Monday, 03 March 2003

Franjo Glaser, widely regarded as one of Croatia's greatestgoalkeepers, died on Saturday aged 89.

Respected man
The Osijek-born custodian was not only respected for his ability on thepitch but also for his dignified bearing and sportsmanship. These traits wereremembered during a minute's silence held before Sunday's match between NKDinamo Zagreb and NK Varteks.

Early start
Glaser’s remarkable career took off when he made his debut for local teamNK Slavija at the age of 15. He then moved on to NK Hajduk Sarajevo andConcordia Zagreb before joining BSK from Belgrade during his military service.While there in the mid-1930s, Glaser won two Yugoslavian titles.

Successful time
He then moved on to Gradjanski Zagreb, the club now known as Dinamo, and enjoyedhis most successful period as a player. He won the Kingdom of Yugoslavia titlein 1937 and 1940 as well as the Croatian championship in 1943. In all, he played623 times for Gradjanski.

International honours
After the conclusion of the second world war, Glaser helped FK Partizan win theYugoslavian title in 1947 before ending his playing days with NK Mornar Split,where he was also a coach, in 1949. Glaser played 35 times for Yugoslavia and afurther eleven times for Croatia during its independence in the 1940s.

Coaching career
As a coach, Glaser took charge of a number of clubs including Dinamo, NK Kvarner[now known as HNK Rijeka], NK Proleter [who became NK Osijek], NK TrešnjevkaZagreb, Austria FC Klagenfurt (today FC Kärnten), NK Velež Mostar and FKSartid Smederevo. He spent his final years at a retirement home in Zagreb.

Edited for CROWN by Ivo Bach