Želimir Vidović
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Želimir Vidović | ||
| Date of birth | 17 November 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Date of death | 17 May 1992 (aged 38) | ||
| Place of death | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| ?–1974 | Bosna Sarajevo | ||
| 1974–1983 | Sarajevo | 241 | (14) |
| 1983–1989 | GAK | 151 | (14) |
| 1984 | → Union Wels (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| National team | |||
| 1977–1980 | Yugoslavia | 2 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Želimir Vidović (17 November 1953 – 17 May 1992) was a Bosnian footballer and a star member of FK Sarajevo during the 1970s and early 1980s. He was killed during the Siege of Sarajevo while transporting wounded citizens to a nearby hospital.
Career
Vidović joined FK Sarajevo in the summer of 1974 from local Sarajevo side FK Bosna. He played his first game for the maroon-whites on 14 August of the same year, and would go on to compete in 29 ties during his first season with the club. He spent nine years at the Koševo stadium, and was a pivotal member of the squad that played a large role in the 1980-81 UEFA Cup and reached the final of the Yugoslav Cup. In 1983 he joined Austrian side GAK, whom he represented for a further 6 seasons, before retiring from professional football in 1989. [1] He earned his first cap for Yugoslavia on 1 February 1977 in a friendly against Mexico, which Yugoslavia won 5-1. On 22 March 1980 he earned his second cap in a 2-1 victory over Uruguay. [2]
Death
On 17 May 1992, with the Siege of Sarajevo already underway, Vidović who was an ethnic Serb, took part in a volunteer operation to help transport civilians, wounded by Serb forces, to a nearby hospital in the Sarajevo neighbourhood of Dobrinja. [1] After the convoy was stopped at a Serb military checkpoint, he was taken away by soldiers and all traces of him disappeared for 4 years. [3] In 1996 his remains were discovered in a shallow mass grave along with the remains of three other people. On 5 June 2004 his remains were buried in Sarajevo, along with an FK Sarajevo jersey. [4]
Legacy
An annual tournament in his honour has been organized since 2004. [5] A street in the neighbourhood of Dobrinja carries his name. [6]
References
- 1 2 "Želimir Vidović 1953-1992" (in Bosnian). Fksinfo.com. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- ↑ "Želimir Vidović" (in Serbian). Reprezentacija.rs. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- ↑ "Želimir Vidović Keli je živio za svoje Sarajevo=Klix.ba" (in Bosnian). Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- ↑ "In memoriam: Želimir Vidović Keli" (in Bosnian). Fksinfo.com. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- ↑ "Memorijalni turnir posvećen bišem igraču Sarajeva" (in Bosnian). Radiosarajevo.ba. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- ↑ "Godišnjica pogibije Želimira Vidovića - Kelija" (in Bosnian). Fcsarajevo.ba. Retrieved 2014-08-12.