Ivica Osim


Ivan "Ivica" Osim is a Bosnian retired professional football manager and former player. He was most recently head coach of the Japanese national team, before he suffered a stroke in November 2007 and left the post. On 18 April 2011, FIFA announced that Osim became head of the interim committee to run the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the country was suspended from all international competitions. He stayed on that position until 13 December 2012.
As a player, he was a member of the Yugoslavia national team and played in the 1964 Summer Olympics. As assistant manager, he won a bronze medal with Yugoslavia at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and reached the quarterfinals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup as the head coach of the Yugoslavia. He also reached the 1984–85 UEFA Cup semi-finals as manager of his hometown club Željezničar.

Life and family

Born during World War II in Sarajevo, precisely one month after the Nazi German invasion of Yugoslavia, to Slovene-German father Mihail "Puba" Osim who worked as 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.
Osim is married to Asima and they have three children, two sons, Selmir and Amar, and daughter Irma. His son Amar was a football player himself, who afterward also became a successful football manager. From 1992 Ivica lived most of the time with his wife in Austria, in Graz., then Japan, and since 2008 Sarajevo.

Club career

Osim began his professional career with hometown club Željezničar in 1959. Osim is considered one of the best Bosnians to step on a football field who was known as a ruthless dribbler. He 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. This stay lasted only three months, due to a knee injury. In 1970, he moved to Strasbourg and played the rest of his career in France, playing for Valenciennes, Sedan and again at Strasbourg.

International career

Osim played in 16 matches for Yugoslavia, including the UEFA Euro 1968 where the Yugoslavs reached the final, losing to Italy.

Managerial career

Željezničar

When his playing career ended in 1978, Osim took the managaing 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 final once and the UEFA Cup semifinals once.

Yugoslavia

Osim assisted Ivan Toplak, head coach of the Yugoslav Olympic team, at the 1984 Summer Olympics where Yugoslavia won the bronze medal.
In 1986, he took over the Yugoslav national team. The first qualifying cycle for UEFA Euro 1988 ended in failure with an embarrassing 1–4 home loss against England. 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 FSJ president Miljan Miljanić who wanted Osim to be given another chance.
Osim's Yugoslavia rebounded in the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifications, finishing ahead of France and Scotland. At the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Yugoslavia reached the quarterfinals by eliminating Spain 2–1 in the round of 16, and proceeded to face Diego Maradona's Argentina in the quarterfinals. 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 unfortunately lose on penalties.
Yugoslavia qualified for UEFA Euro 1992, but Osim resigned on May 23, 1992; as his family in Sarajevo faced Serbian bombardment in the Yugoslav wars. "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, 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 in the summer of 1991, in parallel with coaching the Yugoslav national team. He won the 1991–92 Yugoslav Cup with Partizan having eliminating his old club Željezničar during the semi-finals of the competition.

Panathinaikos

After leaving Yugoslavia, Osim managed Panathinaikos from 1992 to 1994, winning the Greek Cup in 1993, and finishing second in the league in 1993.

Sturm Graz

Between 1994 and 2002, Osim managed Austrian club Sturm Graz, whom he led to the Austrian Bundesliga in 1998 and 1999, the Austrian Cup in 1996, 1997 and 1999 and the Austrian Supercup in 1996, 1998 and 1999. Sturm Graz also appeared in the UEFA Champions League from 1998 to 2000 under Osim's guidance.

JEF United Ichihara

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, the club won its first major title with Osim as manager, the J. League Cup.

Japan

On 21 July 2006, Osim was appointed head coach of the Japan national team, following Zico, who had resigned after the end of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Japan defeated Trinidad and Tobago 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 in the semifinal and to South Korea in the third-place match on penalty kicks. He 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, and refused to watch the penalty shootout against Australia in the quarterfinal round, 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 Words of Osim, a collection of his quotes published in 2005, sold 400,000 copies and was on the bestseller list in Japan.

Health issues

On 16 November 2007, Osim suffered a stroke at his residence in Chiba, Japan while watching a friendly match between Austria and England 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 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 to a general ward at the Juntendo University hospital in Urayasu, Chiba on 23 December 2007.
On 7 December 2007, the Japan FA formally announced the appointment of Takeshi Okada, who coached Japan during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, to replace Osim as Japan head coach.

Managerial statistics

Administrative work

Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 18 April 2011, FIFA announced that Osim would head an interim committee to run the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the country was suspended for two months from all international competitions by FIFA. He held on to that position until 13 December 2012.

Honours

Player

Željezničar
Strasbourg
Yugoslavia
Partizan
Panathinaikos
Sturm Graz
JEF United Chiba

Awards

Osim received the Sixth April Award of Sarajevo in 1990.

Orders