Ivan Osim (6 May 1941 – 1 May 2022), best known as Ivica Osim, 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 ...

and

football manager ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game bega ...

. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bosnian football managers of all time and as one of the most influential football managers in the former

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

. As a player, Osim was a member of the Yugoslavia national team and played at the 1964 Summer Olympics. He also represented Yugoslavia at

UEFA Euro 1968 The 1968 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Italy. This was the third UEFA European Championship, an event held every four years and organised by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 5 and 10 June 1968. It ...

, where he won a silver medal and was voted into the Team of the Tournament. As a manager, Osim won a bronze medal with Yugoslavia at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

as an assistant, and reached the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup as head coach of the Yugoslav national team. He also reached the 1984–85 UEFA Cup semi-finals as manager of his hometown club Željezničar. Osim was head coach of the Japan national team, before suffering a stroke in November 2007 and subsequently leaving the post. In April 2011, FIFA announced that he had become president of the interim

committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

to run the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the country was suspended from all international competitions. He served until December 2012. Osim died in May 2022, after years of health issues following his stroke.

Life and family

Osim was born during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

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 ...

, precisely one month after the

Nazi German Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

invasion of Yugoslavia, to Slovene-German father Mihail "Puba" Osim, who worked as a machinist at the railways, and Polish-Czech mother Karolina. Both of his parents were also born in Sarajevo. Following the end of the war, he started playing football in the Željezničar youth system. He studied mathematics at the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest ...

. Osim was married to Asima and they had three children, two sons, Selmir and

Amar Amar may refer to: People Given name * Amar (British singer) (born 1982), British Indian singer born Amar Dhanjal * Amar (Lebanese singer) (born 1986), born Amar Mahmoud Al Tahech * Amar Bose (1929–2013), Founder of Bose Corporation * Amar Gup ...

, and daughter Irma. His son Amar was a football player himself, who afterward also became a successful football manager. Since 1994, Osim had lived with his wife mostly in Graz, Austria. Discontinuities only occurred when he lived in Japan during his managerial career there and when he visited Sarajevo in his function as advisor for the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Club career

Osim began his professional career with hometown club Željezničar in 1959. He is considered one of the best Bosnians to step on a football pitch and was known as a ruthless dribbler. Osim stayed in Yugoslavia until the end of 1968, as transfers abroad were prohibited for players under 28 at the time. In December 1968, he went to the Netherlands, to play for

Zwolsche Boys PEC Zwolle is a Dutch football club based in Zwolle, Netherlands. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2021–22 season. They have played in the Eredivisie for a total ...

. This stay lasted only three months, due to a knee injury. In 1970, Osim signed with Strasbourg and played the rest of his career in France, playing also for

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

, Sedan and again at Strasbourg.

International career

Jugoslovanska nogometna reprezentanca 1968

Osim made his debut for

in an October 1964 Olympic Games match against

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, and has earned a total of 16 caps, scoring eight goals. He also played at

where Yugoslavia reached 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 con ...

, losing to

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 ...

. Osim's final international game was an April 1969

World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...

match away against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Managerial career

Željezničar

When his playing career ended in 1978, Osim took the managing job at the club where he began playing, Željezničar. He managed the club until 1986, and finished third in the Yugoslav championship once, reached 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, ...

final once and the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

semi-finals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

once.

Yugoslavia

Osim assisted

Ivan Toplak Ivan Toplak (Serbian Cyrillic: Иван Toплaк; 21 September 1931 – 25 July 2021) was a Serbian football player and manager. Toplak played for NK Olimpija Ljubljana and Red Star Belgrade, with whom he had much success. As a player he also r ...

, head coach of the Yugoslav Olympic team, at the

where Yugoslavia won the bronze medal. In 1986, he took over the Yugoslav national team. The first qualifying cycle for

UEFA Euro 1988 The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany from 10 to 25 June 1988. It was the eighth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. The tournament crowned the Nethe ...

ended in failure with an embarrassing 1–4 home loss against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Contrary to expectations and custom considering the fate of Yugoslav head coaches who presided over prior failed qualifying campaigns, Osim was not fired by the Yugoslav FA largely thanks to personal authority of FA president Miljan Miljanić who wanted Osim to be given another chance. Osim's Yugoslavia rebounded in the

1990 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 1990 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Confederation of African Football (CAF), CONCACAF (Nort ...

, finishing ahead of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. At the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Yugoslavia reached the quarter-finals by eliminating

2–1 in the round of 16, and proceeded to face

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the F ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in the quarter-finals. Despite losing a defender, Refik Šabanadžović, to a red card at the half an hour mark, Osim's team held on through the entire game and extra time, only to lose on penalties. Yugoslavia qualified for

UEFA Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having qualifi ...

