The Yugoslavia national football team represented Yugoslavia in international association football.
Although the team mainly represented the pre-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the post-war SFR Yugoslavia, various iterations of the state were formally constituted in football, including the: Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918–1929) Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1945) Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (1945) Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1963) Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1963–1992)
It enjoyed success in international competition, reaching the semi-finals at the 1930 and 1962 FIFA World Cups. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international competition as part of the United Nations sanctions on Yugoslavia.
History
The first national team was in the kingdom that existed between the two world wars. The Football Federation of what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was founded in Zagreb in 1919 under the name Jugoslavenski nogometni savez (and admitted into FIFA), and the national team played its first international game at the Summer Olympics in Antwerp in 1920. The opponent was Czechoslovakia, and the historic starting eleven that represented Kingdom of SCS on its debut were: Dragutin Vrđuka, Vjekoslav Župančić, Jaroslav Šifer, Stanko Tavčar, Slavin Cindrić, Rudolf Rupec, Dragutin Vragović, Artur Dubravčić, Emil Perška, Ivan Granec, and Jovan Ružić. They lost by a huge margin 0–7, but nonetheless got their names in the history books.
1930 World Cup
In 1929, the country was renamed to Yugoslavia and the football association became Fudbalski savez Jugoslavije and ordered to move its headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade. The national team participated at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, finishing in fourth place. In its first ever World Cup match in Montevideo's Parque Central, Yugoslavia managed a famous 2–1 win versus mighty Brazil, with the following starting eleven representing the country: Milovan Jakšić, Branislav Sekulić, Aleksandar Tirnanić, Milutin Ivković, Ivica Bek, Momčilo Đokić, Blagoje Marjanović, Milorad Arsenijević, Đorđe Vujadinović, Dragoslav Mihajlović, and Ljubiša Stefanović. The team was the youngest squad at the inaugural World Cup at an average age of just under 22 years old, and became quite popular among the Uruguayan public, who dubbed them "Los Ichachos". The national team consisted of players based in Serbian football clubs, while the Zagreb Subassociation forbid players from Croatian clubs, some of whom were regulars in the national team until then, to play in the World Cup due to the relocation of football association's headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade.History at Football Association of Serbia official website, Retrieved 17 May 2913
Post-World War II period The federation and football overall was disrupted by World War II. After the war, a socialist federation was formed and the football federation reconstituted. It was one of the founding members of the UEFA in 1954.
Silver Medal at 1948 Summer Olympics Yugoslavia began their football campaign by defeating Luxembourg 6–1, with five different players scoring the goals. In the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, they would take out Turkey and Great Britain by the same score of 3–1. In the final though, they would lose to Sweden.
Silver Medal at 1952 Summer Olympics Having a team with many players from the 1948 generation, Yugoslavia was a formidable side at the 1952 Summer Olympics and finished as runners-up behind the famous "Golden Team" representing Hungary. Against the USSR, Yugoslavia was 5–1 up with 15 minutes of their first round match to go. The Yugoslavs, understandably, put their feet up. Arthur Ellis, the match referee, recorded what happened next in his book, The Final Whistle (London, 1963): "The USSR forced the most honourable draw ever recorded! [Vsevolod] Bobrov, their captain, scored a magnificent hat-trick. After the USSR had reduced the lead to 5–2, he, almost single-handed, took the score to 5–5, scoring his third in the last minute. For once, use of the word sensational was justified." Although Bobrov's early goal in their replay presaged a miraculous recovery, Yugoslavia recovered sufficiently to put out their opponents easily in the second half.
Later decades
In 1976, Yugoslavia organized the European Championship played in Belgrade and Zagreb. The national team participated in eight World Cups and four Euros, won the Olympic football tournament in 1960 at the Summer Games (they also finished second three times and third once), and developed a reputation for skillful and attacking football, leading them to be dubbed "the Brazilians of Europe".
Dragan Džajić holds the record for the most national team caps at 85, between 1964 and 1979. The best scorer is Stjepan Bobek with 38 goals, between 1946 and 1956.
