Kranjcar calls it quits at Dinamo Zagreb

Dinamo Zagreb coach Zlatko Kranjcar has resigned in the wake of his side’s crushing 5-2 defeat at league leaders Rijeka on Sunday.

The defending champions suffered their first home league loss in 104 outings when they were beaten by Osijek last weekend and then went down 3-0 to Lyon in the Champions League in midweek.

And despite the fact that his side still occupy third place in the Croatian top flight, only four points adrift of Rijeka, Kranjcar felt compelled to hand in his notice after only two months in the job. 

“We cannot be satisfied with these recent results,” he said, “And it is logical, because of the interests of Dinamo, my love for the club and my desire for it to be successful, that I should go now.

“I endured a lot of pressure and it is better to get out now and let someone else take over.

“Despite some media speculation to the contrary, this is my decision and has nothing to do with the administration.

“I’m sorry about tonight’s defeat and the tears flowed when I went to thank our fans. But even if we’d won tonight, I would have done the same thing.

“I would like to thank everyone; the players, the fans and the media.”

The 59-year-old returned to take charge of the Croatian giants for a third time in July and successfully guided them through the qualifiers into the Champions League group stage.

He had previously been in charge of both the Croatian and Montenegrin national sides during a coaching career spanning 25 years, while his son, Niko, is currently playing for Rangers.