Suvad Katana (; 6 April 1969 – 8 January 2005) was a Bosnian professional

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 ...

who played as a sweeper.

Club career

Katana started playing football in Željezničar as a youngster. He made his league debut for the club in the 1987–88 season against

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...

(0–0). Although still a teenager, he was a regular starter in the squad in the following seasons. In 1992,

War in Bosnia The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

started and Katana fled to Switzerland with

Gordan Vidović Gordan Vidović (born 23 June 1968 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a former football player who played for the Belgium national team. His first club was FK Igman from Ilidža, suburb of Sarajevo. He was spotted there in 1988, by FK Ž ...

and

Mario Stanić Mario Stanić (born 10 April 1972) is a former Croatian footballer. Being a versatile offensive player, he was no stranger to any forward or attacking midfield position, and was even deployed as a wing-back in the national team. Club career S ...

and subsequently moved to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. He played there for

Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...

(1992–1994),

Gent Gent is a shortened form of the word gentleman. It may also refer to: * Ghent (Dutch language, Dutch: Gent), a Belgian city ** K.A.A. Gent, a football club from Ghent ** K.R.C. Gent, a football club from Ghent ** Gent RFC, a rugby club in Ghen ...

(1994–1996) and Anderlecht (1996–1998). After a season with Turkish side

Adanaspor Adanaspor is a Turkish professional football club based in Adana, currently performing at the TFF First League. The club is founded in 1954 by the middle-class merchants and artisans in response to the alienation within city's then most popular c ...

, he returned to Belgium and played for Lokeren (1999–2004). He ended his career in 2004 after suffering from persistent knee injuries. He was one of the best defenders in the Belgian championship during the 1990s. He won many awards for his performances at various clubs.

International career

Katana also played for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. His first game was against

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

on 24 April 1996, and last on 15 October 1998 against Lithuania. In total, he collected ten

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

for the national team.

Personal life

After retiring as a player, the bald-headed Katana worked in former teammate Vidović's real estate company. In January 2005, Katana died in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

after suffering a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

, aged 35.Suad Katana overleden
- Nieuwsblad He was survived by his wife and two children.

References

External links

*
Profile at TFF.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katana, Suvad 1969 births 2005 deaths People from Sarajevo Canton Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Yugoslav Wars refugees Men's association football sweepers Yugoslav men's footballers Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers Bosnia and Herzegovina men's international footballers FK Željezničar Sarajevo players K.R.C. Genk players K.A.A. Gent players R.S.C. Anderlecht players Adanaspor footballers K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen players Yugoslav First League players Belgian Pro League players Süper Lig players Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Turkey