Osim is Back!

Ivica Osim, the Bosnian coach of the Japanese national team, suffered a stroke on November 16 and fell into a coma. While he was indisposed, the Japanese Football Association unanimously agreed to replace him with Takeshi Okada, the man who coached the team during the 1998 World Cup. The official announcement is schedule for today.

The only thing is, Osim woke up a few days ago and, over the past few days, has regained the ability to speak. According to reports in Japan, his first words after his recovery were to ask who won the match he had been watching when he had the stroke, and he’s already been giving his wife crap.

Osim may be a 66-year-old stroke victim who was getting monthly physicals even before the stroke, and whose heart is so bad that he can’t watch penalty kicks, but he’s still a tough old bastard who, in just the past 18 months or so, has called his team a bunch of amateurs and reduced at least one reporter to tears — he could probably resume running the team right now.

All I’m saying is that I do NOT want to be the one to tell him another guy is getting his job today.

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Category: Asia, World Football