NK Osijek – presidency Inauguration On 25 August 2010 in
football club
Osijek after a meeting involving the key members of club management and most important sponsors of the club decision was made for a new president of
Osijek to be Rober Špehar. One of the best goalscorers in the history of the club and a
football legend who retired five years ago once again returned to
Gradski vrt venue. This time as a president of
Osijek football club. The club assemblies confirmed decision a few days later. With Špehar as president, club confirmed Gordan Matković, a former
mayor of
city of Osijek from
HSP party as the new general director. His last episode at club was successful as he was, for a second time, top goalscorer of
Prva HNL, in
2003–04 season, six years ago. Since then,
NK Osijek fell in financial and administrative problems followed by poor sports results in years to come. At the expense of his fearless will to help
NK Osijek he left a comfortable life and a lucrative management job accepting the offered position of presidency from the club. From day one of his professional
football career retirement, Špehar placed himself at the club's disposal and it was an opportunity given after five years of waiting. At first, his name was mentioned in the context of the sports director, but after the repeated refusal of presidency from local city businessmen and sponsors, this difficult assignment was eventually offered to Špehar. The job of sports director would be a natural follow-up for a successful former
football player such as Špehar, but with no one willing to accept the presidency Špehar felt the obligation and duty to respond to appeal call from the club. As a politically neutral person with no ties to political parties, Špehar was seen as someone capable to attract new people, new ideas and new investments of those who have been avoiding the club so far. His plan of presidency was focused on three main issues. First, the rise in home attendance, increasing the numbers of club supporters and spectators at home ground played matches. Second, achieve sports results needed for European competition qualification at the end of
Prva HNL season. Third, to compete equally alongside
Dinamo and
Hajduk as a club of great tradition as
NK Osijek deserves. First move Špehar made as a president of
NK Osijek was a call addressed to all club legends and former
football players including
Davor Šuker,
Nenad Bjelica and
Marko Babić for a help in administering the club. He announced his office and club wide open to anybody of good will and love for the club, especially to current and former sports and working community of
NK Osijek. He was determined to change the ingrained way of
football club presidency in
Croatia with an every day active role in the club throughout daily conversation with both football players and football coaches while taking care of sports management section as well. Špehar was endured by promise from both
city of Osijek and club sponsors in desire to carry on with support towards the
Osijek football club. The official handover ceremony of presidential office to Robert Špehar took place on 29 August 2010. With Robert Špehar as president and Gordan Matković as general director, for a position of sport director Goran Popović was named, another
NK Osijek football legend with more than a 400 overall appearances for the club, but his placement at the function of sport director was one of a formal act only because Špehar's condition to take over the club was to define the scope of his work together within the job done by the sport director with contract endorsement.
NK Osijek board accepted the agreement and authorized legal approval for Špehar who was finally set and ready for his role as the president of his beloved
Osijek. He did not hesitate too much to accept the diligent task as three generations of Špehar family have already been included in
NK Osijek for more than fifty years without interruption at the time being. That is way Špehar took it very personally and emotionally, considering
Osijek not just as a simple club but as his way of life. For those reasons, unlike his predecessors, he took even more obligations in his will to demonstrate a new type of presidency being at club's disposal 24 hours a day. Announcing many changes, Špehar's goal was to return fans to the stands and club legends to
Gradski vrt publicly pointing out that there is no place for politics in the club, stating his role to be only as one of a sportsman and athlete with no interest of politics. Gathering money funds for the club proper functioning was not a simple assignment, but Špehar did not allow himself to be discouraged by knocking on every door in the city asking for help from anyone who likes
Osijek. The club financial situation at the moment of takeover was briefly consolidated due to previous
Domagoj Vida transfer to
Bayer Leverkusen worth HRK17,000,000. All annual active debts to players, coaches, working community and suppliers were settled with some money left for basic club maintenance. However, like his predecessors, Špehar inherited a formidable burden, a debt of as much as HRK97,000,000 that has been dragging since club bank account blockade in 1996.
