Ivan "Ivica" Šurjak (born 23 March 1953) is a Croatian retired footballmidfielder. He was the driving force behind the success of Hajduk Split as it became a force in the Yugoslav First League in the 1970s.
Club career
He started his career as a left back, but with time learned total football, according to which all players can, during the ebb and flow of the match, slot into every position as needed. He continued his career at Paris Saint-Germain and Udinese,[1] but turned down offers by the New York Cosmos and Real Madrid. He concluded his playing career in Spain at Real Zaragoza.
On 21 July 1999, Šurjak was piloting his 1989 Formula Runabout F-242 speedboat about 400 meters off the Čiovo island shoreline near Trogir when he struck a swimmer who sustained life-threatening head injuries.[4] The victim, 29-year-old Okrug resident Miroslav Didak, died a few days after the accident. According to a Slobodna Dalmacija report, Šurjak did not have the mandatory insurance policyfor the vessel he owned and operated. Večernji list further reported that Šurjak did not have a boating license and that his blood alcohol level at the time of the incident was 0.4‰.[5][6]
Šurjak was charged with involuntary manslaughter after a lengthy delay in legal proceedings. A verdict was finally delivered in March 2008, acquitting Šurjak of any responsibility in the death of Miroslav Didak.[7][8] The verdict included an explanation which stated that by swimming 400 meters from the shore, Didak was in violation of a by-law which prohibits swimming farther than 100 meters from the shore. Additionally, the court accepted a mitigating factor that Šurjak had been unable to avoid collision due to having sun in his eyes, as well as facing high waves. On subsequent appeal by the prosecutor's office, the case went before the provincial court which, in July 2009, upheld the verdict to acquit Šurjak.[9]
Accomplishments
Champion of Yugoslavia – 1974, 1975 and 1979
Co-champion of Yugoslavia – 1976 and 1981
Cup winner of Yugoslavia – 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1977
