Following the appointment of Dušan Bajević as the head coach of the “A” national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, media representatives at the “House of Football” were addressed by FF BH president Elvedin Begić, as well as a new head coach.
“We have appointed Mr. Bajevic as the head coach until the end of the European Championship, and for the rest we will agree in accordance with the obligations that lie ahead. In the next 20 days, Mr. Bajević will discuss with the expert services and make name proposals for associates in the technical staff, in accordance with the plan and program already made. He has an unquestionable support at full capacity, in every need in the coming period.”
Bajević thanked the press for their support and said:
“I would like to thank everyone for the given trust. It is my strong desire to help the national team at this important moment when we need to reach an important goal, which is to qualify for the EURO 2020. I believe that I can contribute with my knowledge and experience to achieve that goal. We must now mobilize all the forces at our disposal to achieve what we want. In the play-offs, we will count on all the players who can help this team. I think that the time we have before us, we have to use in the right way and we have to get what we want in order to be ready for the matches.”
Dušan Bajević was born in Mostar on 10th December 1948.
He started his playing career in Velež Mostar, for which he played 322 championship matches and scored 169 goals.
He played for the first team of Velež from 1966 to 1975, and then went to the Greek AEK, with which he won two Greek champions titles.
He returned to Velež in 1981 and played at this club for the rest of his career in 1983.
He played 37 games for the Yugoslav national team and scored 29 goals. He participated in the 1974 World Cup in Germany.
With 169 goals, he is second on the list of the best scorers of the Yugoslav football championship of all time, and in 1972 he was selected as the best footballer of Yugoslavia.
He is known by the nickname “Prince of the Neretva”.
Coaching career
Immediately after finishing his playing career, he began his career as a football coach in Velež, with which he won the Yugoslav Cup, the then Marshal Tito Cup in 1986.
He returned to AEK as a coach in 1988 and won the Greek Championship title with the club that season, the first for AEK after 10 years.
Under leadership of Bajević, AEK was the Greek champion three more times, in succession (1992, 1993, 1994).
Bajević became the coach of Olympiakos in 1997, winning the Greek Championship title the same season, and in 1999 the “double crown”, the championship and the Cup.
After Olympiakos, he briefly stayed at Thessaloniki PAOK, with which he won the Greek Cup in 2001.
He then coached AEK and Olympiakos two more times.
He was also the coach of the Belgrade Red Star, Aris of Thessaloniki, Omonia of Cyprus, and Atromitos of Athens.