Dissolution and UN embargo During the collapse of communism in Europe, Yugoslavia's republics introduced multiparty politics and held elections in 1990. During the same time, conflicts between the republics and the national communities intensified and federal institutions weakened. Just weeks after the first Croatian elections and after a Dinamo Zagreb-Red Star riot at the same stadium, at the Yugoslavia-Netherlands friendly in preparation for the 1990 World Cup, the Croatian crowd in Zagreb jeered the Yugoslav team and anthem and waved Dutch flags (owing to its resemblance to the Croatian tricolour). With the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the team split up and players joined the newly emerging national teams. The Belgrade-based team of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) was banned from competing at Euro 92 under UN sanctions. The decision was made on 31 May 1992, just 10 days before the competition commenced. The SFRY Yugoslav team had earned the top spot of their group during the disintegration, and the FRY team was unable to take its spot in the competition due to United Nations Security Council Resolution 757. Their place was taken by group runners-up Denmark, who went on to win the competition.
After the breakup of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro proclaimed the state of FRY, which claimed to be the continuation of the previous Yugoslavia. A claim which was not generally accepted by the international community, except by FIFA and UEFA.
In 1992, Yugoslavia had also been drawn as the second seed in Group 5 of the European Zone in the qualifying tournament for the 1994 World Cup. FRY was barred from competing, rendering the group with only five remaining members instead of six.
In 1994, when the boycott was lifted, the union of Serbia and Montenegro competed under the name "Yugoslavia", as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia national football team. The Serbia and Montenegro national team continued under Yugoslavia's naming until 2003 when the country and team were renamed Serbia and Montenegro.
The Serbia national football team inherited Yugoslavia's spot within FIFA and UEFA and is considered by both organizations as the only successor of Yugoslavia (and of Serbia and Montenegro).History at FSS official website, Retrieved 4 October 2012 Serbia at FIFA official websiteNews: Serbia at UEFA official website, published 1 January 2011, Retrieved 4 October 2012
Youth teams The under-21 team won the inaugural UEFA U-21 Championship in 1978.
The Yugoslav under-20 team won the FIFA World Youth Championship 1987.
Kits
Head coaches Head coachPeriodRecordGamesWonDrawnLost Ivica Osim1986–199251271014 Ivan Toplak Ivica Osim19863111 Miloš Milutinović1984–198515735 Todor Veselinović1982–198418936 Miljan Miljanić1979–1982221822 Dražan Jerković19781100 Ante Mladinić19782002 Slavko Luštica19780000 Stevan Vilotić19782020 Marko Valok Stevan Vilotić Gojko Zec19776123 Ivan Toplak1976–19778206 Ante Mladinić1974–197615924 Miljan Miljanić Milan Ribar Sulejman Rebac Tomislav Ivić Milovan Ćirić1973–197411335 Vujadin Boškov1971–19732710125 Rajko Mitić1967–197034131011 Aleksandar Tirnanić Miljan Miljanić Rajko Mitić Vujadin Boškov Branko Stanković19664202 Aleksandar Tirnanić Miljan Miljanić19662011 Aleksandar Tirnanić Milan Antolković Miljan Miljanić19663102 Aleksandar Tirnanić Milan Antolković Miljan Miljanić Abdulah Gegić19657232 Ljubomir Lovrić196411317 Ljubomir Lovrić Hugo Ruševljanin1963–19647502 Ljubomir Lovrić Prvoslav Mihajlović Hugo Ruševljanin1961–1963221525 Dragomir Nikolić Aleksandar Tirnanić