Former Croatia coach Otto Barić passes away in Zagreb
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Otto Barić, one of the most successful Croatian football coaches of all time and former national team coach, has died in Zagreb at the age of 87, the Croatian Football Federation confirmed on Sunday.
Otto Barić was born in 1933 and started his playing career as a junior at Dinamo. He went on to play for Metalac and Lokomotiva.
Barić first got into coaching in 1963 and in his long career he managed a host of club’s, including Lokomotiva, Opel-Rüsselsheim, Wiesbaden, Wacker Innsbruck, LASK Linz, Zagreb, Dinamo Vinkovci, Sturm, Rapid Vienna, Stuttgart, Casino Salzburg, Dinamo and Fenerbahce.
Barić was the selector of the Croatian national football team from July 2002 until the end of the European Championship in Portugal in 2004. In 24 games at the helm he achieved 11 wins, 8 draws and 5 defeats. Prior to Croatia, he was the selector of the Austrian national football team from April 1, 1999, to December 31, 2001, and in 22 games he achieved 7 wins, 6 draws and 9 defeats. He was also the selector of the Albanian national team in the period from July 1, 2006, to 22. November 2007.
Barić also was the sports director of Austria Salzburg, the director of Dinamo’s youth school, and an assistant to Miroslav Blažević on the bench of Croatia at the 1996 Euros.
Barić won two titles in Austria with Wacker Innsbruck (1971, 1972), three Austrian titles with Rapid Vienna (1983, 1987, 1988), and four Cups (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987), two Super Cups (1987, 1988) and led the club to the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup (1985), with Sturm he won one Austrian title (1990), with Casino Salzburg two Austrian championship titles (1992, 1994), Austrian Cup (1993) and a place in the final of the UEFA Cup (1994), with Dinamo Zagreb he won the Croatian title (1997) and Cup (1997), with Stuttgart he reached the final of the German Cup (1986).
“The Croatian Football Federation expresses its deep condolences to the family of Otto Barić for this irreparable loss,” HNS said.
