Zagreb, July 13: Slaven Bilic is back as coach of Croatia after the team’s most successful coach Zlatko Dalic left following the World Cup.
Bilic returns to a job he left 14 years ago, after six years in charge, with experience of coaching in the Premier League with West Ham and West Bromwich, as well as in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
“I am genuinely happy to start this challenge and I feel fully prepared for it – as a more mature and experienced coach than in 2006, yet with the same motivation and desire to see Croatia stay powerful, bold, and successful,” Bilic said in a statement.
He takes over a Croatia team which exited the World Cup amid a blizzard of recriminations. Its last-gasp equalizer was ruled offside over the lightest of touches detected by a sensor in the ball, ensuring a 2-1 loss to Portugal in the round of 32.
That ended nine years in charge for Dalic. (AP)