Ljubomir Lovrić1959–1961291685 Aleksandar Tirnanić1955–195834131110 Branko Pešić Aleksandar Tirnanić Leo Lemešić Franjo Wölfl Milovan Ćirić19549522 Milorad Arsenijević Aleksandar Tirnanić Leo Lemešić1952–1954181422 Milorad Arsenijević1949–1952231535 Milorad Arsenijević Aleksandar Tirnanić1946–1948181215 Svetozar Popović1940–19413120 Boško Simonović1939–19404112 Svetozar Popović19391001 Boško Simonović19394103 Svetozar Popović1937–193813454 Nikola Simić19364112 Boško Simonović19355320 Ivo Šuste Mata Miodragović Petar Pleše1934–19356303 Boško Simonović1933–19346312 Branislav Veljković19336312 Boško Simonović1930–19322412111 Ante Pandaković1926–1930197210 Dušan Zinaja1924–19253003 Todor Sekulić19241001 Veljko Ugrinić1920–192410316
Player statistics Most appearances
RankNameCapsGoalsPositionCareer1Dragan Džajić8523MF1964–19792Zlatko Vujović7025FW1979–19903Branko Zebec6517DF1951–19614Stjepan Bobek6338FW1946–19565Faruk Hadžibegić616DF1982–1992Branko Stanković613DF1946–19567Ivica Horvat600DF1946–19568Vladimir Beara590GK1950–1959Rajko Mitić5932FW1946–1957Bernard Vukas5922MF1948–1957
Top goalscorers
RankNameGoalsCapsRatioCareer1Stjepan Bobek386301946–19562Milan Galić37511959–1965Blagoje Marjanović37581926–19384Rajko Mitić32591946–19575Dušan Bajević29371970–19776Todor Veselinović28371953–19617Borivoje Kostić26331956–19648Zlatko Vujović25701970–19779Dragan Džajić23841964–197910Bernard Vukas22591948–1958
Competitive record FIFA World Cup Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
FIFA World Cup recordQualification recordYearRoundPositionSquads 1930Fourth place4th320177SquadInvited 1934Did not qualify201134 1938210114 1950Group stage5th320173Squad5320166 1954Quarter-finals7th311123Squad440040 1958Quarter-finals5th412177Squad422072 1962Fourth place4th6303107Squad4310114 1966Did not qualify6312108 19706312197 1974Quarter-finals7th6123127Squad532084 1978Did not qualify410368 1982Group stage16th311122Squad8611227 1986Did not qualify832378 1990Quarter-finals5th531186Squad8620166TotalFourth place8/1433147125542—6638151313068
UEFA European Championship Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
UEFA European Championship recordQualification recordYearRoundPositionSquads 1960Runners-up2nd210166Squad421194 1964Did not qualify421165 1968Runners-up2nd311123Squad6411145 1972Did not qualify834175 1976Fourth place4th200247Squad8611155 1980Did not qualify6402146 1984Group stage8th3003210Squad63211211 1988Did not qualify6402139 1992Banned after qualification8701244TotalRunners-up4/9102171426—5635101111454
Head-to-head record
Opponents Pld W D L 5 4 1 0 1 1 0 0 6 2 1 3 1 0 0 1 17 8 4 5 11 5 2 4 2 1 1 0 14 2 6 6 28 17 5 6 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 3 0 0 4 4 0 0 31 9 4 18 9 7 0 2 7 3 2 2 1 0 0 1 5 4 0 1 14 4 5 5 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 4 2 1 1 25 10 7 8 1 1 0 0 20 16 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 29 5 9 15 2 2 0 0 3 3 0 0 2 1 1 0 9 6 1 2 18 4 6 8 2 2 0 0 9 8 1 0 4 3 0 1 3 3 0 0 7 3 1 3 7 5 1 1 12 9 1 2 2 1 1 0 19 6 4 9 5 2 0 3 2 1 0 1 40 17 5 18 1 1 0 0 8 1 5 2 3 3 0 0 17 2 4 11 16 5 4 7 11 5 2 4 9 5 2 2 4 3 0 1 11 7 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 5 2 0 3 1 1 0 0 7 4 3 0 and 1908-1942 24 9 4 11 1 1 0 0
Honours Global Olympic Games Gold medal: 1960 Silver medal: 1948, 1952, 1956 Bronze medal: 1984
Continental UEFA European Championship Runners-up: 1960, 1968
Regional Balkan Cup Champions: 1934–35, 1935 Mediterranean Games Gold medal: 1971, 1979
Summary CompetitionTotalOlympic Games1315UEFA European Championship0202Total1517
See also List of Yugoslavia international footballers