Fudbalski klub Novi Pazar () is a Serbian professional football club based in the city of Novi Pazar, which competes in the Serbian SuperLiga. The team plays their home games at the Novi Pazar City Stadium.
The club was formed in 1928 as FK Sandà ¾ak and has achieved its greatest successes since Serbia has become an independent country, reaching the top tier of national competition for the first time ever in 2011. Novi Pazar was granted promotion after 2010âÂÂ11 Serbian First League champions BASK withdrew from the SuperLiga due to limited funds and not meeting the required stadium criteria set out by the Football Association of Serbia.
In 2019âÂÂ20 Serbian First League they finished mid-table but due to the Football Association of Serbia re-structuring the Serbian SuperLiga, they were awarded a place/took the place of RFK GrafiÃÂar, a Belgrade club that had to withdraw from the Serbian SuperLiga due to limited funds and not meeting the required stadium criteria set out by the Football Association of Serbia.
Recently, the club's biggest success was finishing 3rd out of 16 teams in the 2024âÂÂ25 Serbian SuperLiga, and thus securing a spot in the Conference League second qualifying round. It is the club's first ever European football appearance. Adem LjajiÃÂ, a Novi Pazar native, played a key role in the teams success in the 2024-2025 season.
The club was founded in 1928, under the name FK Sandà ¾ak, which later changed to FK Deà ¾eva. The club has played under its current name since 1962, when FK Deà ¾eva and another local football club, the FK Ras, merged under the name FK Novi Pazar. The club was a Yugoslav amateur-leagues champion, and was later a member of the Yugoslav Second League.
Its first notable achievement happened in 1984 when the club won the Serbian Republic League, at time one of Yugoslav third tiers, and were promoted to the Yugoslav Second League for the first time in 56 years of existence till then. They finished the season with 43 points (at time it was two points per victory) with 17 wins, 9 draws and 4 losses, and a score balance of 42âÂÂ14. The Serbian Republic League at time was very competitive and Novi Pazar that season finished top of teams such as RadniÃÂki Kragujevac, ÃÂukariÃÂki, ObiliÃÂ, SinÃÂeliÃÂ, Jagodina, Sloga Kraljevo, Loznica, DuboÃÂica, RadniÃÂki Obrenovac, BuduÃÂnost Valjevo, Rudar Kostolac, Kristal ZajeÃÂar, Majdanpek, ÃÂerdap Kladovo and 7. Juli VrÃÂin. The celebration of the promotion to the Second League happened in the last round in the 2âÂÂ1 home victory over 7. Juli, but the major celebration happened two rounds earlier when Novi Pazar secured the league title at the 1âÂÂ1 draw away in Belgrade against SinÃÂeliÃÂ. The game was attended by 3.000 spectators of which 2.500 were Novi Pazar fans that had travelled to Belgrade. The goal for Novi Pazar was scored by Milan GlavÃÂiàwho scored 23 goals overall that season and was the club's top scorer. The players that formed that notorious generation of Novi Pazar that season were goalkeepers Novica JovanoviÃÂ, Dragan Goà ¡evac, Naser HalitoviÃÂ, defenders Dragan KostiÃÂ, Bajro à ½upiÃÂ, Darko VujoviÃÂ, Esad Karià ¡ik, Nazim IzberoviÃÂ, Ratko à  arac, Radojica MilojeviÃÂ, Salih Detanac, Izet LjajiÃÂ, Ljutvo BoguÃÂanin, midfielders Ferid GaniÃÂ, Rizo TutiÃÂ, Mirsad Karià ¡ik, Adnan NumanoviÃÂ, Ismail Bihorac, Nermin UkiÃÂ, and forwards Ismet Ugljanin, Milan GlavÃÂiÃÂ, Gmitar VukadinoviÃÂ, à  erif Izberoviàand Naser Salihu. The club president was Amir Beà ¡iroviàwhile the coach was Duà ¡an Radonjiàand his assistant was AÃÂif Klimenta.
Besides this major achievement, the generation of 1984 will also manage to win the, back then respectable, Yugoslav amateur-league leagues champion, which was played between the winners of the all eight leagues forming the Yugoslav third tier, the six republic leagues (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia) and the two autonomous provinces ones (Kosovo and Vojvodina). As winner of the 1983âÂÂ84 Serbian Republic League, FK Novi Pazar represented Serbia that year and won the tournament. After beating Liria away in Prizren by 3âÂÂ0, Novi Pazar played the final home in the City Stadium where it won Crvenka by 2âÂÂ0 with goals of Esad Karià ¡ik and Ismet Ugljanin. A member of that generation, Enver Gusinac, who became club captain in the seasons that followed, missed the season because of the Yugoslav People's Army conscription, made his return at that final game.
The club qualified for a promotion play-off spot for the First League of FR Yugoslavia twice, but lost on both occasions. They lost to Sutjeska Nikà ¡iàin 1994, and to Sloboda Uà ¾ice in 1995. In 2002, the club was relegated to the Serbian League, third division in Serbia. After one season in the Serbian League they were promoted back to the Serbian First League. During the 1980s and 1990s the club was magnet to many of the talented Kosovo Albanian players such as Nazmi Rama, Naser Salihu, Mentor Miftari, Sadik Rrahmani, Gëzim Hasi, Besnik Kollari, Shefqer Kurti, or manager Hysni Maxhuni.