Dino Špehar case As a president, in October 2010 Špehar signed a professional contract with his son, a 16.5-year-old
Dino Špehar, a captain of the
Croatia U17 football team who in a short while scored three out of four team goals in three matches played in
qualifying tournament which took place in
Croatia from 27 September till 2 October 2010 thus helping
Croatia U17 football team to qualify to the next round, so called
Elite Round of
2011 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. Due to over repeated persisting of
NK Osijek football academy director
Miroslav Žitnjak for a quiet some time and a first team coach
Branko Karačić demanded for such a player to be alongside first team football players, it was an act of proper time decision to offer his son,
Dino, a professional contract. Meanwhile, club academy board decided to transfer young
Špehar from cadet age to junior age team. After chief of staff in
Gradski vrt, manager
Karačić last request form in October, Špehar finally signed a contract continuing so the legacy of Špehar's family tradition and loyalty towards
NK Osijek. With a signed professional contract, after more than six years of playing for the various younger categories of
NK Osijek and scoring more than 300 goals even though
Dino was not a
striker, he was soon transferred to
NK Osijek first team. Špehar as president with the function of sport director was responsible for managing the football squad players. In his line of work, he was the one who proposed and signed the contracts with potential new players or renewing the old ones, but in this case, as he was a players father, he made an exception allowing
Žitnjak and
Karačić to propose signing only on account of players skills and talent. The feeling for Špehar was magnificent, as a father, signing a contract with his son, who was well on its way to become the star of
NK Osijek, the player on which the club will build the future and ultimately with no shame or discomfort make a profit. As a president of
NK Osijek, Špehar was pleased to finally sign a true
playmaker for the club, the one that had been missing for years. He was aware of pressure, a constant loupe from public at
Gradski vrt under which
Dino will play, so Špehar decided to guide his son through physical and psychical progress by individually working with him at private training sessions advancing so in
Dino's football and field skills to prepare him for upcoming challenges. After all, when Robert was starting his career at
NK Osijek, he found himself in similar situation, due to be on account of his father, a former
NK Osijek goalkeeper at the time being. Špehar smoothly turned down the official
Bayern bid of €300,000 in late summer 2010 for one of the best young
Croatian football players, a product of
NK Osijek youth academy,
Dino Špehar, stating Dino has to prove himself first at the club and in
Prva HNL before moving on board. Špehar was confident in his bid refusal due to large number of scouts that were already scouting young Špehar and replied to
Bayern that they should add another zero to the bid.
Late CFF candidacy In February 2011 after the tangle and mess up with
Croatian Football Federation presidential election 41-year-old Špehar proclaimed his will in new elections partaking as potential new candidate for an office of
CFF president. Špehar placed his candidacy assuming that presidential elections are resumed and that unverified elected president
Vlatko Marković is no longer a candidate. It was no secret that Špehar initially gave his vote to
Vlatko Marković at the elections as someone who was already managing
CFF well. At that point
Marković by Špehar own opinion was a legally elected president of
CFF. At first, Špehar was not pleased with his candidacy openly reaching public as it was spoken in private company of his friends. However, Špehar felt comfortable enough to lead
CFF due to his achievements and lifetime spent in football which enriched his football knowledge. One of requirements for becoming a candidate was to be submitted by just one (out of 21) football county committees, thus showing support from all its corresponding football clubs and its working community. Špehar was counting on support from its local,
Osijek-Baranja county and
city of Osijek football community submitting vote. Unfortunately for Špehar, another well-known and already pre-arranged candidate for
CFF presidential office,
Davor Šuker, who was backed up by Croatian most powerful element in football,
Dinamo's
Zdravko Mamić and by 75-year-old
Vlatko Marković own made promise of promotion by the end of year given to
Šuker who was also
Osijek born footballer and
NK Osijek football legend Špehar was from the beginning in a difficult situation.
Coaching beginnings After
football career and the presidency of
NK Osijek, Špehar saw his future on the bench as a
football coach. With a successful accomplishment of his coaching school he decided to accept the bench of local low-league club
NK Višnjevac for his first job as
football coach. In his first season he managed not only to save the club from further relegation, he was able to secure a promotion to
Treća HNL division East. He decided to leave the club after the first half of second season due to greater desire for coaching better-organized clubs with ambitions to play in more competitive league than the
third league. Špehar feeling good on the field, on the bench, in training practice and during the match decided to patiently wait for that kind of opportunity, from
Prva HNL clubs. after being appointed in January that year. He had left Marsonia in September 2018 for the first time after taking the helm in October 2017. ==Career statistics==