Meho Kodro

Meho Kodro

Personal information
Full name	Mehmed Kodro Sejtanić
Date of birth	January 12, 1967 (1967-01-12) (age 44)
Place of birth	Mostar, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Real Sociedad B (coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985–1991	Velež Mostar	129	(48)
1991–1995	Real Sociedad	129	(73)
1995–1996	Barcelona	32	(9)
1996–1999	Tenerife	72	(18)
1999–2000	Alavés	30	(5)
2000–2001	Maccabi Tel Aviv	6	(1)
National team
1991–1992	Yugoslavia	2	(0)
1996–2000	Bosnia and Herzegovina	13	(3)
Teams managed
2006	Real Sociedad (assistant)
2008	Bosnia and Herzegovina
2008–2010	Real Sociedad (youth)
2010–	Real Sociedad B
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Mehmed "Meho" Kodro Sejtanić (born 12 January 1967 in Gubavica near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), known as Kodro, is a retired Bosnian footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager.

He played most of his 16-year senior career in Spain, mostly with Real Sociedad (four seasons) and Tenerife (three), amassing La Liga totals of 263 games and 105 goals. He possessed good technical skills and was equally as adept in the air.

Club career

Kodro's professional debut occurred in 1985 at the age of 18, with hometown club Velež Mostar. He appeared in only 14 Yugoslav First League games in his first two years combined, but eventually became a starter, scoring 31 goals in his last two full seasons combined, and helping the club two the 1986 Yugoslav Cup - he did not play in the final against NK Dinamo Zagreb however - and three consecutive top-three finishes.

When the Yugoslav Wars began, Kodro migrated to Spain - after scoring five goals in only five games in the last edition of the Yugoslavian championship - where he spent the vast majority of his remaining career. He first played with Real Sociedad of San Sebastián, always netting in double digits for the Basque, including 23 in 1993–94 and a career-best 25 in the following year, finishing second in the Pichichi Trophy race to Real Madrid's Iván Zamorano.

In the 1995 off-season, Kodro was purchased by FC Barcelona, starting throughout most of the season but only managing nine La Liga goals for the Catalans, including two in El Clásico against Real Madrid (3–0 home win). After Barça came out empty in silverware, manager Johan Cruyff - who insisted in his signing - was sacked and the player also left Camp Nou, joining CD Tenerife where he played three seasons, notably contributing with two goals in six games in the Canary Islands side's UEFA Cup semifinal run; in 1998–99, for the only time in his career, he failed to find the net and his team suffered top flight relegation.

32-year old Kodro returned to the Basque region and joined Deportivo Alavés in the 1999–2000 season. He retired from football the following year after one year in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv FC.

In 2006, Kodro started his coaching career, being assistant to José Mari Bakero at former team Real Sociedad.^[1] In the 2008 summer, he was appointed manager of the club's youth sides, and remained in the post for two years, when he was promoted to B team duties, with the club in Segunda División B.^[2]

International career

Kodro earned two caps for Yugoslavia, his debut coming on 4 September 1991 in a 3–4 friendly loss in Sweden. In the late 90s and 2000, he played for Bosnia-Herzegovina, appearing in six 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification games, and scoring in a 2–1 away win against Slovenia.^[3][4]

On 5 January 2008, Kodro was appointed head coach of Bosnia-Herzegovina, accepting the job after the Bosnian Football Federation met his conditions, which were to allow him to continue living in San Sebastián and to guarantee him full independence in football matters.^[5] Things quickly went sour, however: he led the side in two friendlies, before refusing to take charge of the team for a game against Iran scheduled for 26 May in Tehran, arranged by the federation without his knowledge; as a result, he was fired on 17 May.^[6]

Honours

Player

Velež

Yugoslav Cup: 1985–86; Runner-up 1988–89

Barcelona

Spanish Cup: Runner-up 1995–96

Maccabi

Israel State Cup: 2001–02

References

1. ^ Real Sociedad: Cesado el entrenador José Mari Bakero (Real Sociedad: Coach José Mari Bakero fired); El Futbolín (Spanish)
2. ^ Kodro se hace cargo del Sanse (Kodro appointed at Sanse); El Mundo Deportivo, 6 June 2010 (Spanish)
3. ^ Players Appearing for Two or More Countries; at RSSSF
4. ^ Meho Kodro – FIFA competition record
5. ^ Vogts add the finishing touches to Bosnia's footballing farce; The Guardian, 1 July 2008
6. ^ "Kodro fired as Bosnia-Herzegovina boss". UEFA.com. 17 May 2008. http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=697282.html. Retrieved 18 May 2008. 

External links

• BDFutbol player profile
• BDFutbol coach profile
• National team data (Serbian)
• Meho Kodro at National-Football-Teams.com
• Transfermarkt profile (German)

Persondata
Name	Kodro, Meho
Alternative names	Kodro, Mehmed
Short description	Football player/manager
Date of birth	12 January 1967
Place of birth	Mostar, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Date of death
Place of death