Kranjcar takes Croatia post

UEFA - Zlatko Kranjcar has been confirmed as the new Croatia coach, replacing Otto Baric who resigned after their first-round exit at UEFA EURO 2004™.

Two-year contract
Vlatko Markovic, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) president, announced today that Kranjcar had agreed a two-year contract up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. The executive board members of the HNS selected Kranjcar ahead of Martin Novoselac, the other remaining candidate, who will serve as his assistant.

Other contenders
The two other serious contenders for the role, Srecko Katanec and Branko Ivankovic, had earlier withdrawn their candidatures. Katanec, the former Slovenia coach, withdrew in the face of public opposition while Ivankovic has taken the job of Iran's national coach.

'The best choice'
"This was the best choice we could have made," said Markovic. "Kranjcar and Novoselac are excellent coaches and we think very highly of both of them. Kranjcar will have a contract ending with the World Cup in Germany 2006, just like Baric's contract ended with EURO 2004™."

'Ready for this task'
Croatia's rivals in their World Cup qualifying group include Sweden and Bulgaria and they begin their campaign at home to Hungary on 4 September. Before that there is a friendly game against Israel in Varazdin on 18 August and Kranjcar said: "I must start work immediately, we have our first World Cup qualifying game in September. I am very happy to have this honour. I know what they are expecting from me and I am ready for this task."

Title winner
Kranjcar, 47, has won the Croatian league championship twice as a coach, with NK Dinamo Zagreb and also with NK Zagreb where he famously broke the dominance of Dinamo and HNK Hajduk Split by taking the title in 2001/02. Born in Zagreb, he played in his home city for Dinamo and also in Austria for SK Rapid Wien, where his coach was Baric, the man he now succeeds.