sold, on April 23, 1975, in the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final against the Hungarian Ferencváros (2: 2), there were officially 96,070 spectators in the stands, but the number of spectators was approaching a maximum of 110,000.
In the mid-90s, in order to meet the UEFA requirements for the comfort and safety of spectators, the stadium was equipped with only seats, and their number was reduced to 51,538.
In December 2014, the leadership of the Red Star football club, at the suggestion of fans and veterans of the club, renamed the stadium into the stadium named after Raiko Mitić, the legendary player and one of the founders of the club
Notable matches
- The final match of the Champions Cup in the 1972/1973 season between Ajax and Juventus (1: 0) May 30, 1973. It ranks third in the list of attendance records (91,564 spectators were registered in the stands). The match was attended by Rud Krol, Johan Neskens, Johnny Rep, Johan Cruyff, Dino Zoff, Fabio Capello, Jose Altafini, Roberto Bettega and others.
- European Football Championship 1976 (the only tournament of this magnitude that Yugoslavia hosted). Two matches were played here: the semi-final between Yugoslavia and West Germany, in which West Germany won 2:4 in extra time, losing most of the match 0:2, as well as the final on June 20, 1976, between Czechoslovakia and West Germany, in which Czechoslovakia won by penalty 5:3 (regular time of the match ended in a draw 2:2). The winning penalty in an original manner was scored by Antonin Panenka, who sent the ball with a "parachute" right in the center into the goal of Sepp Meyer. This blow went down in history as a "strike in the style of Panenka".
- On April 24, 1991, Red Star Zvezda and Bayern Munich met in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup. The Belgrade club had a 2-1 lead after the away game (this was the Munich club's first home defeat in European competition). The stadium was attended by 100 thousand people. The first goal was scored by Sinisa Mihajlovic, but Bayern won back the advantage with two quick goals and leveled the cumulative score of meetings. Only in stoppage time, the Yugoslavs were saved by the fatal mistake of Klaus Augenthaler, who, in the fall, cut the ball into the goal, respectively. The significance of the matches was enormous, because the Yugoslav club did not play for 4 years due to the sports and political embargo. The first match against Kaiserslautern was lost 1-0, but Zvezda went into extra time
| "Raiko Mitic" | |
|---|---|
| Location | Belgrade, Serbia |
| built | - |
| open | September 1, 1963 |
| Owner | Red Star |
| Capacity | 55 538 |
| home team |
Serbia national football team FC Red Star |
| Field dimensions | 100.5 x 67 m |
| Media files at Wikimedia Commons | |
Story
On December 27, 1959, Crvena Zvezda played their last match at the old stadium built in 1927, which stood on the same spot. The opponent in the farewell game was the Novi Sad club. After the game, the stadium was destroyed in order to build a new modern facility. More than 350,000 cubic meters of soil and 15,000 cubic meters of stone were excavated to prepare the construction site for the new stadium, which was to be 12 meters lower than the previous one.
After three years of construction, the new stadium was ready. The official opening took place on September 1, 1963 before the game of the First League of Yugoslavia, in which Crvena Zvezda beat Rijeka with a score of 2: 1. On this day, approximately 55,000 spectators entered the stadium through nine 5-meter entrance gates and settled in the still unfinished stands. The very first visitor to the stadium was Laza Petrović, a peasant from Loznica. This ardent Crvena Zvezda fan arrived at the new stadium early in the morning, took his seat in the east stand, took cheese and a tortilla out of his bag, ate breakfast and patiently waited until the end of the day for the game to start.
The highest attendance for that period was recorded in the autumn at the derby against Partizan - 74,000 people. The following year, after the stadium was completely finished, its capacity increased to 110,000 spectators and it received the unofficial nickname - "Maracana", in honor of the famous Brazilian stadium. Apart from the breathtaking view, the new stadium also had a great turf surface with drainage which made the games much more enjoyable.
The first official goal here was scored by Trifon Mikhailovich in the match between the youth teams of Red Star Star and Zemun, which took place before the first game with Rijeka. Rijeka's Vukoja scored the first official goal in the top Yugoslav football division, while Dušan Maravić scored the very first goal in the new stadium for Crvena Zvezda in the same game.
According to the number of tickets sold, on April 23, 1975, in the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final against the Hungarian Ferencváros (2: 2), there were officially 96,070 spectators in the stands, but the number of spectators was approaching a maximum of 110,000.
In the mid-90s, in order to meet the UEFA requirements for the comfort and safety of spectators, the stadium was equipped with only seats, and their number was reduced to 51,538.
In December 2014, the leadership of the Red Star football club, at the suggestion of fans and veterans of the club, renamed the stadium into the stadium named after Raiko Mitic, the legendary player and one of the founders of the club
On November 18, 2017, before the match against Rad, a monument was unveiled to him at the Raiko Mitic Stadium. It is worth saying that Crvena Zvezda defeated Rad with a score of 6:1
Notable matches
- The final match of the Champions Cup in the 1972/1973 season between Ajax and Juventus (1: 0) on May 30, 1973. It ranks third in the list of attendance records (91,564 spectators were registered in the stands). The match was attended by Rud Krol, Johan Neskens, Johnny Rep, Johan Cruyff, Dino Zoff, Fabio Capello, José Altafini, Roberto Bettega and others.
