1999–2000 First League of FR Yugoslavia


The 1999–2000 First League of FR Yugoslavia was the eighth season of the FR Yugoslavia's top-level football league since its establishment. It was contested by 21 teams, and Red Star Belgrade won the championship.

Incidents

Tragedy at the Eternal Derby: the death of Aca Radović

The season was marred by a tragic event on 30 October 1999, during Partizan vs. Red Star tie when seventeen-year-old Red Star fan Aleksandar "Aca" Radović from Opovo was killed by a signaling rocket fired from within the stadium. Radović, a third-year student at the First Belgrade Gymnasium, was supporting his team from the Partizan Stadium's north end when in 20th minute of the match he got hit in the chest by a signaling rocket fired from the opposite end of the stadium, which is where Partizan fans were located. Partizan just scored a goal to go up 1-0 and a certain section of their fans Grobari fired a series of ship signaling rockets from the south stand where they traditionally gather as a way of celebrating the goal. Most of those rockets landed on the stadium's north stand where Red Star's fans Delije always gather, and one of them hit the unfortunate teenager right in the chest near his throat, cutting his aorta. He died almost instantly as he was being moved from the stands onto the stadium's athletic track and into the ambulance car.
Amazingly, the match was not stopped and the two teams continued playing, a decision that led to a lot of public criticism directed at two clubs, the football league, and the FA.
Further investigation conducted by the police discovered that the particular rocket that killed Radović was fired by Partizan fan Majk Halkijević from Krnjača. In addition to Halkijević, three other individuals — Nenad "Kec" Kecojević from Mali Mokri Lug, Aleksandar "Sale" Aleksić from Krnjača, and Zoran "Prcko" Jovanović from Belgrade — were also firing rockets at the stadium during the match. According to the investigation, the ship signaling rockets were originally purchased in Greece before being smuggled into Serbia. In Belgrade, Grobari leader Zoran "Čegi" Živanović bought 10 of them along with 60 flares, all from Mirko Urban. Čegi brought the stuff to Partizan Stadium on the day of the derby, handing it over to Časlav "Čaja" Kurandić. Čaja then took the flares and rockets into the stadium with help from FK Partizan's equipment manager Branko "Gavran" Vučićević who hid them inside the bags with team's sports equipment. Once inside the team's dressing room, the packages with flares and rockets were passed to Goran "Tuljak" Matović and Dragan "Lepi Gaga" Petronić through the dressing room's window. The packages were then carried through the east stand and onto the south stand through the protective fence while Nikola "Džoni" Dedović diverted steward's attention. On the south stand, group leader Čegi distributed the rockets and flares to a certain number of Grobari, including Majk Halkijević.
At the trial that dragged on for almost two years, the accused were not tried for murder but for a lesser charge of disturbing public order and causing general endangerment. The verdict was delivered on 1 March 2001, with Halkijević getting one year and 11 months sentence. Aleksandar "Sale" Aleksić got one year and eight months while Nenad "Kec" Kecojević, Zoran "Čegi" Živanović, and Časlav "Čaja" Kurandić got year and a half. Furthermore, Dragan "Lepi Gaga" Petronić and Srđan Šalipurović got six months, while Mirko Urban also known as Mirko Pekar, accused of selling the rockets to Grobari, got a year and a half. Others who were on the accused list but received no sentence were Zoran "Prcko" Jovanović, Nikola "Džoni" Dedović, Branko "Gavran" Vučićević, and Goran "Tuljak" Matović.

Teams

Due to decision of the Football Association of FR Yugoslavia of enlargement of the league from 18 to 22 teams, the teams from earlier season was not relegated.
Before that season FK Priština was withdrew from the competition due to situation in Kosovo, so a status of the team was frozen.
From the 1998–99 Second League of FR Yugoslavia to the league was entered: Borac Čačak, Čukarički, Hajduk Beograd and Sutjeska Nikšić.
ClubCityStadiumCapacity
PartizanBelgradePartizan Stadium32,710
Red StarBelgradeRed Star Stadium55,538
VojvodinaNovi SadKarađorđe Stadium17,204
ZemunZemun, BelgradeZemun Stadium10,000
RadBelgradeStadion Kralj Petar I6,000
ProleterZrenjaninStadion Karađorđev park13,500
Hajduk KulaKulaStadion Hajduk6,000
ObilićBelgradeFK Obilić Stadium4,500
ŽeleznikBelgradeŽeleznik Stadium8,000
MogrenBudvaStadion Lugovi4,000
OFK BeogradKaraburma, BelgradeOmladinski Stadium20,000
SartidSmederevoSmederevo City Stadium17,200
SpartakSuboticaSubotica City Stadium13,000
RadničkiKragujevacČika Dača Stadium15,000
Hajduk BeogradBelgradeStadion Hajduk Lion4,500
ČukaričkiBelgradeStadion Čukarički7,000
SutjeskaNikšićGradski stadion 10,800
BoracČačakČačak Stadium6,000
Budućnost PodgoricaPodgoricaPodgorica City Stadium12,000
Radnički NišNišČair Stadium18,000
MilicionarBelgradeSC MUP Makiš4,000

League table

Champions

Red Star Belgrade
Players