Želimir "Keli" Vidović (17 November 1953 – 17 May 1992) was a Bosnian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

and a star member of

FK Sarajevo Fudbalski klub Sarajevo (; English: Sarajevo Football Club) is a professional football club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is one of the most successful clubs in the country. Founded on 24 October 1946, FK Sara ...

during the 1970s and early 1980s. He was killed during the

Siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav ...

while transporting wounded citizens of

Dobrinja Dobrinja ( sr-cyrl, Добриња) is a neighbourhood in the western outskirts of Sarajevo, part of the municipality of Novi Grad. It is estimated to have a population of 25,063 inhabitants. Its name comes from the short river ''Dobrinjka'' th ...

to a nearby hospital.

Club career

Vidović joined FK Sarajevo in the summer of 1974 from local Sarajevo side ''FK Bosna''. He played his first game for the maroon-whites on 14 August of the same year, and would go on to compete in 29 ties during his first season with the club. He spent nine years at the

Koševo stadium Koševo ( cyrl, Кошево) is a neighborhood in the municipality of Centar in central Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located between the older parts of the city under Stari Grad and the newer more modern parts of the city under the ...

, and was a pivotal member of the squad that played a large role in the

1980–81 UEFA Cup The 1980–81 UEFA Cup was won by Ipswich Town on aggregate over AZ Alkmaar. According to the 1979 UEFA decision, Fairs Cup entry criteria were finally abolished, and UEFA ranking was introduced. Albania did not join, and it ceded its place to ...

and reached the final of the

Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...

. In 1983, he joined

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n side GAK, whom he represented for a further 6 seasons, before retiring from professional football in 1989.

International career

He earned his first cap for

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

on 1 February 1977 in a friendly against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, which Yugoslavia won 5–1. On 22 March 1980 he earned his second cap in a 2–1 victory over

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Death

On 17 May 1992, with the

already underway, Vidović (who was an

ethnic Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

) took part in a volunteer operation to help transport civilians, wounded by Serb forces, to a nearby hospital in the Sarajevo neighbourhood of

. After the convoy was stopped at a Serb military checkpoint, he was taken away by soldiers and all traces of him disappeared for 4 years. In 1996 his remains were discovered in a shallow mass grave along with the remains of three other people. On 5 June 2004 his remains were buried in Sarajevo, along with an FK Sarajevo jersey.

Legacy

An annual tournament in his honour has been organized since 2004. A street in the neighborhood of

carries his name. The FK Sarajevo Training Centre is named after him. Documentary film, ''Heroj u kopačkama'', by

sport journalist Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

Muhamed Bikić, premiered at the 72nd anniversary celebration of the FK Sarajevo, in National Theatre in Sarajevo on 24 October 2018.

References

External links

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balkan-sport.netEX YU Fudbalska Statistika po godinama
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidovic, Zelimir 1953 births 1992 deaths Footballers from Sarajevo Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Men's association football midfielders Yugoslav footballers Yugoslavia men's international footballers FK Bosna Sarajevo players FK Sarajevo players Grazer AK players FC Wels players Yugoslav First League players Austrian Football Bundesliga players Yugoslav expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Austria Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Austria Civilians killed in the Bosnian War