Zovko confident about the future of handball 

Zovko is one of the most successful coaches in this edition of the CL. The Croatian coach has an Olympic gold medal and a CL title and he won many trophies as a player and coach as well. With great experience in men’s and women’s handball, his mission is to lay the foundations of a powerful and strong Podravka Vegeta, similar to the one that won the CL and the European Super Cup in 1996.

Eurohandball.com: How did you start handball and why did you decide to start coaching?

Zdravko Zovko: I started handball when I was 11 or 12. My elder brother played already, so naturally I wanted to be better then him also in handball. I was thinking as a coach already as a player, so for me it was logical to start coaching when I ended my career.

Eurohandball.com: Which was the best moment in your career – as player or coach?

Zdravko Zovko: The biggest success as a player was the Olympic gold medal for sure. In fact, the most beautiful moments of my life were when my daughters were born.

My first success as a coach was winning the Italian league, but I also remember with great joy winning the Champions League with Santander.

Eurohandball.com: You have been working almost six months in Koprivnica by now. What do you think about the present and future of Podravka?

Zdravo Zovko: Podravka Vegeta are one of the best clubs of Europe now with excellent organisation and an excellent working environment. We can talk about the individual qualities of the players at this moment, but apart from that everything else is superb. I’m optimistic that Podravka will stay one of the best clubs in Europe.

Eurohandball.com: Are you satisfied with the performance of your team in the CL?

Zdravko Zovko: I’m not satisfied. Our plan was to collect 4 points from four rounds, but we now only have 2 points so far.

Eurohandball.com: What is the plan of Podravka for the rest of the season?

Zdravko Zovko: Our priority is to stay in the European competitions all the way to the end of season. To achieve that we will need a lot of hard work against an excellent Ribarroja and Győr at the last two matches in our group.

Eurohandball.com: With your enormous experience as a top player and a top coach, it would be very interesting to hear who you find the best coaches in women’s handball…

Zdravko Zovko: The most successful coach in women’s handball in recent years is Anja Andersen. But for me one of the best coaches in the world is Tone Tiselj, for sure.

Eurohandball.com: What is the key of success in today’s handball? And which elements will be the most important in the future?

Zdravko Zovko: The most important thing today is to have the support of a strong sponsor. If you have money, you can buy the best players and in a short period of time you can achieve results.

Handball will be an attractive game for the spectators in the future. This means speed, strength and attractiveness.