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Zlatko Saračević

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Not to be confused with Zlatan Saračević.

Zlatko Saračević
Saračević (left) during the 2009 World Championship
Personal information
Full name Zlatan Saračević
Born (1961-07-05)5 July 1961
Banja Luka, PR Bosnia-Herzegovina,
FPR Yugoslavia
Died 21 February 2021(2021-02-21) (aged 59)
Koprivnica, Croatia
Nationality Croatian
Playing position Right back
Youth career
Team
 RK Borac Banja Luka
Senior clubs
Years Team
1977–1987
 RK Borac Banja Luka
1987–1990
 RK Medveščak Zagreb
1990–1993
 Nîmes
1993–1994
 Bordeaux
1994–1995
 Créteil
1995–1997
 Istres
1997–2000
 Badel 1862 Zagreb
2000–2002
 Fotex Veszprém
2002–2003
 RK Zamet Crotek
National team
Years Team
1980–1981
 Yugoslavia U-21
1981–1991
 Yugoslavia 145 (200)
1992–2000
 Croatia 75[1] (244)
2000–2002
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Teams managed
2003–2004
 RK Zamet Crotek
2004–2005
 Nyíregyházi KSE
2009–2010
 RK Čelik Zenica
2010–2015
 RK Zagreb (assistant)
2014
 RK Zagreb (interim)
2016–2017
 RKHM Dubrovnik
2017–2018
 Croatia (assistant)
2017–2018
 RK Zagreb
2018–2021
 RK Podravka
Medal record
Representing  Yugoslavia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul Team
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1986 Switzerland Team
IHF Junior World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1981 Portugal Team
Representing  Croatia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta Team
World Championship
Silver medal – second place 1995 Iceland Team
European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Portugal Team
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1993 Languedoc-Roussillon Team

Zlatan "Zlatko" Saračević (5 July 1961 – 21 February 2021) was a Croatian[2] professional handball player and coach who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics for Yugoslavia and in the 1996 Summer Olympics for Croatia.

From the 2015 to 2017 World Championship he was a commentator on RTL Televizija together with Filip Brkić.[3]

Following the domestic league match between RK Podravka, of which he was coach, and RK Lokomotiva, Saračević suffered a cardiac arrest and died in Koprivnica on 21 February 2021. He was 59.[4][5][6]

Playing career

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Saračević was born in Banja Luka, present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Product of the prolific youth academy RK Borac Banja Luka, he was one of the greater Yugoslav players of the early 1980s, whose junior team won the world junior championship, defeating the then invincible Soviet Union in the final. With the senior Yugoslavia national team he would win the 1986 World Championship.[2]

In 1988 he was part of the Yugoslav team which won the bronze medal. He played all six matches and scored nine goals.[7]

He played for ten years in RK Borac Banja Luka winning the league and cup once. In 1987 he moved to RK Medveščak from Zagreb. During his three-year stay with the club he won the Yugoslav Cup in 1989 and 1990.

After his stint in RK Medveščak he moved to France where he played for seven years at Nîmes, Bordeaux, Créteil and at Istres. He won the French First League two times and was the league's top goalscorer three times.[8]

In 1997 he moved to Croatian side Badel 1862 Zagreb. At the club he won during his three-year stay all league and cup titles. He also reached the EHF Champions League final twice and the semi-final once. He was also the top goalscorer in the EHF Champions League during his last two seasons.

In 2000 he moved to Fotex Veszprém where he played for two seasons winning league and cup titles while reaching the EHF Champions League final. In 2002 he moved to Zamet Crotek where he finished his playing career and started his coaching career.[9]

While playing for Zamet in the EHF Cup match against Lukoil Dinamo Astrakhan Saračević provoked a fight during the match, all of the players and fans fought against the Russian players. Saračević got a one-year ban from playing handball in European competitions and Zamet Crotek were fined and lost the match 10–0.[10] Saračević retired at the end of the 2002–03 season at RK Zamet Crotek.

With the senior Croatian national team Saračević won a bronze medal at the 1994 European Championship, a silver medal at the 1995 World Championship and gold medals at the 1993 Mediterranean Games and 1996 Summer Olympics. At the Olympics he played six matches including the final and scored 16 goals.

Coaching career

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On 27 February 2003 it was announced that Saračević had become the new head coach of RK Zamet Crotek after the sacking of Damir Čavlović.

During the rest of the 2002–03 season he was a player-coach in some matches. At the end of the season Zamet finished in fifth place while reaching the semi-final of the Croatian Cup. Failing to qualify for the EHF Cup and a bad league position in the new season forced the board's hand to sack Saračević on 22 March 2004.

He had unsuccessful stints in Nyíregyházi KSE in Hungary and NK Čelik Zenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For a brief time he was the assistant coach of RK Zagreb.

On 19 March 2016 he was named as the head coach of RKHM Dubrovnik.[11]

Honours

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Player

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Borac Banja Luka
Medveščak
USAM Nîmes
Badel 1862 Zagreb
Veszprém

Individual

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Coach

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Zagreb
Podravka

Orders

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References

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  1. ^ "Igrači Zlatko Saračević" (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 30 May 2003.
  2. ^ a b "Saračević se prisjetio 1987.: Bili smo jedini Hrvati u momčadi". Večernji list (in Croatian).
  3. ^ "'I ja sam sada postao navijač...' Brkić: 'I ja sam odavno'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian).
  4. ^ "Umro je Zlatko Saračević". Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Potpuni šok: Umro je Zlatko Saračević, legendi HR rukometa pozlilo nakon utakmice, preminuo je u bolnici". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Le Croate Zlatko Saracevic, emblématique joueur puis entraîneur, est mort". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Zlatko Saračević, bivši rukometni as za Glas Srpske: Borac, ajvar i ćevapi brend Banjaluke". glassrpske.com (in Serbian).
  8. ^ "Le palmarès". usam-nimesgard.fr (in French).
  9. ^ "Bozidar Jovic Zágrábban készül". nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian).
  10. ^ "Handball club LUKoil-Dynamo demands to punish organizers of Croatia match". pravdareport.com.
  11. ^ "Saračević postao trener drugoligaša Dubrovnika". Večernji list (in Croatian).
  12. ^ "ODLUKU KOJOM SE ODLIKUJU REDOM DANICE HRVATSKE S LIKOM FRANJE BUČARA" (in Croatian). hrvatska.poslovniforum.hr.
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