NK Rijeka

HNK Rijeka
Full name	Hrvatski Nogometni Klub Rijeka
Nickname(s)	Riječki bijeli; (The Rijeka's White)
Founded	1925 (as U.S. Fiumana); 1946 (as Kvarner); 1954 (as HNK Rijeka)
Ground	Kantrida Stadium, Rijeka, Croatia; (Capacity: 10,600)
Chairman	Ivan Vanja Frančišković
Manager	Robert Rubčić
League	Prva HNL
2008-09	Prva HNL, 3rd
Home colours	Away colours

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HNK Rijeka is a Croatian football club, from Rijeka on the Croatian coast.

[edit] History

The club was founded in 1925 as Unione Sportiva Fiumana. Fiumana played in the First Division (Prima divisione), which was the second level of the Italian Football Championship, and reached the National Division (Divisione Nazionale), the first level of Italian football in 1928. After 1929, it competed in Serie B in the 1929-1930 and 1941-1942 seasons. The club was renamed Kvarner in 1946, due to Rijeka (Fiume at the time) passing from Italy to Yugoslavia. During its early period in Yugoslavia, the club had moderate success in various Yugoslav and local club championships. It changed its name to "Rijeka" on June 3, 1954, and advanced to the Yugoslav First League in the 1957/58 season. It remained in the top tier until the 1969/70 season, when it was demoted to the Second League. It topped that league many times but it was until 1973/74 when it would return to the First League, where it would remain until the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Rijeka won the Yugoslav Cup in 1978 and 1979, was a runner-up in 1987, won the Croatian Cup in 2005 and in 2006, and participated several times in various UEFA championships. Although it has never advanced to the final stages of the competition, Rijeka has topped and shocked some of the biggest clubs in the history of soccer on its home field during the 1980s, including Real Madrid and Juventus.

Rijeka has been playing in the Prva HNL since the independence of Croatia in 1991, generally finishing near the top. Notably it finished second in 1999 and 2006 and third in 2004. Due to many format changes of the league, Rijeka has played more games in the competition than any other team. In the 2004/2005 season, its player Tomislav Erceg was the top scorer of the Prva HNL with 17 goals.

[edit] Colours and badge

NK Rijeka colours are white and sky-blue.

[edit] Stadium

NK Rijeka plays their home matches on Kantrida Stadium, or just simply Kantrida, it can hold 12,124 spectators.

[edit] Supporters

The fans are known as Armada Rijeka.

[edit] Current squad

As of July 2, 2009

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Velimir Radman
3	DF	Denis Ljubović
4	DF	Darko Miladin
5	DF	Igor Čagalj
6	DF	Kenan Čejvanović
8	MF	Davor Landeka
9	FW	Ahmad Sharbini (captain)
10	MF	Anas Sharbini
12	GK	Ivan Mance
14	MF	Hrvoje Štrok
15	FW	Sandi Križman
16	DF	Fausto Budicin
17	MF	Damir Kreilach

No.	Position	Player
18	FW	Vedran Gerc
19	MF	Alen Pamić
20	MF	Ramon Fernandez
22	DF	Tarik Cerić
25	MF	Valentino Stepčić
26	DF	Vedran Turkalj
28	DF	Mario Tadejević
29	FW	Matija Matko
30	GK	Adnan Hodžić
TBD	DF	Jonathan Germano
TBD	FW	Dominik Mohorović
TBD	FW	Johann Smith