Joe Šimunić named president of Croatian football club NK Rudeš
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Joe Šimunić (Photo credit: G.I Tepeš/NK Rudeš)
Yesterday it was announced that Joe Šimunić would no longer be in charge of the Croatia U-19 team after coming to an agreement with the Croatian Football Federation to part ways.
Today, it was confirmed that the former international has a new role.
“It is with great pride and pleasure that we can announce that the legendary Croatian national team member – Josip Joe Šimunić has taken over the position of president of NK Rudeš,” the club announced on social media.
NK Rudeš, a Zagreb-based football club, is currently top of the SuperSport Prva NL, which is one tier down from the HNL.
“The former Croatian U-19 national team coach accepted this important role, so that our club would be as ready as possible to meet the challenges in the SuperSport Croatian Football League. Šimunić’s football knowledge and experience, which he acquired through 105 appearances in his favourite shirt, will be very much needed, because the club’s ambitions, apart from placing among the best, are to be as competitive as possible in this select group,” the club said.
Šimunić, who had a record of 19 wins, 10 draws and nine losses in 38 games in charge of the Croatia U-19 team, says he is looking forward to the new challenge.
”I am honoured to have been given the opportunity and come to such an important position. My desire, as well as that of everyone in the club, is to further raise the level of the youth department, in order to create and then use players from their own department. Of course, all with the aim of becoming as stable as possible a club in the highest rank of Croatian football. But also guided by our slogan ‘Totally different from others’, said Šimunić.
NK Rudeš has shown its ambition already by engaging big names in Croatian football, such as Silvio Marić, Fabijan Komljenović, Davor Mladina and Željko Stinčić… and Šimunić’s arrival is just the ‘icing on the cake’, the club added.
“I think this is the best indicator of all our sports plans, because having such a name, that is, a football institution in the club is a big deal. With Josip’s arrival, we sent a message to everyone, but what is even more important, along with the already mentioned big names of Croatian football, we also confirmed the seriousness of our entire project,’ emphasised club director Stipe Čondrić.
