A commemoration was held for Ćiro Blažević: "He united all of Croatia"

In Zagreb's Vatroslav Lisinski concert hall, a memorial service was held for the legendary Croatian football expert Miroslav Ćiro Blažević, who died on February 8 at the age of 88 after a long battle with a serious illness.

It would be difficult to list all the dignitaries, friends, former and current football players, his fellow coaches, actors, athletes, politicians and journalists who came to Lisinski to say goodbye to the "coach of all coaches".

His coaching skills, and above all his personal charisma, won over fans and people wherever he worked, so it is not surprising that a large crowd gathered in Lisinski.

The entire state leadership attended the commemoration, President Zoran Milanović, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and numerous ministers, Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, the President of the Croatian Olympic Committee Zlatko Mateša, representatives of FIFA and UEFA arrived in Lisinski.

Croatian Football Feferation (CFF) President Marijan Kustić, national team coach Zlatko Dalić and former long-term general secretary of the CFF Zorislav Srebrić led the delegation of the Croatian Football Federation, while along with the leaders of the Dinamo football club, the entire first team also arrived. Other Croatian clubs sent their delegations, as well as all the clubs where Ćiro worked.

Of course, many of Ćiro's "sons" also arrived, from Dinamo's players from the "golden" team in 1982 - Velimir Zajec, Marko Mlinarić, Stjepan Deverić and others to the bronze national team from 1998 with Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinecki, Igor Štimac, Aljoša Asanović, Marijo Stanić and others.

Blažević: Dad, it was a privilege to be your son

“We are here to celebrate his life. He was beautiful, he made his dreams come true. He made our dreams come true. Dad, it was a privilege for me to be your son and to be with you in your and to meet all these wonderful people, and everything beautiful that you managed to conjure up and bring to us,” said son Miroslav Blažević in his speech.

Štimac: He won me over in ten seconds

“Our first meeting, Spain '94. Ćiro was appointed as the coach. I was filled with anticipation, what will that meeting be like. I arrived at the hotel in Valencia and bumped into him. He said with a warm smile: "Welcome, son", and then the handshake became stronger and he told me, almost like to a child: "Either you will be my positive leader or you won't be!" He needed ten seconds to completely conquer me and have me completely,” said Igor Štimac, who spoke on behalf of his "Sons" bronze medalists from 1998.

Marijan Vlak: It is difficult to convey his significance and role

“It is difficult to briefly convey his significance and role as our unsurpassed coach, his influence on the development of generations, both in football and in human terms,” said legendary Dinamo goalkeeper Marijan Vlak.

Srebrić: He was the ambassador of the Republic of Croatia

“He was extremely gifted and talented in the field of communication, creating relationships and atmosphere and motivation. He gave hundreds of speeches, not only in the field of sports but also in the business world. He was the ambassador of the Republic of Croatia,” said Zorislav Srebić, the long-time general secretary of the CFF.

“We collaborated for hours, days, weeks, months, years... It would be difficult for me to single out a period or individual actions, there were a lot of them. He always knew how to find a solution, and he did everything for the benefit of Croatian football,” said Srebrić.

Barišić: He impressed us all with his charisma

“The maestro who composed unforgettable symphonies has left. He delighted us all with his charisma. FC Dinamo expresses its deep condolences to the family and friends of the unforgettable Miroslav Ćiro Blažević,” said FC Dinamo president Mirko Barišić.

Kustić: Ćiro united Croatia

“In his departure, he succeeded in what he had been doing all his life - he united Croatia. The social significance of his two greatest successes is greater than the sporting one. Ćiro knew how to live and loved people,” said, among others, the president of the Croatian Football Federation, Marijan Kustić, in his speech.

Miroslav Ćiro Blažević's last farewell will be in the Alley of the Great at the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb. The coffin will be on display from 12 noon, and the ceremony will begin at 2 pm.

The legendary Ćiro died on February 8 at the age of 88 after a long battle with cancer.

His exceptional sports career was marked by two results - bronze with the Croatian national team at the World Championship in France in 1998 and winning the championship of the former Yugoslavia with Dinamo in 1982.

At a telephonic session held on Tuesday, the Government passed a Decision to declare February 15, 2023 as the Day of National Condolence on the occasion of the death of Miroslav Ćiro Blažević.

The day of national condolence is being marked by flying the flag of the Republic of Croatia at half-mast, the Government announced.

Source: HRT