Luka Bonacic
Encyclopedia
Luka Bonačić (born 2 March 1955) is a Croatian
football
coach and former player.
, Croatia
that was part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
. He began football careers in Split Football Academy. He was joined to Hajduk Split in 1969 when he was 14.
in 1979 but after one year, he transferred to VfL Bochum
. CD Málaga
and Footscray JUST
was next Bonačić's clubs. He retired after playing for Melbourne Croatia
in 1986. He call up for Croatia national football team
in 1982 but never played for the team.
coach he launched the career of Dado Prso
, the former Rangers
and Monaco striker. Also whilst at Slaven Belupo he started the career of young central defender Ivica Križanac
who currently plays for FC Zenit
in Russia
.
He was selected as Croatian Coach of the Year in 1996 when he has reached the final of the Croatian Cup
with middle-class Croatian club NK Varteks. In 1996 with his team Varteks he won against Dinamo Zagreb
4-3. During this match the referee helped Dinamo Zagreb on a few occasions however Varteks was the better team. After many dishonest referee's decisions in favour of Dinamo Zagreb, coach of Varteks Luka Bonacic has had verbal conflict with Franjo Tudjman, the then President of Croatia and fan of Dinamo Zagreb
.
Bonačić said to Tudjman :"Mr President, can you tell to this dishonest referee to stop helping your favourite team. Despite of this dishonest referee my team will beat your club Dinamo Zagreb".
Also in 1996 on the last match day of season 1995/96 his club NK Varteks was in the race for title with top Croatian club NK Dinamo Zagreb but on the last match day of playoff in Split against other top Croatian club Hajduk Split, his club Varteks was stolen of a great triumph against Hajduk Split because of the referee who refused to give a penalty to Varteks in the first half and the assistant referee who gave 11 offsides to Varteks' strikers. It was big scandal as many say that it was the referees alone that stole the 1995-96 league title from Varteks.
Thanks to his great success with middle-class Croatian club NK Varteks Varazdin, in the 1997/1998 season he became head coach of top Croatian club Hajduk Split. Soon after Bonacic's appointment however the management board named famous coach Tomislav Ivic
as Bonacic's assistant. It is known that Tomislav Ivic prefers ultra defensive football and young coach Bonacic preferred ultra-attacking football. As a result the team had a conflict of tactics.
After 10 match days Bonacic's Hajduk was the leading team of Croatian Championship with 8 points advantage ahead of 2nd Dinamo Zagreb. In Bonacic's first 10 matches he won 9 and lost 1, a great record for any coach.
But, then suddenly, Management Board of Hajduk Split (controlled by Franjo Tudjman's assistants decided to fire Bonacic and named Tomislav Ivic for head coach of team. After 2 months, Hajduk lost many points under Ivic and the management sacked Ivic and asked Bonacic to return, which he did but due to the points lost under Ivic Bonacic could only manage a respectable 2nd under Dinamo Zagreb
.
In 2006 he was attacked by a group of people whilst returning to his flat in Split
. According to the press he was attacked by Hajduk fans, but after a few months Croatian press stated that Croatian football agents had hired out men to harm Bonacic as Bonacic made clear his dislike of agents.
It is a known fact that Croatian player’s agents give transfer bungs to Croatian as a gift for signing contract with theirs players. When Bonacic was coach of Hajduk, some Croatian player’s agents have offered him transfer bungs under the condition that his club Hajduk signed contracts with players represented by them. Yet Bonacic never accepted transfer bungs
So, Bonacic has refused to deal with these football agents close friends to Croatian underground (mafia) and after few months he was attacked by Croatian football mafia dangerous men sent by these Croatian players agents. According to Croatian press coach Bonacic has not wanted to put few players on the starting eleven (first team) of Hajduk because he has thought that their quality is not enough good for Hajduk and because of it he was attacked by few agents which players have been substitutes during Bonacic' stay in Hajduk.
A few months after this incident he has decided to leave Hajduk and he has told for Croatian press that he will never more return to Hajduk.
