Former FK Sarajevo player and coach Dženan Uščuplić killed

(Patria) - A tragedy occurred today on Mount Zelengora in which Dženan Uščuplić, a former FK Sarajevo player and long-time coach, lost his life. He was killed by a lightning strike, and a rescue operation is underway.

Dženan Uščuplić was born on August 18, 1975, in Sarajevo, and after passing through the youth academy of Željezničar, he joined the ranks of Sarajevo during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Like most young Sarajevo players of the time, he played his first match in March 1994 against the UNPROFOR selection.

He played as a left-back, but offensive tasks were not foreign to him. Known for his powerful shot, he was the best full-back in the First League of BiH in the early post-war years and a regular member of the youth national team. His career ascent began in the 1995/96 season. He was irreplaceable in the starting lineup, and the fact that he missed only one match in each of the 1995/96 and 1996/97 seasons best illustrates how important Dženan was to the maroon team's game. With 12 goals scored in the 1996/97 season, he was also the team's top scorer, and that same year he won his first trophy with Sarajevo, the BiH Cup.

Then came another trophy, this time in the Super Cup, where he got on the scoresheet in the return leg of the final against Čelik, and Dženan continued with excellent performances in the 1997/98 season. Uščuplić was once again in great form, recording 25 appearances and scoring 8 goals in all competitions by April. Many predicted a sure transfer to one of the top five leagues at the end of the season, but instead of a transfer, a serious injury came. In a match against Bosna in Visoko, Uščuplić suffered an injury that kept him off the field for a full two years and halted the brilliant rise of his career. A long period of rehabilitation followed, after which he never managed to regain his previous form. He returned to the field in the spring of 2000, and in the summer of 2001, after a six-month stint with Olimpik, he returned to Koševo for another season, winning another BiH Cup.

In total, Uščuplić played 121 official matches for Sarajevo and scored 28 goals. With Sarajevo, he won three BiH Cups and one Super Cup, and after his prematurely ended career, he dedicated himself to coaching.

He was the coach of several FK Sarajevo teams, and in November 2023, he parted ways with the club by mutual agreement.

"He made a great contribution to the development of our Academy players in the past years, and it is certain that many generations will remember him fondly. In four terms, he also led the first team, with which he managed to win three trophies," they stated from FK Sarajevo at the time.