The footballers of autumn champions Zrinjski and second-placed Borac dominated the first half of the Premier League season, excelling in almost all statistical categories.
With 44 points from 17 matches (suffering their only defeat in the rescheduled 14th-round match, played as the last in the half-season), Zrinjski set new records. They achieved 14 wins, two draws, and only one loss, securing 86.3% of the available points under coach Mario Ivanković. Tuzla’s Sloboda, on the other hand, failed to register a single win (two draws and 15 losses), effectively being written off in the relegation battle.
Home and away performance
Borac performed best at home, earning 21 points (seven wins and two losses) from nine matches. Zrinjski lost the fewest points at home, securing 20 points (six wins and two draws) from eight matches. Sloboda was the weakest home performer, collecting just one point from eight matches.
Zrinjski also excelled away, earning 24 points (eight wins and one loss) from nine matches. Sarajevo (six wins and three draws) and Borac (six wins and two draws) also impressed on the road, while Sloboda managed only one point away from home.
Scoring and defensive statistics
Home teams recorded 45 wins, 16 draws, and 41 losses in 102 matches, with a goal difference of 149:132. Sarajevo had the most effective attack, scoring 40 goals (2.35 per match or every 40 minutes and 45 seconds). This success was largely thanks to Đorđe Guliashvili, who led the scoring charts with 12 goals. Sloboda scored the fewest goals, only five (0.29 per match or every 326 minutes).
Zrinjski and Borac boasted the best defenses, conceding just eight goals each (0.47 per match or one goal every 203 minutes and 45 seconds). GOŠK conceded the most goals, 42 (2.47 per match or every 38 minutes and 48 seconds). A total of 281 goals were scored in 17 rounds (2.75 per match or 16.53 per round). The 10th round saw the most goals (21), while the 7th round recorded the fewest (12).
Record matches and discipline
Borac set a record for the most official matches played in one half-season. In addition to 17 league matches, they played 14 European matches, two in the Republika Srpska Cup, and one in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup.
Discipline was a notable issue, with 453 yellow cards (4.44 per match) and 32 red cards (0.31 per match). Borac topped the fair-play table with just 13 yellow cards (0.76 per match), while Sarajevo finished last with 46 yellow and five red cards (61 points).
Penalty statistics
A total of 34 penalties were awarded (0.33 per match), with 27 converted. Radnik had the most penalties awarded (six, five converted), while Posušje did not receive any penalties. GOŠK conceded six penalties, four of which were converted, while Posušje conceded four penalties, all resulting in goals. Borac did not concede any penalties, further confirming their discipline.
Attendance figures
The 102 matches attracted 274,970 spectators (2,696 per match or 16,175 per round). Željezničar fans were the most supportive, with 86,500 attending nine home matches (9,611 per match). Željezničar was also the most-watched away team, with 39,600 spectators over eight matches (4,950 per match).
The least-attended home matches were those of Sloga, with just 3,900 fans (487 per match). Borac had the lowest away attendance, attracting 11,350 spectators across eight matches (1,419 per match). The Sarajevo-Željezničar derby on September 25 drew the largest crowd, with 24,000 spectators.
Coaching changes
Only five clubs retained their coaches from the start of the season—Borac (Mladen Žižović), Zrinjski (Mario Ivanković), Željezničar (Denis Ćorić), Sarajevo (Zoran Zekić), and Radnik (Velibor Đurić).
Clubs that changed coaches included:
- Sloboda (Zlatko Nalić, Marko Maksimović, Zlatko Nalić again, who was dismissed at the end of the half-season)
- Velež (Damir Čanadi, Semir Merzić)
- GOŠK (Admir Adžem, Danijel Pranjić)
- Sloga (Vlado Jagodić, dismissed after 18 months, replaced by Marko Mazalica)
- Posušje (Duško Vranešević)
- Igman (Husref Musemić)
- Široki Brijeg (Toni Karačić, Boris Pandža)
League continuation
The league resumes on February 15, 2025, with round 18 fixtures:
- Radnik vs. Posušje
- Sarajevo vs. Borac
- Zrinjski vs. Željezničar
- GOŠK vs. Široki Brijeg
- Sloga vs. Velež
- Sloboda vs. Igman
The final round (33rd) will be played on May 31, 2025.
Top scorers
- 12 goals: Guliashvili (Sarajevo)
- 11 goals: Mulahusejnović (Zrinjski)
- 10 goals: Despotović (Borac), Mlinarić (Velež)
- 8 goals: Krpić (Željezničar)
- 7 goals: Jović (Sloga), Boljević (Željezničar)
- 6 goals: Kulašin (Borac)
- 5 goals: Pantelić (Radnik), Topić (Zrinjski)
- 4 goals: Kiš (Zrinjski), Bubanja, Lulić (Sarajevo), Ogrinec (Borac), Rozić (Posušje), Ćavar (Široki Brijeg/Zrinjski), Dangubić (Željezničar)
Source: Glas Srpske
