Salihagić: Members of the Osim family were not present at the unveiling of the plaque with the name Ivica Osim Boulevard, who is responsible for that?

(Patria) - Legend of Bosnian-Herzegovinian football Ivica Osim finally got his street in his hometown Sarajevo in mid-May this year. By decision of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, Zvornička Street, where the Grbavica stadium is located, was renamed Ivica Osim Boulevard.

Certainly, the football Strauss from Grbavica deserved even much more than that, as he greatly indebted Bosnian-Herzegovinian football. However, the question arises whether such a decision was politicized, given the fact that the ceremony for unveiling the plaque with the street name Ivica Osim Boulevard - coincidentally or not - was held on May 16, on the Day of the Novo Sarajevo Municipality.

Among others, the ceremony was attended by municipal mayor Hasan Tanović, Chairman of the Novo Sarajevo Municipal Council Robert Pleše, President of FK Željezničar Edis Kovačević, and journalist Muhamed Bikić. But also none of the members of the Osim family, which is an extremely unreasonable oversight by the organizers. Unlike, for example, the resourceful and responsible Japanese, on whose national team bench Ivica sat 17 years ago. Namely, about ten days ago in the Japanese capital Tokyo, a bust was unveiled, also in honor of the great Ivica Osim. But that ceremony, unlike the one in Sarajevo, was attended by members of Ivica's family - his wife Asima and his son Amar.

The oversight by the organizers of the ceremony in Sarajevo was pointed out by Nedim Salihagić, a young councilor of the People's European Alliance in the Novo Sarajevo Municipal Council. This was done in a councilor question he posed at the 26th regular session of the Novo Sarajevo Municipal Council on May 30 to the Chairman of the Council Robert Pleše and the Mayor of the Municipality Hasan Tanović. Salihagić's initiative aimed at determining responsibility for such an oversight and preventing anything similar from happening again. However, as he says in an interview with the Patria News Agency, to this day - more than two months later - he has not received any answer to his councilor question.

- I believe this is a major oversight and injustice. I am interested in who was the organizer of this event and how it was even possible that none of the family members were informed about the date of the plaque unveiling nor were they sent an invitation?

It is necessary to determine the responsibility of those who made this oversight so that they can publicly apologize to the Osim family. In this way, at least partially, the injustice done in our local community would be corrected, and this would be an example of how not to organize all similar events in the future - Salihagić told us.

He emphasizes that he does not intend to prejudge anyone's "guilt", although there are different versions of stories as to why at least Amar Osim was not invited to the ceremony.

- I would not talk about that now because we still do not have an official answer to the question of who was in charge of organizing this ceremony. My intention is to determine responsibility and apologize to the Osim family.

- The wall of silence I am encountering is indicative, and the whole situation is even more "painful" after the impressive ceremony in Japan attended by Ivica's wife Asima and his son Amar - added Salihagić.

(D. Kovač)