1965–66 Yugoslav First League

Prva savezna liga
Season 1965–66
Champions Vojvodina (1st title)
Relegated Radnički Belgrade
Trešnjevka
European Cup Vojvodina
Cup Winners' Cup OFK Belgrade
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Dinamo Zagreb
Red Star Belgrade
Olimpija Ljubljana
Top goalscorer Petar Nadoveza (21)

The 1965–66 Yugoslav First League season was the 20th season of the First Federal League (Serbo-Croatian: Prva savezna liga), the top level association football league of SFR Yugoslavia, since its establishment in 1946. Sixteen teams contested the competition, with Vojvodina winning their first national title.

Revelation of match fixing from May–June 1964 (The Planinić Affair)

Though the events in question happened 14 months earlier, the beginning of the 1965-66 season and subsequently the entire campaign were marked by revelation of match fixing from two seasons before.

FK Željezničar, Hajduk Split, and NK Trešnjevka were in August 1965, just as the new season began, found guilty of fixing matches back in the 1963-64 season. Their guilt was based on the written statement by the Željo goalkeeper Ranko Planinić who decided to come forward some 14 months after the fact. In his statement Planinić claimed on the record that his club threw matches against Hajduk and Trešnjevka towards the end of the 1963-64 season in order to help those two relegation-threatened teams avoid the drop. Specifically, Planinić claimed that the match played on 31 May 1964 in Split when Hajduk beat Željezničar 4-0 was fixed, as well as the match on 7 June 1964 in Sarajevo when Željo and Trešnjevka tied 3-3. He was in Željo's goal for both matches.

This explosive testimony erupted in a nationwide scandal that became known as the 'Planinić Affair'. Many times in the past Yugoslav First League had been plagued by rumours of widespread match fixing, however this was the first occasion that a player had come forward and substantiated those claims on the record.

On 27 August 1965, the Yugoslav FA's disciplinary body (disciplinski sud) presided over by Svetozar Savić handed out the following penalties:

  • FK Željezničar's board members, including club president Nusret Mahić, got lifelong bans on performing any football-related official functions.
  • FK Željezničar's head coach at the time Vlatko Konjevod got a lifetime ban from football.
  • FK Željezničar's players Ivica Osim and Mišo Smajlović each got a one-year ban from football.
  • NK Hajduk Split's board members, including club president Josip Košto, got lifelong bans on performing any football-related official functions.
  • NK Hajduk Split's head coach at the time Milovan Ćirić got a lifetime ban from football.
  • Two members of NK Trešnjevka's board got lifelong bans on performing any football-related official functions.
  • NK Trešnjevka's club president Ivan Bačun and technical director Marjan Matančić got disciplinary motions started against them.
  • NK Dinamo Zagreb's general secretary Oto Hofman got a lifetime ban from football for acting as a go-between for Željezničar and Trešnjevka.

Disciplinary body president Svetozar Savić also announced that the investigation had revealed that Željezničar was paid YUD1.5 million by Hajduk Split, and YUD4 million by Trešnjevka for these matches. Some of the money Trešnjevka paid was obtained from the Zagreb Fair where some of Trešnjevka's board members were employed at.[1] As a reference point, the price of a daily newspaper at the time was YUD40.

Appeals

On appeal, the main punishment for the three clubs was reduced to points-deduction. Željo, Hajduk, and Trešnjevka were docked 6, 5, and 5 points, respectively.

Aftermath

As a result of missing two of their best players Željezničar struggled mightily to avoid relegation. For the crucial league matches in the survival fight towards the end of the season, Ivica Osim was allowed back on the pitch and Željo barely avoided relegation. Osim's goal against Radnički Niš is especially remembered as it effectively kept Željo in the First League.

Despite taking active part in both fixed matches, Planinić got off unpunished. In the years since, Planinić's motivation to become a whistleblower was sometimes questioned in the media outlets close to the punished clubs with some claiming that he did it out of spite because his contract negotiations with FK Željezničar stalled in August 1965.[2]

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Vojvodina (C) 30 17 9 4 53 28 +25 43 1966–67 European Cup
2 Dinamo Zagreb 30 13 9 8 49 35 +14 35 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
3 Velež 30 14 7 9 48 37 +11 35
4 Rijeka 30 14 5 11 46 40 +6 33
5 Red Star Belgrade 30 12 7 11 54 54 0 31 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
6 OFK Belgrade 30 10 10 10 58 50 +8 30 1966–67 European Cup Winners' Cup
7 Radnički Niš 30 10 9 11 44 35 +9 29
8 Olimpija 30 11 7 12 43 47 −4 29 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
9 Sarajevo 30 10 9 11 40 44 −4 29
10 Vardar 30 12 4 14 47 44 +3 28
11 Partizan 30 10 8 12 45 47 −2 28
12 Željezničar 30 12 8 10 35 36 −1 26[lower-alpha 1]
13 Hajduk Split 30 11 8 11 45 37 +8 25[lower-alpha 2]
14 NK Zagreb 30 9 7 14 39 58 −19 25
15 Radnički Beograd (R) 30 7 11 12 32 53 −21 25 1966–67 Yugoslav Second League
16 Trešnjevka (R) 30 6 6 18 41 74 −33 13[lower-alpha 3]
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
  1. ↑ Željezničar were docked 6 points due to Planinić Affair
  2. ↑ Hajduk Split were docked 5 points due to Planinić Affair
  3. ↑ Trešnjevka were docked 5 points due to Planinić Affair

Champions:

players (league matches/league goals):
Silvester Takač (30/13)
Vasa Pušibrk (30/2)
Ilija Pantelić (30/0) -goalkeeper-
Vladimir Savić (29/5)
Žarko Nikolić (29/4)
Ivan Brzić (29/0)
Stevan Sekereš (29/0)
Dobrivoje Trivić (28/7)
Mladen Vučinić (26/0)
Đorđe Pavlić (18/8)
Stevan Nestički (17/0)
Dimitrije Radović (16/1)
Radivoj Radosav (12/4)
Adolf Lambi (8/2)
Veljko Aleksić (4/0)
Đorđe Milić (3/1)
Tonče Stamevski (3/0)
Rajko Aleksić (2/0)
Branislav Veljković (1/0)-goalkeeper-
Anđelko Marinković (1/0)
Dragan Surdučki (1/0)[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Golovi na sudu; Politika, 1 January 2008
  2. ↑ Zdravko Reić: Za namještanja utakmica potrebne su drakonske kazne!; Slobodna Dalmacija, 9 December 2008
  3. ↑ Stats from Vojvodina official site
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