Rale Rasic

Rale Rasic
Personal information
Full nameZvonimir Rašić
Date of birthDecember 26, 1935
Place of birthMostar, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
Proleter Zrenjanin
Vojvodina
Spartak Subotica
1961-62Borac Banja Luka2(0)
1962-69Footscray JUST
National team
Yugoslavia U21
Teams managed
1969Footscray JUST
1969-74Australia
1970Melbourne Hungaria
1971St George
1972-73Marconi Stallions
1974-75Pan Hellenic
1977-78Marconi Stallions
1979-80Adelaide City
1981-82Blacktown City
1983South Melbourne FC
1987-88A.P.I.A. Leichhardt
1992Canterbury-Marrickville
1996Rockdale Ilinden
1997Fairfield Bulls
1997-99Canberra Cosmos
2002-03Marconi Stallions (Technical Director)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Zvonimir "Rale" Rasic OAM (Serbian Cyrillic: Звонимир Рале Рашић; born 26 December 1935) is a Bosnian Serb-Australian former association football player, coach and media personality.[1]

Born in Mostar,[2] Littoral Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) Rasic begin his career playing in Yugoslav clubs. Also known as Zvonko Rasic,[3] Zvonko being a usual diminutive for Zvonimir, he played with FK Proleter Zrenjanin,[3] FK Vojvodina,[4] FK Spartak Subotica[5] and FK Borac Banja Luka.[6] He migrated to Australia in 1962, but returned to Yugoslavia after 18 months to serve in the army. His obligations met, Rasic returned to Australia, and played football in the Victorian league. He revolutionised the game in Australia, he was appointed coach in 1970 at just 34 years of age, and in 1974, he led the Australia national football team to the World Cup as coach.

After the World Cup, the Australian Soccer Federation dumped him as national coach, replacing him with Englishman Brian Green. Rasic and others believe that he was dumped because he was not seen as being a real "Aussie." He has stated, "They took from me something that I was doing better than anyone else. I was a true-blue Aussie and nobody can deny that. I taught the players how to sing the national anthem."

These days, as the first coach to take Australia to the World Cup finals, Rale Rasic is widely respected in Australian football.

He was a television presenter on SBS, during the Australian network's 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage. His biography, "The Rale Rasic Story," was published in 2006 by New Holland.

Honours

Rasic was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1989.[7] In 2001 he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal and the Centenary Medal for "services to soccer" and in 2004 the Medal of the Order of Australia for "service to soccer as a player, coach and administrator."[8]

References

  1. ↑ Marko Lopušina - Svi Srbi sveta: vodič kroz dijasporu 1998 -p 209 " играч и тренер Звонко Рале Рашић постао члан Галерие нарознатијпх Аустралианаца и власник Златног Оскара Аустралие и Медаље почасног Аустралианца."
  2. ↑ The Rale Rasic Story: The Socceroos First World Cup Coach, as told to Ray Gatt, New Holland Publishers, Frenchs Forest, NSW, 2006. ISBN 978-1-74110-464-6
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Klubovi at Football Association of Zrenjanin official website
  4. ↑ Rale Srbin „izmislio“ fudbal u Australiji at Večernje novosti, 13-6-2011, retrieved 13-11-2013 (Serbian)
  5. ↑ Match report Hungary vs Spartak Subotica from 1958 at magyarfutball.hu, retrieved 13-11-2013
  6. ↑ FK Borac Banja Luka stats 1946-91 at EX YU Fudbal
  7. ↑ "Rale Rasic OAM". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Australian Honours". Australian Government. Retrieved 2010-06-27.

External links


Preceded by
Inaugural Recipient		 NSL Coach of the Year
1977 		Succeeded by
Garry Chaldi
Preceded by
Dragoslav Šekularac		 NSL Coach of the Year
1987 		Succeeded by
Brian Garvey