FK Novi Pazar

Fudbalski klub Novi Pazar (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Нови Пазар) is a Serbian professional football club based in the city of Novi Pazar, which competes in the Serbian SuperLiga. The team plays their home games at the Novi Pazar City Stadium.

The club was formed in 1928 as FK Sandžak and has achieved its greatest successes since Serbia has become an independent country, reaching the top tier of national competition for the first time ever in 2011. Novi Pazar was granted promotion after 2010–11 Serbian First League champions BASK withdrew from the SuperLiga due to limited funds and not meeting the required stadium criteria set out by the Football Association of Serbia.

In 2019–20 Serbian First League they finished mid-table but due to the Football Association of Serbia re-structuring the Serbian SuperLiga, they were awarded a place/took the place of RFK Grafičar, a Belgrade club that had to withdraw from the Serbian SuperLiga due to limited funds and not meeting the required stadium criteria set out by the Football Association of Serbia.

Recently, the club's biggest success was finishing 3rd out of 16 teams in the 2024–25 Serbian SuperLiga, and thus securing a spot in the Conference League second qualifying round. It is the club's first ever European football appearance. Adem Ljajić, a Novi Pazar native, played a key role in the teams success in the 2024-2025 season.

The club was founded in 1928, under the name FK Sandžak, which later changed to FK Deževa. The club has played under its current name since 1962, when FK Deževa and another local football club, the FK Ras, merged under the name FK Novi Pazar. The club was a Yugoslav amateur-leagues champion, and was later a member of the Yugoslav Second League.

Its first notable achievement happened in 1984 when the club won the Serbian Republic League, at time one of Yugoslav third tiers, and were promoted to the Yugoslav Second League for the first time in 56 years of existence till then. They finished the season with 43 points (at time it was two points per victory) with 17 wins, 9 draws and 4 losses, and a score balance of 42–14. The Serbian Republic League at time was very competitive and Novi Pazar that season finished top of teams such as Radnički Kragujevac, Čukarički, Obilić, Sinđelić, Jagodina, Sloga Kraljevo, Loznica, Dubočica, Radnički Obrenovac, Budućnost Valjevo, Rudar Kostolac, Kristal Zaječar, Majdanpek, Đerdap Kladovo and 7. Juli Vrčin. The celebration of the promotion to the Second League happened in the last round in the 2–1 home victory over 7. Juli, but the major celebration happened two rounds earlier when Novi Pazar secured the league title at the 1–1 draw away in Belgrade against Sinđelić. The game was attended by 3.000 spectators of which 2.500 were Novi Pazar fans that had travelled to Belgrade. The goal for Novi Pazar was scored by Milan Glavčić who scored 23 goals overall that season and was the club's top scorer. The players that formed that notorious generation of Novi Pazar that season were goalkeepers Novica Jovanović, Dragan Goševac, Naser Halitović, defenders Dragan Kostić, Bajro Župić, Darko Vujović, Esad Karišik, Nazim Izberović, Ratko Šarac, Radojica Milojević, Salih Detanac, Izet Ljajić, Ljutvo Bogućanin, midfielders Ferid Ganić, Rizo Tutić, Mirsad Karišik, Adnan Numanović, Ismail Bihorac, Nermin Ukić, and forwards Ismet Ugljanin, Milan Glavčić, Gmitar Vukadinović, Šerif Izberović and Naser Salihu. The club president was Amir Beširović while the coach was Dušan Radonjić and his assistant was Aćif Klimenta.

Besides this major achievement, the generation of 1984 will also manage to win the, back then respectable, Yugoslav amateur-league leagues champion, which was played between the winners of the all eight leagues forming the Yugoslav third tier, the six republic leagues (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia) and the two autonomous provinces ones (Kosovo and Vojvodina). As winner of the 1983–84 Serbian Republic League, FK Novi Pazar represented Serbia that year and won the tournament. After beating Liria away in Prizren by 3–0, Novi Pazar played the final home in the City Stadium where it won Crvenka by 2–0 with goals of Esad Karišik and Ismet Ugljanin. A member of that generation, Enver Gusinac, who became club captain in the seasons that followed, missed the season because of the Yugoslav People's Army conscription, made his return at that final game.

The club qualified for a promotion play-off spot for the First League of FR Yugoslavia twice, but lost on both occasions. They lost to Sutjeska Nikšić in 1994, and to Sloboda Užice in 1995. In 2002, the club was relegated to the Serbian League, third division in Serbia. After one season in the Serbian League they were promoted back to the Serbian First League. During the 1980s and 1990s the club was magnet to many of the talented Kosovo Albanian players such as Nazmi Rama, Naser Salihu, Mentor Miftari, Sadik Rrahmani, Gëzim Hasi, Besnik Kollari, Shefqer Kurti, or manager Hysni Maxhuni.