Abdulah Gegić was a Bosniak football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 coach who also had Turkish citizenship.

Gegić began his coaching career as coach of Serbian clubs FK Bor

FK Bor

FK Bor is a football club based in Bor, Serbia.- History :The club was founded in 1919 as a Serbian-French sports society under the name Asotiation Sportive Bor or ASB for short. It was managed by a Frenchman named Loren, the director of mechanical services in Bor mining company...

 and FK Radnički Niš, and later of the Yugoslav u-21

Yugoslavia national under-21 football team

The Yugoslavia national under-21 football team existed in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After the state's dissolution in 1992, the following teams were formed:*Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-21 football team...

 team, and also Yugoslavia national football team

Yugoslavia national football team

The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...

. He coached Partizan Belgrade

FK Partizan

Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...

 where he reached the Final of the European Champion Clubs' Cup

European Champion Clubs' Cup

The European Champion Clubs' Cup, also known as Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens, or simply the European Cup, is a trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Champions League...

 (today known as the UEFA Champions League

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

) in 1966 where he saw a 2-1 defeat against Real Madrid

Real Madrid

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

. He was named the second best coach of Europe by France Football

France Football

France Football is a French bi-weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It's one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of their photographic reports and accurate statistics of the big European Cup matches, and extensive coverage of the European...

 magazine. If Gegić had won the final, he would have been named the new coach of Real Madrid.

Gegić then came to Turkey to coach Eskişehirspor

Eskisehirspor

Eskişehirspor is a football club in Eskişehir, Turkey. Also known as Kırmızı Şimşekler or The Star of Anatolia. The club was founded in 1965 and started a football revolution in Anatolia. Eskişehirspor started a long term stay in the first league in Turkey when they were founded. This term lasted...

, where he became very successful and lead the club to many victories. He also coached Beşiktaş J.K.

Besiktas J.K.

Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...

 (1972–1973), Fenerbahçe S.K. (1975–1976) and the Turkish national football team

Turkey national football team

The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...

.

Gegić is nicknamed Futbol Profesörü (Football Professor) by the Turkish press. In 1979 he took the Turkish nationality and became a citizen of Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. Gegić is still an important figure in Turkish football having mentored most of the top Turkish coaches of today such as Fatih Terim

Fatih Terim

Fatih Terim, Commendatore OSSI, is a Turkish football former player and manager. Terim was born in Adana, Turkey to Nuriye and Talat Terim. His father, Talat, is a Turkish Cypriot who emigrated to Turkey....

, Mustafa Denizli

Mustafa Denizli

Mustafa Denizli is a former Turkish football player and coach. He has won the Turkish League title five times, all with the 'Istanbul Big Three' . He is currently the only manager in history to win the Turkish league with three different clubs...

, Şenol Güneş

Senol Günes

Şenol Güneş is a former Turkish footballer, manager and philosopher. His biggest accomplishment to date is coaching the Turkey that won the bronze medal in the 2002 World Cup. Güneş is married and has two children.-Career:...

, and others.

On June 4, 2008, in Novi Sad

Novi Sad

Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....

, 84-year-old Gegić had a stroke and died 17 days later of the consequences.

External links

• IN MEMORIAM: Abdulah Gegić, MTS Mondo, June 21, 2008
• In memoriam: Abdulah Gegić, B92, June 22, 2008