, but Osim resigned on 23 May 1992; as his family in

faced

bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or towns and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended objects, ...

during the Bosnian War. "My country doesn't deserve to play in the European Championship," said Osim, "On the scale of human suffering, I cannot reconcile events at home with my position as national manager." Yugoslavia was banned from the event, and its newly independent states have since competed as separate nations. Osim's home national team,

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 H ...

, had to wait further 23 years to qualify for their first major football competition, having done so for the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil.

Partizan

Osim became the new manager of

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

in the summer of 1991, in parallel with coaching the Yugoslav national team. He won the

1991–92 Yugoslav Cup The 1991–92 Football Cup of Yugoslavia was the national knock-out football competition in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was held during the breakup of the state. The republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their indep ...

with Partizan, having eliminated his old club Željezničar during the

of the competition.

Panathinaikos

After leaving Yugoslavia, Osim managed Greek Alpha Ethniki club Panathinaikos from 1992 to 1994, winning the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

and Super Cup in 1993, as well as finishing second in the league in 1993.

Sturm Graz

In 1994, Heinz Schilcher, with whom Osim played in Strasbourg, convinced him to manage Austrian club

Sturm Graz Sportklub Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Football Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909. Its colours are black and white. In its history, Sturm Graz has won the Austrian f ...

. He led the ''Blackies'' to win the Austrian Bundesliga in 1998 and 1999, the Austrian Cup in 1996, 1997 and 1999 and the Austrian Supercup in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The club also appeared in the

UEFA Champions League 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 competi ...

from 1998 to 2001 under Osim's guidance. Until 2022, Sturm was the only Austrian club to qualify from their group stage and play amongst the last 16 of the Champions League. Red Bull Salzburg repeated that achievement in the 2021–22 season, more than two decades after the Sturm team led by Osim.

JEF United Chiba

From 2003 to 2006, Osim was manager of JEF United Chiba of the J1 League and built a contender despite the club's modest means. The club came closest to its first league title in 2003, when it finished third in the season's first stage and second in the second stage. In 2005, JEF United won its first major title with Osim as manager, the

J.League Cup The is a Japanese football (soccer) competition organized by J.League. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking (formerly Yamazaki Nabisco) since its inception in 1992. It is also known as the or (Levain is one of Y ...

Japan

On 21 July 2006, Osim was appointed head coach of the Japan national team, replacing Brazilian manager and former player Zico, who had resigned after the end of the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

. Japan defeated

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

2–0 in Osim's debut as head coach on 9 August 2006. At the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, he failed to lead Japan to its third successive title, losing to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

in the semi-finals and to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

in the third place play-off on penalties. Osim said, "I feel like I've dropped my trousers. Twice," in describing his own managerial performance, pointing out that he did not rest the tired players. During the tournament, Osim reduced his interpreter to tears during a dressing room tirade, in which he called his players "amateurs" following a 1–1 draw against

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, and refused to watch the penalty shoot-out against Australia in the quarter-finals, saying "I didn't see it because it was bad for my heart. I don't want to die while I coach Japan's national team. I want to die in my hometown, Sarajevo." Osim's remarks gained popularity with Japanese fans, and (), a collection of his quotes published in 2005, sold 400,000 copies and was on the bestseller list in Japan.

Administrative work

On 18 April 2011, FIFA announced that Osim would head an interim

to run the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the country was suspended for two months from all international competitions by FIFA. He served as head of the committee until 13 December 2012.

Health issues and death

On 16 November 2007, Osim suffered a stroke at his residence in Chiba, Japan while watching a friendly match between

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 ...

and

on television He was in a coma for almost three weeks during which time he was visited by notable people of world football like

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 ...

and Sepp Blatter among others. Eventually, Osim regained consciousness on 3 December 2007 and asked his wife, Asima, "What's the score?" of the game he was watching at the critical moment when he suffered the stroke. He was then moved from an

intensive care unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...

to a general ward at the

Juntendo University is a private university in Japan. Its headquarters are on its campus in Bunkyo, Tokyo, for the School of Medicine and in Inzai, Chiba, for the School of Health and Sports Science. The university was established in 1838 for medical and in 1946 ...

hospital in

Urayasu 260px, old Urayasu is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 170,533 in 81,136 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Urayasu is best known as the home of the Tokyo ...

, Chiba on 23 December. On 7 December 2007, the Japan FA formally announced the appointment of

Takeshi Okada is a Japanese former football player and manager. He played for and managed the Japan national team. Club career Okada was born in Osaka on August 25, 1956. After graduating from Waseda University, he joined Japan Soccer League (JSL) club Fu ...

