Tomislav Piplica (born 5 April 1969) is a Bosnian football manager who formerly played as goalkeeper. His nickname is "Pipi" and he is considered to be a cult-goalkeeper, in Germany as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1]
Personal information | ||||||||||
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Date of birth | (1969-04-05) 5 April 1969 (age 53) | |||||||||
Place of birth | Bugojno, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia | |||||||||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||
Iskra Bugojno | ||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||
1981–1989 | Iskra Bugojno | |||||||||
1989–1991 | NK Zagreb | |||||||||
1991–1992 | Istra | 15 | (0) | |||||||
1993–1997 | Segesta | 115 | (4) | |||||||
1997–1998 | Samobor | 14 | (0) | |||||||
1998–2009 | Energie Cottbus | 248 | (0) | |||||||
2012–2015 | FC Eilenburg | 28 | (0) | |||||||
National team | ||||||||||
1987 | Yugoslavia U20 | |||||||||
2001–2002 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8 | (0) | |||||||
Teams managed | ||||||||||
2009–2011 | Energie Cottbus (gk coach/scout) | |||||||||
2010–2014 | Bosnia and Herzegovina (gk coach) | |||||||||
2012–2013 | FC Eilenburg (Co-Manager) | |||||||||
2012 | → Hartenfels Torgau 04 (Interim) | |||||||||
2013–2015 | FC Eilenburg | |||||||||
Honours
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Piplica has played in his career for NK Iskra Bugojno, NK Zagreb, NK Istra 1961, HNK Segesta, NK Samobor and FC Energie Cottbus.[1][2]
He is famous not only as a cult-goalkeeper.[1] but also for well known goalkeeping blunders.[3] He is especially well remembered for his own goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2002, in which he appeared to head the ball into his own net, after standing rooted to his line.[4] In this particular game Energie Cottbus was leading 3–2, but with four minutes to go, Piplica's howler leveled the game at 3–3, and it finished that way.
Nevertheless, Piplica has a cult status with Energie fans, who nicknamed him "Pipi", and for the club president Ulrich Lepsch who claims that he was always special with special status in Cottbus.[1]
Until the end of 2012, Piplica held the post of sports director of SC Hartenfels Torgau 04 and he also helped as a coach.[5] On 9 November 2012, Piplica announced at the age of 43 years his playing comeback as a goalkeeper in the sixth division side FC Eilenburg,[6] as their goalkeeper had broken his arm in an accident.
As a teenager Piplica was part of the Yugoslavian squad that won the 1987 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. However, as a backup goalkeeper to Dragoje Leković, he didn't get a single minute of action throughout the six matches.
Piplica made his senior debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in a March 2001 World Cup qualification match against Austria in Sarajevo and has earned a total of 8 caps, scoring no goals. His final international was an August 2002 friendly match against Serbia and Montenegro.[7]
After retiring he was named as scout and goalkeeper coach of his last club FC Energie Cottbus on 24 June 2009.[8] On 12 February 2010, he was additionally named as the new goalkeeper coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team.[9] On 15 October 2013, Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for FIFA World Cup 2014.
On 5 January 2010, Piplica received his UEFA Pro Licence in Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina's educational facility in Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.[10]
Besides Bosnia, as a head coach, he coached FC Eilenburg, SC Hartenfels Torgau 04, Norhausen as well as the reservers of SpVgg Bayreuth.[11]
He holds dual Bosnian and Croatian citizenship.
Iskra Bugojno
Zagreb
Yugoslavia Youth