Novi Beograd go no further

FK Radnicki Novi Beograd have withdrawn from the First League for next season because of financial problems.

Financial problems
The club, who finished 12th in the league last season, have been automatically relegated to the third division under the rules of the league, after they decided that they would not be able to give the statutory guarantee that they had €150,000 in their bank account at the start of the campaign by the league's deadline on 15 July.

Borac reprieve
The Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro (FSSCG) have decided that FK Borac Cacak, who were relegated at the end of last season after finishing in 13th place, will take Novi Beograd's slot in the 16-team division for 2005/06 rather than FK Mladost Apatin, who finished fourth in the second division last season behind promoted FK Javor, FK Rad and FK Buducnost Banavski Dvor.

Vozdovac merger
Novi Beograd's decision to withdraw comes only a few days after FK Železnik merged with second division side FK Vozdovac to ensure they would have enough money to compete in the top division in the coming season. The two merged sides will play under the name Vozdovac.

New format
At a meeting of First League officials, it was decided that from 2006/07 onwards the league would feature just 12 teams. At the end of the current campaign, the bottom six sides in the league will be relegated with the two teams above them playing relegation play-off games against the top two sides from the second division.