, who coached Japan during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, to replace Osim as Japan head coach. On 1 May 2022, Osim died at his home in Graz, Austria, five days short of his 81st birthday, after years of health issues following his stroke. After the news of his death, leading regional figures from the world of football and politics paid tribute to him. Croatian football manager and former player

Velimir Zajec Velimir Zajec (born 12 February 1956) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who last managed Dinamo Zagreb. Club career Zajec began his career at Dinamo Zagreb in 1974, aged 18. During 10 years at the club, he helped them ...

said "''Švabo'' has also left. The days in Panathinaikos are not forgotten. A great coach." Serbia national team head coach

Dragan Stojković Dragan Stojković ( sr-Cyrl, Драган Стојковић, ; born 3 March 1965), also known by the nickname Piksi (Пикси), is a Serbian former footballer who played as a midfielder, and the current manager of the Serbia national team. Wi ...

called Osim an "intelligent man, a football strategist who had great intuition, who was one of the most important football names in the former Yugoslavia and will be remembered that way." Bosnian Presidency chairman

Šefik Džaferović Šefik Džaferović (; born 9 September 1957) is a Bosnian politician who is the 7th and current Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2002 to 2018, he was a member of the national House of Representatives. A high ranki ...

said that everyone will remember Osim as a "top footballer and football manager, but also a great man and patriot, with unique charisma and first-class moral qualities." On 4 May, the coffin with Osim's body was laid out in the middle of the Merkur-Arena,

's home ground, and thousands of fans were present when the stadium was floodlit for 81 minutes in honour of Osim. He was buried in

at the Bare Cemetery on 14 May 2022. Thousands of people attended Osim's funeral and it was also broadcast live on national television. He was survived by his wife Asima, their daughter Irma and their two sons, Selmir and

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Željezničar *

Yugoslav Second League Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to: * Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name: ** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...

: 1961–62 (West) Strasbourg * French Division 2: 1976–77 Yugoslavia *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

runner-up:

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

Manager

Partizan *

: 1991–92 Panathinaikos *

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

Greek Super Cup The Greek Super Cup ( el, Σούπερ Καπ Ελλάδος), officially known as the Cup of Friendship and Solidarity ( el, Κύπελλο Φιλίας και Αλληλεγγύης) was a Greek association football one-match competition which w ...

: 1993 Sturm Graz * Austrian Bundesliga: 1997–98, 1998–99 * Austrian Cup: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99 * Austrian Supercup: 1996, 1998, 1999 JEF United Chiba *

: 2005

Awards and orders

Awards

Osim received the

Sixth of April Sarajevo Award The Sixth of April Sarajevo Award ( bs, Šestoaprilska nagrada grada Sarajeva / Šestotravanjska nagrada grada Sarajeva – Шестоаприлска награда града Сарајева) is the highest decoration given by the city of Sar ...

in 1990.

Orders

Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette: 2016

References

External links

* * *
Ivica Osim
at Reprezentacija.rs
Ivica Osim - The great Bosnian coach reflects on the war, Japan and Alan Mullery's lack of fair play
by Jonathan Wilson , The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Seven

- Yugopapir, originally published in ''Plavi vjesnik''

Sarajevska legenda - Ivica Osim (1967) - Yugopapir, originally published in ''Plavi vjesnik''

Ivica Osim ekskluzivno (1967) - Yugopapir, originally published in ''Plavi vjesnik'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Osim, Ivica 1941 births 2022 deaths Footballers from Sarajevo Association football midfielders Association football forwards Yugoslav footballers Yugoslavia international footballers Olympic footballers of Yugoslavia Footballers at the 1964 Summer Olympics UEFA Euro 1968 players FK Željezničar Sarajevo players PEC Zwolle players RC Strasbourg Alsace players CS Sedan Ardennes players Valenciennes FC players Yugoslav First League players Ligue 1 players Yugoslav expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers in France Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in France Yugoslav football managers Bosnia and Herzegovina football managers 1990 FIFA World Cup managers 2007 AFC Asian Cup managers FK Željezničar Sarajevo managers Yugoslavia national football team managers FK Partizan managers Panathinaikos F.C. managers SK Sturm Graz managers JEF United Chiba managers Japan national football team managers Yugoslav First League managers J1 League managers Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Greece Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Greece Expatriate football managers in Austria Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Austria Expatriate football managers in Japan Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Japan Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Slovenian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of German descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Polish descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Czech descent Yugoslav people of German descent Yugoslav people of Polish descent Yugoslav people of Czech descent Burials at Bare Cemetery, Sarajevo