Aussie football in mourning as giant of the game Rale Rasic dies after coaching the Socceroos to their first World Cup appearance
- Football icon Rale Rasic had died aged 87
- Coached Socceroos at 1974 World Cup
- Received OAM in 2004 for ‘service to soccer’
Rale Rasic, the man who famously coached the Socceroos to their first World Cup in 1974, has died.
Rasic was appointed national coach in August of 1970, starting a run of success for the Socceroos that included a 12-match unbeaten streak on a 1972 world tour.
It included an undefeated tour of Asia and a 2-2 draw with Pele’s Santos.
Rasic took the team through the 1974 rounds to line up matches against West and East Germany and Chile, culminating in Australia’s first appearance at the biggest sporting event on the planet.
Rasic was also the inaugural NSL Coach of the Year with Marconi Fairfield in 1977, an honour he received a decade later with Apia Leichhardt.
Rale Rasic, the man who famously coached the Socceroos to their first World Cup in 1974, has died aged 87
Rasic (pictured right) took the Socceroos through the 1974 rounds to line up matches against West Germany, East Germany and Chile
In 2004, Rasic received an Order of Australia (OAM) for ‘service to soccer as a player, coach and administrator’
He has also won the national league championship and the NSL Cup.
Born in Bosnia, the 87-year-old was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1989.
In 2001, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal and Centenary Medal for ‘services to soccer’.
Additionally, in 2004 Rasic received an Order of Australia (OAM) for ‘service to soccer as a player, coach and administrator.’
Before turning his attention to coaching, Rasic was selected to play for the Yugoslavia youth team at the age of 17.
After then emigrating to Australia, he joined Melbourne JUST in 1962, helping win the State League championship and Dockerty Cup.
Rasic represented Victoria on nine occasions before retiring as a player in 1966.
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