Founded on 2 March 2005 as NK Bežigrad, Olimpija began competing in the Slovenian fifth division during the 2005–06 season and managed to achieve promotion in four successive seasons, reaching the top division for the first time in 2009 after winning the 2008–09 Slovenian Second League. After seven years in the top division, Olimpija won their first major trophy when they were crowned champions in the 2015–16 season. They won two more league titles in 2017–18 and 2022–23; in 2017–18, Olimpija also won the national cup for the first time, completing their first double.
Initially, the club played at the Bežigrad Stadium and the ŽAK Stadium during the club's stay in the second division and during the first year in the top division. In 2010, they moved to the Stožice Stadium with a capacity of 16,038.
Olimpija's nicknames are the "Green and Whites" (Slovene: Zeleno-beli), referring to their primary colours, and "The Dragons" (Slovene: Zmaji), referring to the dragon which is a symbol of Ljubljana and is represented on the city's coat of arms and on the club's crest. Their main rivals are NK Maribor, with whom they contest the Eternal derby.
History
Foundation
First club crest in 2005
Olimpija Ljubljana was founded on 2 March 2005[1][6][7] as NK Bežigrad,[8][9][10] and was renamed NK Olimpija Bežigrad during their third season.[3][11] The club was renamed again to ŠD NK Olimpija Ljubljana on 3 March 2008 after being granted the rights by the administrative unit of the City Municipality of Ljubljana.[2][11] The club regard themselves as the continuation of the four-times Slovenian Champions Olimpija, who went bankrupt and were dissolved following the 2004–05 season.[7][10] Legally, Olimpija Ljubljana is a distinct and separate club and treated as such by the Football Association of Slovenia.[3][8][12]
Because of their association with the dissolved club, Olimpija Ljubljana was criticised on numerous occasions by several media outlets, which questioned the legitimacy of their actions and even the fact that the club has a year 1911 inscribed on their crest.[3][7][9][10][11][13] They were also criticised by ND Ilirija 1911.[11][14] In 2013, the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia publicly disclosed the list of tax debtors in the country and among those was also NK Olimpija Ljubljana, with a tax debt between €100,000 and €300,000.[3] The next day, Olimpija Ljubljana's officials made a public statement where they confirmed that the club in question (i.e. dissolved Olimpija) is a different legal entity and is not, by any means, connected with Olimpija Ljubljana which does not have any financial obligations to the state or any third parties.[3][15]
Early years (2005–2009)
Assisted by semi-retired club legends of the old Olimpija and other notable Slovenian players, the club started to compete in the lowest tier of Slovenian football and won the fifth division in their first year. In the next two seasons, Bežigrad was promoted to the Slovenian Second League, by winning both fourth and third divisions in consecutive seasons.[16] During their season in the fourth division the club changed its name for the first time and became known as Olimpija Bežigrad. This happened despite the claims of Joc Pečečnik, one of the wealthiest man in Slovenia and, at the time, owner of NK Interblock, that he is in fact the sole owner of the Olimpija name and brand.[17] During the 2008–09 season, the club changed their name once again, this time to Olimpija Ljubljana. In the same season, the club won the second division title and earned a promotion to the Slovenian top division. Throughout the path to the top division, Olimpija was supported by Green Dragons, the fan group of the dissolved Olimpija. The success of the club, who earned a promotion from the fifth division to top division in only four seasons, was somewhat dented by a conflict between several players, coaching staff, club leadership and sponsors, which eventually led to a player-led boycott in the final round of the 2008–09 second division season.[18] Due to this event, the club began their first season in Slovenian top flight (2009–10) with a two points deduction.[18] In addition, several notable players, including Miran Pavlin and Amir Karić, left the club.[citation needed]
Promotion to Slovenian top division (2009–2015)
For their first ever 1. SNL campaign, several players were signed to replace the recent departures, along with a new coach, Branko Oblak. The club had a poor start, as the team, mainly composed of young players and a small number of veterans, only managed one win in the opening four matches. After their defeat against Maribor on 8 August 2009, the club announced that Oblak had agreed to terminate his contract, with assistant manager Safet Hadžić taking his place as caretaker.[19] The club's fortunes soon turned result-wise and Robert Pevnik was hired to take over as manager.[20] The club finished the season in fourth place.[21]
In the run up to the 2010–11 season, principal sponsor Izet Rastoder was elected president and Safet Hadžić took over as manager. The season started poorly, with a 5–0 aggregate defeat against Široki Brijeg in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. This game was later alleged by German television station ARD to have been fixed.[22][23][24] It was later revealed that UEFA officially investigated the match and that three players of Olimpija were under investigation.[25] After another poor start which saw the club only manage two points in five matches, manager Safet Hadžić and director of football Simon Sešlar both left in August 2010.[26]Dušan Kosič then took over as manager with Aleš Čeh as his assistant.[27] On 26 January 2011, former Slovenian international Milenko Ačimovič became the director of football.[28][29] After a poor start into the season, the new director of football brought a couple of players with international experiences, among which was also a midfielder Dare Vršič.[30] During the second phase of the Slovenian championship the team started to show their potential and eventually finished their second 1. SNL season in fourth place, securing a place in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League qualifications.[31] With the 3–0 home victory against Široki Brijeg on 7 July 2011, Olimpija achieved its first victory in UEFA competitions.[32] In addition, it was the first international club match played at the Stožice Stadium, opened in August 2010.[33] During the 2011–12 Slovenian PrvaLiga season, the club finished as a runner-up behind Maribor.[34]
