Former Croatia international and 1998 World Cup bronze medal winner Aljoša Asanović (55) has been unveiled as coach of Zambia.
Zambia’s football governing body on Tuesday
unveiled Croatian Aljosa Asanovic as the new coach of the national team.
The Croatian, who recently served as the
technical advisor for the Zambia team, has signed a four-year contract to be
head coach.
He was unveiled by the Football Association
of Zambia (FAZ) during a press briefing at Football House in Lusaka.
Asanovic, 56, is a former midfielder who
played from 1984 to 2002.
He was one of the best players in the
Yugoslav First League, emerging as one of five top scorers during the 1989-1990
season with 14 goals.
He is best known for his career in the
mid-to-late 1990s when he played for Derby County in the Premier League and for
Croatia’s national team during Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
He also scored the first goal in the modern
history of the Croatia team.
He added there will be no excuse if the
team fails to qualify, because the coach has enough time to build a team and
start preparations.
For his part, Asanovic said he was fully
aware of the task ahead and that he had already identified the players he will
be working with.
Zambia last featured at Africa’s showpiece
event in 2015.
The draw for the 2023 qualifying groups
will be conducted on January 23.