Croatian Kljaić named Iran men’s handball coach
Croatian coach Nenad Kljaić has been appointed as the new head coach of Iran’s men’s national handball team, ending months of speculation over the vacant position, the Iranian Handball Federation announced on Friday.
Kljaić, who signed his contract at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Zagreb, is due to arrive in Tehran on Tuesday to officially begin his tenure with the national team.
The 59-year-old succeeds former Spain coach Rafael Guijosa, who parted ways with Iran after a disappointing campaign at January’s Asian Men’s Handball Championship in Kuwait, where the team lost four of its seven matches to finish 12th among the 15 participating nations.
Kljaić is no stranger to Asian handball, having coached Saudi Arabia in two separate spells between 2012 and 2018.
During his first stint, he guided Saudi Arabia to its best-ever finish at the IHF Men’s World Championship, including a historic victory over Asian powerhouse South Korea on the way to 19th place at the 2013 tournament. He returned to the Saudi bench from 2015 to 2018, leading the team to the gold medal at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku and a semifinal appearance at the 2016 Asian Championship, securing qualification for the World Championship.
Kljaić enjoyed an illustrious playing career, representing Yugoslavia 69 times before earning 145 caps for Croatia following the country’s independence. His honors include two EHF Champions League titles, a European Super Cup crown, and an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Since moving into coaching in 2005, Kljaić has built an impressive résumé at both club and international level. He guided Croatian giants RK Zagreb to the domestic league title and the semifinals of the EHF Champions League.
At club level in Asia, he also led Qatar’s Al Rayyan to the final of the 2014 AHF Champions League, where the team finished runner-up after losing to fellow Qatari side El Jaish in Doha.