- European Football Championship 1976 (the only tournament of this magnitude that Yugoslavia hosted). Two matches were played here: the semi-final between Yugoslavia and West Germany, in which West Germany won 2:4 in extra time, losing most of the match 0:2, and the final on June 20, 1976 between Czechoslovakia and West Germany, in which Czechoslovakia won by penalty 5:3 (regular time of the match ended in a draw 2:2). The winning penalty was scored in an original manner by Antonin Panenka, who parachuted the ball straight through the center into the goal of Sepp Maier. This strike went down in history as a “Panenka-style strike”.
- On April 24, 1991, Red Star Zvezda and Bayern Munich met in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup. The Belgrade club had a 2-1 lead after the away game (this was the Munich club's first home defeat in European competition). The stadium was attended by 100 thousand people. The first goal was scored by Siniša Mihajlović, but Bayern won back the advantage with two quick goals and equalized the cumulative score of the meetings. Only in stoppage time the Yugoslavs were saved by a fatal mistake
The house of our club is located on Lutice Bohdana street 1a. A truly great sports facility, one of the largest in the Balkans, is a witness to many years of success and victories of the Red Star.
Since December 2014, our stadium has been officially named "Rajko Mitic" in honor of the first star of our club. Before that, the stadium was called "FC Crvena Zvezda Stadium". Many fans simply call him "Maracana", and why, you will find out in the continuation of the text.
The football field and stands, originally built on this site in 1927, originally belonged to FC Yugoslavia, and the stadium looked in line with that time - the stands were wooden, spectators mostly stood during matches, and the stadium's capacity was 20,000 standing places.
During World War II, FC Yugoslavia ceased to exist, and its stadium was transferred to FC Crvena Zvezda on the day of its foundation on March 4, 1945.
December 27, 1959 Zvezda held their last meeting at the old stadium. In that farewell match with the dilapidated playing field, the team from Novi Sad played the role of our opponent.
With that stadium, part of football history. On that field, Moša Marjanović scored the year of Zamora, František Planička was defeated, and after the Second World War, many beautiful and exciting matches were played.
After the farewell match, the stadium was destroyed and the construction of a new modern sports facility began on its remains. Before that, in order to create a new field, which, according to the plan, was 12 meters lower than the previous one, it was necessary to clear the site from 350,000 cubic meters. soil and 15,000 cubic meters. stone. In addition to external beauty, the stadium also had an excellent quality grass surface, provided with a drainage system and internal layers necessary to maintain the condition of the surface.
For the first time, the gates of the "football temple" officially opened on September 1, 1963 in a match that Zvezda played with Rijeka (2: 1), and 55,000 spectators watched the meeting from the stands. This record was broken already in the same autumn in a meeting with Partizan, which was attended by 74,000 fans.
Already next year, when the construction was fully completed, the stadium's capacity was as much as 110,000 spectators! Due to its grandeur and capacity, the fans compared the new stadium with the most big stadium in the world at that time - "Maracana" in Rio de Janeiro. Since then and to this day, this name has remained an integral part of the history of Red Star Star, and our beloved stadium has become synonymous with success and victories!
Trifun Mihailović scored the first goal at Zvezda's Marakana in the match between the youth team of Crvena Zvezda and FC Unity from Zemun, which preceded the meeting with Rijeka. The first goal in the first league was scored by Rijeka's Vukoj, while Zvezda's first goal at the new stadium was Dušan Marović's in the same match.
The fact that Maracana is a real football temple is best described by a fact from 1975, when 96,070 spectators gathered at the stadium to watch the match that the star played on April 23 with the Hungarian Ferencváros (2:2). According to official figures, 96,070 tickets were sold, but there is a point of view that that evening the Maracana was filled to the limit, that is, 110 thousand fans.
European finals at the Maracana
UEFA Cup final May 9, 1979, Red Star - Borussia Mönchengladbach (1: 1), European Cup final May 30, 1973, Ajax - Juventus (1: 0), European Championship final June 20, 1976, Czechoslovakia - West Germany (2: 2, after penalty 5:3).
Keeping pace with the trend towards modernization of football venues and complying with the strict requirements of UEFA, as well as in order to increase the comfort and safety of fans, seating has been installed in all four stands, whose number is 51,755.
Five "stars" Stars
The central box of the stadium is called "Five "Stars" of the Star", and it consists of five segments, each of which bears the name of one of the five legendary football players of the Star (Raiko Mitic, Dragoslav Shekularts, Dragan Dzhaich, Vladimir Petrovich Pizhon, Dragan Stoikovich Piksi). Next to it is the VIP 2 box, which is occupied mainly by friends and sponsors of the club. The VIP 3 box is intended for veterans and people who left their mark on the history of the Star. In order for our stadium to stand in line with the most comfortable sports facilities in the region, a VIP gallery with a capacity of over 450 seats was created, which is located above the western stand closer to the north.
Also at the stadium there are several cafes and buffets in the stands themselves, where visitors can buy soft drinks and football souvenirs.
