The Croatian Handball Federation have decided on a rather strange move in search of a new national team coach.
Before our Croatian men’s handball team is a very new challenge - two additional qualifiers against Montenegro for placement at the 2019 World Cup. Will current coach Lino Červar stay or will he go? The Handball Federation has decided to put an end to the calculations and pull a somewhat unusual move, reports Gol.hr on February 8, 2018.
"Next week, we will have a board of directors, and on the board, we will define the criteria and announce the contest. Then we will see who will be the new coach," said HRS president Tomislav Grahovac.
This is the first time the national team has selected a public contest, and HRS decided on an open bid to avoid pressures on the new coach.
"I do not see anything controversial about this, and when it comes to the competition, we will see who will respond. We will define the criteria, and then we will choose who best suits the criteria in the public tender," Grahovac added.
Sports journalist Dražen Pinević did not dispute the new public competition.
"Competitions always work, and it is only a question of criteria that will be included. I am sure that certain criteria from the professional side will have to be met. Not everyone in the competition will be professionals or have results, so there will be an expert commission in the federation that will decide, and the only important thing is to have the support of everyone in the federation," Pinević said.
And while the handball team and team of experts have returned to their clubs, the media still speculate about who the new coach could be. Along with Červar, they have mentioned some former coaches, as well as Červar's assistant Zlatko Saračević.
"I am at PPD Zagreb and will concentrate on Zagreb. My opinion is that it is not necessary to double the job and it is better for me to stay here in Zagreb, train and concentrate on that," Saračević said.
That Lino Červar is not a finished story, is also believed by his assistant.
“Nothing definitive has been said yet. He was hot after playing against France. He said that he would think about it for some twenty days, talk to himself, and then make a decision," Saračević added.
Whether Červar will lead the team in the upcoming two games and what the criteria will be for the new coach, will be much clearer next week after the federation publishes the contest with all of the conditions the new national team coach should meet.
Source: Gol.hr
