THREE GENERATIONS OF THE SAVANOVIĆ FAMILY UNITED BY THE SAME PASSION

In the Savanović family, a love for Banja Luka’s FK Borac and Nektar beer has been passed down from one generation to the next. It all began with Stevo Savanović from Bistrica near Banja Luka, a man who spent almost his entire working life at Borac’s stadium. Holidays, celebrations and family gatherings were traditionally accompanied by Nektar, and Stevo passed that affection on to his sons and grandchildren.

PHOTO: Glas Srpske

Today retired, Stevo spent his working years at Borac’s stadium, making sure matches went smoothly. As he recalls, he attended countless games, but rarely had the opportunity to watch one from start to finish because he was always on duty as a police officer responsible for security.

That is why the moment when he finally sat down with his son Nikola and grandchildren Matija and Vasilije in the Nektar box to calmly watch Borac take on Santa Coloma of Andorra in the UEFA Conference League was particularly special.

LUCKY WINNERS

The Savanović family has also had plenty of luck in prize draws and promotional campaigns. Through a giveaway published on Nektar beer’s Instagram page, they won four tickets for the FK Borac–Santa Coloma match in the Banjalučka Pivara box.

During their conversation, they revealed that their good fortune goes back even further. In 2000, they collected letters for the famous Nektarijada promotion and won a Nektar parasol.

This time, however, they shared their story from the box.

“The moment I sat down in the Nektar box with my son and grandchildren will remain particularly dear to me. Everything was a surprise. So many times I stood at the entrance letting other people in, and this time I entered as a guest, through a special entrance. Everything was beautifully arranged and the view of the pitch was perfect. For the first time in my life, I was able to enjoy a match without any responsibility,” Stevo recalled.

His son Nikola said that was precisely what he wanted – to give his father a moment he would remember.

“I wanted him to finally watch a Borac match as a supporter and simply enjoy it. When we won the tickets, it turned out that my brother’s boys, Matija and Vasilije, who live in Austria, were here too. They absolutely love FK Borac, so it was the perfect opportunity to take them to the match,” Nikola said.

A SURPRISE FOR THE BOYS

The family had prepared a genuine surprise for the boys because they did not tell them they were going to a Borac match.

The older and younger Savanović family members set off for a walk and, somewhere near RKUD Pelagić, the adults covered the boys’ eyes and told them they had a surprise waiting.

Only when they reached the stadium did they remove the blindfolds. The boys were astonished. Even then, however, the family did not reveal the real reason for the visit, telling them they had simply come to take a tour of the stadium.

The excitement, laughter and joy reached another level when they walked through separate corridors to the Banjalučka Pivara box, took their seats and realized they were about to watch an important match involving their beloved club – a club that was achieving historic dreams at the time.

“They were thrilled. Their excitement was incredible. Matija follows every Borac match, and so does Vasilije, often watching through online broadcasts. They also have a younger brother who was upset that he did not come with us, and my daughter was even more upset. So we have a plan to get everyone together and take them to a Borac match,” Nikola said with a smile.

He added that the atmosphere at the stadium was fantastic and revealed that the family’s favourite Borac player is David Vuković.

They have followed Borac for as long as they can remember, celebrating victories with Nektar beer. At the Savanović family’s gatherings and celebrations, Nektar is an inseparable part of the tradition.

“I have to say that I was inseparable from Nektar. I only drank Nektar. That tradition was passed on to my sons, and even my son who lives in Austria always takes Nektar with him from here. His neighbours have tried it too, and they really liked it,” Stevo said.

PRIDE THAT CROSSES GENERATIONS

Nikola continued the story by saying that seeing his father spend a large part of his life at the stadium, while he and his brother have followed FK Borac since childhood, made the opportunity to watch their club achieve its dreams together with the next generation a source of great pride.

“I am proud when I see that Borac lives beyond Banja Luka, that love for the club continues to grow, and that children who were not born in Banja Luka follow the club and watch its matches. I am proud of us as a family, and of course I am proud of Borac,” he said.

For Nikola, the fact that Banja Luka has a football club celebrating a century of history and a brewery marking 153 years of tradition is a reminder that the city has a heritage worth preserving.

“We should cherish what is ours, be proud of it and share that story with others. We hope that the children of our boys will one day come to Banja Luka, watch Borac matches and love everything that comes from our city. Knowing our family tradition, I have no doubt that everything from Banja Luka will continue to be loved by the generations that come after us,” Nikola concluded.

For the Savanović family, the story of Borac and Nektar is therefore more than football and beer. It is a family tradition – one that connects a grandfather, his sons and grandchildren, and carries a piece of Banja Luka’s identity from one generation to the next.