The government on Tuesday decided that Wednesday, 15 February, when the former famous coach of the national football team, Miroslav Ciro Blazevic, will be buried, will be observed as a day of national mourning.

State flags at public institutions will be displayed at half-mast.

Also a central commemoration in tribute to Blazevic is scheduled for 1000 hrs Wednesday in the Vatroslav Lisinski concert hall in Zagreb, while the funeral is scheduled for 1400 hrs at Mirogoj Cemetery.

Former Croatian football team selector Miroslav Blazevic, who led the national team to the bronze medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, passed away on 8 February, two days before his 88th birthday.

Condolences over his death have been extended by many state and football officials.

President Zoran Milanovic, who signed the book of condolences that was opened at the Croatian Football Federation’s Multimedia Centre in Zagreb last week, wrote: “He was unique. I was fortunate to have known him and to have had interesting conversations with him. [He was] always benevolent. Never boring. Until the last day. And once he is gone, it will be remembered who Ciro was.”

In paying tribute, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin described Blazevic as “the father of modern Croatian football, and one of our game’s greatest coaches. Ciro’s legacy goes beyond any trophy or victory, of which there were many in his lengthy career.”

Blazevic’s coaching career started with Swiss club Vevey in 1963 and his last coaching job was with NK Zadar in 2015. He was in charge of more than 20 clubs in his career; Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Nantes, PAOK and Grasshopper-Club are some of the renowned names on a long list, UEFA reported.

His biggest success in club football came when he won Yugoslavia’s domestic title with Dinamo Zagreb in 1982 – the club’s first title in 24 years.

His career also included spells in charge of national teams – Croatia, Switzerland, Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina and China’s Under-23 team.