The Croatian Handball Association has “parted ways” with another legend—after just one major tournament and finishing in 11th place at the European Championship in Germany, Goran Perkovac has been let go from his role as head coach.

The captain of the national team that clinched Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996 (he also holds a bronze medal from Seoul in 1988 with SFRY) was unanimously relieved of his duties.

This outcome was anticipated during the championship, despite a strong start, where they defeated Spain 39:29.

The Croatian team then had a draw with Austria (28:28) and a win against Romania (31:25) in the preliminary stage, but only managed to defeat Germany (30:24) in the main stage—a match that held no bearing on further progression.

Now the decision is pending on who will take over as the new head coach, with an important challenge ahead from April 14 to 17—the Olympic qualification tournament.

In Hanover, the Croatian team will vie for two spots in Paris against Germany, Algeria, and Austria.

The website “Index.hr” conducted a poll regarding potential new coaches, with 42 percent of over 6,000 respondents naming Veselin Vujović as their preference.

However, the likelihood of the coach from Cetinje—who has resided in Šabac for many years—taking the position seems slim, as both he and the influential HRS vice-president Zoran Gobac have stated that Vujović will never coach Croatia.

Other names in contention include local coaches Nenad Kljajić, Slavko Goluža, Nenad Šoštarić, and Ivica Obrvan, alongside former Barcelona coach Ćavi Pasquale.

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