Slaven Bilic becomes Lokomotiv’s new head coach

FC Lokomotiv’s press-service reports that the club’s contract with the current head coach Jose Couceiro expires and will not be extended. The club would like to thank Jose Couceiro for his work. We think he managed to lay a good basis for further development. We wish Jose good luck in his further career!

We also would like to report the new head coach of FC Lokomotiv will be Slaven Bilic. The contract signed between the club and the Croatian specialist is valid for 3 years. Slaven Bilic join his new team after Euro-2012 where he’s going as the head coach of Team Croatia.

- I’m glad we have managed to sign such a strong and well-reputed specialist – says Olga Smorodskaya, President of FC Lokomotiv Moscow. – Bilic is one of Europe’s top coaches and we had to compete for him against many big clubs, including some teams of the English Premier League. I do not doubt Bilic will take Lokomotiv to the new heights and I’m sure Lokomotiv will be a success with him at the steering wheel.

Biography

Slaven Bilic was born on September 11, 1968 in Split, Croatia. He started his career in the local club Haiduk and later moved to FC Karlsruhe from Germany. Bilic spent 3 years there (1993-1996). He became the first foreigner who became the captain of a Bundesliga team. From there, Bilich went to England to play for West Ham in the season 1996/1997. He then settled in the city of Liverpool for 3 years where he played for local Everton. In 2000, Bilic returned to Haiduk to spend his final year there as a player.

Bilic is one of the key figures of the famous generation of the 1990s in the Croatian football. The central defender made some 50 appearances in the shirt of Team Croatia and was of the leaders of the squad who won the bronze of the World Cup 1998 in France.  

The first team he trained was his native Haiduk. In 2004 Bilic took over as the head coach of the U-21 Team Croatia. Having worked the full cycle with the country’s best young players, Bilic was promoted to the head coach of the Croatian national team. He’s been working there for 6 years.

Bilic took Croatia to both European tournaments. By the way, the team’s famous victory over England on Wembley in 2007 allowed Team Russia to qualify for Euro-2008, too.

At Euro-2008 Croatians repeated their best achievement making it to the quarterfinal. At the forthcoming Euro-2012 Croats will play against Spain, Italy and Ireland.