The 1996–97 First League of FR Yugoslavia was the fifth season of the FR Yugoslavia's top-level football league since its establishment.
Overview For the fourth season in a raw that the league was divided in 2 groups, A and B, consisting each of 10 clubs. Both groups were played in league system. By winter break all clubs in each group meet each other twice, home and away, with the bottom four classified from A group moving to the group B, and being replaced by the top four from the B group. At the end of the season the same situation happened with four teams being replaced from A and B groups, adding the fact that the bottom three clubs from the B group were relegated into the Second League of FR Yugoslavia for the next season and replaced by the top three from that league.
At the end of the season FK Partizan became the champions in the second consecutive year.
The league top-scorer was Red Star Belgrade striker Zoran Jovičić with 21 goals.
The relegated clubs were OFK Kikinda, FK Sloboda Užice and FK Mladost Bački Jarak.
Teams
1A League ClubCityStadiumCapacityPartizanBelgradePartizan Stadium32,710Red StarBelgradeRed Star Stadium55,538VojvodinaNovi SadKarađorđe Stadium17,204ZemunZemun, BelgradeZemun Stadium10,000RadBelgradeStadion Kralj Petar I6,000ProleterZrenjaninStadion Karađorđev park13,500Hajduk KulaKulaStadion Hajduk6,000Budućnost PodgoricaPodgoricaPodgorica City Stadium12,000BečejBečejStadion kraj Tise3,000BoracČačakČačak Stadium6,000Mladost LučaniLučaniMladost Stadium8,000ČukaričkiBelgradeStadion Čukarički7,000
1B League ClubCityStadiumCapacityMladost Bački JarakBački JarakStadion Livadice3,000SlobodaUžiceUžice City Stadium12,000LoznicaLoznicaStadion Lagator4,000ObilićBelgradeFK Obilić Stadium4,500SutjeskaNikšićGradski stadion (Nikšić)10,800OFK BeogradKaraburma, BelgradeOmladinski Stadium20,000SpartakSuboticaSubotica City Stadium13,000Radnički NišNišČair Stadium18,000ŽeleznikBelgradeŽeleznik Stadium8,000Budućnost ValjevoValjevoPark Pećina6,000OFK KikindaKikindaKikinda City Stadium6,000Rudar PljevljaPljevljaStadion pod Golubinjom10,000
IA league Table
Results First and second round
Third round
IB league Table
Results First and second round
Third round
IA/IB Playoff
Relegation playoff
Winning squad Champions: Partizan Belgrade (Coach: Ljubiša Tumbaković)
Players (league matches/league goals) Ivica Kralj (goalkeeper) Nikola Damjanac (goalkeeper) Viktor Trenevski Bratislav Mijalković Darko Tešović Georgi Hristov Ivan Tomić Dražen Bolić Mladen Krstajić Predrag Pažin Đorđe Svetličić Dejan Peković Dejan Vukićević Damir Čakar Dragan Ćirić Niša Saveljić Igor Taševski Source:
Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Zoran JovičićRed Star2 Damir ČakarPartizan3 Damir StojakVojvodina4 Dragan MićićRed Star5 Branko StojanovićMladost Lučani12 Darko PivaljevićMladost Lučani7 Milan StojanoskiProleter Zrenjanin8 Ivan TomićPartizan10 Dejan StankovićRed Star
References
External links Tables and results at RSSSF