Zvezda replace coach after championship disappointment

Zvezda Zvenigorod’s coach Zdravko Zovko and his assistants Mato Matievich and Vlado Shola have left the club after defeat in the Russian championship semi-final against Dinamo Volgograd.

They lost the first leg in Volgograd 19:32 and were then defeated 32:34 at home in the second leg after a penalty shoot-out.

Although Zvezda will still contend for third place and the national cup, owner of the club Leonid Stavitskiy made a decision to remove the 57-year-old Croatian as head coach.

“If we didn’t reach gold medals, we needed to react somehow. It was a tough step.

“Nevertheless I have no claims to Zdravko, Vlado and Mato. Many thanks for their honesty, decency and diligence.

“I want to wish them the best and that their talent turns into numerous victories.” said Leonid Stavitskiy after last meeting trainers with the team.

44-year-old Alexandr Revva was introduced as the new interim head coach.

An Olympic champion in 1984 with Yugoslavia as a player, Zdravko Zovko worked with men’s sides RC Zagreb (Croatia) and MKB Vezprem KC (Hungary) as well as women’s Podravka (Croatia) before joining Zvezda.

“I like to win. I seek to win and when it’s impossible it strongly torments me,” explained Zovko.

“I will read with great satisfaction and pleasure in the news at a later time that my Zvezda won bronze in the league and won the Russian cup.

“All of us wish both the girls and Sascha Revva great fortune and big victories. A change of the trainer can be a positive change for the team and it appears that everything will turn out well.

“The main thing is not to look back, but to think about the future,” Concluded Zovko.