Croatian WC ’98 bronze winning player Ardian Kozniku is the new manager of Shkendija.

The 46-year-old Kozniku is a former Croatian attacker who was part of the team that won the bronze medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, but did not appear in any of the games. After ending his playing career in 2002, on few occasions he worked as sporting director and assistant coach at the domestic sides of Hrvatski Dragovoljac, Dinamo Zagreb, Lokomotiva Zagreb and Inter Zaprešić. His only job as first team coach was at Lokomotiva Zagreb and lasted briefly.

What is interesting is that from 2007 to 2009 he served as president of the Croatian diving federation. We don’t know why the board of the Tetovo based team decided to once again go with an inexperienced coach. The previously anonymous American coach Roy Ferenčina, of Croatian descent, proved to be a very bad choice, but now the board hired another coach with no real coaching resume. Time will tell.

Kozniku’s first task will be at home, against the undefeated side of Sileks, in a match scheduled for Sunday, 14 September.