Revelation of match-fixing from May–June 1964 ("Planinić affair")
Though the events in question had taken place fourteen months earlier, the beginning of the 1965-66 season and subsequently the entire campaign were marked by a revelation of match fixing from two seasons before. In late August 1965, two weeks into the league season, FK Željezničar, Hajduk Split, and NK Trešnjevka were found guilty of fixing matches at the end of 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 return for financial compensation that those two relegation-threatened teams paid in order to 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. Planinić made the information public in August 1965 by approaching a Večernje novine journalist Alija Resulović who in turn took Planinić's testimony in form of an interview and the piece was published by the paper, which was circulated in 100,000 copies at the time. In his 2006 book Ona vremena, Resulović claims to have contacted FK Željezničar's president Nusret Mahić right before submitting the piece for publishing, informing him of Planinić's allegations, seeking comment, and even offering to sit on the information if he thinks it necessary. Resulović further claims that Mahić's response was: "Publish it all! It's all a lie that Planinić concocted as revenge for being fined for an incident he caused at a training session". The explosive testimony immediately erupted in a nationwide scandal that became known as the 'Planinić Affair'. Many times in the years prior, 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.
Punishment
On Friday, 27 August 1965, following a fifteen-hour investigative process, the Yugoslav FA's disciplinary body 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.
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. As a reference point, the price of a daily newspaper at the time was YUD40. Furthermore, NK Hajduk Split, NK Trešnjevka, and FK Željezničar were relegated to the Yugoslav Second League's Western Division, effective immediately. The decision further entailed reorganization of the 1965–66 Yugoslav First League that was already two weeks into its run via reducing the number of clubs from 16 to 13 and voiding all the 1965-66 Yugoslav First League matches played by Hajduk, Trešnjevka, and Željezničar up to that point. It also meant expanding the 1965–66 Yugoslav Second League Western Division from 18 to 21 clubs. The draconian punishment caused widespread shock and approval among the Yugoslav public with each of the FSJ's six sub-federations except for SR Croatia's expressing strong support of the decision. Fans of Hajduk, Trešnjevka, and Željezničar organized street protests in their respective cities with the Split demonstration being the most attended. The three clubs quickly lodged an appeal with the FSJ.
Appeals
On Friday, 9 September 1965, the Yugoslav FA's appeals commission announced its decisions. The main punishment for the three clubs was reduced to points-deduction. Željo, Hajduk, and Trešnjevka were docked 6, 5, and 5 points, respectively. All of the individual punishments for players and club management members were upheld.
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.
