Crvena Zvezda Stadium, now known as Raiko Mitić, is a famous football arena. Located in Belgrade. Capacity - more than 55 thousand spectators. It is on it that the home football club of the same name plays, as well as the national team of Serbia.
Previous buildings
The first football arena on the site of the Crvena Zvezda stadium appeared in 1927. In 1945, the football club of the same name was founded, which was rapidly becoming popular among residents of the capital. Then the question arose about the construction of a new, more spacious and modern stadium.
Serbian "Maracana"
After a farewell match held in the old arena in December 1959, the stadium was destroyed to the ground, and the construction of a new one was laid on its foundation.
Three years later, in Belgrade, its own “Maracana” appeared. So the arena was named after the famous Brazilian stadium, which was considered the most spacious in the world.
The first to test the quality of the new lawn was not professional players, but football veterans. In a friendly match between the teams Crvena Zvezda and Unity (Zimun) the first goal was recorded at the new stadium. He was scored by Trifun Mikhailovich from the guest team.
On September 1, 1963, the Crvena Zvezda stadium, the photo of which is presented in this article, accepted its first official match. In the championship of Yugoslavia, “Zvezdashi” took “Rijeka”. The excitement before the game was so strong that the local farmer came to the stadium neither light nor dawn to take a comfortable place. The fan did not suspect that he would go down in the history of the stadium as the first official spectator.
In total, at least 55 thousand people gathered for that duel. Even partially unfinished stands did not stop them from cheering for their favorite club. And the players justified their confidence by winning 2: 1. No matter how annoying the local fans were, the author of the first goal at FC Crvena Zvezda stadium was Nedelko Vukoye from Rijeka.
The first match did not become a record for attendance at the stadium. More than 74 thousand fans came to the game with a principled rival, Partizan.
In the next season, after the final completion of the construction, the capacity of the arena was 110 thousand spectators. That is how much the Brazilian Maracana could contain.
In April 1975, a new stadium attendance record was set. According to official figures, more than 96 thousand spectators came to the semifinal game in the Cup of Cups, in which the Serbian team hosted the Hungarian Ferencvaros. However, according to other sources, during that duel there were practically no empty seats in the stands.
New name and future plans
In the 90s, in order to comply with safety and comfort standards in football arenas, the capacity of the Red Stars stadium was reduced to 55 thousand spectators due to the elimination of standing places and the installation of plastic seats in all stands.
In 2014, the stadium was given a new name - it was named "Raiko Mitić" in honor of the famous Serbian player and founder of the local football team.
A few years ago, it was decided on a future reconstruction of the building. In addition to a small reduction in seats (up to 50 thousand seats), it is planned to build a fitness center, office and retail building, hotel, underground parking and other infrastructure. The cost of reconstruction, according to various estimates, ranges from 400 to 600 million euros.
Interesting facts about the stadium
In 1958, Manchester United hosted the Manchester United at the still-old Crvena Zvezda stadium. The next day, the English team died in full force in a plane crash.
In 1973, the Champions Cup final was held here, in which Ajax minimally defeated Juventus. The game was attended by more than 91 thousand spectators. This is the third indicator among the records of attendance of the Belgrade arena.
During the European Championships in 1976, two games were played at this stadium. In the semifinal match, the hosts lost to the German national team, and in the final the victory in the penalty shoot-out was celebrated by Czechoslovak footballers. During the penetration of the 11-meter series, the winning parachute strike performed by Antonin Panenki was soon named in his honor as the “panick strike”.
In 1991, at this stadium, the FC Crvena Zvezda team beat Munich Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the Champions Cup. After the final whistle, almost all 100 thousand fans present at the game took to the field to celebrate the victory. That season, the Serbian club won this tournament.