Branik Orchestra Played Live Soundtrack During 1953 Varaždin Match

In 1953, the Maribor football club Branik sought promotion to the second Yugoslav league through a tense qualifying group. While a decisive match unfolded in Varaždin, an orchestra in the club’s Ljudski vrt restaurant played a live musical soundtrack mirroring the game’s score, culminating in a successful promotion.

From Regional Contender to National Qualifiers

Before the establishment of NK Maribor before 1960, the primary football club in Maribor was Branik, which played its matches at the Ljudski vrt stadium. In the 1952/53 season, top Slovenian clubs competed in the Croatian-Slovenian league because the second federal league did not exist. When the Football Association of Yugoslavia decided to reinstate the second league, Maribor’s Branik secured an opportunity to participate in the qualifications for the 2.

Drawn into the western qualification group, Branik faced opponents: sarajevski Željezničar, Tekstilac Varaždin, and Šibenik. Promotion required outperforming just one of these three rivals, as only the last-placed team failed to advance. The campaign began poorly with a 0:3 home loss to Željezničar and a 0:7 defeat in Šibenik. A dramatic home victory against Tekstilac—secured by Slane’s goal in the final minute—provided temporary relief, but a 0:3 defeat in Satajevo and a 1:1 home draw against Šibenik left Branik with three points ahead of the final round.

The Restaurant Soundtrack for the Varaždin Clash

Heading into the final and decisive match against Tekstilac in Varaždin, Tekstilac sat last with two points, meaning a draw would suffice for Branik to advance. While 1,500 spectators gathered at the Varaždin stadium—including 400 traveling fans from Maribor—many more supporters remained behind in Maribor awaiting updates.

A journalist from Polet recalled that while the match was underway in Varaždin, they sat in the Branik restaurant at Ljudski vrt, noting that everything was marked by the great duel, people only whispered, the orchestra played somewhat quietly, and in a word, it felt as though the match were taking place on the neighboring Branik stadium, except that the cheering of the spectators could not be heard.

Club officials maintained a continuous telephone connection with Varaždin, relaying score updates directly to the restaurant’s orchestra. When Zajec converted a penalty in the 36th minute to give Tekstilac a 1:0 lead, the musical mood shifted instantly.

The journalist from Polet added that it was interesting to listen to them, as the dominant tone of the concert transitioned from a sorrowful largo at 0:1 to a highly promising allegro at 1:1, blossoming into a celebratory maestoso after the referee’s final whistle.

Fibeši’s Crucial Goal and Subsequent Relegation

After an hour of play, new forward Fibeši—making his first appearance in Branik’s black-and-white jersey—scored the equalizer to bring the score to 1:1. Fibeši had previously lacked eligibility to play in championship matches. Maribor held on through the final whistle, securing their promotion despite scoring only three goals across their six qualification matches.

Secretary Orel noted the achievement to Polet, stating that the team had become representatives of all Styria in federal football and expected support given the high costs involved. However, the optimism was short-lived: Branik failed to maintain its standing in the second federal league during the 1953/54 season and was relegated back to the Croatian-Slovenian league, paving the way for the eventual founding of NK Maribor years later.