Clemente confirmed by Serbia
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Article summary
Former Spain coach Javier Clemente has signed up to lead Serbia in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying, much to the delight of Serbian FA president Zvezdan Terzić.
Article body
Former Spain coach Javier Clemente has signed up to lead Serbia in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying after replacing Ilija Petković on a two-year contract.
Experience
Clemente will become the first coach of Serbia, whose full membership of UEFA was granted last week following the dissolution of the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro. The 56-year-old has a wealth of experience, including at international level where he led Spain to the quarter-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and then on a run of 31 matches unbeaten between September 1994 and January 1998. "It has been agreed, I'm now coach of Serbia and will coach the side through the qualification for EURO 2008," Clemente said.
Philosophy
Zvezdan Terzić, Football Association of Serbia president, said he was "delighted" to have secured Clemente, and was not worried that he had made an unprecedented foreign appointment. "Now, in the 21st century, when borders do not exist, we must be open to everybody and everything. Language is not important, our football philosophy is. We have talented players, Clemente has experience and, I deeply believe, we will have success."
League titles
Clemente's greatest success at club level came at Athletic Club Bilbao where he won the Spanish title in 1983 and the league and cup double in 1984, in the first of three spells in charge at San Mamés. His latest stint ended in disappointment when he was sacked earlier this month despite saving Athletic from relegation. Clemente also guided RCD Espanyol to the UEFA Cup final in 1988, where the Barcelona team lost out to Bayer 04 Leverkusen on penalties.
Czech test
Clemente will arrive in Belgrade on Thursday evening and immediately begin preparing for a friendly against the Czech Republic in Prague on 16 August, Serbia's first match as an independent nation since their split from Montenegro. The UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign will get under way against Azerbaijan in Belgrade on 2 September. He will be assisted by former international right-back Risto Vidaković, who played under Clemente at Real Betis Balompié. After three years at the helm, Petković stood down last month in the wake of a disappointing showing at the FIFA World Cup, with Serbia and Montenegro losing all three group-stage fixtures.