The club played in the second tier until 2011, when they came in third. At the end of the 2010âÂÂ11 Serbian First League season, first-placed second-tier team FK BASK was not financially prepared for the Serbian SuperLiga, which caused a huge controversy and debate in Serbian football circles regarding who in BASK's place should take the birth in the top-tier Serbian SuperLiga in the following season. Two candidates emerged: FK InÃÂija, which had occupied a relegation place in the previous SuperLiga season, and FK Novi Pazar, which finished in non-promoting third place in the second-tier championship. Both clubs were backed by political proxies in their campaigns to take BASKS's place in the SuperLiga. Goran Jeà ¡iÃÂ, who was the president of the municipality of InÃÂija as well as an official of the Democratic Party, represented the lobby for FK InÃÂija to keep its place in the top flight. FK Novi Pazar, meanwhile, was backed by the powerful lobby of Rasim LjajiÃÂ. In the end, FK Novi Pazar was promoted along with second-place RadniÃÂki Kragujevac. The 2011âÂÂ12 Serbian SuperLiga was the first ever season in which FK Novi Pazar played in the top flight. Ivan Babiàparticipated in a historic moment for FK Novi Pazar after scoring the first goal in the top division for the club.
The season of 2012âÂÂ2013 was a difficult one for the club. After the first half of the season FK Novi Pazar ranked 10th place in the Serbian Superliga. In December 2012, an accumulated financial crisis in the club resulted in several players and directors leaving the club. Irfan Vuà ¡ljanin, regarded by many as one of the club's best players in recent years, was quoted saying that "I've played for many clubs, but I've never seen this kind of chaos like now in FK Novi Pazar." Like most of the playing squad, Dragoljub Bekvalac had not received payment in the previous four months and promptly resigned from the position of coach, and even considered suing the club via the district court for compensation. Days later, it was announced that famous Serbian coach Slavenko KuzeljeviÃÂ, known for his success with RadniÃÂki Kragujevac, agreed to replace Bekvalac as coach. Subsequent to the announcement of the new coach, the former leader of Partizan's medical team, dr. Sead MaliÃÂeviÃÂ, was named the new president of the club. FK Novi Pazar finished 14th placed in the 2012âÂÂ13 season which saw them remain in the first division.
During the 2013âÂÂ14 season, Novi Pazar was in no danger of relegation. They won against OFK Belgrade at home and drew goalless against Partizan. They finished the season ranked 8th.
Novi Pazar improved their form in the 2014âÂÂ15 Serbian Superliga season. They won 2âÂÂ1 against Red Star at home, 3âÂÂ1 against OFK Belgrade at home and drew 1âÂÂ1 against Partizan at home and away. They finished the season placed 5th.
In season 2019/20 they finished mid table in the Serbian First League (Second Division) but due to the FSS ( Football Association of Serbia) re-structuring the Serbian SuperLiga due to the COVID-19 Pandemic by adding four more teams to the top tier of the Serbian SuperLiga and due to FK Novi Pazar having a modern UEFA standard stadium when most clubs in Serbia don't, they were awarded a place/took the place of FK GrafiÃÂar Beograd, a Belgrade club who basically had a pitch/field and no stadium to speak of. So after a three-year absence FK Novi Pazar would again join the elite national competition.
Novi Pazar City Stadium (Serbian Cyrillic: ÃÂÃÂðôÃÂúø ÃÂÃÂðôøþý àÃÂþòþü ÃÂð÷ðÃÂÃÂ), located in the eastern part of the city, is the home venue of FK Novi Pazar. The stadium was officially opened on 12 April 2012 after one-year reconstruction and it can hold 12,000 people at full capacity.
The stadium began undergoing complete reconstruction during the first half of 2011 in an ambitious project by the Football Association of Serbia and the city of Novi Pazar. The project includes the renovation of the eastern, west and northern stands. The project includes also the covering of the whole stadium, new floodlights, new locker and press room, new ambulance, parking area, ticket office. After reconstruction, the stadium fulfill the most up to date UEFA standards. The cost of the project was estimated to be over 230 million Serbian dinars (2 million euros).
The three largest supporters groups of FK Novi Pazar are known as Torcida Sandà ¾ak, Ultra Azzurro and Ekstremi. Organized tifo support for FK Novi Pazar was first established in the late 1980s. Ultras of Fenerbahçe first recognized the fans of FK Novi Pazar in 2011, and a friendship now exists between the ultras of the clubs from Istanbul and Novi Pazar.
Ultras in Novi Pazar have Right-Wing views and have a recent history of both scandalous and disrespectful displays. In October 2012, Ekstremi held up a mocking display about the illegal organ harvesting in Kosovo as a provocation to Rad, a team from outside of Novi Pazar from where the supporters were mostly Christian Serbs. The incident garnered shocked reactions from media and government officials both in Serbia and in other countries. However, ultras in Novi Pazar are also known to act respectfully to visiting teams from outside of Novi Pazar.
In April 2013, during a home match against Partizan Belgrade, a supporter of FK Novi Pazar threw an activated homemade explosive device to the visiting supporters, which fell to the athletic field and did not explode. The explosive device was wrapped with tape and filled with nails. It was the same person who caused, on 26 November 2011, a false bomb alarm in the Novi Pazar City Stadium, leading to a criminal charge against him of causing panic. FK Novi Pazar club management sharply condemned the action.
Torcida Sandà ¾ak, on a different note, earned worldwide recognition when the group organized a protest in the form of a public march which was attended by thousands of people. The protest was held in a peaceful manner without negative incidents.
For the list of current and former players with Wikipedia article, please see: .