Lebanese National Football Team appoints Croatian coach Nikola Jurčević

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The Lebanese Football Association made a significant change in the management of the national team on Monday by appointing Croatian coach Nikola Jurčević, who will replace Serbian coach Aleksandar Ilić.

The Association terminated the contract with the Serbian coach through mutual consent, citing disappointing results for the team in three friendly tournaments held in India and the King's Cup in Thailand.

This change comes just a week before the national team heads to a preparatory camp in Montenegro. The team is set to face Montenegro in Podgorica on October 12th and the UAE national team in Dubai on October 17th.

The Association chose the new coach after "studying numerous resumes of coaches from Arab, European, and American nationalities before ultimately selecting the Croatian head coach," according to the official statement.

The new coach will be tasked with preparing the Lebanese national team in a short period for crucial events. Lebanon will start its journey in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, facing Palestine on November 16th.

Additionally, Lebanon has qualified for the third round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. The team will play the opening match of the tournament against Qatar at Lusail's World Cup Stadium. The group also includes China and Tajikistan.

Jurčević, 57, has extensive experience in English, German, Russian, and Croatian football, in addition to his coaching stints in Turkey, Austria, and Azerbaijan.

His professional career as a player began with Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb from 1984 to 1986 before moving on to clubs like Salzburg (Austria), Freiburg (Germany), and Royal Antwerp (Belgium). He represented the Croatian national team between 1990 and 1996.

During his coaching career, Jurčević managed various clubs, including Dinamo Zagreb and Salzburg. He also served as an assistant coach for clubs like West Ham United (England), Beşiktaş (Turkey), and Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia).

In terms of national teams, Jurčević worked as an assistant coach for the Croatian national team from 2006 to 2012 and later served as the head coach of the Azerbaijan national team in his last coaching role in 2019.

AFP