April 21, 2022 - Željko Kopić is no longer the coach of Dinamo Zagreb after losing to Hajduk at Poljud on Wednesday.
Last night, the 9th-round makeup match was played between Hajduk and Dinamo at Poljud in Split. The loss leaves Dinamo in first place with only two points more than Osijek and four more than Hajduk. Dinamo issued a short statement on their official channels, reports Index.hr.
"GNK Dinamo hereby informs the public that Mr. Željko Kopić is no longer the first team coach. Željko Kopić took over the first team's bench in December 2021 and led Dinamo in a total of 19 official matches, with five friendly matches played. In official matches in the HNL and Europa League with the Blues, he recorded 13 wins, two draws, and four defeats with a goal difference of 27:10. We especially emphasize the fantastic victories against West Ham United and Sevilla in the Europa League."
Kopić commented after his dismissal:
"I would like to thank the club's management, players, professional staff, coaches, and all club employees for the successful and quality cooperation we have had for the last two years. From the first day I became director of the Football School and later sports director and coach of the first team, the club is progressing, and I hope that I have achieved that in one part. I wish the club a successful end to the season, and the most important thing is to win the title."
Kopić took over Dinamo on December 2, 2021. He debuted with a defeat against Hajduk, a club from which he was also fired in 2018. He led Dinamo in the Europa League round of 16, where they lost to Sevilla, and his most notable victory on the bench of the Blues was against West Ham in London.
In his career, he also led Lučko, Cibalia, NK Zagreb, Slaven Belupo, and Paphos in Cyprus. He has been with Dinamo since April 27, 2020. He then took over the role of head of the Academy, and in December last year, he succeeded Damir Krznar as the first coach.
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