Koševo City Stadium

Koševo Stadium (Bosnian: Stadion Koševo), also Koševo Olympic Stadium (Olimpijski stadion Koševo), or Stadium Asim Ferhatović - Hase (Stadion Asim Ferhatović Hase) for football and other events hosted by FK Sarajevo, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Koševo neighborhood of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The largest stadium in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it hosted the opening ceremony of the 1984 Winter Olympics. Name and ownership The stadium is constructed and owned by the City of Sarajevo until ownership was transferred to municipality of Centar, Sarajevo, and leased on long-term basis to football club FK Sarajevo, and also to FK Željezničar on periods between 1968 and 1976, and in other occasions when Grbavica Stadium was unavailable. In July 2004, FK Sarajevo proposed that stadium be named in honor to its former footballer and club's legend, Asim Ferhatović, for all sporting and football events hosted by the club. Construction Construction works started in 1947. The stadium was literally buried into a local hill thus merging with its natural surroundings. In 1950, a pitch and a tartan track were also added. The stadium was opened in the year 1947. In 1966, it was renovated for the Balkan athletic championship, when a new administration building was built, the new locker rooms and a restaurant. A modern scoreboard and new lighting were also put in place. In 1984, it was completely rebuilt for the 1984 Winter Olympics, which earned it the epithet Olympic Stadium. The stadium was renovated for the third time after the Bosnian War, in 1998. By adding the chairs on every stand, the seating capacity of the stadium was reduced to 34,500. Today, the total capacity of Koševo is 34,500 seats, and up to 70,000 for musical and various public events. History Sporting events The first international football match, between Yugoslavia and Turkey, was played in 1954. In 1966, the stadium hosted the Balkan athletic championship, and again in 1996 athletic Solidarity meeting. Throughout its football history, the stadium was usually a home ground for FK Sarajevo's and FK Željezničar's international matches. The Sarajevo audience witnessed many great matches against Europe's finest clubs such as Manchester United, Dynamo Kyiv, Derby County, Basel, Hamburger SV, Newcastle United, Celtic etc. The stadium's largest attendance was recorded in a 1981–82 Yugoslav First League match between Sarajevo and Željezničar. Allegedly, up to 60,000 people attended the game, though the exact number was never officially published. In April 2021, the stadium was leased to FK Sarajevo for operating the stadium for the next 30 to 45 years. The stadium is also the home stadium in selected matches for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team. Other public events The Stadium Koševo hosted many concerts, such as U2's concert as part of their PopMart Tour in 1997 and Dino Merlin's Burek tour in 2004 and Hotel Nacional in 2015. The venue hosted papal pastoral visitations twice, first by Pope John Paul II between 12–13 April 1997, and then by Pope Francis on 6 June 2015. 1984 Winter Olympics opening On 7 February 1984, the Koševo stadium hosted the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Winter Olympics for which it was thoroughly renovated and expanded. About 50,000 people attended the ceremonies. The west stand held 18,500 seating places at that time. Notable events International football matches Notable club friendlies and exhibition matches Concerts Zdravko Čolić – 7 September 1978 (Putujući zemljotres Tour, the concert got stopped midway through due to heavy rain) U2 – 23 September 1997 (PopMart Tour) Dino Merlin – 31 July 2000 (Sredinom Tour, guests: Adi Lukovac & Ornamenti, Ivana Banfić, Amir Bjelanović Tula, Miro Asotić) Dino Merlin – 31 July 2004 (Burek Tour, guests: Željko Joksimović, Ivana Banfić, Nina Badrić, Edo Zanki, Almir Hukelić, Gani Tamir) Bijelo Dugme – 15 June 2005 Haris Džinović – 23 June 2007 (guests: Halid Bešlić, Hari Varešanović, Željko Joksimović, Enis Bešlagić) Moj ummete 2007 – 28 July 2007 Dino Merlin – 19 July 2008 (Ispočetka Tour, guests: Hari Varešanović, Vesna Zmijanac, Tony Cetinski, Eldin Huseinbegović, Ivana Banfić, Baby Dooks, Elvedin Krilić) Hari Mata Hari – 10 August 2009 (Sreća Tour, guests: Nina Badrić, Dino Merlin, Halid Bešlić, Dražen Žerić Žera, Eldin Huseinbegović) Željko Joksimović – 12 June 2010 (guests: Halid Bešlić, Hari Varešanović, Jelena Tomašević) Zdravko Čolić – 31 July 2010 (Kad pogledaš me preko ramena Tour, guests: Dino Merlin, Nikša Bratoš) Halid Bešlić – 22 June 2013 (Romanija Tour, guests: Haris Džinović, Željko Joksimović, Enes Begović, Dženan Jahić, Viki Miljković, Colonia, Enis Bešlagić) Dino Merlin – 25 July 2015 (Hotel Nacional Tour) Željko Joksimović – 19 August 2016 Marija Šerifović – 1 July 2018 (guests: Jelena Karleuša) Dino Merlin – 31 July, 1 August and 2 August 2026 Other events Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in the stadium in front of 50,000 people – 13 April 1997 Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the stadium in front of 67,000 people – 6 June 2015 See also List of football stadiums in Bosnia and Herzegovina References External links Soccerway World Stadiums Archived 28 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine