Jozo Jakopić (1 April 1904–6 November 1946) was a Yugoslav and a

Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...

sports official and a long-time secretary of the most successful Croatian football club at the time HŠK Građanski. He also served as the first manager of the

Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team ( hr, Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international Association football, football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football ...

, representing the

Banovina Banovina may refer to: * Banovinas of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1929 to 1941 * Banovina (region) in central Croatia, also known as Banija * ''Radio Banovina'', radio station in the city of Glina, Croatia * Palace ''Banovina'', governmental bui ...

, from 1940 to 1941.6. studenoga 1946. Jozo Jakopić – tvorac slavnih ‘purgera’ Građanskog i prvi izbornik reprezentacije Hrvatske!
- Narod

Biography

Jakopić was born in

Ljubinje Ljubinje ( sr-cyrl, Љубиње) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in south-eastern part of Herzegovina region. As of 2013, the town has a population of 2,744 inhabitants, ...

, at the time part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. Josip Torbar, the president of the HŠK Građanski football club, appointed Jakopić as the club's secretary. Jakopić became a manager of the

in 1940 and led Croatia in four friendly matches. The first, unofficial match was played against

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on 2 April 1940 in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, which ended in a 4–0 victory for Croatia. Ten of the eleven players were from Građanski, while one was Concordia's player. Croatia also won in the away match played in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

(0–1). This time, all eleven players were from Građanski. The first official match was played against

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

on 2 May 1940. The match ended in a 0–1 loss. Ten players were from Građanski and one was from Concordia. The second match against Hungary was played in Zagreb on 8 December 1940, ending in a 1–1 draw. Nine players were from Građanski, two from

Hajduk A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, p ...

and one from Concordia. With the establishment of the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...

after

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

invaded

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

in April 1941, Jakopović was persecuted by the newly appointed

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian Fascism, fascist and ultranationalism, ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaš ...

regime.

Bogdan Cuvaj Bogdan Cuvaj (21 October 1905 – 23 July 1983) was a Croatian football manager in both club and international competition. Career He became the manager of Concordia Zagreb's youth side in 1926. After receiving managerial training in Vienna ...

was appointed as Croatia's new manager in 1941. Jakopović eventually fled to

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, where he died and was buried there.

Footnotes

References

Journals

News articles

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jakopic, Jozo 1904 births 1946 deaths People from Ljubinje Croatian football managers Croatian expatriates in Switzerland