Croatia: Slaven Bilic has announced that he will step down as coach of Croatia after Euro 2012. The 43-year-old has been at the helm of the Balkan country since 2006 after taking over from Zlatko Kranjcar following an unsuccessful World Cup campaign.
Bilic exclusively revealed to Goal.com earlier in April that he was seriously considering a return to club management after this summer's tournament in Poland and Ukraine, and now the former Hajduk Split man has confirmed his decision.
"This is my last tournament in charge of Croatia. I have always given my best and, now, I am fully focused on the Euros. Afterwards I will be the biggest Croatia fan. I have been a part of the national team for my whole life," he told Uefa.com.
Despite deciding to make his decision public before the European Championship, Bilic claims he is fully focused on the task at hand and the coach is confident his team can perform well in a group consisting of Spain, Italy and the Republic of Ireland.
He said: "We showed in 2008 that we know how to play and we will be ready again. I can't say that this side are better than in 2008, but I can say that I think I am better. We went to Austria [and Switzerland] to win the Euros and we are going [to Poland and Ukraine] with the same ambitions now.
"In qualifying more than 30 per cent of our players didn't have enough playing time with their clubs. I am not hiding from that problem but at the Euros it will not be such an issue as it was in qualifying. We will have a better preparation and we will be together for longer." The former defender has been heavily linked with a move to Besiktas while he has also declared his interest in a possible move to either the Premier League or the Bundesliga.
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