FK Vardar

FK Vardar (Macedonian: ФК Вардар) is a football team from Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, that currently plays in the Macedonian First League. The club plays at the Philip II Arena (current capacity 25,000 - in construction).   The club was founded in 1947.  Vardar's most glorious moment came in 1987, when the team lead by Darko Pančev, Ilija Najdoski, Dragan Kanatlarovski, Čedomir Janevski and Vujadin Stanojkovic won the Yugoslav First League 1986-87 title.     By winning the league Vardar became the first and only Macedonian club to win the national Yugoslav Championship, temporarily breaking the dominance of the big four of Yugoslav football at that time; Red Star Belgrade, Partizan Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split.        Vardar won the title from Partizan Belgrade by 1 point due to Partizan and 9 other teams starting the 1986-87 season with negative 6 points due to match fixing irregularities committed on the 34th and final round of the season before. The title was subsequently awarded to FK Partizan in 1988 when the points deductions were successfully appealed to the Yugoslav Constitutional Court.      

 

Vardar did however represent SFR Yugoslavia in the 1987-88 UEFA European Champions Cup where they lost in the first round to Porto of Portugal over two legs. See Yugoslav First League 1985-86.  Following the breakup of Yugoslavia and the formation of the Macedonian First League, Vardar established itself as the dominant club in the new competition, winning three consecutive league titles and two Macedonian Cups.     

 

For the next six years however the club experienced a relative dry spell, yet still winning two national cups. The club's fortunes looked up with the return of coach Gjoko Hadžievski, who led the club to another two titles.     

League Titles Yugoslav Champions    * 1987      

Macedonian Champions    * 1993  * 1994  * 1995  * 2002  * 2003           

Cup Titles Yugoslav Cup    * 1961       

Macedonian Cup    * 1993  * 1995  * 1998  * 1999  * 2007  

  Records

* Most Goals: Andon Doncevski (217 goals)    * Best Goals Per Game Average: Darko Pancev (207 matches/132 goals - 0.65 goals per match)    * Most goals in single season (Macedonian League): Saša Ćirić 1992/93 (36 goals)    * Most goals in European Competition: Wandeir 2003/04-05 (14 goals)    * Most Successful Coach: Gjoko Hadzievski (5 league titles, 2 national cups)

   FK Vardar supporters are known as Komiti and they were founded in 1987.