In 2006 Bonacic accepted an offer as head-coach of Iran
ian side Sepahan F.C.. He has been highly successful with Sepahan so far winning the Hazfi Cup
in 2006 and 2007. Also in 2007 he managed to take Sepahan to the AFC Champions League
final but lost to Japan
ese side Urawa Red Diamonds
3-1 on aggregate.
Bonacic's club Sepahan has become the first Iranian football club to ever make it to the knockout stage and final, absorbed all the pressure to book another trip to Japan after their quarterfinal triumph over Kawasaki Frontale. Bonacic is known as coach who doesn't like officials of clubs to decide which player will be in the starting eleven. On a few occasions he has left Croatian and foreign clubs when some presidents of clubs have tried to impose him which players "must" play in first team. He has refused their orders and left theirs clubs. His temperament and character are specific.
In January 2008 Bonacic signed a 18-month contract with Al-Nasr Sports Club
in Dubai
and was sacked on February 2009.
In December 2010 Bonacic signed a contract with Gostaresh Foolad
Club based in Iran, Tabriz
, in Azadegan League. He was named as new head coach of Sepahan on 22 June 2011 and returned to his previous club. After a 3–0 defeat to Mes Kerman in the Pro League and eliminated from Champions League
, led to dismiss Bonačić by club chairman Alireza Rahimi
.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
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 and former player.
Early life
He was born on March 2, 1955 in SplitSplit (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Croatia
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 ...
that was part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. He began football careers in Split Football Academy. He was joined to Hajduk Split in 1969 when he was 14.
Club careers
He was sign a contracti with Hajduk in 1970 and began his career in club. He made 45 games for club and scored eight goals. He joined to Grasshopper-Club ZürichGrasshopper-Club Zürich
Grasshopper Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshopper is a Swiss multisports club based in Zürich. The oldest and best known section of Grasshopper Club Zürich is its football team...
in 1979 but after one year, he transferred to VfL Bochum
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum, is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding to World War II:...
. CD Málaga
CD Málaga
Club Deportivo Málaga was a Spanish football club based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It played twenty seasons in La Liga, before being dissolved in 1992....
and Footscray JUST
Footscray JUST
Footscray JUST is a defunct association football club from Melbourne, Australia.Established in 1950 by migrants from Yugoslavia they played in the Victorian leagues with a fair amount of success, winning five Victorian State League titles, and three Dockerty Cup titles...
was next Bonačić's clubs. He retired after playing for Melbourne Croatia
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League...
in 1986. He call up for Croatia national football team
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
in 1982 but never played for the team.
Coaching career
Bonačić is known as coach who gives chance to young talented players. In the 1992/93 when he was NK PazinkaNK Pazinka
NK Pazinka is a Croatian football club based in the town of Pazin in Istria. Founded in 1948, their greatest success was competing in the Croatian top flight 1. HNL for two seasons between 1992 and 1994. They are currently members of 4. HNL West, one of the eight regional fourth level...
coach he launched the career of Dado Prso
Dado Pršo
Miladin "Dado" Pršo is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker.Pršo played for seven different teams and made over 300 league appearances as a professional...
, the former Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and Monaco striker. Also whilst at Slaven Belupo he started the career of young central defender Ivica Križanac
Ivica Križanac
Ivica Križanac is a Croatian football defender who currently plays for RNK Split.He previously played for Górnik Zabrze of Poland where he became one of Polish league's best players. Since joining FC Zenit Saint Petersburg Ivica has been a major player. He is a consistent player...
who currently plays for FC Zenit
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
He was selected as Croatian Coach of the Year in 1996 when he has reached the final of 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...
with middle-class Croatian club NK Varteks. In 1996 with his team Varteks he won against 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...
4-3. During this match the referee helped Dinamo Zagreb on a few occasions however Varteks was the better team. After many dishonest referee's decisions in favour of Dinamo Zagreb, coach of Varteks Luka Bonacic has had verbal conflict with Franjo Tudjman, the then President of Croatia and fan of 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...
