体坛英语新闻：Ante Cacic awaits official appointment as new Croatian national coach

ZAGREB, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Croatian Football Federation (HNS) will formally announce appointment of Ante Cacic as new head coach of Croatian national team on Monday afternoon after the Executive Board meeting.

On Sunday evening Ante Cacic coached his team NK Lokomotiva to a 1-0 victory against RNK Split in the Croatian First Division and after the match he made all but clear that he will succeed Niko Kovac on the Croatian bench.

"I am still waiting for the official announcement but media made it clear what will be the outcome. Yesterday, I've been told that I am the only candidate left for the job. I've had a farewell dinnner with my players on Saturday," the 61-year old Cacic told reporters.

Cacic didn't have great playing career as some of the former Croatian national coaches like Niko Kovac, Igor Stimac or Slaven Bilic, but he is an experienced coach and has led many Croatian First and Second Division clubs.

His biggest success came in 2012 when he won Croatian Championship and Croatian Cup with Dinamo Zagreb. He was one of the first coaches that earned a coaching degree when Croatia gained its independence but the job of Croatian national coach will be a pinnacle of his career.

"Of course it will be. It was a great honor for me to be nominated as a candidate and when everything will be official I will be the happiest man on earth," Cacic said.

Cacic was a favorite for the national coach job since the day when Niko Kovac's contract was terminated on September 9. Kovac fell as a victim of a string of sub par results and lack of quality in the performance of Croatian team that caused a slip from the top to the third place of its Euro 2016 qualifying group, falling three points behind leader Italy and one point behind second placed Norway.

Majority of polls didn't back Cacic as the right man for the job but the Croatian media widley reported that he was chosen by Zdravko Mamic, the most influental figure in Croatian football, and that no other candidate stand a real chance to beat him.

Cacic is confident that he will be officially appointed on Monday and the next day talk about the list of Croatian candidates for the two remaining Euro 2016 qualifiying matches against Bulgaria in Zagreb on October 10 and at Malta on October 13.

"We will have enough time to make the list. The deadline is at midnight on Monday," Cacic said on Sunday.

Executive Board of Croatian Football Federation will meet at noon CET on Monday and the new Croatian national head coach will be presented to the media at 2 pm CET.