Jozo Jakopić (1 April 1904–6 November 1946) was a Yugoslav and a Croat sports official and a long-time secretary of the most successful Croatian football club at the time HŠK Građanski. He also served as the first manager of the Croatia national football team, representing the Banovina,[1] from 1940 to 1941.[2]
Jakopić became a manager of the Croatia national football team in 1940 and led Croatia in four friendly matches. The first, unofficial match was played against Switzerland on 2 April 1940 in Zagreb, which ended in a 4–0 victory for Croatia. Ten of the eleven players were from Građanski, while one was Concordia's player. Croatia also won in the away match played in Bern (0–1). This time, all eleven players were from Građanski. The first official match was played against Hungary in Budapest on 2 May 1940. The match ended in a 0–1 loss. Ten players were from Građanski and one was from Concordia. The second match against Hungary was played in Zagreb on 8 December 1940, ending in a 1–1 draw. Nine players were from Građanski, two from Hajduk and one from Concordia.[3]
Petrić, Hrvoje (2018). "Prilozi za biografiju hrvatskog političara Josipa Torbara" [Contributions to the biography of the Croatian politician Josip Torbar]. Zbornik Janković (in Croatian) (3): 182–197.
News articles
Židak, Tomislav (7 April 2006). "66 godina repke" [66 years of the national team]. Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Zagreb. Retrieved 31 March 2023.