.
Bonačić said to Tudjman :"Mr President, can you tell to this dishonest referee to stop helping your favourite team. Despite of this dishonest referee my team will beat your club Dinamo Zagreb".
Also in 1996 on the last match day of season 1995/96 his club NK Varteks was in the race for title with top Croatian club NK Dinamo Zagreb but on the last match day of playoff in Split against other top Croatian club Hajduk Split, his club Varteks was stolen of a great triumph against Hajduk Split because of the referee who refused to give a penalty to Varteks in the first half and the assistant referee who gave 11 offsides to Varteks' strikers. It was big scandal as many say that it was the referees alone that stole the 1995-96 league title from Varteks.
Thanks to his great success with middle-class Croatian club NK Varteks Varazdin, in the 1997/1998 season he became head coach of top Croatian club Hajduk Split. Soon after Bonacic's appointment however the management board named famous coach Tomislav Ivic
Tomislav Ivic
Tomislav Ivić was a Croatian football player and manager.Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game...
as Bonacic's assistant. It is known that Tomislav Ivic prefers ultra defensive football and young coach Bonacic preferred ultra-attacking football. As a result the team had a conflict of tactics.
After 10 match days Bonacic's Hajduk was the leading team of Croatian Championship with 8 points advantage ahead of 2nd Dinamo Zagreb. In Bonacic's first 10 matches he won 9 and lost 1, a great record for any coach.
But, then suddenly, Management Board of Hajduk Split (controlled by Franjo Tudjman's assistants decided to fire Bonacic and named Tomislav Ivic for head coach of team. After 2 months, Hajduk lost many points under Ivic and the management sacked Ivic and asked Bonacic to return, which he did but due to the points lost under Ivic Bonacic could only manage a respectable 2nd under 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 2006 he was attacked by a group of people whilst returning to his flat in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
. According to the press he was attacked by Hajduk fans, but after a few months Croatian press stated that Croatian football agents had hired out men to harm Bonacic as Bonacic made clear his dislike of agents.
It is a known fact that Croatian player’s agents give transfer bungs to Croatian as a gift for signing contract with theirs players. When Bonacic was coach of Hajduk, some Croatian player’s agents have offered him transfer bungs under the condition that his club Hajduk signed contracts with players represented by them. Yet Bonacic never accepted transfer bungs
So, Bonacic has refused to deal with these football agents close friends to Croatian underground (mafia) and after few months he was attacked by Croatian football mafia dangerous men sent by these Croatian players agents. According to Croatian press coach Bonacic has not wanted to put few players on the starting eleven (first team) of Hajduk because he has thought that their quality is not enough good for Hajduk and because of it he was attacked by few agents which players have been substitutes during Bonacic' stay in Hajduk.
A few months after this incident he has decided to leave Hajduk and he has told for Croatian press that he will never more return to Hajduk.
In 2006 Bonacic accepted an offer as head-coach of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian side Sepahan F.C.. He has been highly successful with Sepahan so far winning the Hazfi Cup
Hazfi Cup
The Hazfi Cup is a knockout cup competition in Iranian football, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The competition wasn't regarded important by clubs until the IRIFF decided to award one of Iran's four AFC Champions League spots to the champion....
in 2006 and 2007. Also in 2007 he managed to take Sepahan to the AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
final but lost to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese side Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
3-1 on aggregate.
Bonacic's club Sepahan has become the first Iranian football club to ever make it to the knockout stage and final, absorbed all the pressure to book another trip to Japan after their quarterfinal triumph over Kawasaki Frontale. Bonacic is known as coach who doesn't like officials of clubs to decide which player will be in the starting eleven. On a few occasions he has left Croatian and foreign clubs when some presidents of clubs have tried to impose him which players "must" play in first team. He has refused their orders and left theirs clubs. His temperament and character are specific.
