Ilija Loncarevic
Encyclopedia
Ilija Lončarević is a Croatia
n football
coach.
Lončarević led Inker Zaprešić
to the Croatian Cup
title in 1992, but his arguably biggest success in management came when he won the Croatian championship
with Dinamo Zagreb
in 1999. In the 1990s, Lončarević was also in charge of several other Croatian teams including Zagreb
, Marsonia
, Slaven Belupo
and Hrvatski dragovoljac
.
In the summer of 2000, after a short spell with Marsonia, Lončarević was appointed head coach at NK Čakovec
, who just won their first promotion to the Croatian first division at the time, and led the club through the first part of the 2000-01 season. Under his management, Čakovec surprisingly came in position to fight for the fifth place in the Croatian league for some time during the autumn of 2000; they finished the season in 8th place. Lončarević left Čakovec in the winter break of the 2000-01 season and returned to Dinamo Zagreb for the 2001-02 season.
In 2003, Lončarević was appointed head coach of the Libyan national football team
and led the team through their qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. He was surprisingly sacked from the post in July 2004, although the team only lost one qualifying match until that time. After this first spell with the Libyan national team, Lončarević went on to take charge of Dinamo Zagreb in November 2004 and stayed there until the end of the season. In April 2005, however, Lončarević was appointed head coach of the Libyan national team for a second time, after their previous coach, Mohamed El Khemisy, resigned from the post following a 4-1 defeat to Egypt in the World Cup qualifiers.
Lončarević then led the Libyan team through their remaining four World Cup qualifiers, but did not have much of success as the team managed two goalless draws and suffered two 1-0 defeats. Libya finished fourth in their group, 10 points behind the group winners Côte d'Ivoire
. Despite the unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, Lončarević remained in charge of the Libyan team for the 2006 African Cup of Nations
. However, after Libya lost to Egypt and Côte d'Ivoire in their first two group matches at the tournament, chairman of the Libyan Football Federation
, Gamal Al Gaafari, announced that the coach will be relieved of his duties after the last group match against Morocco
, which ended in a goalless draw.
Since November 2006, Lončarević has been in charge of Croatian first division team NK Osijek
. The team finished sixth in the league during his first season there and he signed a new contract until the end of the 2008-09 season in May 2007. In his second season with Osijek, in 2007-08, the team finished third in the league and qualified for the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
In summer 2009 Lončarević was put on charge of KF Tirana champions of Albanian Superliga. However, on October 6 2009, barely 5 weeks after the start of the Albanian Superliga, Lončarević gave his resignations without citing any reasons why he did that.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
coach.
Lončarević led Inker Zaprešić
NK Inter Zaprešic
NK Inter Zaprešić is a Croatian football club based in Zaprešić, a town northwest of the capital Zagreb originally founded in 1929. They play in the Prva HNL after they were promoted from Druga HNL at the end of the 2006–07 season...
to the Croatian Cup
Croatian Cup
The Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation and usually runs from late August to May...
title in 1992, but his arguably biggest success in management came when he won the Croatian championship
Croatian First League
The Prva HNL , also known as 1. HNL or for sponsorship reasons the MAXtv Prva Liga, is the top Croatian football league competition, established in 1992. The winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League...
with Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
in 1999. In the 1990s, Lončarević was also in charge of several other Croatian teams including Zagreb
NK Zagreb
NK Zagreb is a Croatian football club, from the Croatian capital of Zagreb.NK Zagreb's home is the Stadion Kranjčevićeva with capacity of 8,850. The club's fans are known as the White Angels...
, Marsonia
NK Marsonia
NK Marsonia is a Croatian football club based in the town of Slavonski Brod which currently plays in Treća HNL, Croatia's third level league.NK Marsonia was founded in 1909...
, Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo, often referred to simply as Slaven and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of the country...
and Hrvatski dragovoljac
NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac
NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac is a Croatian football club based in the Novi Zagreb neighbourhood of the country's capital city of Zagreb. The team's fans are known as the "Black Warriors"...
.
In the summer of 2000, after a short spell with Marsonia, Lončarević was appointed head coach at NK Čakovec
NK Cakovec
NK Čakovec is a Croatian football club based in Čakovec, in the northern part of the country. They are currently playing in the fourth tier of Croatian football....
, who just won their first promotion to the Croatian first division at the time, and led the club through the first part of the 2000-01 season. Under his management, Čakovec surprisingly came in position to fight for the fifth place in the Croatian league for some time during the autumn of 2000; they finished the season in 8th place. Lončarević left Čakovec in the winter break of the 2000-01 season and returned to Dinamo Zagreb for the 2001-02 season.
In 2003, Lončarević was appointed head coach of the Libyan national football team
Libya national football team
The Libya national football team is the national association football team of Libya and is controlled by the Libyan Football Federation. The team has never qualified for the senior FIFA World Cup. They have qualified for three Africa Cup of Nations, one in 1982 where they finished runners-up and...
and led the team through their qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. He was surprisingly sacked from the post in July 2004, although the team only lost one qualifying match until that time. After this first spell with the Libyan national team, Lončarević went on to take charge of Dinamo Zagreb in November 2004 and stayed there until the end of the season. In April 2005, however, Lončarević was appointed head coach of the Libyan national team for a second time, after their previous coach, Mohamed El Khemisy, resigned from the post following a 4-1 defeat to Egypt in the World Cup qualifiers.
Lončarević then led the Libyan team through their remaining four World Cup qualifiers, but did not have much of success as the team managed two goalless draws and suffered two 1-0 defeats. Libya finished fourth in their group, 10 points behind the group winners Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...
. Despite the unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, Lončarević remained in charge of the Libyan team for the 2006 African Cup of Nations
2006 African Cup of Nations
-Group B:---------------------Group C:---------------------Group D:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter-finals:-------------Semi-finals:-----Third-place play-off:-Final:-Scorers:...
. However, after Libya lost to Egypt and Côte d'Ivoire in their first two group matches at the tournament, chairman of the Libyan Football Federation
Libyan Football Federation
The Libyan Football Federation is the governing body of football in Libya. It was founded in 1962, affiliated to FIFA in 1963 and to CAF in 1965...
, Gamal Al Gaafari, announced that the coach will be relieved of his duties after the last group match against Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
, which ended in a goalless draw.
Since November 2006, Lončarević has been in charge of Croatian first division team NK Osijek
NK Osijek
NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.- History :NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija...
. The team finished sixth in the league during his first season there and he signed a new contract until the end of the 2008-09 season in May 2007. In his second season with Osijek, in 2007-08, the team finished third in the league and qualified for the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
In summer 2009 Lončarević was put on charge of KF Tirana champions of Albanian Superliga. However, on October 6 2009, barely 5 weeks after the start of the Albanian Superliga, Lončarević gave his resignations without citing any reasons why he did that.