Sinđelić are based in the city of
Niš, in the deep south of Serbia, not far from the disputed region of Kosovo. The biggest city in the south (by a long way) it is also the third biggest in the country. Built at the crossroads of the historic Balkan and Central European highways, it's one of the oldest cities in the region, and considered the gateway between East and West. It is perhaps most notable as the bothplace of
Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor of Rome and the founder of Constantinople - nowadays known as Istanbul.
Sinđelić were formed in 1918, and are known to their fans as the Bikovi - or Bulls - a name apt to their notably physical manner of play. Last season they won the
Srpska Liga Istok, which is the regional third level of the game round those parts and will now be playing in the national second division. Which is a bit of a worry because their home games are played at the somewhat dinky Stadion FK Sinđelić, which holds a mere 500 punters.
However, they do have some more successful city rivals in
FK Radnički Niš, a former top flight contender, who've even had a couple for forays into the UEFA Cup, where they got as far as the semi-finals in 1982. However this big club as taken a big fall in recent years, and passed Sinđelić on the way down to the third tier, robbing them the chance of a massive home town derby match. Still, let's hope Radnički let Sinđelić borrow their hefty 30,000 capacity Čair Stadium when the bigger boys come to pay them a visit!
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