crossed the goal line and that the goal should have stood. The period between 1973 and 1991 is one of the darkest in the club's history. In the following 1973–74 season, the club failed to stay near the top of the second division and finished the season in 13th place. In the 1974–75 season, Maribor were relegated to the third-tier Slovenian Republic League for the first time in 14 years, but the club immediately returned to the second division by being 15 points clear at the top of the Republic League table at the end of the 1975–76 season. The club nearly returned to the top tier in 1978–79 when they finished as runners-up of the second division, six points behind Bosnian side Čelik Zenica, but failed to win the promotion play-offs. At the end of the 1980–81 season, after Maribor managed to avoid relegation from the second Yugoslav division, a bribery scandal emerged and caused the club to be relegated by the decision of the Football Association of Yugoslavia disciplinary committee. The club allegedly had a secret fund that served to bribe officials and opponents. The fund was abolished in 1968 after the club's promotion to the first division, but was later established again in 1976. After the scandal and the subsequent relegation, Maribor spent the following years bouncing between the second and third Yugoslav divisions until Slovenia's independence in 1991. Domestic domination after independence (1991–2004) Following Slovenia's independence in June 1991, Maribor were one of the founding members of the newly formed Slovenian First League for the inaugural 1991–92 season. In the first few seasons, Maribor's rivals Olimpija from Ljubljana dominated the league. Nevertheless, Maribor managed to win the first edition of the Slovenian Cup in 1992 after beating Olimpija 4–3 on penalties in the final. In the next season, Maribor made their debut in international UEFA competitions, appearing in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They played their first international match on 19 August 1992, when they hosted Ħamrun Spartans of Malta and won 4–0. Ante Šimundža scored the first European goal for the club. Maribor were Slovenian League runners-up in 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1994–95, before finishing fourth in the 1995–96 season. During this period Maribor won another cup title in 1993–94, defeating Mura 3–2 on aggregate over two legs in the final. The 1996–97 season proved to be a turning point in the history of Maribor. The club