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Ivan "Ivica" Osim (born May 6, 1941 in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina) is a football player and manager from the former Yugoslavia, currently the manager of JEF United Ichihara Chiba of the J. League in Japan. As player, he was a member of the Yugoslavia national team and played in the 1964 Olympics. As manager, he won a bronze medal with Yugoslavia at the 1984 Olympics, reached the quarterfinals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup as the manager of Yugoslavia.
Osim has confirmed that he has agreed to coach to take over as the manager of Japan as Zico steps down following the end of Japan's 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign.**
Playing Career
Osim began his professional career with NK Željezničar in Sarajevo in 1959. He stayed in Yugoslavia as transfers abroad were prohibited for players under 28. In 1970, he moved to RC Strasbourg and played the rest of his career in France, playing for Valenciennes, Sedan and again at Strasbourg.
He also played for the Yugoslavia 16 times, including the 1968 European Championship where the Yugoslavs reached the final.
- NK Željezničar (1960-1970)
- RC Strasbourg (1970-1972, 1976-1978)
- Sedan (1972-1975)
- Valenciennes (1975-1976)
Managing Career
When his playing career ended in 1978, Osim took the coaching job at the club where he began playing, NK Željezničar. He coached the Sarajevo club until 1986, and finished second in the Yugoslav championship twice, reached the Yugoslav Cup final once and the UEFA Cup semifinals once. In addition, he coached the Yugoslav Olympic team in the 1984 Olympics and won the bronze medal.
In 1986, he took over the Yugoslav national team, and reached the quarterfinals in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Osim also coached FK Partizan from 1991 to 1992, and guided them to a Yugoslav Cup title in 1992.
Yugoslavia qualified for the 1992 European Championship, but he resigned 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 have since competed as separate nations.
After leaving Yugoslavia, he coached Panathinaikos from 1992 to 1994, winning the Greek Cup in 1993 and 1994, and finishing second in the league in 1993.
Between 1994 and 2002, Osim coached SK Sturm Graz, whom he led to the Austrian Championship in 1998 and 1999, the Austrian Cup in 1999 and the Austrian Supercup in 1998 and 1999. Sturm Graz appeared in the UEFA Champions League from 1998 to 2000.
Since 2003, Osim has coached JEF United Ichihara (now JEF United Ichihara Chiba) of the J. League and has 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 1st Stage and second in the 2nd Stage. In 2005, the club won its first major title, the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup (J. League Cup).
- NK Željezničar (1978-1986)
- Yugoslavia Olympic team (1982-1984)
- Yugoslavia (1986-1992)
- FK Partizan (1991-1992)
- Panathinaikos (1992-1994)
- SK Sturm Graz (1994-2002)
- JEF United Ichihara Chiba (2003-present)
Honors
- Olympic bronze medal: 1984
- Yugoslav Cup: 1992
- Greek Cup: 1993, 1994
- Greek Super Cup: 1994
- Austrian championship: 1998, 1999
- Austrian Cup: 1999
- Austrian Supercup: 1998, 1999
- J. League Cup: 2005
1941 births | Living people | Footballers from Bosnia and Herzegovina | RC Strasbourg players | CS Sedan Ardennes players | Football managers from Bosnia and Herzegovina | Olympic competitors for Yugoslavia | Footballers at the 1964 Summer Olympics
"Ivan Osim"