Ivica Osim’s grave

Mass grave in Sarajevo where Osim is buried

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Sarajevo is home to a large mass cemetery called Bale, where graves are clearly divided according to the religion of the deceased. Each territory is strictly separated, from Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Adventist (Protestant), Judaism, and even non-religious people, and different religions do not mix with each other.

Twenty-eight years have passed since the end of the Bosnian War, which saw horrific ethnic massacres between people, but measures are being taken to ensure that families of those who lost their lives in the war can meet and no unnecessary conflict arises.

In mass graves, grave locations were clearly designated according to the religion of the deceased.

However, things weren’t always like this. An old Muslim friend of mine said that, although it was a government policy, he preferred the time when things were mixed many times more.

“The destruction in the multicultural city of Sarajevo is worse than I had imagined. Before the war, there was no thought of dividing the city’s residents along religious lines. It didn’t matter what faith you held. Everyone ate the same food and went to the same bars. Now there are clear boundaries between living areas.” (Kurt Bergmann)

The Dayton Accords, which were introduced after the war to quell the conflict, were a system in which representatives of the three ethnic groups – Muslims, Serbs (Orthodox), and Croats (Catholic) – took turns governing the country, and they were given separate places of residence and political systems (incidentally, these three ethnic groups only differ in religion but use the same language).

It is true that avoiding contact has brought about peace, but it has also deepened division. The same is true in the world of soccer, where the Bosnian Football Association was divided into three organizations, which led to dysfunction and widespread ethnic corruption. FIFA (the World Football Federation), which follows the principle of one nation, one association, saw this as a problem and expelled the association at one point. Soccer had disappeared from Bosnia.

It was Ivica Osim who saved the team from this predicament.

Suffering from a stroke and unable to use his left hand, he visited politicians from the three ethnic groups and repeatedly persuaded them. “If Osim has to say it…”, the stubborn nationalist leaders listened, and the football association was eventually unified and rejoined FIFA. In response, the Bosnian national team won the qualifiers for the World Cup in Brazil, and eventually made its first appearance on the dream stage. Osim had overcome the boundaries that Bergman had spoken of.

Osim, who once self-deprecatingly said, “Sarajevo is like a shadow in the backyard of a country clinging to a fragile peace,” can be said to have once again put his hometown back into the sunshine.

When asked, “What ethnicity are you?”, Osim answered, “I’m a Sarajevo boy,” and was an atheist, as he was in Bale. He slept in solitude, away from any religious district.

I bought flowers and offered them.

I heard the news of his death and finally came here more than a year later, but I felt like he was asking me, “What have you come here for?” When he was alive, Osim often said, “Death is a part of life, so emotions of sadness and surprise are inappropriate.” Now that I think about it, he probably meant that I should see him off quietly after he passed away.

Still, the grave was visited by a steady stream of supporters and people from the teams he coached, including Zeleznicar, Stumm Graz, and JEF Chiba, and on this day many fresh flowers were offered at the grave. As I stood there in silence, with my hands together, I realized that Schwabo was really no longer with us, and a sense of loneliness welled up inside me, covering my whole body. I pulled myself together and headed to the Football Association.