Dinamo Zagreb manager Sergej Jakirovic has resigned from his position by mutual agreement on Thursday. The decision follows the club’s historic 9-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League. This loss set a new record for the most goals scored by a single team in a Champions League match.
Bayern’s star striker, Harry Kane, played a pivotal role in the demolition, scoring four goals, becoming the highest-scoring English player in European Cup history. Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara managed to score two consolation goals for Dinamo Zagreb.
Jakirovic, a 47-year-old Bosnian, had been appointed Dinamo Zagreb manager in February 2023, after previously managing HNK Rijeka. During his tenure, he guided the club to its 25th league title and the Croatian Cup last season.
Following Jakirovic’s departure, Sandro Perkovic, a member of his coaching staff, has been appointed as the caretaker manager.
Dinamo Zagreb’s president, Velimir Zajec, expressed his gratitude towards Jakirovic for his services, acknowledging the difficult period the club is going through. Zajec stated that the club will now focus on appointing a new head coach and returning to winning ways.
“In such situations, the most important thing is to remain decent, and to put Dinamo’s interests first,” Zajec said in a statement. “It’s now up to us to make a quality decision about the new coach during this difficult moment for Dinamo and to get back on the winning track. We had a pleasant cooperation, and Jakirovic left an impression on me as a quality individual. I wish him lots of luck in his future career,” he added.
Dinamo Zagreb currently sits third in the domestic league standings with 13 points. They are scheduled to face Slaven Belupo on Saturday and will then host AS Monaco in their next Champions League match on October 2.
