Former Yugoslavia great Blaz Sliskovic appointed Kitchee boss
- The 60-year-old joins the Hong Kong heavyweights on a two-year contract
- Kitchee finished fourth in the Premier League campaign last season
Former Yugoslavia Footballer of the Year Blaz Sliskovic has been appointed new Kitchee manager, hoping to reverse the club’s fortunes after their fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Sliskovic, who arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday morning, wasted little time as he turned up at a press conference along with some of the club’s new signings that included striker Bleda Rodriguez from rivals Eastern and Willingsson Souza from Southern.
The 60-year-old Sliskovic won his country’s top player award in 1985 and was considered one of the most technically gifted players of his generation.
Sliskovic won 26 caps for Yugoslavia before representing Bosnia and Herzegovina three times in 1993.
He managed his national team from 2002 to 2006 and was the boss of HSK Zrinjski Mostar, a team in his country’s Premier League before joining Kitchee.
The new coach earned high praise from Kitchee president Ken Ng Kin, who said Sliskovic could bring them success with his vast experience as both a player and a coach.
“He has an excellent record in soccer and we want him not only to train our players but also our coaches,” said Ng. “We have no doubt of his knowledge and hope he can settle in Hong Kong as soon as possible.”
Ng said they had offered the new coach a two-year contract.
“Kitchee is the best club in Hong Kong and I want to help them win the championship. That’s why I am here,” said Sliskovic.
Chu Chi-kwong, head coach of Kitchee for the last three seasons, will resume duties under his former title of club director of football.
Kitchee have won the championship three times since the establishment of the Premier League in 2015. They captured only two cup trophies last season – the Senior Shield and FA Cup – and were a disappointing fourth in the league, behind champions Wofoo Tai Po, R&F and Southern.