In January 2008 Bonacic signed a 18-month contract with Al-Nasr Sports Club
Al-Nasr Sports Club
Al-Nasr Sports Club , is a professional association football club located in Dubai and plays in the UAE Pro-League. Al-Nasr, literally translating to "victory" in Arabic was founded in 1945 and considered as the first and the oldest club in the UAE...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and was sacked on February 2009.
In December 2010 Bonacic signed a contract with Gostaresh Foolad
Gostaresh Foolad F.C.
Gostaresh Foolad F.C. is an Iranian football club based in Tabriz, Iran. They currently compete in the Azadegan League.-History:Formed in 2009, Gostaresh took over the licence of Niroye Zamini F.C. when they ran into financial difficulties...
Club based in Iran, Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
, in Azadegan League. He was named as new head coach of Sepahan on 22 June 2011 and returned to his previous club. After a 3–0 defeat to Mes Kerman in the Pro League and eliminated from Champions League
2011 AFC Champions League
The 2011 AFC Champions League was the 30th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation , and the 9th under the current AFC Champions League title...
, led to dismiss Bonačić by club chairman Alireza Rahimi
Alireza Rahimi
Alireza Rahimi is an Iranian retired footballer and the current chairman of Sepahan since 9 August 2011.-Early life:He was born on 1 March 1955 in Isfahan, Iran. His father was a factory manager and had many factories in Isfahan. He was graduated from Tehran University in 1978.-Playing career:He...
.
Statistics
| Nat | Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | |||||
 |
NK Varteks | June 1995 | June 1996 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 29 | 19 | ||
| |
Hajduk Split | January 1997 | December 1998 | 52 | 31 | 10 | 11 | 89 | 42 | ||
 |
Foolad | June 2003 | June 2004 | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 37 | 22 | ||
| |
Esteghlal Ahvaz | June 2004 | February 2005 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 24 | ||
 |
KS Dinamo Tirana KS Dinamo Tirana Klubi Sportiv Dinamo Tirana is an Albanian football team, playing in the Albanian capital of Tirana, founded in 1950. They play at the Stadiumi Qemal Stafa which has a capacity of 25,000. Their main rivals are fellow Tirana team KF Tirana.- History :... |
February 2005 | February 2006 | 36 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 53 | 35 | ||
| |
Hajduk Split HNK Hajduk Split HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and... |
February 2006 | June 2006 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 11 | ||
| |
Sepahan | June 2006 | January 2008 | 45 | 22 | 14 | 12 | 61 | 35 | ||
 |
Al Nasr | July 2008 | July 2009 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 37 | 40 | ||
| |
Mes Kerman | December 2009 | May 2010 | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 55 | 56 | ||
| |
Goostaresh Foolad Gostaresh Foolad F.C. Gostaresh Foolad F.C. is an Iranian football club based in Tabriz, Iran. They currently compete in the Azadegan League.-History:Formed in 2009, Gostaresh took over the licence of Niroye Zamini F.C. when they ran into financial difficulties... |
June 2010 | June 2011 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 22 | ||
| |
Sepahan | June 2011 | October 2011 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 9 | ||
| Total | 304 | 141 | 81 | 85 | 448 | 315 | +133 | ||||
Honours
- Croatian CupCroatian CupThe 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...
- Runner up: 1
- 1995/96 with NK Varaždin
- Runner up: 1
- Prva HNL
- Runner up: 2
- 1996/97 with Hajduk Split
- 1997/98 with Hajduk Split
- Runner up: 2
- Iran Pro League
- Winner: 1
- 2004/05 with Foolad
- Runner up: 1
- 2007/08 with Sepahan
- Winner: 1
- Hazfi CupHazfi CupThe Hazfi Cup is a knockout cup competition in Iranian football, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The competition wasn't regarded important by clubs until the IRIFF decided to award one of Iran's four AFC Champions League spots to the champion....
- Winner: 2
- 2006 with Sepahan
- 2007 with Sepahan
- Winner: 2
- AFC Champions LeagueAFC Champions LeagueThe AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
- Runner up: 1
- 2007 with Sepahan
- Runner up: 1