Abaz Arslanagić

As of February 10, 2014

Abas Arslanagić ( Serbian Cyrillic Абас Арсланагић; born October 2, 1944 in Derventa, SFR Yugoslavia ) is a Bosnian - Herzegovinian handball coach and former handball goalkeeper. He is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the 1970s and has numerous world-class keeper trained.

Playing career

Abas Arslanagić began with the handball game with fourteen years in his hometown RK Partizan Derventa. At 18, he moved to RK Partizan Belgrade. Only a year later he signed with RK Borac Banja Luka. With Borac he was four times Yugoslavian champion and five times cup winners. In 1975 he reached the final of the European Cup of Champions. The culmination of his club career was winning the European Cup of Champions 1975/76.

In the Yugoslav national team of 1,92 m wide goalkeeper made ​​his debut on 27 March 1969 in Ljubljana against Germany. A year later he won the bronze medal at the 1970 World Cup. In the 1972 Olympics he became Olympic champion. At the World Cup in 1974, he won again bronze. At the Olympics 1976 he landed on rank 5

Due to its strength in penalty throws he got the nickname " giant with seven arms " and " Octopus Goalkeeper ".

Coaching career

First, he coached already during his playing days the youth team Borac to players like Zlatko Saračević and the women's team Mladost Banja Luka. In addition, he was coach of clubs in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. With Metaloplastika Sabac he was Yugoslav champion, with RK Zagreb Croatian champion and cup winner, with RK Bosna Sarajevo, he won the Bosnian league and cup double, with Borac Banja Luka again the trophy.

As coach of the Yugoslav junior national team he won the world championship in 1981. As goalkeeper coach of the senior national team, he was vice-champion in 1982 and world champion in 1986. Subsequently he was head coach of the selection and won at the 1988 Olympic Games bronze medal. From 1988 to 1994 he coached the selection of Qatar, with the 1991 he finished fourth at the World Handball Asian Cup. With the Croatian national team, he participated in the 1996 European Championships. In 2003, he was head coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Since 2013 he manages the youth team of Qatar.

As goalkeeper coach, he coached numerous international goalkeeper, inter alia, as Mirko Bašić, Zlatan Arnautović, Valter Matošević, Vlado Šola, Enid Tahirović, Gorazd Skof and Venio Losert.

Abas Arslanagić working in summer camps for youth handball players as goalkeeper coach. Since August 2013 he is board member of Borac Banja Luka.

Achievements

As a player

• Olympic champion in 1972
• Bronze at the World Championships in 1970 and 1974
• Best goalkeeper of the 1970 World Cup
• European Champions Cup in 1976
• Yugoslavian Champion 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976
• Yugoslavian Cup Winner 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975
• Called 2x in the World Selection

As coach

• Gold at the World Youth Championship 1981
• Silver at the 1982 World Cup
• Gold at the 1986 World Cup
• Bronze medal at the 1988 Olympic Games
• Yugoslav champion in 1988
• Croatian champion and cup winner 1996
• Bosnian - Herzegovinian Champion 2003
• Bosnian - Herzegovinian Cup winner in 2003 and 2007

Others

Arslanagić has a diploma from the School of Sport at the University of Sarajevo. He is also the author of numerous books Handball, especially over goalkeeper techniques.

He is married to his second wife. His daughter Maida Arslanagić (* 1984) is Croatian handball national team.