Ivica Osim died five days before his 81st birthday. The founding party of the SK-Sturm should have taken place on Sunday. It was canceled.
Sturm’s coach of the century
Osim opened up new worlds for SK Sturm, the Bosnian gave the Grazers their first championship title (1998) and its defense (1999), three cup wins (1996, 1997, 1999) and three lavish participations in the Champions League (1998, 1999, 2000) , which are still unrivaled in Austria today. As the only domestic club, Sturm advanced to the intermediate round as group winners in the premier class (2000).
Sturm’s coach of the century hardly left his house in the St. Peter district of Graz in the midst of the CoV pandemic, his mobility had been restricted for a long time – his body in particular had never fully recovered from a stroke at the age of 66. On his 80th birthday last year, his wife Asima said he slept too much. “I’m 80 and I’m fine for 80,” the husband replied at the time. “Everything goes slowly, everything takes time.” More on that in Ivica Osim ist 80 (steiermark.ORF.at; 6.5.2021).
A critical look at football
The horizon of the studied mathematician and philosopher was always broad and yet concentrated on an average of 105 meters long and 68 meters wide rectangle. “Every day without football is a lost day,” Osim once said, and he lived by it. He follows “everything there is in football” on TV, he said, although he deeply regrets the ongoing commercialization and efforts like the Super League. “Today’s football is FIFA and Real Madrid. It’s all about the money. Pity.”
“The Greatest of Storms is Gone”
“The Greatest of Storm is gone. He was a personality not only in football and sport, but far beyond. The Sturm family is mourning,” said Sturm President Christian Jauk on Sunday. “The Sturm family will pay tribute to Ivica Osim,” said Jauk.
The Swabian from Sarajevo
Ivan “Ivica” Osim was born on May 6, 1941, he was called Svabo, the Swabian, because of his blond hair and German roots. The civil war became the tragedy of his life, also because Sarajevo was destroyed. “I can’t be happy anymore. After everything that happened in my home country, there is no more joy. If it doesn’t work anymore, I’m also ready to go,” he said at the time.
Osim scored eight goals in 16 team games for Yugoslavia. As a coach he worked at Željezničar Sarajevo, Partizan Belgrade, Panathinaikos Athens, Sturm and United Ichihara Chiba. He was the last team boss of Yugoslavia, in the end he was the Japanese team boss.
On Storm’s 113th birthday
Ivica Osim leaves behind his wife and three children. Osim was a recipient of the Grand Decoration of Honor of the State of Styria. His death on May 1st – which was also Sturm’s 113th birthday – came as a surprise to many, despite a long history of illness.
