Ivan Ćurković (, ; born 15 March 1944) is a Serbian sports executive and former

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, rugb ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...

. During his playing career that spanned 21 seasons from 1960 to 1981, Ćurković made over 700 official appearances for three clubs in Yugoslavia and France, winning numerous trophies and reaching the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

final on two occasions, with Partizan in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

and

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the ...

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

. He was also capped 19 times by

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

at senior level between 1963 and 1970. After hanging up his boots, Ćurković held various high-level administrative positions, including serving as president of the

Serbian Olympic Committee The Olympic Committee of Serbia ( sr, / ) is the National Olympic Committee representing Serbia. It organizes the country's representatives at the Olympic Games and other multisport events. Members of the committee are 47 sports federations, ...

and vice-president of the

Serbian Football Association The Football Association of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски савез Србије, ФСС / ) is the governing body of football in Serbia, based in Belgrade. It organizes Serbian football leagues, namely the Serbian Superliga, the Serbia ...

. He also acted as president of his former club Partizan for almost two decades from 1989 to 2006.

Club career

A talented goalie, Ćurković began at his hometown club Velež Mostar and was officially registered by the club in 1958. He would sign his first professional contract in 1960 at the age of 16. During the

1960–61 Yugoslav First League The 1960–61 Yugoslav First League season was won by FK Partizan, which was the club's third title and its first in twelve years. The season was also a coming-out party of sorts for the club's talented new generation of young players known as "Par ...

, his first senior season, Ćurković played 13 (out of 22) games and helped the team narrowly avoid relegation from the top flight. He spent three more seasons with the ''Rođeni'', leading them to a fourth-place finish in 1962–63. In 1964, Ćurković was transferred to Partizan. He would become the first-choice goalkeeper in his debut season after Milutin Šoškić joined the army to complete his

compulsory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day ...

, helping the club win the championship. During the next season in 1965–66, Ćurković served as a backup to Šoškić through their

campaign that year, as Partizan lost in

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. He spent a total of eight seasons with the ''Crno-beli'', making 227 appearances across all competitions. In 1972, Ćurković moved abroad to France and signed with

. He immediately established himself as the starting goalkeeper and played nine seasons with ''Les Verts'', winning four domestic championship titles ( 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, and 1980–81), three national cups ( 1973–74, 1974–75, and 1976–77), and reaching the European Cup final in 1975–76.

International career

At international level, Ćurković played 19 matches for

between 1963 and 1970. He participated at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

in Tokyo.

Post-playing career

Between 1989 and 2006, Ćurković served as president of his former club Partizan, establishing a long-lasting partnership with general secretary Žarko Zečević and sporting director

Nenad Bjeković Nenad Bjeković (, ; born 5 November 1947) is a Serbian football administrator and former player and manager. Club career Born in Lazarevo, a village near Zrenjanin, Bjeković started out at his local club Zadrugar Lazarevo, before switching t ...

. In May 2001, Ćurković was appointed by the Football Association of FR Yugoslavia as co-manager of the FR Yugoslavia national team alongside

Vujadin Boškov Vujadin Boškov ( sr-cyr, Вујадин Бошков, ; 16 May 1931 – 27 April 2014) was a Serbian footballer and manager. A midfielder, he played 57 matches for the Yugoslav national team. He experienced his greatest success as a coach in 1 ...

and

Dejan Savićević Dejan Savićević ( cyrl, Дејан Савићевић, ; born 15 September 1966) is a Montenegrin former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Since 2004, he has been the president of the Montenegrin Football Association (FSCG), cu ...

, replacing

Milovan Đorić Milovan Đorić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милован Ђорић; born 6 August 1945) is a Serbian football manager and former player. He is often referred to by his nickname Bata Đora. Đorić last coached in 2011 when he was head coach of the S ...

after poor results at the start of the

2002 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America ...

. In July 2005, Ćurković was appointed as acting president of the

Olympic Committee of Serbia and Montenegro The Olympic Committee of Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Олимпијски комитет Србије и Црне Горе / ''Olimpijski komitet Srbije i Crne Gore'') was the non-profit organization representing athletes from Serbia and Montenegro ...

, replacing

Philip Zepter Philip Zepter ( sr, Филип Цептер / Filip Cepter, born Milan Janković; 23 November 1950) is a Serbian businessman and entrepreneur. He is the president of the Zepter International Group. Early years and education Philip Zepter was bo ...

. He officially became president on 8 March 2006. Following the split between the two nations, Ćurković served as president of the

Olympic Committee of Serbia The Olympic Committee of Serbia ( sr, / ) is the National Olympic Committee representing Serbia. It organizes the country's representatives at the Olympic Games and other multisport events. Members of the committee are 47 sports federations, w ...

until February 2009. On 23 December 2009, Ćurković was named vice-president of the

Football Association of Serbia The Football Association of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски савез Србије, ФСС / ) is the governing body of football in Serbia, based in Belgrade. It organizes Serbian football leagues, namely the Serbian Superliga, the Serbia ...

during the presidential term of Tomislav Karadžić.

Personal life

Born in

Mostar , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg , image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...

, DF Yugoslavia (in present-day

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

), Ćurković declares himself as 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 ...

and a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. In 1982, Ćurković was granted

French citizenship French nationality law is historically based on the principles of ''jus soli'' (Latin for "right of soil") and ''jus sanguinis'', according to Ernest Renan's definition, in opposition to the German definition of nationality, ''jus sanguinis'' ( ...

by a decree of President

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

. On 5 October 2005, Curkovic was awarded a knighthood in France's "

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

", in which French soccer icon

Michel Platini Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, a ...

presented the award in a Belgrade ceremony.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Partizan *

Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First Federal Football League (Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...

: 1964–65 *

: Runner-up 1965–66 Saint-Étienne *

French Division 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...

: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1980–81 *

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77 *

: Runner-up 1975–76

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Curkovic, Ivan AS Saint-Étienne players Association football goalkeepers Competitors at the 1971 Mediterranean Games Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Expatriate footballers in France FK Partizan players FK Partizan presidents FK Velež Mostar players Footballers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Ligue 1 players Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Yugoslavia Mediterranean Games medalists in football Olympic footballers of Yugoslavia Recipients of the Legion of Honour Serbia and Montenegro football managers Serbia and Montenegro national football team managers Serbian sports executives and administrators Sportspeople from Mostar Yugoslav expatriate footballers Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in France Yugoslav First League players Yugoslav footballers Yugoslavia international footballers 1944 births Living people