National champions (2015 to present)
In June 2015, Milan Mandarić, a Serbian-American business tycoon, took over the club.[35] In his first season, the club won the Slovenian League title for the first time.[36] During the 2017–18 season, Olimpija won the double after winning the league title over Maribor with the same number of points, but with a better head-to-head record, and winning the national cup after defeating Aluminij 6–1 in the final.[37][38]
Olimpija won two more cup titles in 2018–19 and 2020–21,[39] before winning their third league championship in 2022–23. They confirmed the title with five rounds to go, after beating rivals Maribor 2–0 in the 31st round.[40] In the same season, Olimpija also won their fourth cup title after defeating Maribor 2–1 in the 2023 Slovenian Cup final, thus achieving their second double in five years.[41]
Name changes
NK Bežigrad (2005–2007)
NK Olimpija Bežigrad (2007–2008)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (2008–present)
Club colours and kits
Olimpija's original kit
Since the club's foundation, Olimpija has been playing in the combination of green and white, which were also the main colours of the dissolved Olimpija. Today, the club plays in green kits at home and in white kits away. The third kit is usually black or grey.[42] Since June 2022, the kit manufacturer is Puma.[43]
Stožice Stadium is a football stadium located in Ljubljana with a capacity of 16,038 covered seats.[5] It was designed by the Sadar + Vuga architecture bureau and is the biggest Slovenian football stadium.[44] It opened in August 2010 and lies in the Bežigrad district, north of the city centre.[4] Together with an indoor arena, it is a part of the Stožice Sports Park. The stadium also has 558 VIP seats and 97 spots for persons with disabilities.[5] Olimpija played its first match at the new stadium on 22 August 2010, in front of 7,000 spectators in a league match against Koper.[45] The record home attendance was set in 2014, when 15,972 spectators gathered to watch Olimpija play against English Premier League side Chelsea in a friendly match.[4] The stadium is also used as the main venue for home matches of the Slovenia national football team, as well as for many cultural events such as music concerts.
Olimpija's main supporters are called Green Dragons, one of the two largest ultras groups in the country,[46] who also supported the old Olimpija until the club's dissolution in 2005 and went over to the new club in the same year, as they regard it as a successor of the original club. They mostly wear green and white symbols and clothing, which are the club's colours.
Olimpija's biggest rivalry is with NK Maribor, against whom they contest the Eternal derby (Slovene: Večni derbi). The rivalry is a continuation of the original Eternal derby, contested by Maribor and the defunct Olimpija, which folded and was dissolved in 2005.[47][48] The rivalry dates back to the early 1960s and the time of Yugoslavia, when the first match between the two clubs was played.[49] The rivalry reached its peak in the last round of the 2000–01 season, when Olimpija met Maribor at their home stadium, Bežigrad. Olimpija needed a win for the title, while a draw was enough for Maribor.[50] The match ended in a 1–1 draw, and Maribor won its fifth consecutive title.[51]
The additional intensity of the rivalry is the fact that both Maribor and Olimpija have always had the support of the ultras groups called Viole Maribor, supporting Maribor, and Green Dragons, who support Olimpija. The two groups are the largest in the country, and it is not uncommon for matches between the two clubs to sometimes be interrupted due to violent clashes between the fans or with the police.[52]
Since most of the fans of the defunct Olimpija support the new Olimpija, many see the matches between Maribor and the new club as a continuation of the rivalry and call it by the same name.[53][54] The first match between Maribor and the new Olimpija took place on 24 October 2007 in a Slovenian Cup quarter-final match, which Maribor won 3–1.[55][56] At the time, Olimpija still competed under the name Olimpija Bežigrad.[56]
^ abG. N. (21 March 2012). "Derbi št. 11, 52 ali 72?" [Derby no. 11, 52 or 72?]. Delo (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
^Gajič, Dušan (5 March 2010). "NK Ilirija še obstaja" [NK Ilirija still exists]. Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
^Konjević, Sanel (16 April 2013). "Pojasnilo glede objave DURS" (in Slovenian). NK Olimpija Ljubljana. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
^"ARD: Namešten meč Olimpija – Široki" [ARD: Olimpija – Siroki match fixed]. b92.net (in Serbian). 19 July 2010. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
^"Nov stadion, stara zgodba" [New stadium, same old story] (in Slovenian). Nogomania. 23 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
^"Delitev točk na 104. večnem derbiju" [A draw at the 104th eternal derby]. 24ur.com (in Slovenian). 12 March 2011. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
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